Currently, I am the curriculum officer (CO effective from Feb 2021) for the Department of Food Science and Technology. In this role, one of my functions is to ensure effective curriculum design and I wholeheartedly believe in the decolonization project and to ensure smart teaching and learning. I also share my teaching practices with the department and have feedback sessions on the curriculum (see an example of a presentation at DFST on the new diploma in food science and technology on the left side). I also arrange regular formal teaching and learning workshops both within the department and also invite other colleagues from the institution to share their practice with us with the view to continuously improve our offering (for example Respondus lockdown browser workshop by Mr  Nkosikho Sogwagwa from Biomedical Sciences.

Alongside my colleague, Ms Lusani Vhangani we coordinate the DFST open day activities including having outreach to schools. In 2018 our department won the trophy for the most dynamic display at the CPUT open day. In 2019, we won the trophy for the best Exhibition for the second year running. To extend our reach to the public I also share some of the positive stories and write articles on LinkedIn please see (Department of Food Science and Technology captures the hearts of students).

At an institutional level, I am a regular presenter at the CIET CPUT Teaching and learning with technology day and also at RIFTAL conferences (see the section on research)  where I share my teaching practice and also learn from other colleagues to deepen my skills, knowledge and competencies and represent my department and the faculty of applied sciences. Moreover, I also share my teaching practice at CIET workshops either voluntarily or upon invitation (Prof Daniela Gachago thank you note, feedback and sharing). Recently, I was asked by Prof Ivala, Director at CIET to compile a presentation and join her with other colleagues to present at CPUT SENEX on the subject: integrity of online assessments (Prof Ivala invitation). The presentation was well-received such that other faculties (Dean of FID) invited us to present to their faculty. I have also worked with Prof Daniella Gachago to do presentations to the CPUT community on student engagement tools, assessment strategies etc. At the Department of Biomedical services, I was asked to share a presentation on how to effectively use learning analytics reports derived on the LMS Blackboard to support students (Invitation to Department of Biomedical Sciences). Remote learning presents an exciting challenge to re-design our courses, implement student centered learning practices and use the power of DATA generated in the LMS to make decisions about learning, support, course design etc. This is a niche area that our faculty of applied science can really capitalize on and spearhead this in the University as we embark on vision 2030 and build a SMART CPUT.

All these interactions at an institutional level have been very humbling and offered me so many learning opportunities. When there is a glimpse of success I also share these with my department and HoD who in turn shares these news at the faculty level. As I reflect, I recall last year after working tirelessly to ensure we succeed in implementing online assessments during the COVID-19 pandemic, when the first test was completed successfully with a good pass rate I shared this with a good story with the HoD Prof Jessy Van Wyk. The message was also shared with the faculty and Prof Nakhooda was so kind and took time to respond to this and encourage further research on this aspect (Sharing good news). As an emerging scholar, I believe that one should not only stand in the shoulders of giants, but also be a giant of which others can stand on - my students, my colleagues and my faculty and institution. I have come to realize that there is a plethora of  good colleagues at CPUT of whom I can learn from. It is the willingness of these colleagues that keeps me going and the love and passion I have for my students. My desire is that our department and faculty will one day reach a stage where the CPUT graduate attributes are embedded in every subject we teach and every fiber of our being to ensure that we produce graduates that are not only industry ready but can also create employment opportunities for others in our country, emZansi.