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MERGER CONFERENCE

PROF LR VAN STADEN DVC: TEACHING, LEARNING AND TECHNOLOGY

DVC: TEACHING, LEARNING AND TECHNOLOGY

OUTLINE•AIM OF THE PAPER

•TUT IN CONTEXT

•PROBLEM STATEMENTS

•RESEARCH METHODOLOGY

•KEY DEFINITIONS

•LITERATURE REVIEW

•STRUCTURE FOLLOWS STRATEGY

•DATA ANALYSES 2001 – 2008

•FINDINGS

•RECOMMENDATIONS

DVC: TEACHING, LEARNING AND TECHNOLOGY

PRE AND POST- MERGER UNDERGRADUATE STUDENT SUCCESS RATES AT TSHWANE

UNIVERSITY OF TECHNOLOGY

MERGER CHALLENGES (AIM):

• ACCESS • SUCCESS • QUALITY

• EQUITY • EFFICIENCY

DVC: TEACHING, LEARNING AND TECHNOLOGY

TUT IN CONTEXT

• 7 Faculties and 56 departments (3 provinces)

• Single site faculty model

• Enrolment target of 56 000 (4 000 distance education)

• 436 academic programmes (20% masters and 15% doctorate)

• ± 1 000 permanent academic posts

• ± 100 academic development posts

• R700 million academic budget (Salary, OPEX and CAPEX)

DVC: TEACHING, LEARNING AND TECHNOLOGY

The paper was guided by the following research questions (objectives):

• Did the merger of the three former technikons have an impact on the undergraduate success rates at the Tshwane University of Technology?

• Would the rendering of comprehensive academic development and support services play a fundamental role in the improvement of undergraduate success rates at the Tshwane University of Technology?

PURPOSE OF THE PAPER

DVC: TEACHING, LEARNING AND TECHNOLOGY

The research approach followed in this study included both a literature study and an empirical investigation.

RESEARCH METHODOLOGY

DVC: TEACHING, LEARNING AND TECHNOLOGY

• ‘Undergraduate programmes’ in this context are National Certificates, National Higher Certificates, National Diplomas and BTech degrees

• The term ‘success rates’ refers to the total number of Full-Time Equivalent (FTE) subjects passed divided by the total number of FTE subjects enrolled for a particular year

KEY DEFINITIONS

DVC: TEACHING, LEARNING AND TECHNOLOGY

• Preparedness for higher education a complex phenomenon

• Growing body of knowledge of factors affecting success rates

• Key issue in SA is level of achieved education prior higher education

• Teaching and learning takes place in groups notwithstanding learner diversity • Success rate patterns will not change spontaneously

• Curriculum development is a never ending activity and is pivotal to improving success rates

• Academic development and support is a field of research and practice that aims to enhance success rates

EDUCATIONAL STRATEGIES AND SUCCESS RATES (LITERATURE)

DVC: TEACHING, LEARNING AND TECHNOLOGY

The three former institutions differed widely in their philosophy and approach to academic development, as well as in their strategic positioning and institutional reporting lines. The pre-merger period was characterized by fragmentation, a lack of integration and coherence and therefore, a lack of common vision and framework for academic development.

ACADEMIC DEVELOPMENT – Pre-merger

DVC: TEACHING, LEARNING AND TECHNOLOGY

DIRECTORATE:STUDENT DEVELOPMENT AND SUPPORT

DIRECTORATE:CO-OPERATIVE EDUCATION

DIRECTORATE:TEACHING AND LEARNING WITH TECHNOLOGY

7 FACULTIES

FIGURE 1: PARTNERSHIPS BETWEEN HEDS AND DIRECTORATES

DIRECTORATE:CURRICULUM

DEVELOPMENT AND SUPPORT

DVC: TEACHING, LEARNING AND TECHNOLOGY

TABLE 2: PRE-MERGER UNDERGRADUATE SUCCESS RATES AND HEADCOUNTS (2001 – 2003)

TECHNIKONS 2001 2002 2003

NORTHERN GAUTENG 65,08% 10 030 64,63% 10 950 65,82% 11 218

NORTH-WEST 62,67% 4 689 66,24% 4 371 66,25% 4 528

PRETORIA 67,21% 25 793 65,69% 28 415 64,67% 29 622

Average Total Average Total Average Total

64,98% 40 512 65,59% 43 736 65,12% 45 368

DVC: TEACHING, LEARNING AND TECHNOLOGY

TABLE 3: UNDERGRADUATE SUCCESS RATES AND HEADCOUNTS

(2003 – 2008)

2001 2002 2003 2004 2005 2006 2007 2008

Success rates

64,98% 65,59% 65,12% 64,68% 67,09% 70,25% 70,78% 72,0%

Headcount enrolments

40 512 43 736 45 368 50 933 49 785 48 168 47 942 49 852

DoE directives set by DoE for TUT (2010)

• 70% undergraduate success rates

• 94% (52 640) undergraduate enrolment

• 6% (3 360) postgraduate enrolment

DVC: TEACHING, LEARNING AND TECHNOLOGY

• Undergraduate success rates increased with 7,32% since 2003

• Surpassed DoE target set for TUT of 70% by 2010 with 2% in 2008

• Undergraduate headcount enrolment increased with 4 647 since 2003

•Link between improvement of success rates and rendering of comprehensive academic development support services

FINDINGS

DVC: TEACHING, LEARNING AND TECHNOLOGY

• Paper is developmental and topic should be further researched

• Disaggregation of success rates at faculty, departmental levels and sites

• Determine the impact of academic development interventions at selected levels

RECOMMENDATIONS