Recruited to the University of Fort Hare during a period of Administration (2019-2020). DVC: AA responsibility span included: 6 Faculties; Research (including centres, institutes, units); Student Affairs; Libraries; International Office; and Teaching and Learning Centre.

Co-leadership in unbundling a University Executive portfolio of Academic Affairs and establishing two new executive portfolios of:

• Deputy Vice Chancellor: Teaching and Learning
• Deputy Vice Chancellor: Research Partnerships and Innovation

Selection of policies, procedures and regulatory documents reviewed/developed, approved and implemented under my leadership as DVC:

• Policy and Procedures for Promotion of Academic and Research Staff
• Policy and procedures for the Approval of new Programmes
• Policy and procedures on Plagiarism
• Policy and procedures for amendments to Programmes and Qualifications
• Policy and procedures on Professorial Inaugural Lectures
• Policy and procedures for the Appointment of Emeritus Professors and Associate Professors
• Policy and procedures on Assessment
• Policy and Procedures for the Evaluation of Modules and Teaching
• Policy and Procedures for UG Academic Admissions and Selections
• Policy and Procedures on the Recognition of Prior Learning (RPL)
• Policy and procedures for Research Ethics
• Policy on Research Rewards and Grants
• Revised Rules for Undergraduate Qualifications
• Revised Rules for PG Qualifications: PG Diplomas, Honours, Masters; Doctoral Degrees
• Principles and Procedures for the Approval of Modules or Revisions to Existing Modules
• Principles and Procedures for the Undergraduate Monitoring, Exclusion and Appeals
• Standard Operating Procedures for Statutory and Strategic Planning, Monitoring and Reporting
• Standard Operating Procedures for Monitoring and Review of Programme Qualification Mix (PQM)
• Framework for Common Core Academic Workload & Addendum of workload norms and values with standardised Individual Performance Agreements for Academics
• Framework for Teaching and Learning
• Graduate Attributes Framework
• Integrated Quality Assurance Framework
• Faculty Constitutions
• Revised Faculty and Department structures and organograms
• Reviewed and restructured Senate committees

Founded a new University Executive portfolio and established a University Teaching and Learning Office
DVC (T&L) Portfolio:

• University Teaching & Learning Office
• Quality Promotions and Assurance
• Higher Education Training & Development
• Language Development & Planning
• UKZN Extended Learning (Pty) Ltd

Functions and Responsibilities:

Teaching and learning related policy, frameworks, principles and procedures development, review and evaluation; overseeing their consistent implementation across the university; co-ordination of university-wide teaching and learning projects, initiatives and awards; access/foundation and academic monitoring and support funding distribution and reporting (including to DHET); promoting institutional research and developing reports (for Senate, College Academic Affairs Boards, Executive Management Committee and Executive-Deans Forum); actively supporting scholarship in teaching and learning; and higher education studies (with funding, research capacity development workshops, seminars and conference presentation opportunities).

Membership of:

• Executive Management Committee
• Senate
• All four College Academic Affairs Boards
• All four College Promotions Committees
• Senior Promotions Committee
• Integrated Talent Management Committee
• Senior Awards Committee
• Council (as Executive representative: February 2012-)
• Adhoc committees:
• Senate Task Team on Research Productivity 2004-2008;
• UKZN Transformation Charter
• Executive task team for mid-term assessment and revision of the UKZN Strategic Plan 2007-2016

Chair of:

• Teaching & Learning Strategy Group
• University Language Board
• University Academic Exclusions Appeals Committee
• University Scholarships Committee
• Board of UKZN Extended Learning Pty (Ltd)
• Board of the Student Services Development Company
• University Teaching and Learning Committee of Senate (2008-2011)
• Senate task team for Review of Policy on Plagiarism
• Senate task team for Developing University-wide Academic Promotions Research Criteria

Led University-wide consultations and the development of UKZN Enrolment Plans for 2011-2013 and 2014-2019; and represented UKZN in DHET consultations
Selection of UKZN policies, procedures and regulatory documents reviewed/developed under the leadership of DVC: T&L

• Academic Monitoring and Exclusions Policy
• Academic Promotion Policy, Procedures and Guidelines
• Framework for Teaching Workloads
• Integrated Talent Management Policy; Procedures and Guidelines
• University Language Policy and Plan Plagiarism Policy and Procedures
• Policy on Teaching and Learning
• Policy on Assessment
• Policy on Quality Promotions and Assurance
• Principles and Guidelines for Peer Evaluation of Teaching Quality
• Principles and Procedures for Student Feedback on Teaching Quality
• Principles and Procedures for Quality Management of Short Courses
• Principles and Procedures for Quality Reviews
• Principles and Guidelines for external examination of UG exit level modules
• Policy on Self-Funded Teaching Programmes
• Policy on Teaching and Service Units
• Teaching and Learning Competitive Grants Principles & Procedures
• Teaching & Learning Innovations and Quality Enhancement Grant Principles & Procedures
• Policy on Scholarships
• Distinguished Teachers’ Award Policy
• Distinguished Students Award Policy
• The UKZN Pact

Selection of reports developed and presented in university structures, including Senate and Council, under the leadership of DVC: T&L:

• CHE Quality Enhancement Project Institutional Report (1^st) for UKZN (2014)
• CHE Quality Enhancement Project Institutional Report (2^nd) for UKZN (2015)
• UKZN Enrolment Plan for 2011-2013
• UKZN Enrolment Plan for 2014-2019
• Analysis of 2015 Academic Workloads: Teaching, Supervision and Research Productivity (2016)
• Report on UKZN Honours Students’ Profile and Performance (2015)
• UKZN Academic Promotions Report (2009-2013) (2014)
• UKZN Minimum Module Enrolment Norms (2013)
• A Synthesis of UKZN Graduate Opinion Survey Reports: 2012 to 2015 (2016)
• Report on the External Evaluation of Academic Monitoring and Support in Undergraduate Degrees (2013)
• Reports on Academic Monitoring and Support in Undergraduate Degrees (Annual mandatory Senate reports since 2009)
• Academic Monitoring and Support Report: Empirical Exploration of three-year Bachelor degrees programmes (2016)
• Report on Student Exclusions and Dropout in UG Degrees 2006‐2008 (2009)
• Reports on Scholarships (Annual mandatory Senate reports)
• Report on Top Achieving Students: 2007-2011
• UKZN Undergraduate Cohort Comparison: 2004 vs 2007
• UKZN Undergraduate New Entrant Profile & Performance: 2008-2012
• University Language Board Reports (Annual mandatory Senate reports)
• Report on Institutes, Centres, Units and Research Groups in UKZN (2010)
• Review of IKS Capacity at UKZN (2009)
• Teaching Venues Upgrade Report 2008/2009

DVC: T&L portfolio leadership and activities comprehensively captured in the following reports

• UKZN Teaching & Learning 2008/2009
• UKZN Teaching & Learning 2010/2011
• UKZN Teaching & Learning 2012
• UKZN Teaching & Learning 2013
• UKZN Teaching & Learning 2014/15 Institutionalising the Scholarship of Teaching and Learning

For a detailed evidence-based description and analysis of the work of the DVC: T&L portfolio see Vithal, R (2016) Growing a Scholarship of Teaching and Learning Institutionally, Studies in Higher Education. DOI:10.1080/03075079.2016.1180350(Also see list of Publications)

University-wide

• A member of Senate since the formation of the new University of KwaZulu-Natal
• As a member of senate serving on the following committees
  • Academic ceremonials committee
  • Senate subcommittee reviewing the composition of senate (2004-6)
  • Senate subcommittee on the College Model (2004)
  • Senate Adhoc Subcommittee investigating the causes of the industrial action in 2006
  • Access Advisory Board
• Deans’ representative on the University Council Remuneration Committee (2005-7)
• Deans’ representative on Institutional Audit Co-ordinating Committee
• Member of Steering group for the development of UKZN Strategic Plan
• Selection Committee for the Distinguished Teacher Award

Within Faculty of Education (selected activities)

• Established all new Faculty structures and procedures – e.g. Faculty Board and constitution, standing committees, regular fortnightly Faculty Exco meetings etc and ensure their functioning
• Full Faculty Review in preparation for Council for Higher Education Accreditation Reviews Nov 2005
• Faculty Strategic Planning Workshop Nov 2006
• Annual Faculty Review: School and Sectoral Self-Evaluations Nov 2007
• Successfully achieved full CHE accreditation for four Qualifications in the Faculty – MEd (2006), BEd, PGCE and ACE (GET math) (2007) through collective leadership with Deputy Deans
• Faculty Leadership capacity development and strategic planning retreats involving Deputy Deans, Dean’s Assistant, Heads of School and Faculty Manager held each year Jan/Feb 2006 & 2007
• Breakfast meetings held each year by Deanship with each school in the Faculty of Education
• Faculty Office workshops with Deputy Deans and Faculty Manager for improved efficiency and innovations to support each sector
• Developed Faculty Equity plan and Faculty Self Evaluation reports
• Developed and implemented procedure for reporting core workload profiles for each academic staff member
• Established stronger links with KZN DOE leadership and university/faculty leadership with periodic meetings at senior levels.