Crafting the Unisa Institutional Action Plan (IAP)

Macro Context

Globally, in the next decade, an estimated 40 million more youth will drop out and face an uncertain future without

adequate work and life skills.

The EU/OECD projects the need for higher education provisioning by 2030 to be 410 million globally with the

greatest growth trends in Africa, Asia and the Caribbean, according to Titlestad’s (2015).

Titlestad, G. (2015) Access, Equity and Quality: Envisioning the Future of Higher Education in a Digital Age. ICDE Kick-off meeting, Paris, 25 March 2015

Purpose of the IAP Consultative Framework

Facilitate shared understanding of the challenges and benefits of Unisa’s OERu membership and contractual obligations

Articulate college positions and levels of commitment – cross disciplinary conversations towards inter-cultural global conversations

The strategic intent and rationale for participating in the OERu network remain compelling value propositions

Fully supporting the social justice mandate and imperative of engaging in the global knowledge economy on African terms,

giving expression to the longer term vision of:

Expanding the notion of education as a public good through widening access (OERS and MOOCS) to more affordable and globally recognised education (quality)

Enhanced responsiveness to student preferences for graduating from their institution of choice

Consciously managing transformation and change at systemic and practice levels to ensure cutting edge and responsive academic programmes

Participatory benchmarking of the curriculum, innovative and more flexible stakeholder engagement

Alignment to future strategic intent and planning imperatives

of Unisa (Strategic Plan 2016-2030).

The African University, trend-setting comprehensive university Cutting-edge open distance e-learning (ODeL) institution A quality student experience to become a university of choice Contextually relevant, optimised centres of learning facilitation Transformed and diverse university attuned to national

development

Outcomes of Consultative Process

Facilitation of structured dialogues and grappling with the issues (strengthened by the OERu

August Input Survey) College level commitments to engage in a

systematic manner to create OERs for the platform aligned to OERu and Unisa strategic

goals

Outcomes of Consultative Process

Commitment by Executive Management to support 2015 IAP – project plan and budget supported

Shared awareness of internal and external systemic challenges and identifications of agents to effect realignment – policy, QA programme approvals , accreditation, funding, enrolment planning

Mindfully navigating the future

Critical issue for the way forward:

Planned and sustainable curriculum innovation, transformative pedagogical practices

Tracking efficiency improvements for design and development, impacts on funding frameworks

Critical issue for the way forward Unisa’s approach of “infused

curriculum innovation” versus “Independent” business model

aligned to core business

Thank you for this opportunity!

We look forward to receiving your comments.

And wish to invite partners to design and develop OERS for OERu

qualifications.