Prof Driekie Hay-Swemmer, PhD

Qualifications: BA; HED (University of Stellenbosch); BEd (Hons); M.Ed (University of the Free State);
PhD (Vista University)
Major Accomplishments:
Senior Executive University Leadership positions:
o Currently executive Chief Academic Officer of the Educor Private Higher Education
Institutions, since 2015 expanding into Africa
o Dean of Research at the University of KwaZulu-Natal (2015)
o Deputy Vice Chancellor at the University of the Free State (2008-2014)
o Dean of Academic Development at Central University of Technology (2003-2007)
Tenured Professor of Higher Education since 2000
Admitted to the Association of Scientists in South Africa in 2010
Serving on a number of national (government) task teams for higher education teaching and learning
related issues
Promoted 24 doctoral students and supervised 25 Masters degree students
Published more than a hundred scientific articles in accredited journals and chapters in books
Often an invited key note speaker in South Africa and abroad (e.g. the QS conference on quality in
higher education in Bali; the Higher Education conference at the Victoria University in Melbourne,
Australia; the Internationalization of higher education: curriculum implications conference in Hong Kong
Principal Chapter Advisor of the Golden Key Chapter of the University of the Free State (2011-2014)
Other board positions (past and present):
Executive Council Member of the University of the Free State (2008-2014)
Senate Member of the University of the Free State (2008-2014) and the Central University of
Technology (2003-2008)
Non-executive Director of the Afrikaanse Taal enKultuur Vereeniging National Board (2014onwards)
Non-executive Director of African SUN Media - 4 years
National Research Foundation research credentials reviewer
Primary national facilitator of the SANPAD doctoral education programme
Facilitator of the Erasmus Mundus programme for the University of the Free State
Participant in the African Association of Universities project for quality assurance
Senior researcher in the SA-Flemish research project on code switching in primary school education
Initiated and participated in an OECD project on regional engagement of universities
Vice-president of the SA Association for Higher Education and Research Development
Executive member of the Higher Education Learning and Teaching Association of SA
Editorial board service for several journals of higher education
Council Member of the National Northern Cape Institution for Higher Education (2008-2013)
Free State Higher and Further Education Institution Consortium member
Member of the International Consortium for Higher Education Research since 1999
External examiner for PhD students of Universities of Stellenbosch, Pretoria, Natal, Rhodes, Free
State, North West, Witwatersrand, Tshwane University of Technology, and the Central University of
Technology

1.

School Career

Matriculated

Grabouw High School, Western Cape, 1980

2.

University
Career and

STELLENBOSCH
UNIVERSITY
Majors

Obtained BA Degree 1983

Xhosa, History, Afrikaans
(Distinctions in Xhosa and Afrikaans)

3. Key
qualifications

Higher Education Diploma 1984 (with various

distinctions)
UNIVERSITY OF THE
FREE STATE

B. Ed 1988 (Cum Laude)

(Specialised in Tertiary Education)
M. Ed 1989
(Specialised in Tertiary Education)

Title of M Ed research
thesis

The problems and needs of postgraduate students

Vista University
PhD 1997
Title of PhD thesis
A parent support programme to stimulate the
verbal intellect of milieu deprived children

4.

Fields of
Expertise

5.

Regional
Expertise

Worked on numerous national task teams and

associations and regional committees (e.g. Free
State Higher Education Trust, Northern Cape
Institute for Higher Education, OECD Regional
review of the Free State Province, SANPAD,
SANTRUST, SARIMA, CHE, IEASA, HELTASA,
SAARDHE, Golden Key, CHER, etc.)

6.

Vocational
Experience

6.1 Present

Teaching & Learning in Higher Education

Postgraduate Supervision Quality Assurance
Higher Education Leadership and Management
Research Management
Curriculum studies
Online digital pedagogies
Strategic planning in higher education

Chief Academic Officer of EDUCOR (October

2015>)

6.2 Previously held

positions

Dean of Research UKZN (March-October 2015)

Senior consultant Central University of Technology,
October 2014February 2014
University of the Free State (till October 2014,
relocated)

Vice-Rector: Open and Lifelong Learning &

Innovation in Higher Education
Responsible for: Open, Adult, lifelong and
professional learning andragogies/ principles and
methods to broaden access, through distance
education (blended learning), short learning
programmes for online and face tot face purpose,
digital pedagogies particularly with 3rd stream
income in mind (I was instrumental in raising the
income from R17 million to R42 million in 2 years
time

University of the Free State

Vice Rector:
Academic, which included the
Research Portfolio ( 6,5 years)
Responsible for Academic, Teaching & Learning,
Student Affairs, and DIRAP (Directorate Institutional
Research and Planning); Postgraduate School,
Centre for Teaching and Learning, Research Centres
and Clusters, Performance Management of Deans,
E-learning, Policy Develepment
Quality Assurance, Programme Accreditation, LIC,
Academic Staff Development
(Performed in raising success rates and number of
research outputs and NRF rated scientists at the
UFS, obtaining 3 research chairs)
(Date of appointment: 01/01/2008)

Central University of Technology, Free State

Dean: Academic Development & Support
(Date of appointment: 01/03/2004 31/12/2007)
Managing and leading the following centres:
E-learning
Library and Information Centre
Centre for Teaching and Learning
Centre for Quality Improvement
Centre for Curriculum Development
Centre for off-campus delivery

University of the Free State (July 1998 February

2004)
Director: Centre for Higher Education Studies
and Development
Deputy-director: Mellon Fellowship mentoring

programme
and
Atlantic
Philanthropies
programme
Full-professor and senior researcher in the
Centre for Higher Education Studies and
Development

Succeeded
in
designing,
registering
and
implementing a formal academic programme in
Higher Education studies, comprising a postgraduate
diploma, a masters degree and a doctoral degree.
7.

Research
Projects and
other forms of
National
Recognition
and
Involvement

8.

Professional
Membership

Various projects on quality assurance conducted by the Unit for Research into
Higher Education and sponsored by the NRF
Various projects with action research as methodology
NRF project: Restructuring of South African Higher Education Curriculum in
South Africa
NRF team project with Vista University: Academic staff perceptions on quality
assurance
NRF project: Performance management in higher education
Received NRF supervisor grant allocation in 2001
Ford Foundation project: Co-operative academic programmes
Manage the Mellon Fellowship Programme (R7 million project)
ETDP/SETA research project on performance management
Senior Researcher in the 11th Internationale Wetenschappelijke en
Technologische samenwerking met Vlaandere en Katholieke Universiteit
Leuven (Project title: Empirical research on the effects of mother tongue versus
foreign language as medium of instruction on the learning, processes and
learning performance of black primary school pupils in South Africa)
Succeeded in obtaining a R3,5 million project from USAID funding with
KHULISA for capacity building in the General Education Training and Further
Education Training sector: Northern Cape and Welkom regions
Member of the ETDP SETAs national working group on staff development in
further education
Appointed by the HEQC to facilitate the CHEs Improving teaching and learning
project
Postgraduate Supervision NRF Project with Prof LOK Lategan obtained
R100 000 funding in 2006
Co-researcher / scholar in a capacity building initiative with the Canadian
government for Botshabelo teachers (2004/2005)
Appointed as facilitator at the Service Learning Conference, Cape Town 3 5
(Arranged by JET) September 2006
SANPAD facilitator for the training of promoters and research development of
PhD students (2008 till now)
NIHE: Board Member (2008 2012)
Bloemfontein Sun Media Board member
Deputy Vice-Chancellors Research Forum
Deputy Vice-Chancellors Teaching & Learning Forum (Member)
Academy of Science of South Africa (ASSAF) member
Involved in the Global Legacy Trust
Board Member: ATKV

National:
Vice-President (until July 2007) and member of the South African Association

for Research and Development into Higher Education.

Member of Nadeosa
Member of Executive committee of HELTASA.
Member of IEASA
ASSAF membership

International:
Member of CHER (Consortium of Higher Education Researchers)
Member of HERDSA (Australian Society for Higher Education Research and
Development).
Member of OECD management association
Member of European Association for Institutional Research
ACU Benchmarking Project

10. Consultancy
Work

1997:

Act as consultant for the Educare Development Trust, Mangaung

2001:

Consultant for Khulisa Management Services

2001-2002:

HEQCs national team on excellence in higher education teaching

and learning and staff development in South African higher
education

2003:

ETDP SETA for higher educations national working group

2005:

National task- team of SAUVCA on distance education representing

CUT

2008 2013: SANPAD

2014: Global Legacy Trust
11. Resent study
tours

2010: 3 Week visit to graduate schools in the USA

2011: 3 Week visit to Universities in South East Asia
2012: Visit to Japanese Universities
2013: Visit Universities in the USA and China
2014: Visit Harvard, IMSA Chicago
August 2014 Professor of Education | E-Learning & Learning Innovations @
Learning Lab, University Duisburg-Essen. Duisburg