Teach South African Sign Language: Trainer course

R7 200

If you are a Deaf South African Sign Language (SASL) user and would like to learn more about teaching SASL and developing your own course, this 10-week course is for you.

The course aims to equip first-language SASL users with the knowledge and skills to design, develop and teach a beginner SASL course to a broader audience. It introduces key elements of course creation, including basic structure and analysis, teaching methodology, assessment design and foundational business English. The course also offers practical guidance on how to promote your course effectively, with useful tips and tricks for advertising and attracting learners.

2026 dates

24 February – 21 May (apply by 10 February)
8 September – 3 December (apply by 25 August)

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Presenter

Ingrid Parkin is a goal-driven Deaf individual, inspired towards achieving practical results for disabled people in fields of education, economy and society. Ingrid believes that integration of people living with disabilities into South African society starts with education – not only in special schools but also in each and every school in the country.

Locations

This course is presented online.

By the end of this 10-week online course, you should be able to –

explain key aspects of SASL structure and analysis;
apply basic business English in a teaching context;
use basic advertising tools to promote your course;
design a Beginner SASL course for a broader audience;
develop relevant course resources and materials; and
monitor learner progress and assess course outcomes effectively.

Our courses combine live online sessions, facilitated by the course presenter, with self-directed online learning. To ensure optimal learning, we limit the number of participants. Online sessions are complemented by online learning, and certain aspects of the course are assessed. Courses open before the first live online session and closes well after the last live online session. This allows enough time to activate your SUNOnline presence.

The 10 live online sessions are held twice a week on the following dates:

	Live online sessions (16:30 to 18:30)	System opening and closing dates	Applications close
Offering 1	3, 5, 10, 12, 17, 19, 24, 26, 31 Mar, 2, 7, 9, 14, 16, 21, 23, 28, 30 Apr, 5, 7 May	24 February – 21 May	10 February
Offering 2	15, 17, 22, 29 September, 1, 6, 8, 13, 15, 20, 22, 27 and 29 October, 3, 5, 10, 12, 17, 19 November	8 September – 3 December	25 August

During this course, you will spend your time as following (this may vary for individuals):

two weekly online sessions of two hours each
about three hours per week of self-paced reading and completing tasks, activities and assignments

Our courses combine live online sessions with the presenter facilitated on MS Teams, with self-directed online learning.

Short courses open on our system before the first online session and close well after the last online session. This allows enough time for you to access SUNOnline.

The 2-hour live online sessions are held twice a week, for 10 weeks, on the following dates:

Online session dates
(16:30 to 18:30)

Course duration

(system opening and closing dates)

Apply by

16, 18, 23, 25, 30 September

2, 7, 9, 14, 16, 21, 23, 28, 30 October

4, 6, 11, 13, 18 and 20 November

9 September to 28 November

26 August

During this course, you will spend your time as follows (this may vary for individuals):

Two weekly online sessions of two hours each
About three hours per week of self-paced reading and completing tasks, activities, and assignments

If you are a Deaf SASL user and would like to learn more about teaching South African Sign Language and developing your own course, this course is your answer.

To ensure optimal learning, we limit the number of participants. Online sessions are complemented by online learning, and certain aspects of the course are assessed.

Selection of participants will be made in consultation with the presenter and course coordinators, based on the following minimum requirements:

Being a Deaf SASL user
South African citizenship
Grade 12 qualification
Moderate competency in written English
Good competency in computer skills
Familiarity with creating electronic documents
Availability of a computer with a camera and recording capabilities
Stable internet connection for the online sessions, and to access learning material

Click on this link if you are interested in doing this course and fill in the form. We will send you a link to apply for the short course.

You need to attend the online sessions and complete the given assignments and assessments. After having attended the course, and successfully completing the assessments, you will receive a certificate of competence.

Any questions?

Contact Michelle Pieters at michellep@sun.ac.za or 021 808 2812 for more details.
You could also discuss your specific short-course and development needs with us. Enquire about our available short courses, course dates and options for tailor-making a course.

Start application