Students of the Faculty of Economic and Management Sciences at Stellenbosch University are annually afforded the opportunity to choose their top lecturer.
Awarding top lecturers was the initiative of Mr Koos Bekker of Naspers, who was also backing it by means of a sponsorship. The Faculty of Economic and Management Sciences seized the opportunity and organised the first top lecturer competition in 2011 in cooperation with Die Burger. It is the only SU faculty to hold the competition.
The 2019 competition is the ninth one sponsored by Die Burger.
According to Prof Ingrid Woolard, Dean of the Faculty of Economic and Management Sciences, Die Burger is enabling the Faculty to acknowledge excellence in teaching. “We take pride in this student-centred competition.
“From students' feedback, it is clear that the same 'old' values still hold true: lecturers have to be able to teach well and explain difficult concepts in such a way that students will understand them," she added.
Photographs of all the Faculty's lecturers are displayed in an online ballot, and students vote during a 10-day period. Undergraduate students vote for the best lecturer of their undergraduate study years, while postgraduate students vote for the best lecturer of their postgraduate study years. Students are also required to choose the single most important characteristic of an excellent lecturer from various options.
After the competition, the winners – the undergraduate and postgraduate top lecturer of each department and the overall winner – will be awarded at a gala event.
In addition, ten students who have participated in the voting and whose names have been drawn in a lucky draw, will receive cash prizes of R1 500 each. One of them can also win a smartphone at the prizewinning function.
The overall winner of 2018, Mrs Sophia Brink, a chartered accountant and lecturer in financial accounting at the School of Accountancy, says it's a huge privilege to have been honoured in this way.
“This competition motivates lecturers and inspire us to reach even greater heights in the lecture hall. Thank you to Die Burger for its involvement in the competition as well as to the students for their votes."
- Students can vote from 16 to 27 September 2019.
- The prizewinning function will be held on 18 October 2019.
- Photo by Anton Jordaan: At the top lecturer function last year were (from left) Mr Justin Langeveld, Die Burger's General Manager: News South; Prof Rachel Jafta, Chairperson of Media24 and lecturer in economics; runner-up Prof Sarel Steel; overall winner Mrs Sophia Brink; Mrs Eloise de Jager (in 3rd place); and Mr Willem Jordaan, Editor of Die Burger.
