How do you take your life’s work, the years of research, reading, experimenting, and more research; and fit it into a three-minute presentation? Sounds impossible, but our NWU postgraduate students show that it can be done, and win competitions while proving it.
Dr Anneke Lincoln-Schoeman from the Faculty of Naural & Agricultural Sciences, Dr Anitia Lubbe from the Faculty of Education and Ms Jacqui-Lyn McIntyre-Louw from the Faculty of Economics were the victors in the PhD category during this year’s Institutional leg of the Three-Minute Thesis (3MT) Competition and will be competing against other South Africa Universities in the national leg on 29 October 2021.
Register to watch here: https://events.ufs.ac.za/event/925/
NWU PhD Winners:
Dr Anneke Lincoln-Schoeman




Tiny parasites (not their frog hosts) answer big questions about the spread of disease
The pandemic has taught us how important, yet complex, it can be to trace the movement of animals and their passengers. In my thesis, I used a model consisting of a South African frog, the African Clawed Frog, and its parasite, a flatworm that infects the bladder, to see what parasites reveal about their animal hosts.
Dr Anitia Lubbe

Cooperative learning-embedded assessment
Studies reporting on the influence of assessment practices, fostering assessment literacy and self-directed learning (SDL) skills, are limited.
The aim of this investigation was to determine the influence of the implementation of cooperative learning-embedded assessment (CL-EA) on the assessment literacy and self-directed learning readiness of first-year Life Sciences students.
To achieve the research aim, a mixed-method approach was followed. During the quantitative phase of the investigation, the Self-Rating Scale of Self-Directed Learning and the Student Assessment Literacy Questionnaire were analysed.
Ms Jacqui-Lyn McInyre-Louw

Curbing the Corruption pandemic in South Africa
This study critically analyses the use of lifestyle audits as a tool to combat criminal wealth in South Africa by considering the criminalisation of illicit enrichment, as per the UNCAC, or the implementation of unexplained wealth orders, as used in the UK as a civil recovery alternative. South Africa will be compared to counties that have successfully implemented both measures to find the best approach to curb this pandemic.
About 3MT
Three Minute Thesis (3MT®) is a research communication competition developed by The University of Queensland (UQ). Doctoral students participating in the 3MT are given three minutes to present a compelling oration on their thesis and its significance. The 3MT challenges students to consolidate their ideas and research discoveries to be presented concisely to a non-specialist audience.
Both Masters and Doctoral students will compete at the institutional level, but qualifying doctoral students will continue to the national competition held by the University of the Free State. 34 Master students and 58 Doctoral students uploaded abstracts, however, only 36 Doctoral students and 20 Master students uploaded their video presentation for evaluation.