Learning & Teaching Fellowship
Nelson Mandela University comprises seven distinct faculties, each contributing unique expertise and perspectives to the institution’s academic community. As part of the Humanising Pedagogy (HP) Project’s commitment to embedding HP principles across all areas of teaching and learning, one Faculty Fellow has been selected from each faculty. These Fellows serve as champions within their respective disciplines, leading the integration of humanising approaches into curricula, teaching practices, and faculty culture. Below, you will meet each Faculty Fellow through their personal biography, photograph, and a description of how they are incorporating HP within their faculty.
Dr. Buyiswa Hlangothi
Professional Bio
Dr. Buyiswa Hlangothi is an experienced academic at Nelson Mandela University, serving as Organic Chemistry Lecturer, Acting Deputy Dean, and Faculty of Science Head of Learning and Teaching Portfolio. Beginning her career at UFS as a lecturer, she joined Mandela University as a postdoctoral fellow in 2009, becoming the first female Chemistry Department Head at Mandela University and later Acting Director of the School. Her achievements include the 2018 Port Elizabeth Business Women Association Award and reaching the top 5 finalists for the 2024 HEWLA in the academic administration category. As an established Medicinal Plant Chemistry researcher and SACI member, she has supervised numerous postgraduate students.
Dr. Hlangothi bridges scientific methodology with indigenous wisdom, engaging communities to promote traditional medicine. Committed to teaching excellence, she recently completed the TAU Fellowship 2024-2025, focusing on the Scholarship of Teaching and Learning. She is currently working on the "Reimagining Scientific Language Accessibility" project with colleagues from Botany and Geosciences to address multilingual challenges in classrooms. Through the institutional Humanising Pedagogy project, she has transformed her teaching by adopting human-centred approaches that create meaningful student connections.
Dr Jean-Pierre Basson
Professional Bio
I am a Senior Lecturer and Head of the Department of Architecture at Nelson Mandela University. With over a decade of teaching experience, I specialise in architectural education, digital construction, and interdisciplinary collaboration. My research explores the intersection of Building Information Modelling (BIM), critical pedagogy, and Generation Z learning competencies. I am passionate about promoting student success through inclusive and innovative teaching approaches that centre student voices and lived experiences. As a Humanising Pedagogy Faculty Fellow, I advocate for co-constructed learning environments that move beyond hierarchical models of education.
How I'm exploring/applying Humanising Pedagogy:
Within the Faculty of Engineering, the Built Environment and Technology, I apply humanising pedagogy by reimagining architectural education as a space of care, collaboration, and critical engagement. I promote co-created learning environments where students learn with and from their peers through interdisciplinary collaboration—such as joint projects with Construction Management and Quantity Surveying students—and through transdisciplinary partnerships, like those with Biokinetics, to design inclusive spaces for students with autism. These real-world projects centre empathy, lived experience, and social justice. I actively interrogate traditional power dynamics in teaching, particularly in critique settings, and promote more inclusive, dialogic feedback practices. My approach emphasises student voice, reflective practice, and the use of digital tools to foster belonging and connection. I am also developing staff support resources that explore how we can better teach and care for Generation Z learners in higher education.
Siphesihle Kahla
Professional Bio
I am Siphesihle Kahla. I completed my LLB at the University of the Witwatersrand in 2015. I went on to obtain my LLM at the University of the Free State in 2018 with a specialisation in Private Law. I joined Nelson Mandela University as a lecturer in September 2023. My areas of expertise include commercial law, insurance law, and contract law.
How I'm exploring/applying Humanising Pedagogy:
In the Faculty of Law, humanising pedagogy is explored through the attendance of the Begin Your Journey program, where new staff members are taught about humanising pedagogy during their induction. We are given an in-depth history of the principles and practical application of humanising pedagogy. This sets the tone for how new staff must approach their learning and teaching journey at Nelson Mandela University. When final year law students work in the Law Clinic helping members of the community who need legal representation, a humanising approach is applied. Collaboration between students and lecturers not only in class but also including a student voice in Faculty Learning and Teaching Committee meetings and other meetings is another way in which we apply humanising pedagogy. The introduction of the Faculty Conversations last year as part of the Humanising Pedagogy Project really promoted the application of humanising pedagogy practices. Colleagues then became aware that they were practising humanising pedagogy in their teaching and even in assessments, even though they did not know that they were. I wrote a paper on the dehumanising effect of rote learning techniques in the learning and teaching of law – a focus on how to implement the pedagogy of care in legal education. I have submitted my article for the Humanising Pedagogy Project in the Faculty of Law’s Obiter Journal for blind review. I am now awaiting feedback.
Dr. Margie Childs
Professional Bio
Dr Margie Childs is a member of the Department of Primary School Education. Her research interests include a focus on language and literacies. Arts-based methodologies, including collage and drawing, feature in her inquiry and teaching strategies. Her interest in Humanising Pedagogies dates back to the inception of the Humanising Pedagogy Hub within the university, more than a decade ago. Margie explores the possibilities of this critical approach in her own work and within the practice of Bachelor of Education Intermediate Phase student teachers and postgraduate students.
How I'm exploring/applying Humanising Pedagogy:
We are considering the intersection of Ubuntu and a Humanising Pedagogy. Currently, I am working with a group of undergraduate students to explore this intersection and what it might mean for our practice. Our co-construction of understanding is informed by “Collective Fingers” Theory, as developed by Lovemore Mbigi. We are using collage work to tear, cut, place, layer, and juxtapose to form representations of our emerging insights. Students and staff will be invited to talk back to an exhibition of our work to grow insights and share understandings.
Dr Paul Tai-Hing
Professional Bio
" I am the Director of the School of Management Sciences and Head of the Department of Management Practice (2019–2025) at Nelson Mandela University. I hold a PhD in Business Management and specialise in small business management, entrepreneurship, and social innovation. A passionate educator, he has been recognised with numerous awards, including NMU Distinguished Lecturer of the Year (2024), NMMU Lecturer of the Year (2016), Faculty Lecturer of the Year (2016), the EU Award for Social Entrepreneurship (2016), and the Golden Key Teacher of the Year (2008 & 2009).
At Nelson Mandela University, I play a key role in academic leadership as a member of the Senate, chairperson of the Faculty Learning and Teaching Committee, and a Humanising Pedagogy Fellow. Beyond academia, I serve as Chairperson of Black Sheep Holdings, Non-Executive Director of The Engineering Hub, and Non-Executive Chairperson of Andor Construction Advisory Board, bridging education and industry.
How I'm exploring/applying Humanising Pedagogy:
The trajectory of Humanising Pedagogy within the BES Faculty remains in the forefront of academic practice with projects such as –
-
Missionvale Peri-Urban Project
-
Academic Advisors and Tutor Project
-
Work Integrated Learning
-
The launch of the Employability app
-
The Academic Support app
-
The BES Food Cupboard Project
-
International L&T Week
-
The PG Orientation app launch
to name a few practices, carrying on and moving from strength to strength. The focus this year will be on the scholarly study of what we do in the faculty, to convert to academic research articles and conference papers for 2026. In this way, to pilot an academic model to support the ad personal promotions.
Ms Nobuntu Ntantiso
Professional Bio
“I lecture within the Department of Linguistics and Applied Linguistics at Nelson Mandela University. I am also the Masters and Doctoral coordinator for the department and the Humanities Fellow in the Humanising Pedagogy Project. In terms of multidisciplinary teaching, I am part of the team that teaches Medical Intercultural Communication at the Nelson Mandela Medical School. Currently, I am pursuing my PhD studies with a focus on intersemiotic translation in children’s literature.
My areas of specialisation include: Translation Studies and translation practices, multilingualism, multimodality, children’s literature, communication, language and healthcare, and humanising pedagogies.”
In terms of my explorations of humanising pedagogy, I have made a presentation to my faculty colleagues including our postgraduate students on the relevance of humanising pedagogy and how it can be incorporated into teaching practices and research. Furthermore, I wrote and presented a paper about humanising pedagogy at the 2025 SALALS conference which was held at the Nelson Mandela Business School in June, where I reflected on culturally responsive teaching strategies. I have submitted that paper for journal publication.”