CHEC develops and administers support initiatives at the request of the member universities. Current institutional support consists of two sub-focus areas:
Shared facilities and services and Higher Education Leadership Academy (HELA).
Shared facilities and services
Cape Higher Education Library Network (CHELiN)
The Cape Higher Education Library Network (CHELiN) is an initiative of the Cape Higher Education Consortium (CHEC) and consists of the four higher education libraries at the public universities in the Western Cape i.e. the Cape Peninsula University of Technology (CPUT), Stellenbosch University (SU), the University of Cape Town (UCT) and the University of the Western Cape (UWC).
CHELiN’s purpose is to provide optimal access to information and quality information services for all participating institutions, enhancing those possible in any single institution, and to develop additional partnerships where they will further contribute to meeting the needs of users.
Contact:
www.chelin.ac.za/contact-us/ | www.chelin.ac.za
Copyright clearance management
Publishing Liaison Office (PLO)
The PLO functions as a one-stop copyright clearance management and related services solution for access to teaching and learning materials on behalf of the four universities in the Western Cape. The PLO is authorised to clear and manage the reproduction of copyright-protected materials for non-commercial, educational purposes under the respective universities’ blanket or transactional licence agreements in deliberation with the Dramatic, Artistic and Literary Rights Organisation (DALRO).
The PLO also clears copyright with various other rights holders when required, while also directing the proper use and clearance of materials under Open Access, public domain, GNU General Public Licences or Creative Commons licence agreements. Lecturers and administrative staff can register and submit copyright permission requests directly on the PLO’s management system.
Other activities of the PLO include:
- Creating an awareness of the copyright laws of South Africa
- Facilitating compliance with copyright laws and relevant authorities
- Negotiating reasonable fees for the use of materials from various copyright holders
- Participating in institutional forums and training that shape copyright policies and guidelines
Higher Education Leadership Academy (HELA)
The CHEC Higher Education Leadership Academy is proud to present you with the programmes we will be offering in 2025. These programmes are the result of our continued scanning of the environment and the feedback we receive. All public and private HEIs are invited to participate.
Note that there are new programmes in the 2025 portfolio:
Professional Development in HE
1. CREATING THE LEADING EDGE (CLE) – for middle managers
2. CREATING THE EXECUTIVE EDGE (CEE) – for senior managers
3. OPUS programme – for academics and administrators within five years of retirement (new).
Research Development in HE
4. ADVANCING SCHOLARSHIP Programme (ASP) – for early and mid-career researchers
5. ACADEMIC RESEARCH SUPERVISION (ARS) – for entry and established supervisors (new)
How to register
To register, participants should follow the links as provided below. We will then reach out to the universities to confirm participation.
Critical conversations
Purpose: The CHEC Critical Conversations is designed as a forum for engagement across the four universities and our strategic partners in the Western Cape on critical issues and discourses in SA HEIs. We recognize that the academic landscape has become increasingly complex and that answers need to be found for problems that previously did not exist. In this way, the CHEC Critical Conversations will provide our regional universities with an opportunity to share ideas and contribute to regional higher education innovation by discussing our strategies and lessons learnt through our business continuity, risk, and other applications.
Cost: Attendance of the Critical Conversations are free.
Professional development
The Creating the Leading-Edge Programme (CLE)
The CHEC CREATING THE LEADING EDGE has been redesigned to reflect the changes in the HE landscape.
This well-known middle management programme is open to any members of private or public higher education and promises to capacitate our human resources with an understanding of themselves and their roles in HE.
All courses are hosted online and take place 9:00-12:00.
Purpose: “To build and develop human capacity to create a thriving and supportive HE workspace.”
Target market: The programme is specifically designed for academic heads of departments, heads of research entities, and support/professional staff managers. Typically, the selected candidate will have at least a post graduate qualification and more than five years work experience as a new or existing manager in their positions. However, universities are free to select any participant that they believe will benefit from the course.
USAf endorsement: The CLE is endorsed by Universities South Africa for its relevance and responsiveness to developing and supporting the leadership and management knowledge and skills required, for greater efficiency and effectiveness in the systems, processes, people and technology requirements of our universities.
Cost: Costing is per module.
CHEC certificate: A CHEC certificate of successful completion will be issued upon completion.
Please contact Ms Sisipho Zweni at sisispho.zweni@chec.ac.za to register.
Creating the Executive-Edge (for senior management)
The Programme is designed to meet the strategic needs of senior and executive management in HEIs in the Western Cape. The value of the CEE lies in the development of strategic leadership who values transformation, communication and performance engagement.
Purpose: “To engage in strategic leadership through people management in HE.”
Target market: The Programme is designed for deans, deputy deans and senior or executive directors appointed to executive positions in HEIs
Cost: Costing is for the entire programme as all courses are compulsory.
CHEC certificate: A CHEC certificate of successful completion will be issued upon completion.
COVID-19 management and responses. Lessons learnt for the future
Editor: Prof René Pellissier
Book DOI: https://doi.org/10.52779/9781991260031
Almost two years ago, CHEC launched the idea of developing a book on Covid-19 management and responses. We received international and national support for the idea. The book deals with teaching and learning and management issues and in an effort to formulate lessons learnt for future discontinuity in the HE domain. We thank all the authors for their efforts to make this valuable to our institutions in providing lessons learnt.
The book is available for download (as soft copy for free) from the following platforms:
Google (e-book): https://bit.ly/43Ng65k
Takealot (printed): https://bit.ly/3KVfIKx (at R380)
ITSI (e-book): https://bit.ly/43EUHeC
Amazon (printed): https://amzn.to/43VwLDH (Amazon does not host free e-books)
ASM (printed): orders@africansunmedia.co.za
Postgraduate Diploma in Higher Education in Teaching and Learning
To address this need, CHEC has been offering a Postgraduate Diploma in Higher Education in Teaching and Learning [(PGDip (HE)(T&L)] since 2014. The programme, which is available to academic staff from the four regional universities, as well as from other South African universities, is implemented through a collaboration agreement between Stellenbosch University (SU), the University of the Western Cape (UWC) and the Cape University of Technology (CPUT).
A Postgraduate Coordinating Committee, consisting of representatives from the three universities, is responsible for the oversight, planning and coordination of the programme. The current Chair of the Committee is Dr Xena Cupido of CPUT (cupidox@cput.ac.za).
The programme, which is offered on a part-time basis over two years, has three compulsory modules of 30 credits each, namely:
- Teaching and learning in higher education,
- Assessment in higher education, and
- Research for enhancing teaching and learning.
In addition, students may choose one elective 30-credit modules from the following four modules:
- ICTs for Teaching and Learning
- Academic Leadership and Management
- Strengthening Postgraduate Supervision
- Recognition of Prior Learning
The most recent cohort of 19 participants enrolled at the start of 2020 and completed the programme at the end of 2021.
The programme will be offered again in 2023, while 2022 is being used for a programme re-curriculation process.