Prof. Siphamandla Zondi, Director of the Institute for Pan-African Thought and Conversation at the University of Johannesburg, delivering his keynote address.

The Central University of Technology, Free State (CUT) is bringing together scholars from South Africa and abroad to shape the future of teaching and learning at the 12th International Conference on the Scholarship of Teaching and Learning (SoTL), taking place from 7 to 9 October 2026.

Held under the theme “Advancing Student Success through SoTL and Curriculum as Praxis,” the conference attracted 196 presentations from 25 institutions, highlighting the growing influence of Scholarship of Teaching and Learning as a national and international platform for advancing educational practice.

Welcoming delegates, Prof. Mogomme Masoga, Deputy Vice-Chancellor: Teaching and Learning, emphasised that student success extends beyond graduation statistics. “Student success cannot be measured solely by retention, throughput, or graduation rates. It is reflected in the quality, relevance, and transformative impact of the learning experiences we create.”

He highlighted the role of SoTL in helping universities develop evidence-based, inclusive and innovative approaches to teaching and learning that position students as active participants in their educational journeys.

Delivering the keynote address, Prof. Siphamandla Zondi, Director of the Institute for Pan-African Thought and Conversation at the University of Johannesburg, challenged higher education institutions to look beyond individual student performance and confront the systemic factors that shape student outcomes. “Student success is not simply about getting students through the system. It is about transforming the system so that it enables students to succeed.”

Prof. Zondi called for a shift away from a student-deficit perspective towards greater institutional responsibility, urging universities to critically examine their cultures, curricula, language, pedagogy and assessment practices. “We must move from a student-deficit perspective to institutional responsibility by asking not what is wrong with students, but what is wrong with the systems that cause students to struggle.”

His address also placed curriculum transformation and decolonisation at the centre of conversations about the future of higher education. He challenged institutions to interrogate whose knowledge is recognised, reproduced and prioritised within academic spaces. “Decolonisation is not about adding an African author to a reading list. It is about asking whose knowledge is valued, whose knowledge is reproduced, and whose future education serves.”

He further called on universities to move beyond the transmission of knowledge towards developing graduates who can think critically, engage meaningfully with society and contribute to positive change. “The purpose of education is not merely to transmit knowledge, but to empower students to think critically, act purposefully, and become agents of change in society.”

The conference continues with keynote addresses from Prof. Earle Abrahamson and Prof. Samukelisiwe Khumalo, who will add to the dialogue on student success, curriculum transformation and the evolving role of higher education.

Through the conference, CUT is positioning SoTL not simply as an academic discipline, but as a powerful tool for transforming teaching and learning, strengthening student success and ensuring that higher education responds meaningfully to the needs of society.

Shaping the future of higher education. Delegates from 25 institutions across South Africa and beyond come together at CUT for the 12th International SoTL Conference, advancing conversations on student success, curriculum transformation and innovative teaching and learning practices.