CHICAGO STATE PROFESSOR LEADS WSU WORKSHOP TO STRENGTHEN POSTGRAD SUPERVISION

WSU’s Directorate for Postgraduate studies partnered with Professor Byung-In Seo from the Chicago State University, to improve supervision practices through a postgraduate workshop held in East London from 23 to 24 July 2025.

The session, prompted by ongoing challenges affecting postgraduate throughput, brought together supervisors and academics from across WSU faculties.

 Chief among the challenges was the extended time students spent pursuing their postgraduate studies, exacerbated by delays in obtaining ethical clearance and inconsistent supervision practices.

Director for postgraduate studies, Dr Asabonga Mngeni said that the university sought to expose academic staff to global perspectives by drawing on the expertise of international experts like Seo.

“Our students tend to stay in the system for a very long time. One of the recurring complaints is around ethical clearance. So, we took a step back and said, “let’s seek out people who are truly experienced in this area.” That’s when we invited our guest from Chicago State University to come and enlighten us on how we can improve our postgraduate supervision,” said Mngeni.

Professor Seo, who has worked with universities such as Rhodes and Wits, focused on topics such as doctoral instruction, research design, and supervision practices.

The renowned professor emphasised that the role of supervisors was not merely administrative but that of educators transforming students into future leaders and professors in their respective fields.

“This transformation process is very different from the usual transactional process of ‘I do for you, you do for me’. Through this process, we [student and supervisor] grow together so that you eventually become one of us,” Seo remarked.

Echoing Seo’s sentiments, Deputy Vice-Chancellor: Research and Internationalisation, Professor Nosisi Feza said that supervision was a form of deep and personalised teaching.

“I'm so excited because today is about looking at the reality and understanding our students. The role of the supervisor is to make sure the student becomes successful in their programme, and they need to allow the student to have a voice to share their thinking. You can't streamline. Give them a space for free thinking and share in their thinking,” Feza emphasised.

Moving forward, Mngeni stipulated that WSU’s postgraduate directorate would explore formalising its relationship with Chicago State University to ensure continued collaboration.

Feza concluded: “WSU is a mine with hidden diamonds. Our role is to polish them and let the world see their brilliance.”

By Yanga Ziwele