Home › Criterion 3: Demonstrates leadership and a scholarly approach that enhances teaching, learning and student success, which has a broader impact within Nelson Mandela University and beyond. › Successful management/coordination of a team of staff

Successful management/coordination of a team of staff

In this section, I am going to present my case as follows:

  • Firstly, I am going to indicate what I have done management wise as module coordinator on- and off-campus. As such, I will be showing for which modules I was responsible. At the same time, these modules were not taught merely by me only, but involved from two to six staff members at a time when I was the module coordinator, especially the PGED201 module and all off-campus modules. All these modules were succesfully managed.
  • Secondly, I will provide feedback regarding my successful management and coordination of community based project, which is also available here, 'Successful outcome of projects managed by the applicant'
  • Thirdly, I am going to show that I have been able to bring the PGCE curriculum development process together by providing as HOD, the TWO PGCE programmes' documentation that was send for accreditation to the Council of Higher Education (CHE). There is a PGCE FET programme and a PGCE FET-SP programme. I will only provide a link to one of them. The PGCE programme was also the first new programme pre-service programme to receive formal accreditation [The Honors Programme was the first one]. I will also present documentation that highlight the planning presented to staff regarding module writing preparation.
  • Fourthly, I will present evidence from the LEAP (Leadership Enhancement Advancement Programme), a one year Short Learning Programme that I attended in 2017, that present my case that I have been able to manage/coordinate and lead the PGCE programme effectively and with excellence.

Module coordination

I have been responsible as module coordinator for the coordination and training of several modules at our off-campus sites and on campus since 2008. Since 2013 I am Head of Department and Head of Programme of the Post Graduate Certificate in Education [PGCE] (PE and George Campus) as well as facilitating the PGCE curriculum renewal process:

  • PGEF400: Education and Theory module (Co-designer of module in
         2018, year module to be facilitated in 2019 for the first time)
  • PGPL40S: Professional School Based Practice module (Designer of module
         in 2018, year module
         to be facilitated in 2019 for the first time)
  • WRX103: ICT module (ACE Computer Literacy for School Leadership) for
         the NMMU in 2009 and updated every year. Also module coordinator
  • PGED201: Educational Thought (Module coordinator and teaching of
         module from 2015 to 2016, teaching only from 2017 to 2018)
  • PICM201: Curriculum Studies - Concepts and Methodology in
         Mathematics: Numbers Concept (2007, Module coordinator from 2012
         onwards, Teaching of module since 2007)
  • PICM202: Curriculum Studies - Concepts and Methodology in
         Mathematics: Measurement (2008 Module co-ordinator from 2012
         onwards, Teaching of module since 2008)
  • PICM301: Curriculum Studies - Concepts and Methodology in
         Mathematics: Data Handling, probability and Space and Shape (2008,
         Module co-ordinator from 2010 onwards, Teaching of module since 2008)
  • PSMT101 module (BEd Senior Primary: Concepts of Numbers and
         Algebra) for the NMMU (Module coordinator and teaching 2008-2011)
  • PSED305 module (BEd Senior primary and FET: Research Methodology in
         Education) for the NMMU (Module coordinator and teaching, 2008-2012)
  • PSPL301 module (BEd Senior primary and FET: RPL in Mathematics and
         Science Education) for the NMMU (Module coordinator and teaching,
         2008-2012)
  • PSPL201 module (BEd Senior primary and FET: RPL in Mathematics and
         Science Education) for the NMMU (Module coordinator and teaching2008-
         2011)
  • Edit and re-design PHE408 Research module in honours degree module
         (2010)

Successful management and coordination of community based project

Another initiative which I coordinate in collaboration with Mr Vernon Naidoo and Prof Paul Webb, the ABSA SMIS and Hermann Ohlthaver Trust  Internet Project, is a project that has not only benefitted disadvantaged schools, BUT it has also benefitted NMMU students’ learning. [Prof Webb secured the computers]. Prof Maritz Snyders requested whether bandwidth could be made available from our wireless links for some off-campus Nelson Mandela University students, and we gave him the go ahead to use our resources. Thus here, I have also contributed to academic leadership to assist students with their learning indirectly, i.e. making resources available and hence assist them. An image is indicated below of the wireless network.

Since March 2014, I have been involved with the coordination of a virtual online Science classroom with a school in Paterson. Dr Jeff Illsley (retired) conduct lessons online to learners at Peterson from his home in Port Elizabeth. We hope to roll this out to more schools and embark on research related to this. Currently, Mr Preston Geswindt and Dr Ron Beyers work under my guidance. I attach TWO reports of 2018 and 2019 below as evidence. We work in clode collaboration with the Port Elizabeth District Office of the Department of Basic Education with the blessing of Dr Govender. My team and Dr Govender had a meeting with all interested schools in February 2019 to plan. The reports pre- 2018 are also available at 'Successful outcome of projects managed by the applicant' (click here to view). Two project links showing successful management and coordination follow below: 

Bringing the PGCE curriculum development process together by providing as HOD, the PGCE programme documentation that was send for accreditation to the Council on Higher Education (CHE)

As stated previously above, I have been able to bring the PGCE curriculum development process together by providing as HOD, the PGCE programme documentation that was send for accreditation to the Council of Higher Education (CHE). The PGCE programme was also the first new programme pre-service programme to receive formal accreditation [The Honors Programme was the first one]. I will also present documentation that highlight the planning presented to staff regarding module writing preparation. The following are presented below as evidence:

Evidence from the LEAP (Leadership Enhancement Advancement Programme) portraying that I managed/coordinated and led the PGCE programme effectively and with excellence

I will present evidence from the LEAP (Leadership Enhancement Advancement Programme), a one year Short Learning Programme that I attended in 2017, that present my case that I have been able to manage/coordinate and lead the PGCE programme effectively and with excellence. The attached PORTFOLIO (click here to view) showcase my managment, leadership and innovative ideas. Prof Paul Poisat, main facilitator of the LEAP programme, stated to me that my portfolio was of the highest standard and can be regarded as cum laude. 

I have identified the following personal competences that I wanted to develop during my LEAP journey, namely:

  • To show commitment to the team that I lead and build relationships by
          recognizing their commitment and dedication in order to motivate them
  • To build trust and confidence between the team and myself
  • To become a calm and collective leader who are on the forefront of
          our programme development within the Faculty of Education
  • To demonstrate that I am a caring leader
  • To demonstrate that I show creativeness when dealing with problems
          and requirements within the PGCE programme
  • To become an agent of hope for staff
  • To become an ethical servant leader that shows that I am an agent
         of hope which shows compassion for students and learners
  • To communicate clearly with staff and students regarding what
         are expected from them
  • To demonstrate that I am not afraid of making tough or difficult decisions
  • To demonstrate that I am open to critical feedback from staff about
         my leadership

In order to realize these personal competencies identified above, I designe and implemented six activities and provided evidence related to these activities, as well as evidence to indicate why I think I have achieved these competencies. The attached portfolio attached PORTFOLIO (click here to view) clearly illustrate the above. The evidence showcase that I was able to lead and manage the PGCE staff, as well showing the same on other forums, successfully. I have also used a theoretical lens, i.e. Activity Theory, to interpret my experiences, observations and implementation in the portfolio in the final section thereof.