Live your life. Create your destiny. MERGER CONFERENCE PROF LR VAN STADEN 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 (4 000 distance education) 436 academic programmes (20% masters and 15% doctorate) ± 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 NORTHERN GAUTENG 65,08% ,63% ,82% NORTH-WEST62,67% ,24% ,25% PRETORIA 67,21% ,69% ,67% AverageTotalAverageTotalAverageTotal 64,98% ,59% ,12%45 368

DVC: TEACHING, LEARNING AND TECHNOLOGY TABLE 3: UNDERGRADUATE SUCCESS RATES AND HEADCOUNTS (2003 – 2008) Success rates 64,98%65,59%65,12%64,68%67,09%70,25%70,78%72,0% Headcount enrolments 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 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

Co-operative Education Curriculum Development and Support Student Development and Support Teaching and Learning with Technology