Academic Week - but it's not for boffins

Academic Week is underway at NMMU

When we hear the word academic, many of us go cold or switch off completely as we simply do not identify with what we perceive to be endless reams of knowledge.

We tend to want to leave the word - and the work that goes with it - to the rocket scientists who wear red gowns during graduation.

But since we work and study at a university that word, regardless of where you practice your trade or sit during lectures, is not going to go away. It’s what we do – we teach, learn and research. We are the academy and our job is to produce, share and instill knowledge.

And so enter the university’s Academic Week.

You will be relieved to learn that it’s not aimed at the fellows in their red or even black graduation gowns, but rather at those who are hoping to acquire one of the gowns …

Yes, it’s aimed at our students.

It’s aimed at showing students that getting a degree and even becoming an academic is none too difficult if you go about it properly. (I am surmising, possibly rather naively, that if you have been accepted into a university then you have the academic potential to obtain your diploma or degree – but let’s not get into the discussion on preparedness for university).

You simply need some guidelines on how to get there – and that’s what Academic Week is doing.

It is providing our students with the tools and knowledge to help them start working timeously on their studies and to do so honestly.

Quizzes, time management seminars, online interactions, talks about taking co-responsibility for your learning, exposure to the university’s e-learning and Moodle are all part of the week-long campaign. Students are also being encouraged to recognise those who made a difference in their learning journey. This has been put together by the team at Student Academic Development.

The week is not for the boffins. It’s not for the boffins because the so-called boffins learnt the importance of being organized, managing their time, knowing how to access relevant information quickly and working hard on their studies long before they reached university.

They know, like American statesman and four-star army General Colin Powell, that “there are no secrets to success. It is the result of preparation, hard work, and learning from failure”.

So let’s embrace the word academic and accept that there’s no instant gratification when it comes to studying. You have to put in the hard yards – ask any boffin.

The full programme is included below, but for further assistance contact sarie.snyders@nmmu.ac.za