August 2015
Throughput rates for 3-year degree 2008 student
cohort in public HEIs (excluding UNISA)
60%
50%
40%
30%
20%
10%
0%
Graduated
Dropped out
2010
30%
5%
2011
2012
non-accumulative
18%
8%
3%
1%
2013*
2010
3%
3%
30%
35%
(VitalStats Public Higher Education 2013, CHE)
2011
2012
accumulative
48%
56%
37%
39%
2013*
59%
41%
National Planning Commission 2012
“Higher education is the major driver of the
information/knowledge system, linking it with economic
development. However, higher education is much more
than a simple instrument of economic development.
Education is important for good citizenship and enriching
and diversifying life...
Massive investments in the higher education system have
not produced better outcomes in the level of academic
performance or graduation rates. While enrolment and
attainment gaps have narrowed across different race
groups, the quality of education for the vast majority has
remained poor at all levels. The higher education therefore
tends to be a low-participation, high-attrition system.”
Focus of the Quality Enhancement Project
The enhancement of student learning with a view to
producing an increased number of graduates with
attributes that are personally, professionally and
socially valuable.
1. enhanced student learning, leading to an
2. increased number of graduates that have
3. improved graduate attributes
STUDENT SUCCESS
Both institutionally-based and
nationally coordinated activities
Institutional
enhancement
HE system
enhancement
Less of this….
http://www.wisconsinsilo.com/
More of this…
http://exotic.vn/abbvie-team-building-2014/
Staff from the Indian Space Research Organization celebrate at the ISRO Telemetry,
Tracking and Command Network in Bangalore after their Mars Orbiter spacecraft
successfully entered Mars orbit on September 24, 2014. Credit: Manjunath
Kiran/AFP/Getty Images
http://www.purdue.edu/uns/html4ever/000212.Rubelocal.2000.
html
http://cars.aol.co.uk/2013/03/26/video-how-to-build-a-formula-1-car/
Process
Select focus areas
Institutional submissions
Analysis
Individual
Institutional
feedback
Feedback
Symposia,
working groups
Collaboration
Analysis
Feedback
Institutional reports
Projects of
other bodies
Research
projects
Institutional
capacity
development
Focus areas for Phase 1
1. Enhancing academic as teachers
2. Enhancing student support and development
3. Enhancing the learning environment
4. Enhancing course and programme enrolment
management
Responses from Private Providers
48 for profit
21 non-profit
60
50
40
30
20
10
0
Programme
offerings
Single focus-one
programme
Narrow focusseveral related
programmes
Multiple focus-a
number of
different
programmes
60
50
40
30
20
10
0
Number of
students
[<500
500-2000
2001-5000
>5000
60
50
40
30
20
10
0
Mode of
delivery
Contact
Distance
Contact &
Distance
Focus area 2
Once a university admits a student it has a moral
obligation to do everything within its power to create an
environment within which the student has a good chance
of succeeding.
“Access without support is not opportunity”
[Vincent Tinto]
Developing
institutional
mechanisms
for student
support
Focus area 2
Curriculum
development
Assessment
Counselling
Support
Monitoring
Teaching
Career guidance and curriculum advising
Provided before enrolment?
56 YES
Face-to-face, telephonic, email (18)
Screening tests during application (10)
Provided after enrolment?
54 YES
Part of learning programme (15)
Discussions with dedicated individuals (16)
Exposure to industry (8)
Advising students on curriculum planning?
58 YES
Dedicated people to offer advice (15)
Counselling
Provided to registered students when needed?
22 YES
Educational, academic, psycho-social, spiritual,
lifestyle, health, finances
Done by lecturers, academic development
coordinators, academic managers or
counsellors
Specialised or professional counselling provided by
psychologists, psychiatrists, student support
coordinators and other external providers (10)
Students first go to staff or appointed counsellors
before being referred to a specialist (10)
Appraising students’ life and academic
skills
Is there a mechanism?
49 YES
Using formative and summative assessment (17)
Assessment reports and workshops (9)
Entrance assessments (7)
Mentoring and “skills passports” (17)
Feedback from WIL or clinical placements
Development of life and academic skills
Voluntary activities provided? For whom?
45 YES
All students may participate (23)
Integrated into curriculum so all participate (7)
Target groups, e.g. underperforming students,
SRCs
What activities are provided?
Community engagement (28)
Extra classes, workshops, mentoring and tutoring,
academic literacy development activities (28)
WIL linked to community engagement
Development of life and academic skills
Compulsory activities provided? For whom?
53 YES
All students (16)
At-risk students, in certain years or
programmes, SRC members (22)
What activities are provided?
Work-integrated learning and/or experiential
learning (24)
Skills development programmes (15)
Bridging courses, mentoring programmes,
subject-specific tutorials, cultural activities
Mechanism for identifying students at risk
of failing
68 YES
Performance in assessments and exams, class
participation, submission of work
Responsible individuals, e.g., academic managers,
programme managers, QA facilitators, academic
advisers, academic staff
Support to at-risk students
40
30
20
10
0
Voluntary Support
Compulsory Support
No Formal Support
One-on-one guidance, advising and counselling (39)
Mentoring, tutoring, extra classes (43)
Involving parents, guardians, sponsors (14)
Activities to develop academic skills (6)
Other good practices
• Low lecturer-student ratio so more engaged with
students and their needs (26)
• Mentoring and tutor systems and academic skills
development (14)
• Student leadership development activities
• Academic literacy programmes (9)
• Industry placement, clinical practice, simulations
• Support for students with disabilities (8)
• Welfare support (food, emotional support, pastoral
care)
Main challenges
• Lack of resources for academic development,
including enough staff
• Inadequate infrastructure, including wheelchair
ramps, internet access, equipment
• Funding
• Time for staff and students to participate in
academic development
• Students not accessing support
• Distance learning– lack of infrastructure, difficulty
in organising student support activities
Discussion
For Focus Area 2: Enhancing student support and
development and on the basis of what you have
heard,
1. What good practices could your institution
implement (if not there already) or improve upon
(if there already)?
2. What challenges does your institution face and
how could they be addressed?
Dimensions of students’ lives that affect
their success
Subject
matter
Academic
literacies
Physical
health
Study
skills
STUDENT
Life Skills
Material
needs
Vocation
Wellbeing
Academic support and development
helping students successfully execute the tasks
required to succeed in their academic programme.
Non-academic support and development
helping students successfully navigate the challenges
associated with being a university student and with
life in general.
Institution-wide activities
Orientation programmes
First-year experience
Identification of student needs (through surveys)
Life skills
Study
skills
Teaching
and
Learning
Division
Academic
literacies
Careers
Disability
support
Student
Services
Division
Counselling
Writing
Mentoring
Tutoring
Advising
Monitoring
Faculty (or
Department)
Challenges
Timing, timetabling and voluntary nature of support
Tutors and tutor training
Non-credit bearing courses
Technology challenges
Structural, financial and staffing constraints
Communication and use of available services
Discussion
For Focus Area 2: Enhancing student support and
development,
1. What additional good practices that you have
heard about today could your institution implement
(if not there already) or improve upon (if there
already)?
2. What challenges would need to be overcome and
how for these new practices to be implemented?
Focus area 3
Providing
institutional
resources
Learning environment
Curriculum
development
Assessment
Counselling
Support
Monitoring
Teaching
Enhancing the learning environment
Teaching
spaces
Labs
Multipurpose
spaces
Individual
learning
spaces
Collaborative
learning
spaces
Library
Technical
spaces
ICT
resources
Teaching spaces for promoting learning
Effective
Gymnasium (1)
Outdoor learning facilities (2)
Common areas (2)
Simulation rooms (4)
Student workspaces (6)
Library (9)
Learning studios (8)
Computer labs (16)
Work Integrated Centre /…
Lecture room / auditorium (17)
Online spaces (22)
0
5
10
15
20
25
• Good, appropriate IT infrastructure (33)
• Well-maintained, comfortable, well-resourced
spaces for contact sessions (34)
• Suitable, adequate teaching equipment (28)
• Good spaces for practicals, simulations, WIL (11)
Teaching spaces that are not effective
Limited building infrastructure and maintenance (27)
Insufficient equipment (11)
16
14
12
10
8
6
4
2
0
Building /
IT Infrastructure Equipment (8)
infrastructure
(9)
(14)
Library (2)
Individual student learning spaces
Spaces in library (40)
Computer labs for individual use (13)
Common areas
Resource and/or study centre (8)
Teaching rooms when not in use (7)
Effective features
IT infrastructure (27), well-resourced buildings (16)
Studios well-equipped (10)
Features that hamper student success
Limited space (14), IT infrastructure (15), limited access to
and resources in library (10), high noise levels (9)
Collaborative learning spaces
Teaching spaces when not in use (31)
IT “spaces” (LMS, internet access)
Common areas (e.g. cafeteria) (13)
Effective features
Flexible furniture arrangements, internet access (33)
Availability of resources (29)
Features that hamper student success
Limited spaces available (13)
High noise levels (12)
Limited IT infrastructure (7)
Spaces used for socialising, not studying (7)
Learning management systems (LMS)
40 have, 29 do not have
40
30
20
10
0
Access on
campus
None or
Almost None
About 1/2
About 3/4
All or almost
all
20
15
10
5
0
Access at
home
None or
Almost
None
About 1/4 About 1/2 About 3/4
All or
almost all
Fraction of courses/ modules that use the LMS
20
15
10
5
0
None or
Almost
None
About
1/4
About
1/2
About
All or
3/4 almost all
Uses of technology
 E-learning (classroom, tutorials, discussion forums such
as wikis) (59)
 General use of IT equipment by students and lecturers
(email, printing, cameras) (42)
 Access to on-line journals in the library (25)
 Internet access in computer labs, library and some
classrooms (27)
 LMS (16)
 Power point presentations in lectures (16)
 Communication of information to students (14)
 Simulation labs and practical lab with high technology
software and other necessary applications (11)
 Administrative purposes (7)
 Online Work sharing (1)
Challenges in using technology
Internet access and reliability (39)
Finances to support the costs (25)
Students’ lack of computer literacy (19)
Library facilities
Good aspects
Provide research facilities, e.g. databases (51)
Good infrastructure (39)
Good accessibility (in time and space) (42)
Staff for support (26)
IT infrastructure (22)
Needs improvement
Student learning spaces (39)
Resources (25)
Access (in time and space) (16)
IT infrastructure and access (12)
Equipment (13)
Discussion
For Focus Area 3: Enhancing the learning
environment and on the basis of what you have just
heard,
1. What good practices could your institution
implement (if not there already) or improve upon
(if there already)?
2. What challenges does your institution face and
how could they be addressed?
Spaces
• Conflict between large lecture room and spaces that
enable interactive teaching and learning
• Student numbers often exceed carrying capacity
• Some state of the art specialised teaching spaces that
link with industry, professions or community
• General shortage of student learning spaces
• Some innovative uses of spaces for learning
• Crowding can be caused by inefficiencies
“Built pedagogy” – the architectural embodiment of our
educational philosophy
Decisions about physical space needs and configurations
need to be pedagogically driven
Technology-enabled learning
 LMS provide opportunities for more interaction among
students and each other and with lecturer, expanded
learning opportunities
 Some institutions have apps to enable students to access
LMS and student portal
 More wi-fi enables students to use own devices, but
bandwidth is an issue
 Cost of data and internet access off-campus a problem for
many students
 Designing on-line learning materials takes knowledge
skill. Need learning designers to work with subject
specialists. Also need increased IT infrastructure
 There is a shortage of skilled ICT technicians and support
staff; students can help
https://www.insidehighered.com/news/2015/03/20/austin-communitycolleges-promising-experiment-personalized-remedialmathematics#.VQwIPxCe7q0.mailto
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=xHxq936GQoQ
Libraries
• Libraries playing more and more important role
• Physical spaces for learning and accessing
information, using computers, own devices, books
moved into storage
• Increasing access needed by students; students
can be employed to help.
• Librarians help with knowledge management for
institution and training for staff and students
• Librarians’ role getting more complex and
demanding, so sometimes hard to find right people
Discussion
For Focus Area 3: Enhancing the learning
environment
1. What additional good practices that you have
heard about today could your institution implement
(if not there already) or improve upon (if there
already)?
2. What challenges would need to be overcome and
how for these new practices to be implemented?
Promising practice
Shown to be successful in a
specific context
Decontextualise
Identify core elements
Recontextualise
Adapt for a new context
Implement and evaluate
Good practice
Expected outcomes of the QEP
• Benchmarks and codes of good practice for quality
undergraduate provision
• Policy recommendations
• Tools and resources for improving student success
• Research
• Communities of practice
Raise the bar for what can be expected of institutions
in promoting student success in future