What is Foundation?

Foundation, short for Foundation-Phase is a programme running at most universities in South Africa. Terms like Extended Curriculum Programme (ECP) and Extended Degree Programme (EDP) are synonymous with the term Foundation as well. Fundamentally the programme acts as something of a bridge for underperforming students to ease into academic study.

Purpose of the Foundation SIG:

The Foundation Special Interest Group (SIG) is a network of academics from different South African higher education institutions who have recognised the benefit of sharing expertise and experiences in teaching and learning. The SIG seeks to provide a platform where academics working in the field of foundation provisioning/extended programmes can share information and innovative teaching and learning practices.

We use this space to share information on:

  • Workshops, seminars and conferences relating to Foundation Provisioning in different provinces.
  • Discussion forums through our Blog, Facebook page and Google Drive Folder
  • Share information in the form of teaching resources

Committee Members

Siyanda Ntlabathi UFH (Convenor) sntlabathi@ufh.ac.za
Dylan Cromhout CPUT  (Deputy Convenor – IT) dhcromhout@gmail.com
Thina Maqubela RU (Deputy Convenor – Admin) t.maqubela@ru.ac.za

Provincial Representatives

Eastern Cape Siyanda Ntlabathi (UFH) sntlabathi@ufh.ac.za
Free State Ruan Slabbert (CUT) sslabber@cut.ac.za
KwaZulu Natal Shubnam Rambhoros (DUT) rambhros@dut.ac.za
Limpopo Munienge Mbodila (UNIVEN) Mbodila@gmail.com
Gauteng Ilse Fouche (UP) ilse.fouche@up.ac.za
Western Cape Mark Jacobs (CPUT) jacobsms@cput.ac.za

Engagement

Digital Platforms

  • Individual Communication – Email: foundationsig@gmail.com
  • Group Communication – Blog: foundationsig.wordpress.com
  • Information Sharing: Google Drive (Send request to foundationsig@gmail.com)
  • Social Communication – Facebook Group: https://www.facebook.com/groups/654603407981965/

Events

Foundation programmes often host events around South Africa. Please communicate these events to foundationsig@gmail.com so that we can communicate the details to other SIG members. The SIG will also be organising events that will be communicated to SIG members through the Blog and other communication platforms.

WSU and UFH are collaborating on hosting the Foundation Colloquium on 25 & 26 August 2015 in East London under the theme “SHARING EXPERTISE AND EXPERIENCES”.

Blogging

The SIG would like to encourage the sharing of best practice with instructors around South Africa. For this reason a blog has been set up to facilitate just that. All SIG members are welcome to publish something on the blog. Blog posts do not have to be formal research papers; they can be simple practical ideas, videos, inspirational thoughts, discussion-provoking questions, etc.

It would be wonderful to have all SIG members posting something up once in a while to create a vibrant best practice community while at the same time developing an information-rich resource for future foundation teachers in South Africa to glean from. In order to become an author on the blog please send an email to foundationsig@gmail.com

Google Drive

Sharing best practice is intrinsically linked to sharing information. For this reason a Google Drive account has been set up to facilitate document sharing. We would like to build large repository of documentation for use by all foundation-phase instructors and administrators. The repository is categorised as follows:

  • Administration: This includes all documents used by foundation-phase administrators. It also includes all documents used for administration by the SIG.
  • Events: Any event related documentation.
  • Teaching and Learning: This folder is divided based on area of discipline and subjects taught. This way, all lecturers teaching similar subjects can share exercises, assignments, case studies, etc. with one another. If you find that your subject area is not represented in the Drive please feel free to add a folder.
  • Research: Any research related literature can be stored here. Please feel free to add relevant literature that may be of interest to SIG members.