News & Events

From Higher Education Reform Experts South Africa (HERESA) to HERE – Africa It is a pleasure to share with you the Outcomes Report generated from the Higher Education Reform Experts – South Africa (HERESA) Dissemination, Synergy and Sustainability Event. Importantly, this outcomes report captures our collective decision to take HERESA into its next phase. Thank…

Higher Education Reform Experts South Africa (HERESA), a three-year pilot that will come to an end in November, was “a success with tangible impact”, project coordinator Dr Sershen Naidoo told University World News at the end of the initiative’s final workshop in Johannesburg from 2-4 October. Desmond Thompson (University World News), chatted with Dr Sershen…

“The need to strengthen the capacity of leaders in higher education so that they can drive much-needed change in the sector was high on the agenda at a three-day workshop of Higher Education Reform Experts South Africa (HERESA) held in Johannesburg from 2-4 October.” Desmond Thompson (University World News), gave a summary and insight to…

Over the last three years, the Higher Education Reform Experts South Africa (HERESA) has championed reform in the higher education sector, shaping policy, forging strategic partnerships, and responding to evolving societal needs. As a network devised between THENSA and OBREAL Global, with funding from the Erasmus+ Programme, HERESA has solidified its reputation as an agent…

Shaping Tomorrow’s Graduates: CUT’s Journey Towards Competency-Based Assessment and Evaluation Recently, the Central University of Technology’s (Free State) (CUT) Centre for Innovation in Learning and Teaching (CILT) hosted a workshop focused on the development of a Competence-Based Assessment and Evaluation tool. This initiative aims to standardise approaches used to assess and evaluate graduate attributes competencies…

Higher Education Reform Experts South Africa (HERESA) Calls for Leadership for Change in the Higher Education Sector Within the South African higher education sector, the need for dynamic leadership practices that safeguard against societal calamities is now more urgent than ever. Not only will these solutions advance the transformative changes necessary for the sector to…

Based on a study conducted at five universities of technology, this report offers strategic interventions and recommendations in the fields of Work-Integrated Learning, Entrepreneurship Education, Competence-Based Learning and Teaching and Curriculum Development for the 4IR. Click here to read the report Outcomes.

“Strategy development and implementation is an area of higher education that has not been adequately addressed, and HERESA is filling that gap,” – Dr Sershen Naidoo (HERESA Project Coordinator) Desmond Thompson (University World News) speaks to Dr Sershen Naidoo (coordinator of the Higher Education Reform Experts – South Africa (HERESA) project) and other attendees at…

A select group of HERESA members were invited to attend a Leadership workshop in Cape Town in March this year (2023). Dr Tessie Herbst chatted about the workshop with Desmond Thompson from University World News (UWN).   Read the full article here

As the demands of the contemporary workplace continue to grow, the value of Work-Integrated Learning (WIL) at South African higher education institutions has never been more clear. Over the last couple of decades, universities have been tasked with the responsibility of producing work-ready graduates who will not only meet the expectations of the working world,…

Background The Higher Education Reform Experts South Africa (HERESA) is a collaborative multi-country initiative overseen by the Technology Higher Education Network South Africa (THENSA). HERE-SA supports technological advancements in learning, focussing specifically on: (1) entrepreneurship education, (2) work-integrated learning (WIL), (3) competency-based learning and teaching (CBLT), (4) competences for the 4IR, and (5) the leadership…

Technology-focused universities in Africa have been urged to adopt competency-based teaching and learning practices that integrate theoretical discipline-specific knowledge, practical technical skills and positive workplace attitudes that would improve students’ employability in the current and future job market and stimulate continuous learning. Read the full article here. Article published with reference to a session at…

Entrepreneurial education is touted, in part as the solution, if not the silver bullet, to South Africa’s growing youth unemployment rate and other socio-economic challenges that plague the country. It is within this context that higher education institutions have established or are establishing themselves as entrepreneurial hubs, despite the many limitations they face. The ongoing…

The onset of the COVID-19 pandemic saw an upsurge of the Fourth Industrial Revolution (4IR) technologies in Africa, from artificial intelligence in medical technology, 3D printing for medical use, drones delivering life-saving medicine and digital learning platforms in schools and universities. Read the full article here. Article published with reference to a session at the…

“Curricula should not become cemeteries for dead knowledge” It is not too often that one emerges from a four-day event feeling more energised and inspired than one did at the start. This was certainly the case for the HERESA Training Workshop which took place from 21st to 24th March at The Premier Hotel in Umhlanga,…

Higher education institutions in South Africa are at the helm of building an innovative, knowledge-rich, and resilient society. Yet, they are often criticised for producing graduates who are not ‘fit for purpose’ because of a disconnect between industry requirements and university curricula. Siphosethu Nxumalo (University World News) reports on the Work Integrated Learning session of…

To kickstart the new year, HERESA hosted another edition of the HERESA Café on January 26th  from 12h00 to 13h00 (SAST). The last two sessions of the Café saw presentations from Dr Elina Botha, Senior Lecturer in Midwifery at Tampere University of Applied Sciences (TAMK) in Finland, who discussed the Flipped Classroom model, and Dr…

The second session for the HERESA Café focused on how educators and researchers in entrepreneurship and innovation can learn from each other and the role of communities of practice. Last year, HERESA established four Communities of Practice (CoPs) in the following areas: Entrepreneurship of Teaching And Learning, Work-Integrated Learning (WIL), Competency-Based Learning and Curriculum Development…

For almost two years, the world has had to adapt to the varying new normals that the COVID-19 pandemic has presented. For the Higher Education Reform Experts South Africa (HERESA) project, this adaptation has strengthened our commitment to reform and revitalise higher education in South Africa. In the first few months of the COVID-19 pandemic,…

Over warm cups of coffee shared over three different continents, members of the HERESA community came together to talk about the Flipped Classroom model for the first HERESA Café. The inaugural HERESA Café got off to an exciting start as members of the HERESA community gathered to discuss the topic, “How Not to Slip in…

The HERESA community is proud to announce the launch of HERESA Café, a series of pop-up conversations with pedagogic experts around themes in teaching. Ahead of the first HERESA Café, which will take place on 5th October from 10:00 to 11:00 (South African time). THENSA interviewed Dr Elina Botha from Tampere University of Applied Sciences…

“Can the Higher Education Reform Experts South Africa (HERESA) project be used as a tool to re-conceive South Africa’s higher education sector in the Fourth Industrial Revolution and post-pandemic world?” Read the full article here

South African universities of technology to benefit from a Higher Education Reform Experts – South Africa project A three-year project called HERE-SA or Higher Education Reform Experts South Africa has officially been launched. Funded by the European Union, the project hopes to strengthen and revitalize the country’s technology-based institutions of higher learning. It is set…

“South African universities of technology are set to benefit from a project, funded by the European Union, which aims at strengthening and revitalising the country’s technology-based institutions of higher learning.” Read the full article here