Student Transition, Access, Retention and Success (STARS) Unit Staff
Dr Nosisana Mkonto
Position: Head of the unit
Office: 405, 4th floor, Engineering building, Cape Town campus
Email: Mkonton@cput.ac.za
Qualifications: PhD in Education [UWC], MEd [UCT], BEd [UCT], BTech: Business Administration (Cape Technikon), BA (UNISA), Secondary Teachers Diploma (STD) [LL Sebe College of Education]
Research focus area: Organization development, Student access, retention, transitions support, Student and development, Peer Support, First-Year Experience and learning and teaching styles.
ORCiD ID: http://orcid.org//0000-0001-7076-0564
Biography
Dr Nosisana Mkonto is the Head of the Student Transition, Access, Retention, and Success (STARS) Unit, leveraging her extensive experience in student support and development at CPUT. Dr Mkonto played a pivotal role in conceptualizing, designing, and executing the First Year Experience (FYE) project at the university and has since 2014 served as its institutional coordinator. Her research interests encompass student access, retention, support, and development, along with learning styles, organizational development, first-year experience, and peer support.
In addition to her leadership role, Dr Mkonto chairs several key committees including the Fundani Ethics Committee, Institutional First Year Experience Committee, and the STARS committee. She is also actively engaged as a member of various other committees such as the Senate Teaching and Learning Committee, Senate Ethics Committee, Faculty First-Year Experience Committees, Fundani Executive Committee, Institutional Transformation Forum, and University Employment Equity Forum.
Previously, Dr Mkonto served as Deputy Chair for the IsiXhosa Lexicography Unit Board (XNLU PanSALB) from 2010 to 2019, and as Coordinator for the XNLU Technical Committee in 2012. She has presented papers at national and international conferences and has authored and co-authored conference proceedings, book chapters, and journal articles. Dr Mkonto has also served as a visiting scholar at the University of Hull, United Kingdom (2013), and the Manchester Metropolitan University, UK (2019).
Furthermore, she has contributed significantly to academia by examining PhD theses, masters dissertations, PgDip portfolios, and reviewing journal articles and conference abstracts. Dr Mkonto also supervises masters and PhD students, fostering the next generation of scholars. Her collaborative efforts extend to partnerships with the Siyaphumelela regional network, Siyaphumelela FYE workstream, and the Council on Higher Education (CHE) Quality Assurance Framework (QAF) on the development of Higher Education Practice Standards (HEPS) in Transitions through Higher Education.
Dr Nwabisa Mbeki
Position: Academic Development Lecturer
Office: 3.12, IT centre, Bellville campus
Email: mbekin@cput.ac.za
Qualifications: PhD Mathematics Education [University of the Western Cape]
Research focus area: Student success and Mathematics education.
ORCiD ID: http://orcid.org//0000-0002-7632-6213
Biography
Nwabisa Mbeki channels her expertise towards nurturing and empowering both students and academics to foster student success. With a profound commitment to educational advancement, she holds a PhD in Mathematics Education, with a particular focus on teaching and learning mathematics within Technical and Vocational Education and Training (TVET) settings.
Her academic background and hands-on experience have contributed significantly to the field of Mathematics Education. Her proficiency extends to mathematics teaching, mathematics education pedagogy, and educational technology teaching. Through her role as an academic development lecturer, she passionately dedicates herself to the training and development of students, equipping them with the necessary skills and knowledge to excel in their academic pursuits.
Dr Frikkie George
Position: Lecturer
Office: 3.12, IT centre, Bellville campus
Email: georgef@cput.ac.za
Qualifications: PhD in Education [University of the Western Cape]
Research focus area:
ORCiD ID: https://orcid.org/0000-0002-1596-8028
Mr Mawande Tshozi
Position: Academic Development Lecturer
Office: 4.21, Engineering building, Cape Town campus
Email: tshozim@cput.ac.za
Qualifications: M.Ed in Education Leadership and Policy Studies [Wits], B.Ed Honours in Teaching and Learning [UCT]; B.Ed in Intermediate Phase Teaching and Senior Phase [CPUT]
Research focus area: Peer support and student engagement.
ORCiD ID: https://orcid.org/0009-0009-1293-1893
Biography
Mawande Tshozi is an Academic Development Lecturer, he is responsible to lead, enhance, grow peer support and student engagement initiatives through facilitation of tutor and teaching assistant workshops. His work involves developing tutors and teaching assistants to support lecturers across various disciplines. He also assists lecturers in the designing and developing of peer academic support, pedagogical and educational practices for student success.
Mr Zwelibanzi Ngculu
Position: Academic Facilitator
Office: 4.51/ 4.54 - 4th floor, Engineering building, District 6 Campus
Email: jantjiesz@cput.ac.za
Qualifications: MTech in Business Administration [CPUT]
Research focus area: Safety in mining (offshore)
Biography
Zweli’s work revolves around student transition, support, and retention. His approach to achieving these goals involves implementing mentoring and retention officer programs, which enlist senior students trained to offer academic and psycho-social assistance to first-year students. In addition to overseeing these programmes, he personally engages with first-year students through one-on-one consultations and institution-wide workshops covering various academic and non-academic topics. Furthermore, he has contributed as an assistant researcher within the unit, gathering data on the demographics of the first-year population to inform policy decisions and develop targeted solutions to address the needs of incoming students.
Recently, he has taken on a new role as a researcher, representing CPUT in the collaborative DSJ project. Throughout his tenure at Fundani, he has undertaken a diverse array of responsibilities including assistant researcher, workshop facilitator/presenter, training facilitator/presenter, mentor coordinator/supervisor, junior lecturer, and most recently, researcher.
Mr Xolani Vanda
Position: Academic Advisor
Office: 3.13, IT Building, Bellville campus
Email: Vandax@cput.ac.za
Ms Siphokazi Mboxela
Position: STARS Administrator
Office: 4.51/ 4.54 - 4th floor, Engineering building, District 6 Campus
Email: mboxelas@cput.ac.za
Qualifications: Office management [CPUT]
Ms Siphokazi Matsolo
Position: FYE Administrator
Office: 1st floor, e-Learning building, Cape Town campus
Email: matsolos@cput.ac.za
Qualifications: Advanced Diploma in Operations Management [CPUT]
