Prof Marietjie Potgieter

Teaching and learning at the University of Pretoria are regarded as core to the academic enterprise. This is reflected in the manner in which the Executive portfolios are structured, the range of faculties at the University, the strategic planning practices, and the range of services supporting academic staff and students.

I envisage a Faculty that continuously refines instructional practices in order to deliver graduates with appropriate attributes to enter the workplace as highly skilled professionals, or to undertake postgraduate research in a research-intensive university.

The University of Pretoria has set itself the strategic goal to achieve excellence in teaching and learning, benchmarked against international research-intensive universities. To achieve this goal, research, focusing on tertiary mathematics and science education, should become an integral part of research activities in the Faculty. This will ensure that our teaching practice is informed by international best practices that have been rigorously scrutinised and proven to be relevant and suitable to our context.”

The content and structure of qualifications are continuously revised and adapted, and new, more focused programmes are developed to keep abreast of global trends. At the Faculty we train versatile problem solvers who can easily adapt to changing circumstances and take the lead in their field of specialisation.

More about the Deputy Dean: Prof Marietjie Potgieter

Prof Marietjie Potgieter was appointed as the Deputy Dean for Teaching and Learning in the Faculty of Natural and Agricultural Sciences from 1 September 2013.

Prof Potgieter is an associate professor in the Chemistry Department. She has been responsible for chairing the Teaching and Learning Committee and through her leadership good progress was made in the alignment of degree programmes with the strategic goal of the University to be a research-intensive institution. She has also been responsible for driving the key interventions in teaching and learning that form part of the strategic priorities of the Faculty Plan.

Prof Potgieter has a longstanding record of contributions to Chemistry Education within the tertiary as well as secondary education system. These contributions include research publications within the field, presentations of various lectures at national and international conferences, as well as being elected on national bodies, representing science education. She also received the South African Chemistry Institute (SACI) Education Medal in 2008 for her outstanding contribution to Chemical Education, judged by her published work over a five year period.

In 2010 Prof Potgieter received a commendation award from the Higher Education, Learning and Teaching Association of Southern Africa (HELTASA) for teaching excellence. She is also one of the founding members of a new initiative in the Faculty, the Science Teaching and Learning (SCITAL) Forum. The aim of the SCITAL Forum is to bring together staff with a common interest and to develop and advance the scholarship of teaching and learning in the Faculty.