She has a longstanding record of contributions to Chemistry Education within the secondary as well as tertiary education system. These contributions include research publications within the field, presentations of various lectures at national and international conferences, as well as being elected on national and international bodies, representing science education. She also received the South African Chemistry Institute (SACI) Education Medal in 2008 for her  outstanding contribution to Chemical Education, judged by her published work over a five year period.

Prof Potgieter received a commendation award from the Higher Education, Learning and Teaching Association of Southern Africa (HELTASA) for teaching excellence in 2010. She is also one of the founding members of a new initiative in the Faculty, the Science Teaching and Learning (SCITAL) Forum. The aim of SCITAL is to bring together staff with a common and particular interest in teaching and learning.

“I am honoured to be appointed in this position and I envisage a faculty that continuously refines instructional practices in order to deliver graduates with appropriate attributes to enter the workplace as highly skilled professionals or to undertake postgraduate research in a research-intensive university,” said Prof Potgieter.

She emphasises that the University of Pretoria has set itself the strategic goal to achieve excellence in teaching and learning, benchmarked against international research-intensive universities. “To achieve this goal, research focusing on tertiary mathematics and science education should become an integral part of research activities in the Faculty. This will ensure that our teaching practice is informed by international best practices that has been rigorously scrutinised and proven to be relevant and suitable to our context.”