TOWARDS AN INTERGRATED LEARNER SUPPORT MODEL – FROM ACCESS TO SUCCESS Presentation to NADEOSA Conference 24 June 2014 Dr. N. Phewa, & Ms. F. Masipa

PRESENTATION OUTLINE Background Introduction; Aims of the paper; Research questions; Methodological framework; Methods; Conclusion; Thank you

BACKGROUND 'access for student success‘; Initiatives to address this concept - student support programmes such access and/or foundation provision, academic development initiatives, and career development programmes, inter alia. The University of South Africa Unisa attempts to enhance student success offers academic development (AD) programmes such as the Science Foundation Provision (SFP), amongst others. However, academic development remains an ad-hoc activity being offered by different directorates working in silos and often times duplicating some of the services.

AIMS A proposal towards developing an integrated model for learner support whose objectives are: o To identify students' academic and career needs at the point of entry; o Refer them to appropriate learning and career development programmes; o Enrol them in a job readiness training and placement programme (JRTP); in preparation for o Work-integrated learning (WIL) placements.

RESEARCH QUESTIONS Could it be that the unimpressive Unisa throughput rates (van Zyl and Barnes, 2013) may be due to AD interventions that are standard and not related to the students' academic needs? What is the contribution of UNISA AD interventions towards the throughput rates? Could it be that students are placed in work-seeking situations without being prepared at least for the 'soft skills' required in the world of work and hence the unemployability which might be the cause of the unemployable rates of graduates? Is there any contribution made by job preparation initiatives towards students’ graduateness and employability?

METHODOLOGICAL FRAMEWORK Mixed methods study largely underpinned by phenomenology; Seek to understand the phenomenon “student success” from the students’ and potential employers’ perspectives; Assumptions are that student success goes beyond obtaining a qualification; Quantitative part involves an on-line academic literacies diagnostic assessment tool

METHODS A mixed methods study involving o a diagnostic academic literacies assessment, o student and employer questionnaires; as well as o focus group discussions. Participants: o Unisa students who had been placed in WIL programmes with and/or without the career development and JRTP experience; and o Those that had been placed in jobs through the JRTP programme, including their 'employers'.

CONCLUSION - WIP We are currently in the sampling stage of the study; Having sent consent letters to the identified participants; Research tools already uploaded online Invitations ready to be sent out to focus group participants once they return consent letters Hoping to administer by August