Twenty-two (22) newly appointed staff members were officially welcomed to the Durban University of Technology by means of a three-day academic induction workshop organised by the Centre for Excellence in Learning and Teaching (CELT), last week.
An induction programme is a process used within many businesses and organisations to welcome new employees to a company and prepare them for their new role.
“The Academic Induction programme is one of the few opportunities at the University that offers a multidisciplinary space for staff across faculties to network, collaborate, share experiences and debate key educational issues,” said Nalini Chitanand, CELT Teaching and Learning Practitioner (Staff Development). “This year (2017), the block workshop was held from 24th to 26th January 2017 and 22 staff across the six faculties participated”, said Chitanand.
The workshop, which has been conducted at DUT for more than 20 years, is in line with DUT’s strategic direction of fostering transformative learning through promoting scholarly teaching and the scholarship of teaching and learning. During the programme, participants explored student-centred learning, teaching and assessment (LTA) strategies that empower students to become active, responsible and critical students and citizens.
The programme is offered by CELT in collaboration with facilitators from the Centre for Quality Promotion and Assurance (CQPA), Library, Writing Centre, Health and Wellness as well as the office of the Deputy Vice-Chancellor: Teaching and Learning. The programme is offered twice a year from January to June and July to December and comprises of a three-day block workshop followed by monthly workshops. The workshop also aims to introduce staff (both academic and non-academic) to the range of activities at DUT.
Chitanand said participants found that the workshop provided a wonderful environment for new staff and offered fresh perspectives for learning and teaching at the University. “It was interactive and engaging, provided an opportunity for new staff to reflect on teaching and learning and helped them to understand DUT in the national higher education landscape,” she said.
– Waheeda Peters
Pictured: Newly appointed DUT staff at the CELT academic induction workshop.
