Quality Enhancement Project - Council on Higher Education

Quality Enhancement Project Institutional Reports: Phase 1

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TABLE OF CONTENTS

1. INTRODUCTION ........................................................................................................................................................... 11

2. FOCUS AREA 1: ENHANCING ACADEMICS AS TEACHERS .............................................................................. 11

2.1 SUMMARISE WHAT THE UNIVERSITY CONSIDERS TO BE THE KEY ISSUES IN ENHANCING ACADEMICS AS TEACHERS IN

ONE OR TWO PARAGRAPHS ................................................................................................................................................................. 11 2.2 DURING PHASE 1 OF THE QEP, WHAT CHANGES AT INSTITUTIONAL LEVEL (A) HAVE BEEN MADE, (B) ARE IN

PROGRESS, OR (C) ARE IN THE PLANNING STAGES THAT RELATE TO ENHANCING ACADEMICS AS TEACHERS? ..................... 12 A) CHANGES MADE AT INSTITUTIONAL LEVEL INCLUDE THE FOLLOWING: ................................................................................ 12

Transformation and reconceptualization ........................................................................................................................ 12 B) CHANGES IN PROGRESS .................................................................................................................................................................. 13

Teaching Development Grant (TDG) .................................................................................................................................. 13 Fitness for and of purpose ....................................................................................................................................................... 13 Staff development ....................................................................................................................................................................... 14 Skills Training .............................................................................................................................................................................. 14 Scholarship of Teaching and Learning (SoTL) ............................................................................................................... 14 Curriculum Development ........................................................................................................................................................ 15 Critical Skills in the Transport and Manufacturing Industry .................................................................................... 15 Workshops ..................................................................................................................................................................................... 17 The First Year Experience (FYE) .......................................................................................................................................... 17 Academic Staff Induction ........................................................................................................................................................ 18 Teaching and Learning Policies ............................................................................................................................................ 19 Completion of Masters and Doctoral Degrees ................................................................................................................. 19 Performance management ..................................................................................................................................................... 19 Workload Model .......................................................................................................................................................................... 19 e-Learning and Moodle ............................................................................................................................................................ 20 Training for Staff in Management Positions.................................................................................................................... 20

C) CHANGES IN THE PLANNING STAGES ............................................................................................................................................ 21 Establishment of a Writing Centre ...................................................................................................................................... 21 Assessing Learning in Higher Education ........................................................................................................................... 22

2.3 PROVIDE ONE OR MORE (BUT NOT MORE THAN 5) EXEMPLARS TO ILLUSTRATE SPECIFIC ASPECTS OF THE CHANGES

THAT ARE SUCCESSFUL. PROVIDE EVIDENCE FOR CLAIMS OF SUCCESS. WHERE AN ACTIVITY IS IN THE PLANNING STAGES, INDICATE WHAT EVIDENCE WILL BE COLLECTED. ........................................................................................................................... 22

Training of Academic Staff ..................................................................................................................................................... 22 Leave Policy .................................................................................................................................................................................. 23 CAL Teaching and Learning Workshop ............................................................................................................................. 23 Faculty of Education ................................................................................................................................................................. 23

2.4 PROVIDE ONE OR MORE (BUT NOT MORE THAN 5) EXEMPLARS OF CHANGES THAT HAVE NOT BEEN SUCCESSFUL AND

SUGGEST REASONS. .............................................................................................................................................................................. 23 Turnover of staff ......................................................................................................................................................................... 23 Performance Appraisal ............................................................................................................................................................ 23 Teaching Philosophy for UNIZULU ...................................................................................................................................... 24 Assessor Moderator Workshop ............................................................................................................................................. 24 Workload Model .......................................................................................................................................................................... 24

2.5 IF POSSIBLE, IDENTIFY ONE OR MORE PROMISING PRACTICES RELATED TO THIS FOCUS AREA. DESCRIBE THE PRACTICE

AND PROVIDE EVIDENCE FOR SUCCESS. SUGGEST WHAT THE KEY FEATURES MIGHT BE. ......................................................... 24 Revision of Promotion Criteria .............................................................................................................................................. 24 Staff Professional Development ............................................................................................................................................ 24 Developing Programmes for Academic Development .................................................................................................. 25

2.6 IDENTIFY THE MAIN CHALLENGES THE UNIVERSITY STILL FACES IN RELATION TO THIS FOCUS AREA............................ 25

3. FOCUS AREA 2: ENHANCING STUDENT SUPPORT AND DEVELOPMENT ................................................. 25

3.1 SUMMARISE WHAT THE UNIVERSITY CONSIDERS TO BE THE KEY ISSUES IN ENHANCING STUDENT SUPPORT AND

DEVELOPMENT...................................................................................................................................................................................... 26

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3.2 DURING PHASE 1 OF THE QEP, WHAT CHANGES AT INSTITUTIONAL LEVEL (A) HAVE BEEN MADE, (B) ARE IN

PROGRESS, OR (C) ARE IN THE PLANNING STAGES THAT RELATE TO ENHANCING STUDENT SUPPORT AND DEVELOPMENT? ................................................................................................................................................................................................................ 26 A) CHANGES MADE AT INSTITUTIONAL LEVEL INCLUDE THE FOLLOWING: ................................................................................ 26

Tutor Training ............................................................................................................................................................................. 26 Alumni ............................................................................................................................................................................................. 26 Toyota Graduate Programme ............................................................................................................................................... 27

B) CHANGES IN PROGRESS .................................................................................................................................................................. 27 The Crucial Conversations Programme ............................................................................................................................. 27

C) CHANGES IN THE PLANNING STAGES ............................................................................................................................................ 29 The First Year Experience ....................................................................................................................................................... 29

3.3 PROVIDE ONE OR MORE (BUT NOT MORE THAN 5) EXEMPLARS TO ILLUSTRATE SPECIFIC ASPECTS OF THE CHANGE(S)


University of Zululand’s Enactus Team Wins 6 Awards at National Competition 2015 ................................ 31 Mentorship Programme ........................................................................................................................................................... 34 Training in the Department of Law .................................................................................................................................... 34 Student support for Amangwe Village ............................................................................................................................... 34 Symposium for school learners ............................................................................................................................................. 35 Work Integrated Learning (WIL) programmes ............................................................................................................. 36


SUGGEST REASONS. .............................................................................................................................................................................. 37 FYE Questionnaire ...................................................................................................................................................................... 37 Literary Resources ..................................................................................................................................................................... 37 Tutor Training ............................................................................................................................................................................. 37

3.5 IF POSSIBLE, IDENTIFY ONE OR MORE PROMISING PRACTICES RELATED TO THIS FOCUS AREA. DESCRIBE THE

PRACTICE AND PROVIDE EVIDENCE FOR SUCCESS. SUGGEST WHAT THE KEY FEATURES MIGHT BE. ....................................... 37 MOOT Court .................................................................................................................................................................................. 37 The Maritime Project ................................................................................................................................................................ 38 Computer Literacy training .................................................................................................................................................... 38 The Campus Clinic ...................................................................................................................................................................... 38


4. FOCUS AREA 3: ENHANCING THE LEARNING ENVIRONMENT ..................................................................... 42

4.1 SUMMARISE WHAT THE UNIVERSITY CONSIDERS TO BE THE KEY ISSUES IN ENHANCING THE LEARNING ENVIRONMENT. ................................................................................................................................................................................................................ 42 4.2 DURING PHASE 1 OF THE QEP, WHAT CHANGES AT INSTITUTIONAL LEVEL (A) HAVE BEEN MADE, (B) ARE IN

PROGRESS, OR (C) ARE IN THE PLANNING STAGES THAT RELATE TO ENHANCING THE LEARNING ENVIRONMENT. ............. 42 A) CHANGES MADE AT INSTITUTIONAL LEVEL INCLUDE THE FOLLOWING: ................................................................................ 42

The Nursing Science Simulation Clinic ............................................................................................................................... 42 New Lecture Theatre Building .............................................................................................................................................. 43

B) CHANGES IN PROGRESS .................................................................................................................................................................. 43 ICT: Information Communication Technology projects and the future ................................................................ 43

C) CHANGES IN THE PLANNING STAGES ........................................................................................................................................... 44 Campus Master Plan .................................................................................................................................................................. 44



Library Information Services (LIS) ...................................................................................................................................... 46 4.4 PROVIDE ONE OR MORE (BUT NOT MORE THAN 5) EXEMPLARS OF CHANGES THAT HAVE NOT BEEN SUCCESSFUL AND

SUGGEST REASONS. .............................................................................................................................................................................. 49 Class Attendance from AdaptIT ............................................................................................................................................ 49 e-Learning ..................................................................................................................................................................................... 49 Literary Resources ..................................................................................................................................................................... 50


PRACTICE AND PROVIDE EVIDENCE FOR SUCCESS. SUGGEST WHAT THE KEY FEATURES MIGHT BE. ....................................... 50 Infrastructure Development ................................................................................................................................................... 50 Library and Information Service .......................................................................................................................................... 50

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4.6 IDENTIFY THE MAIN CHALLENGES THE UNIVERSITY STILL FACES IN RELATION TO THIS FOCUS AREA............................ 50 Student Accommodation ......................................................................................................................................................... 50 Information Technology .......................................................................................................................................................... 50

5. FOCUS AREA 4: ENHANCING COURSE AND PROGRAMME ENROLMENT MANAGEMENT ................... 51

5.1 SUMMARISE WHAT THE UNIVERSITY CONSIDERS TO BE THE KEY ISSUES IN ENHANCING COURSE AND PROGRAMME

ENROLMENT MANAGEMENT. .............................................................................................................................................................. 52 5.2 DURING PHASE 1 OF THE QEP, WHAT CHANGES AT INSTITUTIONAL LEVEL (A) HAVE BEEN MADE, (B) ARE IN

PROGRESS, OR (C) ARE IN THE PLANNING STAGES THAT RELATE TO ENHANCING COURSE AND PROGRAMME ENROLMENT

MANAGEMENT. ..................................................................................................................................................................................... 52 A) CHANGES MADE AT INSTITUTIONAL LEVEL INCLUDE THE FOLLOWING: ................................................................................ 52

Admission management........................................................................................................................................................... 52 Application growth trends and statistics .......................................................................................................................... 52 International Applicants ......................................................................................................................................................... 52 Applicants/Applications Statistics ....................................................................................................................................... 53 Selection of prospective students ......................................................................................................................................... 53 Communication of the outcome to selected applicants ............................................................................................... 54 Acceptance of offers ................................................................................................................................................................... 54 Late applications and Walk-ins ............................................................................................................................................ 54 Late offers to applicants .......................................................................................................................................................... 54 Selection of applicants (First time) ..................................................................................................................................... 55 Revised Admission Policy ......................................................................................................................................................... 55 Processing of bio-data during registration ...................................................................................................................... 55 Registration Processes – January 2015 ............................................................................................................................. 55 Faculty Advisory Services ........................................................................................................................................................ 55 Data Capturing of Modules ..................................................................................................................................................... 56 Issue of Student Cards ............................................................................................................................................................... 56

B) CHANGES THAT ARE IN PROGRESS INCLUDE: .............................................................................................................................. 56 Re-admission Refusal ................................................................................................................................................................ 56 Placement of students ............................................................................................................................................................... 57 Recognition of Prior Learning ............................................................................................................................................... 57 Engagement of local schools during their career open days ..................................................................................... 57

C) THE FOLLOWING ACTIVITIES ARE IN THE PLANNING STAGES: ................................................................................................. 58 Online Registration .................................................................................................................................................................... 58 MIS .................................................................................................................................................................................................... 58



Through-put rates ...................................................................................................................................................................... 59 Pass rates in ‘Gate-way courses’ ........................................................................................................................................... 59 Interruption of Study ................................................................................................................................................................ 60 Selection Rules and Procedures ............................................................................................................................................ 60


SUGGEST REASONS. .............................................................................................................................................................................. 61 Financial constraints ................................................................................................................................................................ 61 Attracting New Students ......................................................................................................................................................... 61 Placement tests ............................................................................................................................................................................ 61 Tracking of Students ................................................................................................................................................................. 61 The Registration Process ......................................................................................................................................................... 61


PRACTICE AND PROVIDE EVIDENCE FOR SUCCESS. SUGGEST WHAT THE KEY FEATURES MIGHT BE. ....................................... 62 CAO Training ................................................................................................................................................................................ 62 E-registration ............................................................................................................................................................................... 62 Re-curriculation .......................................................................................................................................................................... 62 Career Open Day ......................................................................................................................................................................... 62


6. REFLECTION ON PHASE 1 OF THE QEP............................................................................................................... 63

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6.1 WHAT HAS BEEN THE EFFECT ON THE UNIVERSITY OF PARTICIPATING IN THE QEP FOR THE PAST TWO YEARS? ..... 63 UNIZULU as a Comprehensive University ......................................................................................................................... 63 Restructuring ............................................................................................................................................................................... 63 First Year Experience (FYE) ................................................................................................................................................... 64 Staff Induction ............................................................................................................................................................................. 64 PGDipHE ......................................................................................................................................................................................... 64 Workshops ..................................................................................................................................................................................... 64 Conditions of Service ................................................................................................................................................................. 65

6.2 IN WHAT WAYS DID THE UNIVERSITY’S INVOLVEMENT IN THE QEP PROMOTE OR STRENGTHEN COLLABORATION

WITH OTHER UNIVERSITIES ON SPECIFIC ISSUES? ........................................................................................................................... 65 Collaboration with Teaching and Learning Centres .................................................................................................... 65 Benchmarking Bachelor of Social Work (BSW) At Nelson Mandela University and Fort Hare University (27 July-29 July 2015) ............................................................................................................................................................... 66

6.3 LOOKING BACK OVER THE PAST TWO YEARS, IN A PAGE OR TWO, SUMMARISE THE UNIVERSITY’S MAIN TRIUMPHS, IMPROVEMENTS, CHANGES AND CHALLENGES RELATED TO THE FOUR QEP FOCUS AREAS. .................................................... 66

Triumphs ........................................................................................................................................................................................ 66 Improvements .............................................................................................................................................................................. 67 Changes .......................................................................................................................................................................................... 67 Challenges ..................................................................................................................................................................................... 67

APPENDICES/ SUPPORTING DOCUMENTATION................................................................................................... 70

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LIST OF FIGURES Figure 1: Organogram of Structural Changes ___________________________________________________________________ 12 Figure 2: Sustainable Ocean Development _______________________________________________________________________ 16 Figure 3: Course Outline/Study Guide Workshop ________________________________________________________________ 17 Figure 4: Academic Induction ____________________________________________________________________________________ 18 Figure 5: Academic Induction ____________________________________________________________________________________ 19 Figure 6: Academic Induction ____________________________________________________________________________________ 20 Figure 7: Workshop for Managers ________________________________________________________________________________ 21 Figure 8: Corporate Induction ____________________________________________________________________________________ 22 Figure 9: Crucial Conversations __________________________________________________________________________________ 29 Figure 10: FYE Workshop - Day 1 ________________________________________________________________________________ 30 Figure 11: FYE Workshop - Day 2 ________________________________________________________________________________ 31 Figure 12: The Enactus Team ____________________________________________________________________________________ 32 Figure 13: Enactus Team Members ______________________________________________________________________________ 32 Figure 14: Enactus Team Members ______________________________________________________________________________ 33 Figure 15: Student support for Amangwe Village _______________________________________________________________ 35 Figure 16: SAICA and Academics _________________________________________________________________________________ 36 Figure 17: Communication Science and WIL Initiative __________________________________________________________ 36 Figure 18: Students at the Condoms Launch _____________________________________________________________________ 39 Figure 19: Students at the Condoms Launch _____________________________________________________________________ 40 Figure 20: Research Commons Figures __________________________________________________________________________ 48 _____________________________________________________________________________________________________________________ 58 Figure 21: Open Day 2015 ________________________________________________________________________________________ 58

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LIST OF TABLES

Table 1: Skills Training ____________________________________________________________________________________________ 14 Table 2: Appointment of Tutors ___________________________________________________________________________________ 26 Table 3: Throughput and Drop-out rates by qualification: enrolled between 2010-2013 - graduated in 2014 _________________________________________________________________________________________________ 28 Table 4: Info Cellar Library Services ______________________________________________________________________________ 47 Table 5: Library Presentations Jan-Nov 2015 ____________________________________________________________________ 49 Table 6: Total Applicants __________________________________________________________________________________________ 53 Table 7: Increase in Applicants 2013-2014 _______________________________________________________________________ 53 Table 8: Increase in Applicants 2014-2015 _______________________________________________________________________ 53 Table 9: Number of Applicants and Choices Made _______________________________________________________________ 53 Table 10: Offers made by Faculties________________________________________________________________________________ 54 Table 11: Stats on Application/Registration (First time) from ITS _____________________________________________ 55 Table 12: Registration Statistics __________________________________________________________________________________ 56

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LIST OF ACRONYMS

ABC Abstinence, Be faithful and Condom Usage

AHOD Acting Head of Department ARV Antiretroviral BCP Business Continuity Plan BLA Black Lawyers Association CAL Commerce, Administration and Law CAO Central Applications Office

CCTV Closed Circuit Television CHE Council on Higher Education CSI Corporate Social Investment

DBA Database Administrators DHET Department of Higher Education and Training

DRP Disaster Recovery Plan DUT Durban University of Technology DVC Deputy Vice-Chancellor DVP Data Video Projector ECA Electronic Communication and Transaction Act

EDMS Electronic Document Management System ERP Enterprise Resource Planning

ETDP Education, Training and Development Practice FNB First National bank FYE First Year Experience HCT HIV & ADS Counselling and Testing

HEDA Higher Education Data Analyser HEI Higher Education Institutions

HEMIS Higher Education Management Information System HEQC Higher Education Quality Committee

HERS-SA Higher Education Resource Services

HIV & AIDS

Human Immunodeficiency Virus and Acquired Immunodeficiency Syndrome

HOD Head of Department HR Human Resources ICT Information and Communication Technology ILL Inter-library Loans

IQEPC Institutional Quality Enhancement Project Committee IT Information Technology

ITS Integrated Tertiary Systems LIASA Library and Information Association of South Africa

LIS Library and Information Services LLB Bachelor of Laws LMS Learning Management System

MANCO Management Committee MIS Management Information System

MMC Male Medical Circumcision MOU Memorandum of Understanding NCV National Certificate Vocational NQF National Qualifications Framework NSC National Senior Certificate

OLA Operational Level Agreement PC Personal Computer PG Post-graduate

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PGDipHE Post Graduate Diploma in Higher Education POPI Protection of Personal Information

PP&W Physical Planning and Works PSD Protective Services Department QEP Quality Enhancement Project R&I Research and Internationalisation

RBIDZ Richards Bay Industrial Development Zone RCB Richards Bay

SACSSP South African Council for Social Service Professions SAICA South African Institute of Chartered Accountants

SAMSA South African Maritime Safety Authority SANRC South African National Resource Centre for the First

Year Experience and Students in Transition SES Senior Experten Service

SETA Skills Education Training Authorities SLA Service Level Agreement

SMS Short Message Service SoTL Scholarship of Teaching and Learning

STI Sexually Transmitted Infections T&L Teaching and Learning TB tuberculosis

TDG Teaching Development Grant TLC Teaching and Learning Centre

UKZN University of KwaZulu-Natal UNIVEN University of Venda

UNIZULU University of Zululand VCT Voluntary Counselling and Testing WiFi Wireless Fidelity WIL Work-integrated Learning

ZCBF Zululand Chamber of Business Foundation

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Quality Enhancement Project

Institutional Reports: Phase 1 Due Date: 11 December 2015

Name of Institution

University of Zululand Contact Person

Dr Y. Rugbeer Date of submission

December 2015

The aim of the institutional report is to demonstrate efforts to bring about enhancements in

each of the four Quality Enhancement Project (QEP) focus areas since the beginning of Phase

1 of the QEP in February 2014, reflect on the journey towards enhancement and assess the

extent to which the efforts have resulted in improvements.

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1. INTRODUCTION (suggested length 2-5 pages)

Indicate how the report was prepared. Include a list of the people that were involved, their

designations and their roles in the preparation of the report.

A participatory approach was used to guide the QEP at institutional level. All members of various Departments were requested to contribute to the compilation of the QEP document. The Institutional Submission was prepared under the direction of the Manager, Quality Enhancement in Teaching and Learning, Dr Yasmin Rugbeer, who was appointed in July 2015. The QEP committee reports to the Management Committee and the Senate Committee on Teaching and Learning. Prof Mtose, the Acting Vice-Chancellor, oversaw the establishment of the Institutional Quality Enhancement Project Committee (IQEPC) in 2014 and she chairs this committee which is the oversight committee for the QEP. Two further QEP committees were established in 2014 to oversee the collection of information for each of the four focus areas. These committees are the Academic Quality Enhancement Project committee and the Support Services Quality Enhancement Project committee. Members of the Academic QEP committee include the Deans of the four faculties: Arts, Education, Science and Agriculture and Commerce, Administration and Law, as well as the Academic Coordinators for each faculty. Each of the four faculties in turn established its own task team to provide input into the four focus areas of the QEP. The Support Services QEP committee is represented by the Registrar’s division, which includes Assessment Management. Other departments are Finance, Library and Information Services, and Information and Communication Technology (ICT). Each of the different divisions provided information for the Institutional Submission. Dr Rugbeer collated the information provided by the faculties, support services units and students, and drew on information contained in other documentation provided to compile the Institutional Submission. The answers in this document, therefore, reflect the perspectives of academic and support departments, the Faculty Student Council Representative and Post-graduate Student Representatives. The draft was revised in accordance with comments from the Vice-Chancellor and Executive Management as well as SENATE, MANCO members and the QEP Committees. A list of contributors is attached as Annexure A. A list of meetings is attached as Annexure B.

2. FOCUS AREA 1: ENHANCING ACADEMICS AS TEACHERS (suggested length

10-20 pages) Includes: professional development, reward and recognition, workload, conditions of service and

performance appraisal. This section of the report should make reference to all of the sub-topics listed above, either by

discussing them individually or by integrating them. Note: it is not necessary to respond to each of the

questions below for every sub-topic.

2.1 Summarise what the university considers to be the key issues in enhancing academics as teachers in one or two paragraphs. The University of Zululand, as evinced in its Teaching and Learning Strategy and its

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Teaching and Learning Policy, is committed to a conception of teaching and learning as a partnership between the University and its students in the co-creation of knowledge. For the purpose of this report the University of Zululand uses the Strategic Plan (2016-2021) as a document that guides and supports its vision and mission as a comprehensive university (attached as Annexure C). The university has identified six strategic priorities. The strategic vision of UNIZULU is to unite the university communities and refresh our academic purpose and identity. The second strategic priority of the Strategic Plan “Create a quality teaching and learning environment as a comprehensive university” is linked to Strategic Goal 1 “Improve governance through enhanced operations to support the academic enterprise and ensure sustainability” and Strategic Goal 2 “Create a quality teaching and learning environment as a comprehensive University”. Objectives which showcase priority 2 include:

o Enhance teaching and learning

o Creation of career focused programmes deepening and entrenching the synergy

between conventional university programmes and vocational offerings.

o Recruit and retain a qualified cohort of academic staff

The University of Zululand acknowledges the need for capacity-building which focuses on enhancing academics’ teaching skills and also improving their professional development. In any education system, the quality of the teachers profoundly affects the quality of student learning. In addition to disciplinary expertise, academics as teachers need skills in pedagogy, curriculum development and assessment, as well as a number of other skills and attributes such as presentation skills and basic Information Technology (IT) skills to prepare our students for effective life-long learning in a technologically-rich world of work.

2.2 During Phase 1 of the QEP, what changes at institutional level (a) have been made, (b) are in progress, or (c) are in the planning stages that relate to enhancing academics as teachers?

a) Changes made at institutional level include the following:

An organogram depicting the structural changes that have been made, is as follows:

Figure 1: Organogram of Structural Changes

Transformation and reconceptualization

The whole purpose of the restructuring of the senior administration is to allow UNIZULU to effectively pursue its aims and strategies associated with its core activities of teaching and

DVC

Teaching and Learning

Dean

Faculty of Education

Dean

Faculty of Arts

Dean

Faculty of Commerce,

Admin and Law

Dean

Faculty of Science

Director

Teaching and Learning

Director

Quality Enhancement

Executive Secretary

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learning, research and community engagement. The restructuring process has been guided by consultation with all relevant individuals and structures at UNIZULU. The Academic Development Unit has been restructured under the guidance of the DVC: Teaching and Learning. A new organogram was developed and presented at the four faculty board meetings and was recommended by the University Teaching and Learning Committee to Senate for approval. A development is the transformation of the Academic Development Unit into the Teaching and Learning Centre (TLC) and a reconceptualisation of the post of Director: Academic Development. Dr N. Mashiya has been appointed Director: Teaching and Learning. The Teaching and Learning Centre has responsibility for:

o Academic staff development o Student academic development o The promotion of quality assurance in teaching and learning o Research on teaching and learning issues in higher education

Two Deputy Vice Chancellors have joined the University. They are: o Professor J. Baxen – DVC: Research and Innovation and

o Professor N. Garrod – DVC: Institutional Support

The posts of Deputy Dean: Teaching and Learning, Deputy Dean: Research and Innovation as well as Academic Coordinators for each faculty now have allocated responsibilities in each designated area.

The university seeks to recruit qualified applicants to the following posts:

o Manager: Community Engagement o Coordinator: Teaching with Technology o Curriculum Development Specialists o Coordinator: Academic Staff Development o Administrator: Teaching and Learning

The Teaching and Learning Committee, which is a committee of Senate, chaired by the DVC: Teaching and Learning and comprising the Director, Teaching and Learning, the Manager, Quality Enhancement in Teaching and Learning, Deans, Deputy Deans, and Faculty academic coordinators, developed the Framework for Professional Academic Staff Development. The Framework differentiates between mandatory and voluntary activities. The draft framework is attached as Annexure D.

b) Changes in progress

Teaching Development Grant (TDG)

The DVC: Teaching and Learning is the custodian of the Teaching Development Grant (TDG). The TLC, after consultation with the relevant role-players, has devised a DHET approved plan that focuses on developing academic staff. The document is attached as Annexure E.

Fitness for and of purpose

The Higher Education Quality Committee (HEQC) approach to quality includes fitness for and of purpose, and transformation. The new leadership of the Teaching and Learning Centre seek to ensure that programmes offered at UNIZULU are fit for and of purpose. This will mean that decisions will need to correlate with learning support and enhancement initiatives envisioned for the new Teaching and Learning Centre. Bearing in mind this

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recommendation, one such project for the new Teaching and Learning Centre might include the examination of all first-year learning materials.

Staff development

The TLC is in possession of an approved plan from the Department of Higher Education and Training (DHET), which focuses on developing academic staff in acquiring the skills, knowledge and attitudes required to engage in current and ensuing responsibilities and roles, in ways that are consistent with the goals of UNIZULU. The activities that are a priority are induction, ongoing professional development as well as professionalising higher education teaching and learning by providing a space for academics to register for the Post Graduate Diploma in Higher Education (PGDipHE). A mandatory induction programme is being developed for new staff members. Pedagogical training and ongoing courses to enhance academics will also be offered, focusing on different aspects of academic key performance areas. The TLC team is currently liaising with the UKZN, which offers the PGDipHE, to assist some academics to register for the qualification. The aim of the TLC in offering this programme is to improve and strengthen lecturers’ knowledge of teaching and learning in higher education, and to support candidates in enhancing their skills of reflection and development. This will be undertaken though a study of current thinking, practice and research methods in teaching and learning. Staff members complete evaluation forms at the end of every workshop, which assist in monitoring and determining whether developmental goals were accomplished, as well as feeding into the plans of future activities. Documents are attached as Annexure F.

Skills Training

The Human Resources (HR) Department has offered various courses to help academics fulfill their academic potential and stimulate development by encouraging active involvement in the learning process. The table below shows the course and the number of staff who attended the skills training workshops offered by HR for the period 2014-2015:

Course Number attended

Higher Education Resource Services 4

Report Writing 2

Microsoft Office Advanced 1

MS PowerPoint 4

Ms Excel Advanced 6

Project Management 9

Assessor 23

Finance For Non Finance 8

Handling Discipline, Incapacity and Grievance 17

Negotiation and Communication Skills 1

Mos Specialist 3

Moodle Training 3 Table 1: Skills Training

A detailed report is attached as Annexure G.

Scholarship of Teaching and Learning (SoTL)

The TLC views the Scholarship of Teaching and Learning (SoTL) as pivotal to the transformation of higher education. Ongoing learning in the 21st century incorporates discovery, reflection, and evidence-based methods to research effective teaching and student learning. Assistance and support to individuals to practically carry out research projects on their teaching and their students learning has been made available through the TDG. This will enable the institution’s first SoTL conference, scheduled for 18-20 May, 2016, which will provide an opportunity for delegates and presenters to showcase and disseminate

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the wealth of good practices, insights, methods and strategies in teaching and learning, as well as to explore scholarly work in an open and collegial arena. Authors of accepted abstracts will be invited to submit full papers, which will then be considered for publication. The TLC also strives to establish teaching communities of practice through providing a space for academics to share knowledge across institutions both nationally and internationally. An Introduction to the Scholarship of Teaching and Learning Workshop for academics was held in the Library Conference Centre on 26 – 27 October 2015. Documents are attached as Annexure H.

Curriculum Development

In an attempt to encourage and enable continuous improvement of the quality of teaching and learning at UNIZULU, curriculum development activities, from conceptualization through to implementation and into monitoring, are in progress. Staff members are being trained in curriculum development, which includes the design of new courses and programmes. Improvement of existing courses and programmes is underway. Dr Menon has assisted the faculties of Arts and Education with capacitation of staff in curriculum development, providing feedback for new materials or making revisions to the existing curriculum. Professor K. J. Collins, a visiting professor from UJ, assisted the Social Work department in capacitating staff in a workshop on curriculum development from 4th to 6th November 2015. Curriculum related activities are attached as Annexure I. The University of Zululand has decided to develop and offer Maritime programmes to mitigate the acute shortage of skills in the Maritime sector. The institution has identified specific areas within the maritime sector as scarce skills areas, and has decided to solicit cooperation from other higher education institutions offering similar programmes, and seek partnership from industry stakeholders.

Critical Skills in the Transport and Manufacturing Industry

The critical skills in the transport sector could be classified according to the following transport modes - Road Passenger, Road Freight, Aerospace, Maritime, Rail, and Pipelines. At present we are offering the following modules at the UNIZULU’s Richards Bay Campus; Transport Management, Logistics/Supply Chain Management, Business Management and Procurement Management. Furthermore, four engineering diplomas have been submitted to DHET.

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Courtesy of Operation Phakisa, 15 August 2015

Figure 2: Sustainable Ocean Development The institution has collaborated with the South African Maritime Safety Authority (SAMSA) regarding Marine Engineering. The German Organisation, Senior Experten Service (SES) has approved the institution’s request for assistance and will be sending experts in January 2016 to help with curricula on:

o Marine Engineering,

o Aeronautic Engineering,

o Mechanical Engineering and

o Materials Engineering.

There are huge overlaps and synergy between these fields – it makes sense to introduce them together and benefit ‘advantages of scale’. The institution has purchased land for residences to house students in Richards Bay. Currently the institution is negotiating with the Umhlatuze Municipality, and the Richards Bay Industrial Development Zone (RBIDZ) for more land and also looking at vacant properties in the Richards Bay area, in particular, a building on 39 Ceramic Curve, Richards Bay, valued at R28 million that might be suitable for an Enterprise Unit, or some of the diplomas in Marine Engineering.

These qualifications will be hosted by the department of Mechanical Engineering, Business Management and Law at the Richards Bay Campus. Support departments in the Faculty of Science and Agriculture that already exist at UNIZULU, like Physics, Mathematics, Computer Science, Hydrology and Chemistry, as well as the already existing Faculty of Commerce, Administration and Law will play a major role. Details are attached as Annexure AB.

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Workshops

There are internal workshops that constitute continuous academic development e.g., portfolio development workshops, ITS related workshops and Turnitin. These opportunities allow staff to collaborate with colleagues on best practices. Furthermore, they explore classroom issues that hinder student success and learn how to manage them. UNIZULU ensures staff development through attendance of workshops, conferences, symposia as well as study leave and recognition through research awards.

Portfolio Development The Portfolio development workshop for 100 academics was completed on 7 August 2015 and was facilitated by Ms V. L. M. Tredoux. Topics covered, include:

o The Higher Education landscape

o University teaching as a profession

o Standards of and support for university teaching

o Current reward structures, workload and resources

o The multi-faceted nature of the academic role

o Models of teaching and development

o The different roles of an academic (SAQA 2002)

o Brookfield’s critical reflective lenses

o Developing a teaching philosophy

Documentation related to this activity has been attached as Annexure J.

Developing Course Outlines and Study Guides Dr Michele Stears from the University of KwaZulu-Natal (UKZN) facilitated a workshop on Developing Course Outlines and Study Guides on 2 October 2015. Documents pertaining to this activity have been listed as Annexure K.

Figure 3: Course Outline/Study Guide Workshop From left: Dr Y. Rugbeer; 3rd from left: Dr N. Mashiya and Dr M. Stears

The First Year Experience (FYE)

The low graduation output of South African universities has been a cause for concern. While

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South African universities have undergone substantial change, there has not been an accompanied concomitant increase in levels of student success. There are factors that are within the control of the sector, and strategies can be developed at institutional level to improve the overall effectiveness of the educational process. As part of the QEP, Dr Rugbeer invited Dr Andre van Zyl and Ms Annsilla Nyar to facilitate discussions on the first year experience. Documents are attached as Annexure L. The TLC also intends to expose staff to FYE workshops.

Academic Staff Induction

Academic staff members are employed on the strength of their disciplinary expertise and many do not have the pedagogical skills and experience in facilitating learning by students. There is, therefore, a need to promote the knowledge and skills of academic staff in teaching and learning through a flexible, interesting and employee-centred programme. The academic staff induction process, aimed at new staff, part-timers as well as those newly appointed in management positions (an area often neglected), aims to offer support in the first week, with meetings on a monthly basis and an reflection session at the end of six months. The Teaching and Learning Centre believes that despite the use of the particular expression “staff induction”, it is not enough to present support or academic staff with loads of overwhelming information and expect staff to perform at their optimal level. Nor is it expected that staff be introduced to the university within a day. It is for this reason that the character of the induction, the timing, roles of people, the objectives, and the duration of the staff induction programme is being re-evaluated. The TLC is of the opinion that such a process should be enhanced, and should include other employees, and offer training on an ongoing, developmental basis to impart the relevant skills, knowledge, attitudes and values as required by the post. An academic mentor will also ensure that staff members have access to the individual support they will need. While still in the initial stages of planning, the TLC held its first induction programme (corporate and academic development programme) for newly appointed academic and support staff, for the period 2014 – 2015 at the Tusk Umfolozi Casino on 19th to 21st October 2015. While the induction process is designed to support newly appointed staff with their integration into the institution and faculty, it also plans to offer a secure foundation for future professional development. Documents have been attached as Annexure M.

Figure 4: Academic Induction Dr Rugbeer facilitating an induction session on 20 October 2015

Topics covered during the academic induction include:

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o Teaching and learning in higher education

o Development of the course outline/study guide

o Assessing learning in higher education

o Study guides and course outlines

o E-learning

o Moodle

o The first year experience

Figure 5: Academic Induction A group discussion on Day 2 of the Induction Programme

Teaching and Learning Policies

The TLC is currently working on finalising some policies that are crucial to this focus area e.g., Policy on Induction of new academics, Workload policy, Community Engagement Policy, and Policy on Recognition of Excellence. A meeting to draw up the Framework for Professional Academic Development Policy took place on Tuesday, 8 September 2015. Details are attached as Annexure D.

Completion of Masters and Doctoral Degrees

UNIZULU strives to nurture a new generation of researchers while encouraging staff to improve their qualifications. While some staff members have enrolled for Masters and Doctoral programmes, others have completed the postgraduate programmes. The university has embarked on a programme that accelerates the completion of masters and doctoral degrees through a dedicated six months study leave for staff members, providing an initiative which encourages academics to improve their qualifications. The ultimate objective is to improve the quality of teaching within the institution. Documents are attached as Annexure G.

Performance management

Performance management is not yet in place. The Strategic Plan 2016-2021 addresses making policies and procedures for the development and monitoring of performance, and reward of staff. The post of Specialist: Job Design and Performance Management, has been advertised and the recruitment process ongoing. A key activity includes participation in the development of the strategy leading to the effective implementation of the institutional performance management and development programme. Details are attached as Annexure G.

Workload Model

A workload model identifies the activities undertaken by staff. UNIZULU acknowledges that

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much work needs to be done in this area that affects the work-life balance, and that would benefit academics, departments and the institution. Constructive dialogue between the university administration and the academic departments would, therefore, be arranged to develop a workload model that is transparent and fair.

e-Learning and Moodle

Moodle is currently the University’s preferred Learning Management System (LMS)

providing a central space on the web where students and staff can communicate. The LMS

encourages collaborative learning, and inspires lecturers to use new ideas and tools in their

teaching. One major benefit of Moodle is its enormous economy in terms of time and

resources. Instead of having

classrooms filled with

worksheets, books, and audio

and video cassettes, all these

can be supplied electronically.

This vastly reduces the

numbers of DVD’s, photocopies

and other physical supplies that

have to be generated, and

students can access information

whenever they require.

Figure 6: Academic Induction Dr C. Hermann facilitating Moodle training at the Induction Workshop on 20 October 2015

Another reason for the popularity of Moodle is its social constructivist approach, which

deliberately sets out to enable users to have control of their learning environments, rather

than having ideas imposed from above in a top down approach, like most teaching. The idea

is to enable students to have more choice about how they learn.

Training of staff has hitherto been carried out by enthusiastic and knowledgeable colleagues. The TLC has engaged the Director: ICT to ensure that structures are in place for technical and system support and working with pre-determined standards.

Training for Staff in Management Positions

While academic staff members are continually being appointed in management positions, leadership can become fragmented, resulting in conflict situations if managers are not accorded the proper guidance and support. The TLC attempts to empower staff in management positions, including those in acting positions, in the following:

o Higher education context, policy and planning

o Governance, leadership and managing change

o Managing people and finance

o Institutional environment and student life

A workshop for managers, held on 18-19 November 2015, was facilitated by Dr O. Seale and Prof P. Fitzgerald. The objective of the workshop, was to provide participants with an opportunity to:

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o develop an informed perspective of the challenges facing academic leadership in a

complex and changing higher education environment;

o promote the development of creative problem-solving though expert input, self-

reflection and group interaction;

o acquire new skills that would contribute towards effective, proactive leadership and

management at the University of Zululand; and

o formally and informally engage with other participants, exchange ideas and share

experiences that support personal and institutional development.

The programme, attendance registers and communication details are attached as Annexure AI.

Figure 7: Workshop for Managers Prof P. Fitzgerald (left) and Dr O. Seale (right) facilitating on Day 1 of the workshop

c) Changes in the planning stages

Establishment of a Writing Centre

To enhance throughput rates, struggling students will be referred to a Writing Centre where staff will offer the required support. It is hoped that the Writing Centre would assist students in acquiring the necessary writing skills and language proficiency expected of students in a tertiary environment. Referrals of students for tutors would be followed by face-to-face interactions, which in turn would help students find confidence and build self-esteem. The centralisation of the Writing Centre is currently under discussion. The following has been resolved:

o The Faculties of Education and Arts will be combined. The coordinator will be Mr J.

S. Mkhize. The proposal included the secondment of Ms Particia Maritz to assist in

these two faculties. The venue will be DH5.

o The Faculties of Science and Commerce, Administration and Law will be combined.

The coordinator will be DR S. E. Mavundla. Dr Mavundla will retain the current space

in the Faculty of Science as a satellite Writing Centre.

The team is currently working on the Writing Centre Guide and reporting templates while planning relevant workshops. Recruitment and training of at least 20 writing center assistants will take place in February 2016. The training will be done by writing center coordinators from either DUT or UJ.

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Assessing Learning in Higher Education

Professional academic development for academic staff is a priority for UNIZULU, given the current national concerns about the low throughput rates of students. To enhance the knowledge and competencies of academic staff, the Human Resources Department is coordinating training for 45 academics through the Teaching and Learning Programme from ETDP SETA and UKZN. The module will focus on Assessing Learning in Higher Education. The duration will be three days, from 30 November 2015 to 2 December 2015. The main goal of the course is to provide support for lecturers to refine their skills and knowledge and increase their overall competence in the assessment of students’ learning. The purpose of the module is to develop participants’ theoretical understanding of assessment and to enable the informed implementation of assessment principles and processes into their practice. Documents are attached as Annexure G.

2.3 Provide one or more (but not more than 5) exemplars to illustrate specific aspects of the changes that are successful. Provide evidence for claims of success. Where an activity is in the planning stages, indicate what evidence will be collected.

Training of Academic Staff

Academic staff members are encouraged to attend workshops and conferences. The Human Resources Department has organised programmes to improve teaching and other skills of targeted academic staff. This has included a combined induction session for both academic and support staff members, which catered for a global view of the institution e.g., the Acting Vice-Chancellor presentation, welcoming new employees and alluding to the strategic direction of the institution.

Figure 8: Corporate Induction Prof Mtose addresses staff during the Corporate Induction

Other training interventions include:

o Assessor Training o ICT Training o Project Management o Handling Discipline for HODs o Report Writing o Higher Education Resource Services (HERS-SA) o Financial Management

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Details are attached as Annexure G.

Leave Policy

Conditions of Service at UNIZULU make provision for staff to improve their skills and qualifications in the areas of teaching and learning and research in various ways. Sabbatical leave is fully paid leave contingent on the provision of a sabbatical plan which gives the title of the proposed sabbatical activity, goals and/or objectives, anticipated outcomes and a schedule of activities. The university also has a Study Leave Bursary Policy which provides financial support to academic staff members (and their dependents) to acquire higher qualifications, subject to certain conditions being met. Staff members are supported with grants to attend local and international conferences, upon production of reports when they return and the publication of papers presented. Details are attached as Annexure G.

CAL Teaching and Learning Workshop

The Faculty of Commerce, Administration and Law (CAL) hosted a two day Teaching and Learning Workshop (18th -19th August 2015) at the Mtunzini Forest Lodge. Topics covered include:

o Benchmarking Teaching methods

o Paradigms & Learning theories

Prof Bhowan (Quality Promotion and Assurance - Review Panel Coordinator at UKZN) facilitated the following sessions:

o Teaching Methods

o Assessment

o Course outlines/ Course guidelines

Documents are attached as Annexure O.

Faculty of Education

The Faculty of Education details the following as successful activities:

o Increased research output o Improved qualifications of staff members o Teaching awards in planning stages as well as the promotion of staff o Re-curriculation of programmes in progress

Details are attached as Annexure N

2.4 Provide one or more (but not more than 5) exemplars of changes that have not been successful and suggest reasons.

Turnover of staff

There is a critical shortage of particular skills amongst academics. The absence of suitably qualified, senior staff limits post-graduate supervision at departmental level. The high turnover of staff has also meant that particular HODs have changed regularly, with some HODs having oversight of more than one department. The institution currently has many staff on contracts. When these employees seek greener pastures, the institution needs to find new, qualified staff. This then impacts on the workloads of current staff and the quality of work.

Performance Appraisal

One of the gaps in the system is the implementation of an effective performance appraisal system at the University of Zululand. The Strategic Plan 2016-2021 addresses making

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policies and procedures for the development and monitoring of performance, and reward of staff. The post of Specialist: Job Design and Performance Management, has been advertised and the recruitment process is ongoing. A key activity includes participation in the development of the strategy leading to the effective implementation of the institutional performance management and development programme. Details are attached as Annexure G

Teaching Philosophy for UNIZULU

The institution intends to have a have documented philosophy, approved by Senate and other relevant University structures, in place by 2017. There is a need for a common teaching philosophy for the institution that sets the required quality standards; thus ensuring that UNIZULU academia are conversant with the required standards.

Assessor Moderator Workshop

Some staff members enrolled for the Assessor Moderator Workshop, but could not be awarded certificates because they had not completed the Portfolio of Evidence that is part of the programme.

Workload Model

A workload model identifies who is doing what, and how much time is spent on doing it. In the absence of such a model, workload may not be balanced and academics sometimes feel they are over-burdened. High workloads are a silent barrier to workshops and training programmes organised by the institution.

2.5 If possible, identify one or more promising practices related to this focus area. Describe the practice and provide evidence for success. Suggest what the key features might be.

Revision of Promotion Criteria

Personal promotion at the university is possible based on certain flexible promotion criteria. Academic staff may apply on an annual basis for personal promotion. The university has drafted a revised Policy and Criteria on the Promotion of Academic and Research Staff, which received input from faculties at the Teaching and Learning Committee and Senate in 2014. This document refers particularly to the criteria of teaching and learning, research, university service and community engagement. While applicants need not excel in all categories, evidence of achievement in either teaching and learning, or research must be a core feature of every application. The criteria at all levels for promotion now include the possession of a qualification in teaching and learning at NQF levels 7/8, or an equivalent teaching qualification. The system is based on the acquisition of points in relation to the level of promotion applied for, and seeks to promote a transparent and equitable process which has been benchmarked against other Higher Education Institutions (HEIs). The revised document, in addition to the list of staff that attained promotion in 2015, is attached as Annexure P.

Staff Professional Development

The University has created opportunities for staff professional development. This includes incentives for staff to embark on and complete their Masters and Doctoral degrees. There are also numerous training sessions that are organised internally, that have been committed for 2016 by the TLC to support teaching and learning activities. Supporting documents pertaining to the training interventions will include a list of trained academic staff, programmes as well as attendance registers. The approved TDG plan is attached as Annexure E.

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Developing Programmes for Academic Development

The TLC is planning to develop programmes that will focus on academic development. The university is currently outsourcing the services to universities that offer accredited modules. The university would be tapping into its own expertise, thereby becoming financially viable. Details of the accreditation process will be collated as evidence.

2.6 Identify the main challenges the university still faces in relation to this focus area.

The challenges include, but are not limited to, the following: o The recruitment of highly skilled academic staff in scarce skills areas. o The turnover ratio of teaching staff is high, especially in scarce skills areas. o Academics have high teaching loads. The teaching workload, calculated per number

of periods taught, does not take into account student numbers (a class of 300 and a class of 30 count the same).

o A shortage of staff, and the protracted staff requisition process, causes work overloads, poor research profile, and stagnancy.

o There is a scarcity of candidates with suitable qualifications at the level of Associate Professor and Professor willing to relocate to KwaDlangezwa.

o There is a need to address the disparity in the salary scales of old versus new employees. Two different salary packages disadvantage long-serving employees.

o Departments function with their own Work-integrated Learning Policy. The university needs to re-institute a dedicated Work-integrated Learning Unit to synergise efforts and to develop partnerships with business and industry (including the signing of MOUs) to offer work-place based learning in programmes which have a compulsory WIL component.

3. FOCUS AREA 2: ENHANCING STUDENT SUPPORT AND DEVELOPMENT

(suggested length 10-20 pages) Includes: career and curriculum advising, life and academic skills development, counselling,

student performance monitoring and referral.

This section of the report should make reference to all of the sub-topics listed above, either by



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3.1 Summarise what the university considers to be the key issues in enhancing student support and development.

The Strategic Objectives aligned with Strategic Goal 4 of the Strategic Plan (2014-2021) “Enhance the quality and profile of UNIZULU graduates” are: “Provide a supportive learning and teaching environment for UNIZULU students” and “General support continued technological and collaborative specific institutional support for students and staff”. The Strategic Plan (2014-2021) is attached as Annexure C. Increased access to higher education comes with the expectation that universities will support students in a number of ways such as financial aid, accommodation, food and health -care as well as learning support in the residences. These needs are a consequence of the socio-economic status and the gaps in the schooling system for many students. The need for such support should not be minimised, but focus should also be on student support and development initiatives that are directly related to academic performance, including academic and career advising, life and academic skills and literacies, counselling and performance monitoring linked to referral systems. The role of the wardens in the residences in this regard is critical, as their function includes providing teaching and learning spaces in order to support formal teaching.

3.2 During Phase 1 of the QEP, what changes at institutional level (a) have been made, (b) are in progress, or (c) are in the planning stages that relate to enhancing student support and development?


Tutor Training

Tutor training offers huge benefits for students through allowing students the opportunity to teach and learn from each other. This is a distinctive experience that is unlike the traditional lecturer-student interaction. Students can seek academic support from their peers in an informal, less threatening environment. Proficient senior students are identified and trained as tutors. This is a central feature in the enhancement of the undergraduate teaching-and-learning experience at UNIZULU. A two-day tutor-training for 50 Richards Bay Campus students and a three-day tutor training for 150 KwaDlangezwa students was completed on 7 August 2015. The documents are attached as Annexure Q.

The appointment of tutors per faculty for 2015 is as follows:

Faculty Semester 1 Semester 2 Total

Arts 90 60 150

Commerce, Administration and Law 136 52 188

Education 2 27 29

Science and Agriculture 84 48 132

Totals 312 187 499

Table 2: Appointment of Tutors

Alumni

Alumni form part of a critical stakeholder of the University of Zululand (UNIZULU) because of the ambassadorial and advocacy role they can play in assisting the university to mobilise resources and financial support.

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UNIZULU boasts some esteemed Alumni who hold influential positions in various sectors of our society, and they have a strategic role to play in supporting the university’s endeavours through their influence and networks. It is for this reason that the university seeks to develop and strengthen alumni relations aimed at maximising the role of the alumni. UNIZULU acknowledges the growing importance of our Alumni and their role in driving the University’s strategic goals. The University recognises the need for a more focused and coordinated approach to alumni relations to maximise the opportunities for our alumni. The Alumni Relations Office continuously updates alumni on the latest developments through news published on Ongoye Online and Tertiary Times to keep them connected with the University as valued stakeholders, advocates, ambassadors and lifelong learners who contribute to and benefit from connections to each other and the institution. Every month our latest issue of Ongoye Online is sent to more than 4000 alumni. The Alumni Relations Office regularly organises meetings with alumni to establish links and mobilise them to stay in touch with the university and to participate in alumni chapters in their regions. Staff communicate with successful Alumni regularly to get their profiles, and publish these on the Alumni webpage regularly. Convocation membership forms are printed and distributed to graduates to complete in order to capture their details and build alumni data. In 2015 a total of 4000 forms were distributed. This data was captured and added on the current database. Branded key rings and pens were also distributed to all graduates.

Seminars are organised providing a platform for alumni to share their expertise with our final year and postgraduate students. These seminars included sharing information pertaining to sound financial management and career opportunities in different industries like FNB and Toyota. CMD invites prominent alumni to conduct seminars for final year and postgraduate students to educate them about life skills necessary for the world of work. This helps to build connections between alumni and current students and to foster a sense of community and continuity between generations. The details are attached as Annexure R.

The Alumni Relations Office also assists alumni through the Registrar’s office with various queries including replacement of lost certificates, contacts for their respective departments, and registration in further studies.

Toyota Graduate Programme

The Toyota Graduate Programme seminar took place on 23rd July 2015 in the Arts Auditorium. While the main target was 130 commerce students, students from all other faculties were also invited to participate, contributing to the success of the seminar. Toyota representatives appreciated their participation and suggested having at least two similar engagements every year. The details are attached as Annexure S.


The Crucial Conversations Programme

The table below provides a picture of the drop-out rate for UNIZULU.

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In almost all the qualification types, with the exception of 3 year diplomas, the percentage drop-out rate exceeds the throughput rate. Table 3 shows a critical need for UNIZULU to provide student support mechanisms to enhance teaching and learning. Staff members of the Faculty of Commerce Administration and Law, acting as agents of change, identified a gap in the system for support programmes, and initiated the very first mentor training programme. The Faculty of Commerce, Administration and Law hosted The Crucial Conversations programme from 18th to 19th July 2015 at DH4B at the University of Zululand. The facilitator was Juan-Pierre van der Walt from the University of Pretoria. The Crucial Conversations programme, a peer mentorship programme, consisted of four sessions, taught over a two days. Each mentor attended two sessions of approximately four hours each. The first session consisted of a discussion meeting with relevant parties administrating and coordinating the programme. This session focused on managing the mentorship programme, covering concepts such as sustainability, problem solving, and logistics. The discussions directed the election and management of student coordinators. The second session, an introduction to mentorship, focussed on providing a solid foundation for mentorship and dealing with the technical aspects thereof. The third session was based on application of mentorship, focusing on applying the elements of session two, as well as focusing the mentor’s attention on vital aspects such as attentive listening and sensitivity training to ensure that the mentor-mentee relationship is successfully maintained. Special focus was paid to sustainable and responsible change in the mind-set of students to aid the programme which is in the initial phases of development. Students were trained in theories of change and guided on how to be active agents of change. Elements of change, such as the change curve and other details that commonly have a positive effect on change were unpacked in detail, allowing attendees the opportunity to explore the possibility of application and so allow the programme to roll out successfully.

The final session focused on Student Coordinators and their role in the programme. While some coordinators volunteered their services, others were elected. The details are attached as Annexure O.

Qualification Types

Enrolled Students cohort

Completed in 2013 & graduated in 2014 (within minimum per qual type)

Number still in the system/ drop-outs

Throughput Rate % in 2013

Drop-outs rate % in 2013

DIPLOMA (3 yrs)

114 ( in 2011) 60 54 52.63% 47.36%

GEN/PROF 1ST B DEGR. 3YRS

5667 (in 2011) 1122

4545

19.80%

80.20%

PROF ACAD 1ST B DEGR. 4YRS

5263 (in 2010)

1078

4185

20.48%

79.51%

UG. DIP. OR CERT. 3YRS

1971 (in 2011)

213

1758

10.81%

89.19%

UG. DIP. OR CERT. <= 2 YRS

884 (in 2012)

392

492

44.34%

55.65%

Table 3: Throughput and Drop-out rates by qualification: enrolled between 2010-2013 - graduated in 2014

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Figure 9: Crucial Conversations UNIZULU Staff members who witnessed the opening of the training program from right: Mr TD Buthelezi (CAL), Mrs I Hlongwane (AHOD, CAL), Ms T. Ndimane (PQM), JP van der Walt (facilitator from UP), Prof Tewari (Dean: CAL), Dr (Science), Mr Olivier (AHOD, CAL), Dr C. Ndlangamandla (Science); & Dr Mthanti (CAL)

c) Changes in the planning stages

The First Year Experience

Despite the fact South African universities have undergone significant change during the last few decades, the increased access of students, has not been accompanied by equal increases in levels of student success. The low graduation output of South African universities has long been a cause for concern as it is inadequate to meet national needs. Tinto (2008) states that access without support is not opportunity. The First Year Experience (FYE) is an initiative to address the transitional needs and concerns that many first year students face in their transitions from high school to tertiary education. These include social engagement opportunities between undergraduate and senior students which in turn would positively impact engagement in effective educational practices.

The FYE is built on the principle that every first year student will be treated with the appropriate respect due to all citizens of South Africa. The TLC plans to implement the First Year Experience as a central overarching strategy. This is an initiative of UNIZULU to ensure that students are provided with enabling learning environments, supporting as many as possible, to achieve their full potential.

Dr Yasmin Rugbeer planned a workshop for Deans, Deputy Deans, Heads of Departments, Academic Coordinators and departmental representatives. The University of Johannesburg has an established First Year Experience programme coordinated by the Director, Dr Andre van Zyl. Ms Annsilla Nyar is the director of the The South African National Resource Centre for the First year Experience and Students in Transition (SANRC), an initiative funded by the

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Department of Higher Education and Training (DHET). Dr Van Zyl and Ms Nyar facilitated discussions. Dr Andre van Zyl led discussions on the following:

What is the FYE?

Why is it important?

FYE models available in the South African context

Some of the cutting edge thinking around first year transitions

Establishing the FYE at University of Johannesburg (a case study)

Figure 10: FYE Workshop - Day 1

The facilitators then conducted a situational analysis for UNIZULU, and led discussions on defining an FYE for UNIZULU. The workshop, held on 22nd and 23rd September 2015, was attended by 25 and 21 academics, respectively. There was unanimity that the FYE offered cohesiveness, because it dealt with all aspects of what students would experience in their first year. The FYE needed to be intentional and holistic. Attendees agreed that it is crucial that we support our students throughout their first year. They further agreed that there are factors within the control of the institution, and strategies can and must be developed, within the context of the University of Zululand’s vision, mission, core values, and its strategic goals to improve the overall effectiveness of the educational process. “Improvement in rates of student success does not arise by chance. It requires an intentional, structured, and coordinated course of action that brings together the actions of many people, programs, and offices across campus” (Tinto, 1999). The documents relating to the FYE are attached as Annexure L.

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Figure 11: FYE Workshop - Day 2

The FYE committee will:

Identify the main focus areas for the UNIZULU FYE.

Define the underlying principles for the UNIZULU FYE.

Plan the way forward for the UNIZULU FYE.

Promote campus-wide focus on the student experience.

Engage students in the intellectual enterprise and socialise students into university work expectations.

Expose student to various learning opportunities - formal curriculum, student life, co-curricular programming, community based and global experiences.

Ensure transformation in learning by bringing together teaching, extracurricular activities, counselling, mentoring and peer tutoring

3.3 Provide one or more (but not more than 5) exemplars to illustrate specific aspects of the change(s) that are successful. Provide evidence for claims of success. Where an activity is in the planning stages, indicate what evidence will be collected.

University of Zululand’s Enactus Team Wins 6 Awards at National Competition 2015

Students affiliated to Enactus, an international non-profit organisation (formerly known as Students in Free Enterprise – SIFE) form teams on campus and apply business concepts to develop outreach projects to improve the lives of needy local people and promote entrepreneurship.

UNIZULU’s Enactus team has taken entrepreneurial actions for others, creating a better world for us all. Under the leadership of Mrs Nana Magigaba and Mr Thami Mtshengu the team participated in the Enactus National Competition 2015, held at the Sandton Convention Centre, Johannesburg – for the first time on African soil since its 40 years of existence. The team showcased two projects. The Maritime project is aimed at empowering people, creating wealth and protecting the environment. The Ithubalethu (‘Our Opportunity’) project addresses the transformation of a garden into a profitable agro-processing venture.

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Figure 12: The Enactus Team

The team (comprising 350 students), competed against 36 countries, and brought home many accolades in the following categories:

National Champions 1st place

2015 Unilever Sustainable Living Plan Enactus Challenge 1st place

Thematic Competition Awards Triple Bottom Line 1st place

Capacity Building through Effective Empowerment 2nd place

Business Solutions for Community Development 2nd place

1 awards sponsored by CHEP South Africa PTY (Ltd) 2nd place

1 award from the World Cup

Figure 13: Enactus Team Members From left: Siyabonga Mthembu, Khethiwe Zuma, Marcia Mkhize, Kwanele Mkhwanazi

The Maritime Project The Enactus team set out to improve the livelihoods and standards of living of communities dependent on fishing along the coast of rural KwaZulu-Natal, at the same time addressing

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the illegal fishing and the protection of endangered water species. To achieve this, the team works with a small scale fish farmer, Mr Ngema, who breeds and harvests tropical and edible freshwater fish for commercial purposes. Due to damaged ponds and water pump failure, his business had collapsed, with three employees losing their jobs. The Enactus team adopted a business and entrepreneurial approach, saw an opportunity, did a needs analysis, and took action through skills and knowledge transfer building capacity for long-term sustainability. The needs response included:

o A turnaround strategy

o Link with foreign markets (Israel and Germany)

o Job creation

o Skills development, and

o An environmentally friendly alternative source of energy

The team has enabled progress: o Economically: US $3 590 monthly, since the team intervention and a profit of US

$629 per month o Socially: 7 jobs were created; 32 people were directly impacted, including 21 people

that were previously unemployed o Environmentally: 4 370 litres of water is reused per month; and illegal fishing has

been curbed.

The standard of living has been raised with 7 ‘bread-winners’ now able to provide for their families.

Figure 14: Enactus Team Members From left: Tendani Maemu, Zama Mkhwanazi, Kwanele Mkhwanazi, Siyabonga Mthembu, Zodwa Zikalala, Chris Mkhize, Marcia Mkhize

Ithubalethu (‘Our Opportunity’) Project: The team introduced a cooperative to agro-processing, producing a spicy vegetable pickle and sweet potato juice. The team also assisted the cooperative with several business imperatives, including obtaining barcodes and professional packaging, ensuring appropriate brand recognition, and an opportunity to commercialise and scale operations. The pickle has gained wide market acceptance, with customers including local retailers, restaurants and the University of Zululand.

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The team saw an empowerment opportunity for elderly women and youth and responded by offering training (basic business, financial management production, distribution and marketing skills). The team adopted a business and entrepreneurial approach and took action with skills and knowledge transfer. They secured 15 hectares of land to construct an agro-processing factory and secured contracts with national food chain stores (through partnership with Unilever). The team is enabling progress:

o economically: US$4 4140 monthly revenue since the team intervention and a profit of

US$935 per month

o socially: 5 jobs were created, 100 lives impacted and care for disabled learners made

possible

o environmentally: 1550 bottles recycled; organic farming; reservoir for irrigation

The standard of living has been raised with 15 community members receiving a sustainable income, and with business skills transfer to women and youth. The team is funded by the University of Zululand and Enactus South Africa. Sponsors of the team include:

Tendani Maemu

Zipho Khumalo

Christ Mkhize (ZCBF)

Evidence is attached as Annexure T.

Mentorship Programme

The Deans office in the Faculty of Commerce, Administration and Law hosted a mentorship programme to support 1st years with transition to the university and to boost their academic performance. The workshop was facilitated by University of Pretoria, on 16-18 July 2015. The Crucial Conversations programme, a peer mentorship programme consisted of four sessions, taught over two days. The first session consisted of a discussion meeting with relevant parties administrating and coordinating the programme. This session focused on managing the mentorship programme; it covered sustainability, problem solving and logistics. The facilitator directed the election and management of student coordinators. The documentation is attached as Annexure O.

Training in the Department of Law

o The Department of Law is regularly visited by judges who address and train students

on matters of Law. In 2015 the Faculty of Commerce, Administration and Law hosted

Judge Nsikelelo Poswa and three other attorneys/advocates who are conducting trial

advocacy training for our final-year LLB students under the auspices of the BLA. The

training takes place at the Student Centre.

o In addition, Judge Thoba Dlwati addressed the students during the women’s month.

The documentation is attached as Annexure U.

Student support for Amangwe Village

Amangwe Village was privileged to host the 3rd year Communication Science students from the University of Zululand, Richards Bay campus at Amangwe Village on 26th March 2015 under the guidance of lecturers, Mrs Avashni Moonasamy and Mr Josia Magagula. The staff at Amangwe did a presentation on the community development work they

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undertake in the community. The site visit included an observation of how little children learn at the crèche, a visit to the toy library and the organic food garden. Bongani Mthethwa very enthusiastically shared some tips on gardening, especially how the womery adds value to the food garden. The students were involved in various activities such as office administration, making ointments for inclusion in the kits for the Home Based Carers, doing maintenance, planting new seedlings in the organic food garden and doing minor maintenance on the property. The visit was also educational as a third year psychology student at Amangwe, Sheryl Soobramoney did a presentation on Gender Based Violence. As the world of work approaches, students participating in community engagement activities obtain a wealth of practical experience and skills needed by graduates.

Student, Nomvalo Malwande (left) Lecturer, Mr Magagula (right) Figure 15: Student support for Amangwe Village On left: student, Nomvalo Malwande; Lecturer, Mr Magagula on right

Symposium for school learners

SAICA, through local circuits of the Department of Basic Education arrange symposiums for school learners interested in pursuing accounting as a career. Representatives from the accounting profession and tertiary institutions do short motivational presentations and answer questions. This year the Department of Accounting and Auditing has been involved at least 8 such events attended by at least 24 schools and over 2 000 learners and educators. Such interventions are crucial in addressing the shortage of black Chartered Accountants in the country, as well as serving as a meaningful contribution by the higher education institutions towards the transformation of the Accounting profession. Documents are attached as Annexure V.

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Figure 16: SAICA and Academics

Representatives from UKZN Mr Bhasela Yalezo (second from left) and Mr Njabulo Khumalo (third from left), as well as Prof Mark Livingstone from UNIZULU (on right) were part of a panel addressing high school pupils in Zululand

Work Integrated Learning (WIL) programmes

Some departments offer programmes with credit-bearing Work Integrated Learning (WIL) programmes for six (6) months for third year students (e.g., Departments of Recreation and Tourism and Communication Science) which is undertaken in different organisations. Students also conduct customer service related research on their WIL sites. Work Integrated Learning is compulsory for final year students who register for the Diploma in Public Relations as well as the Diploma in Media studies. The department of Communication Science has a fully functional WIL unit since 2010. A dedicated staff member manages all aspects of WIL. North Coast Radio Station has accommodated eight students for WIL. Three students are now managing the departments and programmes:

o Ms Ngobese is managing Corporate Social Investment (CSI) and the Events Division

o Mr Dlamini is managing the Production Programme

o Mr Gabisa is managing the Marketing Department

Figure 17: Communication Science and WIL Initiative From left: Mr Gabisa(student-managing the Marketing department); Ms Shandu-student at admin; Ms Ngubane-

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station manager; Mr Dlamini (managing the Production programme) and Ms Ngobese (student-managing CSI and Events division.

Some of the successes can be listed as:

o Students participating in WIL programmes gain experience, write reports, give presentations and master relevant skills; some end up being absorbed by these organisations.


FYE Questionnaire

A student survey, directed at the first year experience, was administered to first year students in October 2015. The initiative was not taken seriously, as students were more concerned about the impending examinations. While some valuable data has been collected, the questionnaire will be revised with the assistance of the SANRC anf FUY at UJ, and distributed early in 2016.

Literary Resources

A site license of HyperEnglish which is an online English literacy resource has been proposed for 2014, but did materialised in 2015. Readers are leaders, which is another recommended literacy resource has also not been used because of staff shortages.

Tutor Training

Students evaluated the tutorial programme positively, but the following challenges remain:

There is a shortage of experienced tutors.

There is lack of venues for tutor training

Students show resistance to being referred for support Some departments do not have the capacity to implement tutorial programmes.


MOOT Court

The human rights moot court competition was held at the University of Zambia, Zambia, from 5th to 10th October 2015. Law students from all over Africa argue a hypothetical human rights case, as if they were doing so before an African Court on Human and People’s rights. The event, held over six days, aimed, amongst others, to educate future legal practitioners and academics from across the continent with regard to human rights law and to create links between African law faculties, lawyers and academics. Representing UNIZULU at this premier event was 3rd year LLB student Ms Nkosingiphile Princess Moloi and Mr Wanda Enele Mashabane in 2nd year LLB. They were accompanied by Dr Walter Joseph Ndaba. Our students also participated in the LexisNexis Mock Trial Competition, and were accompanied by Miss N Nkosi. Only students who are registered for an LLB degree with the participating universities are eligible to enter. This year’s competition was held at Nelson Mandela Metropolitan University. Three teams represented our university. Each team participated in four preliminary rounds of trials. All trials are based on Criminal Law. One of our teams advanced to the semi-final round of the competition. Two of our students who participated in the completion received an offer for Articles. They are S. Mfeka and V. Naidoo.

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Our students look forward to these opportunities each year as it allows them an opportunity to participate and compete against students from other institutions. The students act as ambassadors for the LLB programme and the University in general. This also serves as a platform on which the students can market themselves and secure vacation work as well as Articles of Clerkship. The documentation is attached as Annexure U.

The Maritime Project

The Enactus team set out to improve the livelihoods and standards of living of communities dependent on fishing along the coast of rural KwaZulu Natal, at the same time addressing illegal fishing and the protection of endangered water species. To achieve this, the team works with a small-scale fish farmer, Mr Ngema, who breeds and harvests tropical and edible freshwater fish for commercial purposes. The documentation is attached as Annexure T.

Computer Literacy training

Computer Literacy for 500 first year students at Richards Bay campus took place from 17th September to 10th October 2015. The Faculty of Commerce, Administration and Law conducted a survey on the impact of the computer literacy training for first years during February 2015. A sample survey of 165 students at the KwaDlangezwa campus indicated some startling results. For example, the results revealed that the majority (93.9 %) of the respondents had not done any Information Technology (IT) related subject at high school level, while 69.1% did not own a computer. This is an indication that first year learners are really deficient in terms of basic computer knowledge. This result also revealed that the students can now use Microsoft word (74.5 %), PowerPoint (52.7%) and Excel (32.1%) especially for typing, assignments, and preparing slides for presentations, although they are not too confident about the use of Microsoft Excel. The results therefore reveal that students lack basic computer literacy skills expected of them when entering UNIZULU. It is therefore recommended that the computer literacy programme be ongoing, but expanded to enhance the performance of students. The documentation is attached as Annexure W.

The Campus Clinic

The Campus Clinic aims mainly at providing good quality comprehensive health care services that are affordable, accessible and available to registered students of the University including UNIZULU employees. Services offered at the clinic The Campus Health Clinic aims at disseminating information on self-care in order to promote a healthy life-style. The following services illustrate the functioning of the Health Care Centre: Students and Employees All services that are provided are at a primary health care level. All services provided follow the Department of Health guidelines. Primary Health Care Primary health care has three components: health promotion which is preventive, curative and rehabilitative. A holistic care approach is to be rendered at all times to students and employees of the UNIZULU community. Disease Prevention and Health Promotion

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Health education plays an important role in preventing diseases and encouraging a healthy lifestyle that is necessary to enable students to concentrate on their studies. The health professionals at the Centre are qualified, specialised and experienced to assist and advise the UNIZULU community members with regard to all health-related issues and problems. Health-awareness campaigns are scheduled from time to time in collaboration with external health Professionals from the Department of Health. Curative Service At this level of care, medical intervention is given for:

o Headaches

o Influenza

o Chest problems

o Gastro intestinal tract problems

o Skin problem

o Sexually Transmitted Infections

(STI’s)

Major problems or those health issues beyond the Primary Health Care initiatives are referred to the medical practitioner, nearby hospitals and private clinics.

Figure 18: Students at the Condoms Launch Rehabilitative Services Individual students and staff suffering from the following conditions or problems are assisted and educated to maintain a healthy life-style that will reduce the adverse impact of these conditions on their quality of life, productivity and learning ability:

HIV & AIDS

Hypertension

TB

Diabetes

Getting infected through living with a person who has infectious diseases

Alcohol and drug addiction

Nurse Practitioners make a special effort to help the individual student or personnel member to adopt behavioural change that is required to maintain optimum health. HIV/AIDS Service The HCT (HIV/AIDS Counselling and Testing) programme of the Department of Health is: All clients coming to the clinic receive counselling about needs and benefits of testing for HIV as a first step towards Voluntary Counselling and Testing (VCT). Special HIV/AIDS service include:

Motivation for prevention: Abstinence, Be faithful and Condom Usage (ABC)

Male Medical Circumcision (MMC)

Monitoring condom availability

Pre- and Post-test counselling

HIV Test

Supply of immune boosters to HIV positive clients

TB screening

ARV Therapy will be initiated on Campus in 2016.

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Reproductive Health Health education is given and clients are assisted to choose a method of choice instead of chance. Available methods include:

Oral contraception

The pill

Injection

Male condoms

Female condoms

Implannon

Intra Uterine Device

Information on termination of pregnancy is also provided where needed.

Holistic Care The clinic’s strategy emphasises a holistic approach that gives equal attention to the “whole” person, each with unique physical, social physiological, spiritual and emotional needs. Referral to relevant professionals or specialists is done as necessary. Counselling services play an important role in this regard, especially to address stress-related problems that negatively impact on education.

Figure 19: Students at the

Condoms Launch

Alternative Services Students have the right to decide whether to use the UNIZULU Campus Health Clinic or other health facilities that are available at Empangeni. In the interests of continuity of care, it is essential that they make their choices known.

ICT Collaboration In 2016 the clinic is planning to start with electronic filing in order to improve confidentiality for its clients. The clinic is working in collaboration with the ICT Department in this project. New sets of digital computers with Microsoft ware of varied packages for the storage of information using codes, indexes, and symbols for interviewing dialogue, and interpretation of data should be supplied. Users will receive special training. This is scheduled for the 3rd and 4th week of January 2016. In 2016 the University of Zululand Campus Clinic will embrace the paperless card system. This proposed system will benefit students and staff and enhance the services of the clinic.

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Staff shortage The centre needs human capital and this request has been made to management.

Client totals In 2014 the clinic saw 17 575 00 first and repeats clients. In 2015, to date, the clinic has seen 14 337 00 clients, first and repeats. These totals are for both the Richards Bay and KwaDlangezwa campuses. A detailed report is attached as Annexure X.


Counselling Services For Students There is a dire need for counselling services for students who might not be coping with their academic work. Many students are confused about their academic choices and change their minds about the courses they want to pursue. The institution realizes the need to be responsive to student needs and provide assistance with their academic enrichment. Academic advisors would offer students with the most recent information and connect them with the relevant resources on campus, and also help them develop strategies for academic success. Academic advisors are not only a source of support motivating students to think about their priorities and long-term goals, but they also guide students on topics such as formulating a curriculum vitae, portfolio development and preparing for job interviews. Academic advisors play a vital role in shaping the career choices of students and thereby helping them attain their lifelong goals. A performance indicator in the Strategic Plan 2016-2021 is the development of a robust student retention system, which in turn would focus on counselling services for students.

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4. FOCUS AREA 3: ENHANCING THE LEARNING ENVIRONMENT

(suggested length 10-20 pages) Include: teaching and learning spaces, ICT infrastructure and access, technology-enabled tools

and resources, library facilities.




4.1 Summarise what the university considers to be the key issues in enhancing the learning environment.

The second priority of UNIZULU’s Strategic Plan 2016-2021 is to “Create a quality teaching and learning environment as a comprehensive University” and the sixth priority endeavours to “Accelerate infrastructure development”. As with student support, the learning environment is affected by a combination of general socio-economic factors, such as students’ living conditions, and university-specific factors. In this focus area, the intention is to focus on university-specific factors directly related to teaching and learning. These include spaces for teaching and spaces for students to learn, both individually and collaboratively, ICT infrastructure and access, technology-enabled tools and resources, and library facilities. DHET allocated funds have enabled the university to plan for a number of capital projects to improve its delivery of quality education. These projects include:

new lecture theatres

the building of new student residences

re-furbishing of other student residences

computer laboratories

a new Student Centre (which will include a disability unit)

laboratories, and

a Multi-purpose Building

The Institutional Facilities and Infrastructure Committee, chaired by the Acting Vice-Chancellor, oversees the projects by initiating and assessing project proposals and design, monitoring progress and preparing reports and recommendations to relevant committees of Council. Documents are attached as Annexure Y.

4.2 During Phase 1 of the QEP, what changes at institutional level (a) have been made, (b) are in progress, or (c) are in the planning stages that relate to enhancing the learning environment.


The Nursing Science Simulation Clinic

In order to improve the quality of nursing science education at the university, a comprehensive business plan was developed to introduce a fully equipped simulation laboratory, emulating a fully operational clinic. The Nursing Science Simulation Clinic is an example of state-of-the art technology in the service of professional health training. The building is equipped with systems and technologies which are available in most state-of-the art medical clinics. Students who have been trained in this simulation laboratory will be familiar and proficient with the daily operation of equipment and facilities in their future work

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environments. The Nursing Science Simulation Clinic has a new Telemedicine communication system which will allow live interactive teaching and learning between the simulation clinic instructor and student nurses who may be stationed in out-lying rural clinics. The system also has a recording capability, which means that students could re-play a practical demonstration or lecture in their own time.

New Lecture Theatre Building

An example of an improved teaching and learning space is the new lecture theatre building for the Faculties of Education and Arts (Humanities). Prior to the construction of this new building, the seating capacity on the main campus was 7737, with 740 computer work stations for 16,000 enrolled students. The seating capacity increased to 9063 with 770 computer work stations after construction of the new building was complete. Although the building was constructed primarily for Humanities, Social Sciences and Education classes, the other two faculties, Commerce, Administration and Law as well as Science and Agriculture also make use of these contemporary teaching and learning spaces.


ICT: Information Communication Technology projects and the future

The Integrated Tertiary System (ITS) integrator upgrade from V2 to V3 was completed in September 2015. Thereafter, the Finance iEnabler project commenced immediately and is set to be completed by the end of October 2015. Online Registration project has been tested and is set to go ‘live’ in January 2016. Restoration of the Academic Structure is progressing well. The Information and Communication Technology (ICT) sector is seriously contemplating standardization of hardware and software products which are utilised by the University community. Initiatives are also underway to ensure that the institution moves fully towards integrated solutions so as to avoid introduction of standalone software. An Institutional Steering Committee will oversee this project. Membership of this committee has been submitted to MANCO for approval. Consultants have been engaged to design a Business Continuity Plan (BCP) and a Disaster Recovery Plan (DRP) for the University. The ICT service desk is also being revamped for continuous improvement of services. The ICT sector has embarked on a project to ensure that all computer networks are fully integrated. Servers were upgraded during October 2015, and network backbone was planned for revamp with the final implementation of “Wireless Everywhere” project at the start of the new year 2016. Computer laboratories have been prepared for the installation of new desktop computers. Plans have been put in place to improve intercampus network connectivity by utilizing fibre optic cables. The increased international bandwidth will work in our favour to cater for escalating demands of the University. The ICT sector will manage the selection of technology to maximise benefit with minimal disruption to teaching, learning and research. After consultation with ICT Divisions at other Universities, we have taken ta decision to support the core business of teaching, learning and research with Hewlett Packard computers as these are regarded as being more robust for academic purposes rather than other computers. Although this is a massive project, an needed much planning, the roll out of these computers will commence in 2016. A contractor

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has been identified and engaged with for the assessment of the environment. All personal devices will be configured to synchronise emails and calendars. Team collaboration software has also been discussed and SharePoint has been identified as the most suitable software for our university. Application of the software will be initiated soon after storage improvements have been completed. Further, the ICT Division will implement an EDMS (Electronic Document Management System) in the near future. The ICT Division is involved in training of support staff in information communication technology. Staff members are encouraged to have a personal development plan. The Division is also making use of reporting templates to manage work assignments. Proper ICT organisational structure will be in place before the end of the year (2015). Staff will receive certified training in ICT Service Management. The service desk management system will be revamped before the end of the year (2015). Documents are attached as Annexure AA. ICT is planning the following improvement projects in 2016:

Video Conferencing rollout

DVPs – Data Video Projectors

Service Level Agreement (SLAs) (External) to be formulated and enforced)

OLAs (Internal) to be formulated

Improving student ICT environment (Edu Roam)

Providing and maintaining appropriate ICT infrastructure

Well-supported university wide Enterprise Resource Planning (ERP) System o Database Administrators (DBAs) within the University

Increasing business acumen in ICT staff

Facilitating a moving towards e-campus environment: o Multi campus bandwidth o Converged network environment o Support e-learning strategy development o Converged Telephone system

ICT Policies are being developed and will be submitted to the Registrar for submission to University Governing Structures. Examples of statutory requirements Acts are:

Protection of Personal Information (POPI)

Electronic Communication and Transaction Act (ECA)

Governance compliance policies are in the developmental stages.

c) Changes in the planning Stages

Campus Master Plan

The expansion of undergraduate enrolment has resulted in a severe shortage of both teaching and learning spaces and residential accommodation on campus. The Campus Master Plan will guide the future infrastructure development of the university. DHET allocated funds have enabled the university to plan a number of Capital Projects to improve its delivery of quality education. The Capital Works Projects are scheduled as follows: Disability Unit A budget of R3.9 million has been allocated for the establishment of a Disability Unit and R1.7million has been allocated for the purchase of equipment for physically and visually impaired students. This Disability Unit will form part of the new Student Centre which is included in this round of infrastructure funding. The Unit’s primary function will be to improve the living and learning standards of the physically, visually and aurally impaired students and staff on campus. The Unit will facilitate the restructuring of student accommodation at the KwaDlangezwa campus to accommodate physically challenged students, as well as the

file:///G:/Draft_UNIZULU_QEP_1DEC2015%20Vijay.docx%23ITS2_ITS3

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construction of ramps and pathways for easy access. The award will also be used to purchase equipment such as wheelchairs, hearing aids and braille reading material. An audit to assess pathways, stairs and special lifting gear is included in this cost. This equipment will be purchased once the Student Centre building has been completed. Well Founded Laboratories The funding will be utilised to upgrade and equip laboratories that have been identified as centres of excellence at the University. The majority of the award will be used to purchase laboratory equipment (R6 million) to ensure that the minimum amount of equipment is in place to meet the requirements for conducting basic research and training of students. Student Centre The award will be utilised for the construction of a new student centre and new student residences, as well as for the refurbishment of existing residences. A new two-storey student centre will be constructed to accommodate offices for student societies, as well as the Disability Unit. The current student centre will be demolished and the new building will be erected on the same site. The new building will play a crucial role in improving the quality of student life on the campus. Student Residences There is a major shortfall of bed facilities at the KwaDlangezwa campus. A 1000 bed facility has been planned and will be constructed in two phases. Phase one will see the completion of a 500 bed facility. Refurbishment of Student Residences The refurbishment will consist of the replacement of existing windows to residences. This has been identified as the highest refurbishment priority, as other components of the residences have recently been refurbished. Multi-Purpose Building Two existing Staff Houses will be demolished to construct a four-storey Multi-Purpose building. This infrastructure project relates to the promotion of multi-lingualism, with African languages as a priority. The new Multi-Purpose building will accommodate the following:

Language laboratory

Media Centre

Seminar Rooms

Staff Offices

Computer Laboratories

Lecture Theatres There is currently a large shortfall in the space allocation for this centre. This building will improve the quality of the academic offering by providing much needed facilities geared towards the development of African Languages and Social Sciences. Perimeter Fence and CCTV The award will be utilised for the reinstatement of the existing outer fence, and the erection of a new inner security fence, to ensure the safety of students and staff and to secure University property. The existing outer precast 1.8 m high boundary wall will be remodelled to create a thoroughfare for local residents. Approximately 1.5 kilometers of the existing 5 kilometer fence needs to be replaced. The inner security fence will consist of a new concrete wall (1,2m) with an upper Clear View fence (1,2m), with CCTV and turnstiles for access control for students (5 turnstiles).

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Student Administration Building The award will be utilised for the construction and equipping of a new Student Administration Block. The current administration building is inadequate to cope with the increase in student numbers, and the new building will house the Registration and Administration offices. Refurbishment of Computer Laboratories The computer laboratories urgently require upgrading of equipment and infrastructure. The award will be utilised as follows:

Refurbishment of computer laboratory

Equipment = security , CCTV, air-conditioning, furniture and computers

New Agriculture Building The construction and furnishing of a new Agriculture Building will serve to enhance research activity in this priority area.

Rehabilitation of Internal Roads The sports fields and courts will be rehabilitated, so that the recreational facilities will contribute to a campus life that is conducive to living and learning. The existing sports fields require extensive work for drainage systems, as they are unusable in the rainy season. New drainage systems will be installed to the football fields relayed and remarked. Surfaces of the volleyball, netball, basketball, squash and tennis courts need to be re-laid and equipment reinstated. Rehabilitation of Sports Centre Facilities The sports fields and courts will be rehabilitated, so that the recreational facilities will contribute to a campus life that is conducive to living and learning. The existing sports fields require extensive work to drainage systems, as they are unusable in the rainy season. New drainage systems will be installed to the football fields relayed and remarked. Surfaces of the volleyball, netball, basketball, squash and tennis courts need to be re-laid and equipment reinstated. Project Management The award will be utilised to appoint the necessary expertise to project manage the approved projects. The University will establish an ad hoc Unit for Special Infrastructure Projects as a response to the challenge of developing and implementing the substantial infrastructure development projects approved by the DHET. The Unit will be assisted by external resources that will contribute adequate knowledge and experience in the various disciplines required to successfully plan, design and implement the projects approved by the DHET. A detailed report is attached Annexure Y.


Library Information Services (LIS)

Library Orientation All first entry students to the University of Zululand attend a compulsory Library Orientation session in the Library’s computer laboratory before they are allowed to be registered as library users. This session informs students about library facilities, services and resources and affords them the opportunity to learn the basics on how to use the Library and to access information using the library catalogue. All new staff members, particularly academics, also benefit greatly from a library orientation session. Information Librarians are responsible for

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individual academic departments in every faculty. Their offices are situated in close proximity to the subject collections making it easy and convenient for user’s access. The Information Librarians assist and advise all users on information search and retrieval for print and electronic resources; offer individual consultations/instructions and group training on request; organise workshops on e-Resources, Endnote, Plagiarism, Turnitin and prepare citation reports. Academics and Senior students benefit particularly by receiving personalised attention. From the 9th of February to 31st March, 146 sessions of Library Orientation were attended by 2291 students (including 9 sessions at the Richards Bay campus). The Info Cellar The Info Cellar is a comfortable and convenient environment for learning and research for all UNIZULU Library users. The Info Cellar offers a variety of library services, including the Journals Section and Inter Library Loans. The following table shows that the Info Cellar is fully utilised:

Table 4: Info Cellar Library Services

Resource-sharing Services Inter-library Loans (ILL) to access materials available at other higher education institution libraries and other libraries (available for postgraduate students and academics only)

Assisted information searching

Hands-on user education and demonstrations

Photocopying and printing (Self-service)

Research Commons The Research Commons is a scholarly common room reserved exclusively for the use by senior postgraduate students (master’s and doctoral level) and academic researchers. The Research Commons provides a peaceful atmosphere where these high end users can access electronic resources via wireless connectivity, work on their articles, theses, dissertations or conference papers, have research consultations with librarians, supervisors or Research Office staff and interact with colleagues The services include:

A professional Librarian available for consultations onsite Monday to Thursday 07h45 to 16h00. Friday until 14h45

2015

External Requests (Items Sent From UNIZULU Library to Other Libraries)

Internal Requests (Items Received at UNIZULU From Other Libraries)

Books Delivered

Books Undelivered

Copies/Articles Delivered

Copies/Articles undelivered

Books Delivered

Books Undelivered

Copies/Articles Delivered

Copies/Articles Undelivered

January 15 2 1 - 20 2 2 0 February 10 5 0 0 17 4 3 1 March 23 1 1 0 26 3 1 0 April 20 2 7 0 30 2 5 0 May 28 3 10 1 27 4 9 1 June 19 1 11 1 35 2 7 2 July 31 2 9 0 28 1 6 1 August 25 1 12 2 38 1 10 3 September 27 3 8 1 27 0 4 1 October 17 2 6 - 20 2 5 0

Total 215 22 64 5 268 21 45 9

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Workshops (e.g., e-Resources, Plagiarism, by arrangement)

Citation searching

Information discovery

Research displays

Advice on research publications, including Open access publishing

Metric/performance evaluation reports (e.g. Author impact factor)

Researcher ID/Profiling

Reference management software (e.g. Endnote)

WiFi

Figures for the use of the research commons are illustrated below. Users log into a register

every time they utilise services from the Research Commons.

Figure 20: Research Commons Figures

User Education User Education is offered by the Information Librarian to all levels of staff and students, covering various aspects of information retrieval and the use of e-resources. Academics are encouraged to bring entire classes of students for this type of training. Information Librarians continuously market UNIZULU Library services/resources/facilities offered to the researchers, academics, postgraduate and undergraduate students. IL’s were required to prepare and make presentations at the different events, e.g., Faculty Board Meetings, Research workshops and Conferences.

EVENT TITLE DATE

Research Writers Retreat Workshop - Jozini

Research Support at UNIZULU Library Jan-15

Faculty of Science & Agriculture Board Meeting - UNIZULU

Teaching and learning support for undergraduate studies Feb-15

Faculty of Arts Board Meeting - Teaching and learning support for Feb-15

May June July Aug Sept October

Figures 78 12 16 32 64 210

0

50

100

150

200

250

Figures

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UNIZULU undergraduate studies

Faculty of Law, Commerce and Administration Board Meeting - UNIZULU


Faculty of Education Board Meeting - UNIZULU


Doctoral Supervision Workshop - Empangeni

Research Support at UNIZULU Library Mar-15

UNIZULU Induction for PG Students - UNIZULU

Research Support at UNIZULU Library Mar-15

Information Ethics in Africa Conference – East London

Ethical Dimensions of the Research Support at UNIZULU Library Mar-15

LIASA Seminar - Pietermaritzburg

Scholarly Communication and Role of The University Libraries in Supporting Research Jun -15

UNIZULU Library Committee Meeting - UNIZULU

Innovative Services of the Information Librarians and Cataloguers Unit Jun - 15

Funding Opportunities & Grant Proposal Writing Workshop - UNIZULU

Funding Opportunities with Research Africa Sep - 15

16th Annual IS Conference – Richards Bay

Scholarly Communication and Role of The University Libraries in Supporting Research Sep - 15

Table 5: Library Presentations Jan-Nov 2015

Documentation is attached as Annexure Z.


Class Attendance from AdaptIT

Control on use of the new lecture theatre building for the Faculties of Education and Arts

(Humanities) was meant to be via a bio-metric access system for the lecturers and a

magnetic card access system for the students for the quick and accurate record of class

attendance which would allow for a print-out of class attendance from AdaptIT to maintain

class registers. The system, however, is not in operation.

e-Learning

A low Personal Computer (PC) to student ratio limits student access and the roll out of e-

learning. Campus-wide access to wireless Internet has been promised by ICT, however

affordable portable access devices now need to be investigated for students to effectively

utilise the wireless network.

Rollout of e-boards has begun (x 30) at both campuses as well as in administration rooms

401 (e-board and video conferencing), 407, 408 and Council Chambers. A list of venues

with e-boards is attached. Staff members were invited to attend a capacity-building

demonstration of the e-boards; however, this was not considered as adequate training to

staff who attended. To date, many of these e-boards are still being used as projectors.

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Literary Resources

A site license of HyperEnglish which is an online English literacy resource has been

proposed for 2014 never materialised in 2015. Readers are Leaders is another

recommended literacy resource which has not been used due to staff changes.


Infrastructure Development

The University continues to focus on restoring and maintaining its existing infrastructure while also developing its new infrastructure so that it is able to address the needs of its staff and students, and create an environment that is conducive to teaching and learning. UNIZULU has been awarded several Department of Higher Education and Training “infrastructure and efficiency grants” and will target a number of projects with these funds. The University will complete these enhancements into its existing facilities and infrastructure within the planning period.

Library and Information Service

The mission of the University of Zululand Library is to efficiently support the teaching, learning and research function of the university in a cost-effective and reliable manner by

Promoting access to information

Collecting and maintaining a relevant and balanced stock of information resources in an orderly and user-friendly environment

Providing information literacy training

The Library and Information Service (LIS) acts as a support service to the academic and

research programme of the university, and aligns itself to the strategic vision of the university

as a whole.

The service is customer focused and relies on a high degree of networking with other relevant stakeholders both on campus and in the higher education sector. LIS also seeks to provide an appropriate service to members of the surrounding communities and industries, without prejudicing the service to our primary clientele, namely the students and staff of the University.


Student Accommodation

The large increase in student enrolment between 2008 and 2014 at UNIZULU has meant pressure on available residential student accommodation either on or near to the main campus has been exacerbated. In order to ease this pressure the 2010 DHET infrastructure grant has been used in part to plan the construction of a new 900 bed facility on the KwaDlangezwa campus. However, although welcome, these additional beds will satisfy only a percentage of the needs of the student population. Accommodation for students at the Richards Bay campus remains a matter of concern and is part of the planning and development of this campus.

Information Technology

The provision of technology and the improvement of our infrastructure is a key consideration in UNIZULU’s context. On the one hand, many still do not have access to the technology

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that has become a part of standard academic activity, and are consequently ill-prepared for its uses in learning contexts. On the other hand, the University cannot ignore the possibilities offered to its staff and students by developments and advances in IT. In the context of limited IT infrastructure and Wi-Fi connectivity, the University needs to make use of teaching and learning technologies in ways that ensure that our students and staff are able to stay abreast of technological advances in their fields. Other challenges include:

The aging infrastructure cannot cope with the large numbers of students and there is inadequate provision of classroom space fully equipped with the latest technology-enabled tools and resources, library facilities and computer laboratories.

Critical needs in the Department of Sport Science include sport fields, a gym manager, and shower facilities. The department has not planned any practicals due to lack of funding.

A Health and Safety Committee needs to be constituted. The committee would ensure a safe learning environment, especially in the laboratories.

Not all lecturers are using Moodle as it remains a voluntary resource.

Some lecturers are not familiar with the use of Smartboards due to inadequate training.

Maintenance of technology in lecture venues is still a challenge.

There is a lack of MOUs between UNIZULU and qualifying agencies, field mentors and a lack of staff capacity to identify good agencies for WIL. It is not easy to find internship positions for all students. Some students do not graduate because they have not done the WIL component of the programme.

Politicisation of the student community and SRC leads to student unrest the disruption of classes.

Crime on campus is an on-going problem.

Campus security is an issue - especially during student riots.

Residences are overcrowded and private residences are scattered around the campus with no transport provided.

There is a shortage of venues for tutorials resulting in high tutor–student ratios, thus reducing the impact of tutorials.

Some students are not exposed to e-learning, as much as expected.

There is inadequate training on library online databases for undergraduate students.

The use of the library’s online resources has not been well-received by some students.

5. FOCUS AREA 4: ENHANCING COURSE AND PROGRAMME ENROLMENT MANAGEMENT (suggested length 10-20 pages) Includes: admissions, selection, placement, readmission refusal, pass rates in gateway courses,

throughput rates, management information systems.




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5.1 Summarise what the university considers to be the key issues in enhancing course and programme enrolment management.

These are challenging times for universities in South Africa and beyond. UNIZULU strives to reposition and re-engineer itself while addressing key issues relating to improving the quality of teaching and learning. The challenges facing higher education institutions include massification of higher education, an overall decline in resources, and students competing

for scarce places. Finding and retaining excellent staff remains a challenge.

The regulatory and legal framework against which the University operates requires

responsiveness and compliance from the University. The Protection of Personal Information Act creates new reporting and communication requirements for students and third parties, and will impact on the current student management system. The DHET Reporting Regulations, the Auditor General‘s reporting guidelines and King IV imperatives remain core, and financial and general governance need to align to these requirements. In addition, the management and monitoring of research, research ethics and the protection of the University’s intellectual and physical property remain key.

The institution strives to improve efficiency and effectiveness and seeks to optimise and expand the use of current systems and resources. Strategic Goal 6 of the strategic Plan 2016-2021 “Accelerate infrastructure development” is linked to the objective “Develop an ICT strategy able to adapt and respond to the needs of the University. Enhancing course and programme management is related to the efforts which the university is making to improve the role of programme administration and management in order to render a more efficient and high-quality service to students. These efforts include the re-organisation of the Registrar’s division with separate units responsible for enrolment management, admissions management, assessment management, student records, secretariat and policy management.

5.2 During Phase 1 of the QEP, what changes at institutional level (a) have been made, (b) are in progress, or (c) are in the planning stages that relate to enhancing course and programme enrolment management.


Admission management

An admission is a first step towards registration and it has its own processes, from enquiry, application, selection and communication to the selected applicants. Currently, applicants apply directly to the Central Applications Office (CAO) including transferring and International students. This report highlights applications statisctics, the university’s most popular academic programmes, figures on selected applicants according to faculties and choices, comments on the processing of biography during registration and recommendations.

Application growth trends and statistics

The University of Zululand is the third largest institution in the KwaZulu-Natal Province. This is supported by the number of applications received over a 5 year period, which continues to rise year on year. The University’s Applicants/Application growth trends from 2009 to 2014 shows that we had 18113 applicants and 33626 applications in 2009. This number almost tripled in 2014 with 76328 applicants and 198279 applications.

International Applicants

The University draws applicants from the SADC Region and International Countries like the

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United States of America, United Kingdom, and Hong Kong. We had 355 applicants from 25

countries in 2011; this figure went down in 2014 as we had 285 applicants from 32 countries.

Applicants/Applications Statistics

The table below is used to provide simple statistics regarding the number of applicants/applications received by the institution. This information is extracted from the Central Applications Office (CAO) database. (Total applicants means headcount and total applications means number of programmes applied for by the individual applicant)

Institution Campus Total Applicants Total Applications

University of Zululand 83288 214335

KwaDlangezwa 79784

Richards Bay 163072 Table 6: Total Applicants

Our application statistics for the 2015 intake as at 31 May 2014 showed a steady increase in applications over the same period last year. (See example of the table below which indicates the number of applications received).

Institution Campus Appl Received Appl Received

University of Zululand 31 May 2014 31 May 2013

KwaDlangezwa 12703 9465

Richards Bay 1560 1180

14263 10645 Table 7: Increase in Applicants 2013-2014

The same increase was experienced for the 2015 intake in 31 January 2015 (see table below):

Institution Campus Appl Received Appl Received

University of Zululand 31 Jan 2015 31 Jan 2014

KwaDlangezwa 79763 72241

Richards Bay 13808 14178

93571 86419 Table 8: Increase in Applicants 2014-2015

The significant increase in the applications/applicants received by the Institution is much appreciated as this shows the relevance of the Institution.

Selection of prospective students

The selection of applicants is a process that falls outside the control of the Admissions Office and is handled by the Faculties.

The table below indicates the number of applicants who qualified and the choices they made:

Faculty No. of Appl

Appl Met Requirements

1st Choice

2nd Choice

3rd Choice

4th Choice

5th Choice

6th Choice

Arts 52133 15797 13460 14217 14420 14342 13378 12026

Education 43228 8279 16148 14259 11067 8061 6560 5903

Science 28558 5830 4651 5649 6288 6511 6452 5838

CAL 17876 1985 3446 3558 3771 3358 3340 3168

Table 9: Number of Applicants and Choices Made

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The University made a total of 9352 offers to selected applicants and below is the table of offers made per faculty. A total of 191768 applicants were declined by the University.

University of Zululand Faculty Offers

Arts 3189

CAL 2348

Education 2146

Science 3150 Table 10: Offers made by Faculties

Communication of the outcome to selected applicants

The process commenced with the appointment of a service provider, Lithotech, to assist the Admissions Office in sending out the outcome to successful applicants. Two methods were used by the Service Provider, and it included the following

SMS Notices (not more than 160 characters) and

Postal services (12685 letters)

The package that was sent to all selected applicants included the following:

Offer letter (conditional and or firm offer)

Acceptance offer form

Brochure/pamphlet

The Service Provider generated a total of:

12685 offer letters, pamphlets, and acceptance offer forms

25370 SMS notices

4940 offer letters were further generated by the Admissions Office in January to February 2015, and these letters were extracted from our ITS system. A total of 17625 offer letters were generated and sent out to selected applicants.

Acceptance of offers

Applicants responded to the offer by completing an acceptance of offer form and by depositing the acceptance fee of R300. The forms with acceptance deposit slips were sent back to the university by the applicants. The forms were sorted and were sent to the relevant faculties.

Late applications and Walk-ins

From 6th January 2015 late applications were accepted and dealt with in marquees erected at both campuses. Single page forms were given to walk-ins. These applicants were informed that they would be contacted by the University if they were selected. The forms were then sorted and sent to faculties to do the selection.

Late offers to applicants

Offers continued to be given to applicants throughout January and February 2015 to ensure that First Time Entering Student quotas were met. Faculties struggled to meet their enrolment targets as the applicants who were initially selected did not turn up to register and the faculties used the walk-in forms to select further applicants.

FACULTY APPLICANTS ADMITTED REGISTERED STUDENTS

ARTS 3603 1050

CAL 2666 1046

EDUCATION 4729 1086

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SCIENCE 2188 860 Table 11: Stats on Application/Registration (First time) from ITS

Selection of applicants (First time)

A draft Guide to assist Faculties when making selection was circulated to Faculties.

Revised Admission Policy

The university acknowledges that admission to higher education institutions is a burning issue for the country at large. The aim of the Admission Policy is to provide appropriate guidelines on selection and admission to undergraduate studies. All Faculties of the University apply the admission requirements as stipulated in the Higher Education Act, but faculties are additionally given a dispensation to apply their own Points Scores as well as any other requirements (e.g. Maths at Level 6) for certain programmes. These additional requirements are stated in each Faculty Handbook for the programme concerned. Other requirements may include interviews and the production of a Portfolio of Evidence (Fine Art).

Processing of bio-data during registration

This responsibility was handled by temporary employees that were identified by Student Administration and this section arranged ITS Adapt training for the temps at the beginning of the year. The temps were not only responsible for the updating of the biographical details of students, but changed the display of the data from upper case to lower case.

Registration Processes – January 2015

The decision to deviate from the decentralised process used in previous years and to use the Registration Hall as a one-stop, central facility was introduced in 2014 and the same process was used in 2015 at both campuses. Equipment needed was provided by ICT. Network downtime and load-shedding caused delays. Physical Planning and Works (PP&W) ensured that the air-conditioning in the hall functioned well by providing a portable system. The Richards Bay Campus, however, experienced problems with the ongoing air-conditioning problem on the campus and fans were used. ID verification was once again done for first year students by the appointed service provider. The process worked well at both campuses. Finance section was on track with payment plans which resulted in no backlog being experienced. Students who had credits on their accounts at the beginning of the year were cleared before registration commenced, to avoid backlogs. The registration checklist was printed at this point.

Project managers were available on both campuses in the registration venues to attend to problems and challenges head-on which proved invaluable during registration.

The Financial Aid Bureau and Biographical data verification ran smoothly on both campuses with no serious backlogs. At the KwaDlangezwa Campus the unit stepped in with the printing of checklist forms when Finances cleared finances in bulk. This increased the flow.

Faculty Advisory Services

Advisors were available according to the registration plan. There was the introduction of an advisory form from faculties which sped up the advisory processes. It was appreciated that HOD’s and Deans were constantly available in the registration venues at both campuses.

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Data Capturing of Modules

Data capturers were well trained and capturing was diligently done. No backlogs were experienced. In terms of verification of number of modules offered for registration, this was diligently monitored. Some modules not linked to finances and also not linked to qualification caused problems and resulted in delays.

Issue of Student Cards

This process was also stationed in the registration venue as part of the one-stop-shop. The student card system worked well and stations were increased as recommended the previous year. The idea worked well to have all documentation kept in one place and students not wandering around campus. As reported in previous years, PSD should investigate using the same data base as the rest of the university in printing student cards. They should use the ITS system to process the student cards or link their system to the ITS system.

FACULTY

Total Enrol

First Yr

Senior

By Period Study in qualification

1 2 3 4 ARTS 4249 977 3272 1228 1338 1462 221

EDUCATION 5395 1051 4344 1399 1383 1365 1248 COMM / ADMIN &

LAW 3432 1036 2396 1090 1160 1004 178

SCIENCE & AGRIC

3105 899 2206 1305 892 764 144

OLD POST-GRAD PROGRAMMES

336 15 321 266 70 0 0

TOTALS 16517 3978 12539 5288 4843 4595 1791 Table 12: Registration Statistics

b) Changes that are in progress include:

Re-admission Refusal

In recent years, across the higher education sector, refusal to re-admit students excluded from the university has been met with unrest on the part of students. Three years ago UNIZULU published a booklet, for the information of staff and students, containing a number of new and revised General Rules relating to registration, assessment and exclusion from the University. Most of these are included in the revised but yet to be finally approved, Admissions Policy which makes provision for the establishment of an Exclusion Appeals Committee to hear appeals against academic exclusion lodged with the Registrar by 31 January each year. The committee hears and decides on such appeals no later than 15 February. Factors such as academic performance, physical and mental health and compelling personal circumstances are all deemed pertinent to the appeal but must be supported by appropriate documentation. The relevant faculty committee or the Exclusion Appeals Committee may either dismiss the appeal or re-admit the students, with or without conditions. The decision of the committee is final.

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Placement of students

Placement into mainstream or extended (foundation) programmes is dependent on the points score achieved in NSC or NCV and is facilitated by the faculty which houses the particular foundation programme. Foundation programmes are designed to support students who, while qualifying to enter a programme, are considered to be at risk as a result of a weak NSC score. UNIZULU has a science and a commerce foundation programme. Admission interviews are held with students for some professional qualifications like the B Nursing degree and B Social Work to assess the suitability of the applicant for the profession. Restructuring of the Arts programme to incorporate many other modules from other relevant social sciences includes:

consultation with student representatives, student societies and prospective employers on programme improvements

consultations and workshops with the quality assurance team of the university to maintain quality

developing a strategic plan of the department

embarking on programme re-alignment with South African Council for Social Service Professions (SACSSP) Exit Level outcomes and quality assurance standards to enhance quality and to conform to acceptable standards.

developing a departmental handbook

The Faculty of Science and Agriculture will have a pilot online registration in 2016.

Recognition of Prior Learning

University policy also makes provision for Recognition of Prior Learning and the admission of students with Exceptional Conditions. Applicants with mental or physical disability are regarded as having Exceptional Conditions and are provided with the opportunity to enrol, provided they meet the requirements of the policy. The categories of disability include sight, communication, hearing (using a hearing aid), movement, intellectual-learning difficulty. Applicants with such mental or physical disability may qualify for a certificate of complete exemption or a certificate of conditional exemption which the admissions office will apply for on behalf of the applicant. The university undertakes to treat all such applications confidentially.

Engagement of local schools during their career open days

The University of Zululand held a successful Open Day event on Friday, 20th March, 2015. A total of 815 pupils from 19 schools attended the event held at the King Bhekuzulu Hall. While many of the schools were from the Zululand district others came from as far as the uMkhanyakude district in the far north while one school, E langwane High, came all the way from Mpumalanga Province.

The Open Day event is one of the most important events in the University calendar as it not only gives prospective students a glimpse of the University of Zululand, but also serves as a platform through which the various UNIZULU departments can showcase the various programmes offered at the University. Those attending also get information on the various services, such as financial aid schemes. Apart from the more than 30 UNIZULU departments that exhibited on the day, the Cedara College of Agriculture was present as a guest exhibitor.

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Figure 21: Open Day 2015

The pupils who attended the event, many of them matriculants, expressed their pleasure at having been invited, with many expressing interest to study at UNIZULU.

c) The following activities are in the planning stages:

Online Registration

Online registration is in the process of being developed. This will free up academic staffs’ time to prepare for lectures. The enrolment and registration process is done centrally and the departments do not have much influence over how it is organised. Improving the registration process is in progress. An ongoing activity of the HEMIS Department is educating the university community about the importance of maintaining a positive reflection of data through HEMIS, as this data impacts on subsidy funding.

MIS

Management Information Systems (MIS) forms part of the Academic Planning and Quality Unit, together with the HEMIS unit at UNIZULU. While an MIS officer was appointed in 2010, this office is presently vacant. The current HEMIS manager, who manages both HEMIS and MIS, was appointed in May 2014. The university acknowledges that an efficient and effective MIS unit provides the necessary basis for making good decisions regarding support for teaching and learning, especially in the context of scarce resources and the need to distribute these resources to achieve maximum effect. While MIS system owners have done a presentation at UNIZULU, the procurement process of the MIS system is ongoing. Student success is greatly influenced by how students are selected into universities, which programmes they are placed in, whether or not formal support is available and compulsory and when and why registered students are not re-admitted. Addressing these issues is part of achieving a match between the characteristics of students and what universities offer. At the level of individual courses, in every university there are certain courses that may act as gateways or barriers to progression, including, typically, some of the popular first-year courses. Monitoring student performance in such high-impact courses and intervening when necessary is important in promoting student success. Throughput rates are important

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indicators of student success. Effective enrolment management is only possible if appropriate management information systems are in place. The HEMIS Department aims to invite external departments to whom they report, to testify of the importance of HEMIS data. The HEMIS Department also aims to request a proposal from the HEDA system owners. An assessment of the HEDA system (an MIS system) will help determine whether it would satisfy reporting for decision-making needs. According to the HEMIS report (2015), the objectives of the department are:

To make sure that data in-accuracy is quickly identified and resolved.

To create awareness of current reflections about data so as to assist with the internal future planning and strategising.

To also investigate and propose an MIS system in collaboration with ICT, that would suit the needs of the university at large and that is already used by other institutions and has proven success stories.

The HEMIS Roadshow, which collaborates with Academic Planning and Quality (APQ) Roadshow, desires to create awareness of the importance of HEMIS data within the university. Progress made by the HEMIS Department includes the following:

Facilitation of the MIS system by the owners was done successfully on the 10th July 2015

The MIS position was crafted and submitted to HR for the recruitment processes on the 23rd April 2015

The MIS was advertised on the 13th May 2015 and then re-advertised due to insufficient candidates.


Through-put rates

Through-put rates are important indicators of student success. Latest HEMIS data available indicates that graduates as a percentage of head count enrolments at UNIZULU in 2013 were 29.61%. Actual success rates for 2013 were 44.34% of undergraduates in two-year diplomas or certificates and 10.31% in three-year diplomas or certificates.

Pass rates in ‘Gate-way courses’

High failure rates in certain modules, especially at first year level, are a feature of programmes at all universities and contribute substantially to the high failure rate and high drop-out level; UNIZULU is no exception. The Faculty of Commerce, Administration and Law believes that drawing too much attention to so-called “risk” or “killer” modules reinforces a preconceived notion among students that such modules would be difficult to pass. Staff members try to ensure that students start their studies with a positive mind-set and therefore apply certain interventions consistently across the board when addressing high failure rates in respect of these challenging modules. The Faculty has made a concerted effort this year to ensure that effective tutoring and mentoring of students occurs regularly. In addition, the faculty student representatives have been invited to certain EXCO meetings where issues, challenges and possible solutions surrounding problematic modules/courses are discussed openly.

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Other interventions, such as auditing of course outlines and exam scripts, have taken place internally and are part of a broader quality improvement process. In an effort to enhance the teaching and learning landscape within CAL and the broader institution, the Faculty acknowledged the importance and impact of examining the result sheets of every student within the Faculty. It was agreed that this was key to the success of developing a resource repository that could easily identify the academic level of the student, students at risk, exclusions, distinctions and first class passes, tracking and graduation information. Through benchmarking with other institutions the Faculty was able to conclude that where such support and data is lacking, academics, managers as well as students are seriously disadvantaged. It was also agreed that accessing such data impacts on service delivery and the academic success of students. As a result, the Faculty conducted ERS (Examination Result Sheet Analysis) Workshops in 2015 where departments had to analyse the result sheets of all registered students within their departments and the Faculty. The process was overseen by the Dean, Deputy Dean and Heads of Departments. The process was time-consuming and the faculty wishes that the Integrated Tertiary Systems (ITS) will be set up soon to deal with some of the functions and tasks that were undertaken manually. Finally, in an effort to alleviate some of the challenges facing “at risk” students in certain modules, the faculty wishes to prioritise counselling sessions for them in the year to come. Department of Accounting and Auditing The Department of Accounting and Auditing views all its modules as the “risk” modules since the pass rates in all the modules is usually low. The intervention that has been introduced to improve the pass rates is as follows:

1. Increasing the number of staff;

2. Providing students with good study material;

3. Increasing the number of lectures from three to four;

4. Introducing tutorials for all the modules; and

5. Introducing objective tests on a weekly basis in order to encourage students to study

consistently and attend the tutorials. This objective test contributes to the DP.

The Department is fortunate in that it has a Memorandum of Understanding with UCT to capacitate the Department so that the Department can provide good quality education. UNIZULU lecturers have access to the UCT material and receive support from UCT staff members. UNIZULU lecturers have had an opportunity to attend lectures, tutorials and tutorial meetings at UCT. Details are attached as Annexure V.

Interruption of Study

The Admission Policy makes provision for students who interrupt their studies for a reason, other than exclusion, to resume their studies in subsequent years, subject to meeting the entry and/or academic progression requirements. This policy is currently under review, bearing in mind the need for appropriate time-lines.

Selection Rules and Procedures

Faculties start the selection of applicants on or after 1st May for the following academic year. Selection is on a continuous basis and is based on information and data made available on the Central Applications Office (CAO) website. Faculties have to consider all applications, including those who qualify for a Mature Age Exemption and applicants living with disabilities. The following statuses are put on the CAO system: Firm offer (for those with NSC/Matric/NCV); Conditional offer (for candidates in Grade 12); Pending; Waiting for a decision; Withdrawn; Unsuccessful.

Once the status has been updated by the faculties, the CAO system will generate a sms

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notification and/or correspondence informing the applicant of his or her application status.


Financial constraints

The student population of UNIZULU as a whole suffers from considerable financial uncertainties. NFSAS loans do not cover the whole cost of fees, living expenses and books. Many students are forced to drop out of their studies mid-way to earn money to pay fees. They often return to the university after a few years and thus contribute to a ‘bulge’ in student numbers. Extensive communication of the registration process and cut-off dates also need to be made prior to registration commencing so that all stakeholders are aware that financial arrangements need to be finalised before registration commences.

Attracting New Students

Other surrounding institutions get their students from the same pool as us, hence it’s difficult to convince a student with 30 points to come to UNIZULU because our location.

Placement tests

While the university used to run SATAP tests as a means of placing students in mainstream or extended programmes, since these tests were replaced with National Benchmark Tests (NBT), they have been found unhelpful for placement by UNIZULU and are not used. Placement into mainstream or access programmes is dependent on the points score achieved in the NSC or NCV facilitated by the faculty which houses the particular foundation programme. Foundation programmes are designed to support students who, while qualifying to enter a programme, are considered to be at risk as a result of a weak NSC score. UNIZULU has a Science Access Programme and a Commerce Foundation Programme. Admission interviews are held with students for some professional qualifications like the B Nursing degree and B Social Work to assess the suitability of the applicant for the profession.

Tracking of Students

The high attrition rate of students has been called a national crisis making the tracking of students’ academic progress from first to the final year a critical issue. One important element is the identification of students at highest risk for dropping out and then the targeting of resources to provide support. An early warning system that uses flagging indicators based on readily attainable data can predict, during students' first year, whether the students are at risk of failing. Currently, exclusion criteria are not enforced. Students are put on probation each year, without a tracking record to follow students’ progress. Thus, we have returning students registering but continually failing; this negatively affects our pass rates. Rolling out e-learning on campus is delayed, due to insufficient support staff and limited ICT access for students. Inexpensive portable devices and the wireless network could solve this.

The Registration Process

The Registrar is the sponsor of the overall registration project. In terms of finances, the CFO is the owner of that sub-process, the Director PSD is the owner of the security sub-process, the Director PP&W is the owner of the physical facilities sub-process. All sub-processes need to report to the sponsor so that the registration process is the responsibility of one commander. Unfortunately, this was not done. Pre-requisites validation was not applied, i.e., students were registering for a higher level without having passed the lower level. The pre-requisite validation was set on the system

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and that prevented students from registering. Students were also incorrectly advised to exceed the limited number of modules per academic year i.e. one HEMIS credit. In some cases students were wrongly advised to register for a higher level even though they had failed modules in the lower level. Another challenge includes requests for extension of registration. This causes problems for other projects that are meant to be taking place e.g., graduation and examination preparation, examination preparation. A major problem exists with residences in that the online booking of accommodation experienced problems and had a negative effect on the registration processes.


CAO Training

CAO Training, organised by the office of the registrar, took place at the KwaDlangezwa campus on 24th June 2015. Details are attached as Annexure AJ. A selection team from the Biokinetics department (consisting of the Head of Department and programme coordinators) attended the CAO workshop on selections. This team will make selections on the CAO from August onwards.

E-registration

E-registration is required at the University of Zululand to both ITS and Moodle. Course templates, outlines and study guides could then become electronically available automatically to registered students. A pilot on-line registration for the Faculty of Science and Agriculture will commence in 2016.

Re-curriculation

Re-curriculation of under graduate programmes in the faculty of Education is progressing well. Comments from DHET about the submitted three out of five new programmes are minimal.

Career Open Day

Participation in the annual university Career Open Day, the last event being in March 2015, provides prospective students with departmental brochures. While better marketing is needed to reach students, visits to local schools will attract prospective students. Other activities include:

o The use of external examiners to moderate the first and final year modules and the

modification of the content of modules and programmes in Geography

o The review of entry requirements for some programmes e.g., from 24 to 30 points in

2013 and 2014 and down to 26 points in 2015, given the challenges experienced in

getting students in 2014.


The MIS position, a scarce skill, has been re-advertised with no success in getting a suitable candidate to interview.

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The Faculty of Science and Agriculture increased its admission requirement in a bid to attract outstanding academic students to the department and the university. Challenges experienced by the Registrar’s office include the following:

o There is a lack of career guidance at school level o The timing of the CAO selections and correspondence needs to be addressed. o There are limited spaces for new applicants due to limited resources such as staff,

and classrooms. o The format in which information is presented to students is “dry” o There is poor dissemination of information about 'gateway' courses o There is no clear policy on admitting students who have old matric certificates. o Although the registration process has improved in the last 2 years, registration is still

a challenge for new students and for the university as a whole. For example, requiring staff members who are unfamiliar with the various course structures to assist with registration often leads to inefficiencies and errors. This does not enhance the image of the university. Here, lecturers should familiarize themselves with the requirements.

The timetable is published after registration. This means that more students would have registered for courses that clash; hence, there is a high chance that these courses might also clash during the examination.

6. REFLECTION ON PHASE 1 OF THE QEP (suggested length 2-6 pages)

6.1 What has been the effect on the University of participating in the QEP for the past two years?

Phase 1 of the Quality Enhancement Project has been an insightful, as well as a helpful experience, for the University of Zululand, and has set the foundation for future engagement in the QEP, with special focus on institutional capacity building. Engagement in the QEP has seen the following changes:

UNIZULU as a Comprehensive University

UNIZULU is using its peri-urban character as an advantage for both its physical and academic renewal agenda. It will take a number of years before UNIZULU becomes a fully-fledged comprehensive university. Producing the highest quality of graduates remains core to the University, thus teaching and learning, research and community engagement remain priorities. The university is exploring innovative measures to re-engineer itself as a Comprehensive University. Ongoing capacity-building workshops in curriculum development will help UNIZULU achieve this goal. The strategic location of the university within the development belts and three ports in KZN province, its location in the coastal belt, the Richards Bay industrial area, the agricultural focus of the area, as well as the rich history, cultural and traditional-constitutional governance in the province, all will shape the character and size of UNIZULU as a Comprehensive University as the institution develops a School of Engineering, an expanded Health Sciences Faculty and a Business School.

Restructuring

A key change that has taken place in the University is the restructuring process. A copy of the new organogram is given on page 5 of this report. The whole purpose of the restructuring of the senior administration is to allow UNIZULU to effectively pursue its aims

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and strategies associated with its core activities of teaching and learning, research and community engagement. Curriculum Renewal Much of 2015 has seen a drive to implement capacity-building in curriculum design, as the institution realises the need for consistency across all qualifications, as this most certainly impacts on the cognitive development of students. Staff and students would certainly benefit from strategies that foster renewal and transformation of curricula.

First Year Experience (FYE)

The First Year Experience (FYE) is an initiative which addresses the various transitional needs and concerns that many first year students face in their transitions from high school to tertiary education. It also include social engagement opportunities between undergraduate and senior students which in turn would positively impact engagement in effective educational practices. The FYE is built on the principle that every first year student will be treated with the appropriate respect that they are entitled to as citizens of South Africa according to the Constitution. The Teaching and Learning Centre plans to implement FYE as a central overarching strategy. This is an initiative of UNIZULU to ensure that students are provided with enabling learning environments supporting as many as possible to achieve their full potential.

Staff Induction

One of the many activities that is of priority is the induction of new staff. A mandatory induction programme is being developed for new staff members at lecturer and junior lecturer level. The character of the induction, the timing, roles of people, the objectives, and the duration of the staff induction programme is being re-evaluated. The TLC is of the opinion that such a process should be enhanced and should include other employees and offer training on an ongoing, developmental basis to impart the relevant skills, knowledge, attitudes and values as required by the post. An academic mentor will also ensure that staff members have access to them and the relevant individual support they would need. The academic staff induction process, aimed at new staff, part-timers as well as those newly appointed in management positions (an area often neglected), aims to offer support in the first week, with meetings on a monthly basis and an evaluative session at the end of six months. While the induction process is designed to support newly appointed staff with their integration into the institution and faculty, it also plans to offer a secure foundation for future professional development. The University is currently working on finalising some policies that are crucial to this focus area e.g., Policy on Induction of new academics, Workload policy, Community Engagement Policy, and Policy on Recognition of Excellence.

PGDipHE

Ongoing courses to enhance academics will also be offered focusing on different aspects of academic key performance areas. A total of 17 academic staff members have enrolled for the post-graduate diploma in higher education, commencing in 2016, offered by the University of Kwa-Zulu Natal.

Workshops

In an attempt to empower staff in institute planning processes, and develop team working, among other skills, the TLC plans capacity-building workshops for Heads of Departments, including those in acting positions. The university ensures staff development through attendance of workshops, conferences, symposia and study leave. In order to enhance

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academics as teachers there have been ongoing assessors courses since 2013. However one of many challenges experience here is that due to the absence of the workload model, staff are sometimes unable to attend the Workshops that are organised by the Teaching and Learning Centre.

Conditions of Service

Conditions of Service at UNIZULU make provision for staff to improve their skills and qualifications in the areas of teaching and learning and research in various ways. These provisions include Sabbatical leave and financial support for study leave as well as study, research and travel grants. These are aimed at improving the quality of teaching within the institution.

6.2 In what ways did the university’s involvement in the QEP promote or strengthen collaboration with other universities on specific issues?

Collaboration with Teaching and Learning Centres

The Teaching and Learning Centre Team has initiated benchmarking and collaboration with higher education institutions in an attempt to improve networking efficiency through a better understanding of processes and practices. There is generally huge competition between institutions across the whole tertiary sector to attract more students into study. Higher education institutions are being encouraged to reshape teaching in higher education and are being driven to collaborate, differentiate, raise the quality of our teaching and create a learning culture by sharing information. The Teaching and Learning Centre, in a bid to address the quality of what is being delivered, and to improve organisational effectiveness in some learning areas, hopes to build trust by collaborating with higher education institutions, both nationally and internationally. The Teaching and Learning Centre is mindful of the fact that by working collaboratively, the centre could achieve more than it could by working alone. The following collaborative activities have taken place to date:

Date/s Institution Nature of Collaboration Persons involved

20 July 2015

University of Venda

Meeting with the Director: Centre of Higher Education Teaching and Learning (CHETL)

Meeting with the community engagement consultant in the directorate

Dr N. Mashiya (UNIZULU) Dr Ndebele (UNIVEN) Ms Nemadodzi (UNIVEN)

21 July 2015

University of Venda

Community Engagement Initiative

Disability unit

Academic Staff Development Team

Dr N. Mashiya (UNIZULU) Professor Kutame (UNIVEN) Dr Mutshaeni (UNIVEN) Mr Marhaya (UNIVEN)

22 July 2015

University of Venda

Student Support Practitioners

First Year Experience (FYE)

Dr N. Mashiya (UNIZULU)

11 September 2015

University of Zululand

Community Engagement

Dr N. Mashiya (UNIZULU) Dr Y. Rugbeer (UNIZULU) Prof D. C. Sibaya (UNIZULU) Dr P. Pillay (UNIZULU)

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Dr R. P. Pillay (UNIZULU) Professor Kutame (UNIVEN)

17 September 2015

Durban University of Technology

Short Courses

Induction Programme

Academic Literacies

Recognition of Prior Learning

Dr Y. Rugbeer (UNIZULU) Mrs Shoba Rathilal (DUT)

17 September 2015


Learning Management System

E-learning

Extended Curriculum Programme

Dr Y. Rugbeer (UNIZULU) Bwalya Lungu – Educational technologist – (DUT) [email protected] Prega Naidoo – LMS support – (DUT) [email protected] Preggy Reddy – (DUT) LMS Application Specialist (DUT) [email protected]

18 September 2015


Work-integrated Learning and OLUMS WIL placement

Dr N. Mashiya (UNIZULU) Dr Y. Rugbeer (UNIZULU) Mr Kris Moodley (DUT)

Benchmarking Bachelor of Social Work (BSW) At Nelson Mandela University and Fort Hare University (27 July-29 July 2015)

The University of Zululand Social Work Department, released two staff members to visit two universities for benchmarking exercise, one urban based – Nelson Mandela University and the other rural-based, the University of Fort Hare. The main purpose of benchmarking was with regard to concerns raised by CHE on Programme Design and Programme Co-ordination – (Criteria 1 and 10) and Co-ordination of Work based learning (Criterion 15). The intention was to compare our existing BSW Programme with those of other universities, focussing on:

Co-ordination of theory, skills and social work practice

Work-based experiential training

Integration of social work theory and practice from Level 1 – Level 4

Collaboration with other institutions of higher learning continues.

6.3 Looking back over the past two years, in a page or two, summarise the university’s main triumphs, improvements, changes and challenges related to the four QEP focus areas.

Triumphs

Great advances have been noted through establishing communities of learning and sharing best practices. Some of the highlights include the following:

o A more structured Induction Programme

o Greater collaboration with HEI’s

o Initiation of the FYE and collaboration with SANRC

o Capacitation of staff in curriculum development

mailto:[email protected]



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o Capacitation of academic managers

o Ongoing courses to enhance academics, including the PGDipHE

o Focused engagement with student representatives

Improvements

Executive management is being rebuilt and this will continue throughout 2016. In the meantime our students deserve the best that can be provided within existing resources and structures. Balancing the immediate needs of current students with longer-term goals for future students and graduates always presents challenges and choices. The Performance Plan illustrates that the Council believes that the appropriate balance has been struck and will lead to the advancement of the University of Zululand, its students, its staff and its other stakeholders over the coming 12 months.

Changes

Recent changes to the reporting requirements of the Department of Higher Education and Training require all universities to develop a strategic plan and an annual performance plan. This is very opportune for the University of Zululand as the appointment of a new Council in 2013 led to a thorough review of the strategic direction and priorities of the University. The annual performance plan is designed to set the University on its path of meeting its goals as set out in its Strategic Plan 2016-2021. As a comprehensive university, the University of Zululand holds a special position in contributing to our country's development through offering academic and vocational and professionally focussed qualifications and clear articulation between them. As the only comprehensive university in Kwa-Zulu Natal the University takes this position most seriously and lies at the heart of its goals and aspirations for the next 5 years and beyond. UNIZULU remains committed to the development of its existing teaching and learning expertise and quality, whilst introducing improvements and enhancements as part of its continued development. Specifically, it will focus attention on the first year experience and general student support. It will continue to develop its staff pedagogically, it will promote the scholarship of teaching and learning, and it will continue to integrate and investigate the effective use of ICT in teaching and learning. Consideration of the establishment of a Faculty of Law and the attainment of SAICA accreditation will be particular areas of focus.

Challenges

Across the country, the global economic downturn continues to take its toll on our economy which, in turn, affects the University’s financial status. The University relies on government and donor funding, both of which are impacted by economic factors outside of the control of the University and its governance structures, but the results of which are keenly felt within its walls. The National Students’ Financial Aid Scheme (NSFAS) remains under pressure as ever more and more needy students demand funding. High levels of unemployment means that student debt increases and the University’s bad debt ratio is affected. Financial constraints have a huge academic impact as students choose qualifications they can obtain funding for, rather than those for which they have an aptitude or an expressed interest. Not only does this impact on rollovers to postgraduate study but also, coupled with general poverty, has a marked impact on dropout and retention rates, students’ performance and success rates. A variety of social factors continue to impinge upon the University’s communities. Poverty

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and unemployment, local and regional HIV/ AIDS rates, other social illnesses, difficulties adjusting to University, crime and drug abuse all continue to pose challenges to the holistic management of the learning and teaching experience. The University also needs to address academic under-preparedness while focusing on raising standards and producing excellent graduates.

Funding Annual student fee increases remain a potential point of instability as young people expect free education for all. Funding is a huge concern both at national and institutional level. The growth in student numbers has not seen a concomitant increase in the number of academic staff or infrastructure developments. This has further negatively impacted the workloads of staff. Added to this is the challenge of student indebtedness which continues to pose grave challenges to the efforts to create a financially sustainable institution.

Technological Skills While the institution strives to ensure that our learners have the technological skills to fit into the global community, most students do not have access to basic computers. Due to financial constraints many cannot afford devices and there are too few computer laboratories to cater for a large student population.

Student Services Department The Student Services Department has faced staff turnover which has adversely affected services to the students in terms of health and welfare. The gaps identified primarily revolve around a lack of sufficient trained staff and suitable facilities. Accommodation Student and staff accommodation is a huge concern. Less than a third of the student population can be accommodated in residences. Overcrowding in teaching and learning areas and a shortage of beds in residences is a serious challenge to quality enhancement at UNIZULU. Off campus accommodation rented by students is often sub-standard, with cement block rooms erected without the provision of basic facilities as required by the DHET Norms and Standards for residential accommodation for students. While the City of uMhlathuze has by-laws governing the construction of housing, the accelerated growth and mushrooming of informal structures has meant that inspectors rarely get round to visiting each new development. The university has service level agreements with a few student accommodation providers and these owners adhere to norms set by the university. The payments for the accommodation are made directly by the university to these service providers and the cost recouped from the students. If the students do not pay for the accommodation the university is left with the debt, as has happened in the past. In conclusion, the institution is on a trajectory to strengthen the social bonds between the institution and students, and producing the highest quality of graduates remains core to the University; hence UNIZULU will continue to contribute in its areas of strength to the higher education sector, thereby responding to the growth opportunities presented to it by its location regionally and nationally. Our participation in the QEP has resulted in an awareness of grey areas, celebration of successes and a drive to continually improve in our endeavours. We look forward to renewed collaboration with other Higher Education Institutions as we are committed to improving student success.

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Professor X Mtose Acting Vice-Chancellor

University of Zululand Private bag X1001

Kwadlangezwa 3886

Website: www.UNIZULU.ac.za

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APPENDICES/ SUPPORTING DOCUMENTATION

Annexure A: The following UNIZULU staff members were responsible for implementing their respective initiatives, and contributed to the preparation of report.

Dr Y. Rugbeer, the QEP Chair, and Manager: QualityEnhancement in Teaching and Learning, collated the informationprovided by the faculties and support services units, and drew oninformation contained in other documentation to compile theinstitutional submission.

Dr N. Mashiya is the Director: Teaching and Learning. DrMashiya attended the CHE workshop on Focus Area 1, whichdealt with academic support. Dr Mashiya disseminated feedbackand the recommendations to the relevant role-playerselectronically and at the QEP committee meeting.

Ms L Vahed is the Director of Library and Information Services.Ms Vahed submitted a detailed report and evidence highlightingthe practices of LIS in enhancing learning and student sipport.

Professor A. M. Zobolo collected information from the variousdepartments in the Faculty of Science and Agriculture, andconsolidated it into one submission.

Mr Mthandazo Dhlamini, Director: Information andCommunication is responsible for the Technology Portfolio of theUniversity and driver for its ICT Strategy.

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Other staff members and students who offered feedback and helped guide the process include:

Miss Normah Zondo, Director: Communication and Marketing (CMD),reported on CMD's focus on improving and developing communicationsand marketing initiatives that are in keeping with international standardsof a comprehensive university.

The submission from the faculty of Commerce, Administration and Lawwas a joint effort by Dr D. Iyer, the Academic co-ordinator and the Dean.Dr Iyer also attended the CHE workshop on Focus Area 2, which dealtwith student support. Dr Iyer disseminated feedback and therecommendations to the relevant role-players electronically and at theQEP committee meeting.

Dr Mike Reddy is a Senior Lecturer in the Department ofCommunication Science. Dr Reddy assisted in the editing and proof-reading of the QEP report.

Mr P Masala is Manager: Assessment Management at the University.He reported on examinations, and the administration and managementthereof.

Mr V. Naidoo the HoD: Financial Aid Bureau (FAB), attended the OnlineNSFAS Application system demonstration at the ITS Conference. TheFAB team decided to implement the system in order to make theNSFAS processes more efficient, reduce errors and to assist studentsin reducing their queuing time.

Dr N.D. Evans represents the e-learning team of individuals whovolunteer their services to other academics and students byadministrating the four faculty instances of the Moodle LearningManagement System.

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Name Designation

Prof J. D. Thwala Acting Dean: Faculty of Arts

Mr Sipho Dlongolo Manager: Construction

Mr Ernst J. Doeseb Deputy Registrar: Enrolment Management

Mr Zakhele Gumede Student Administration (Science and Agriculture & Commerce, Administration and Law), Registrar's Office

Ms Ayanda P. Nongogo Manager : HEMIS

Mr Themba Gilbert Ntuli Head: Protective Services

Mrs Deidre Smook Academic coordinator: Faculty of Education

S. S. Radebe

Faculty Student Council Representative: Faculty of Science and Agriculture

X. M. Cebekhulu

Faculty Student Council Representative: Faculty of Commerce, Administration and Law

M. H. Mntungwa

Faculty Student Council Representative: Faculty of Arts

S. N. Khumalo

Faculty Student Council Representative: Faculty of Arts

S. H. Mlambo

Faculty Student Council Representative: Faculty of Science and Agriculture

G. N. Kubheka Faculty Student Council Representative: Faculty of Commerce, Administration and Law

N. Nxumalo Post-graduate Student Representative: Faculty of Commerce, Administration and Law

W. Mthembu Post-graduate Student Representative: Faculty of Science and Agriculture

M. Ramulondi Post-graduate Student Representative: Faculty of Science and Agriculture

S. N. Khumalo Post-graduate Student Representative: Faculty of Arts

M. H. Mntungwa

Post-graduate Student Representative: Faculty of Arts

Dr Rugbeer in meetings with student representatives Since her appointment on 1 July 2015, Dr Rugbeer convened numerous meetings to chart the way forward. After the initial QEP Committee meeting, Dr Rugbeer met with various staff members on an individual capacity to provide feedback and explain focus area requirements. The student voice is an important part of shared decision-making. Dr Rugbeer therefore had meetings with Faculty Student Council Representatives as well as Post-graduate Student Representative from the various faculties. The students submitted reports and were pleased to note that their knowledge, views and ideas are valued.

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Presentation_QEP_18

Aug.pptx

Attendance_reg_

planning

Attendance_reg_

draft_doc

Attendance_reg_fe

eding_project

Attendance_reg

_MANCO Presentation_QEP_5S

ept_Students.pptx

Minutes_QEP_Meetin

g_Nongogo_Naidoo.docx

Minutes_QEP_Meetin

g_Ntuli.docx

Minutes_QEP_Meetin

g_Van_Rensburg.docx

Minutes_QEP_Meetin

g_Vezi.docx

Minutes_QEP_Meetin

g_HR2.docx

Minutes_QEP_Meetin

g_HR1.docx

Presentation_QEP_11

Aug.pptx

Minutes_QEP_Meeting_13_October_2015.docx

Minutes_QEP_Meetin

g_11_August_2015.docx

Minutes_QEP_Meetin

g_Dhlamini.docx

Minutes_QEP_Meetin

g_Education_Faculty.docx

Annexure B: Minutes of QEP Meetings

Draft_Strat_Plan.docx

Annexure C: Draft Strategic Plan 2016-2021

FRAMEWORK FOR

PROFESSIONAL ACAD STAFF DEV 8 7 15......docx Annexure D: Draft Framework

Feedback from DHET

17 August UNIZULU TDP reporting template 2014-15 20% released funds of 2014-2015 30 July 2015.xlsx Annexure E: TDG

UKZN_Higher_Education_Training UKZN_PG_Application PGDip_Proposal

Cost of studying at Fort Hare

UFH postgraduate application

procedure UFH_PG_Application

Annexure F: PGDip UKZN/UFH

Copy of Copy of

Academics Training Report.xlsx

TRAINING

DEVELOPMENT COMMITMENT FORM.doc

Copy of DHET

Academic - Formal Qualifications_20140813.xls

Promotions.xlsx

Copy of Assessing Learning in HE.xlsx

Specialist_Performance_Management

Copy of LeaveSPL11 1.xlsx

Annexure G: Human Resources

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SoTL_Attendance_Register Programme_SoTL_Workshop

Conference_2016

SoTL_Writing Intro_to_SoTL

Annexure H: Scholarship_of_Teaching_and_Learning

BENCHMARKING REPORT NMMU UFH.docx

Invoice CAPACITY BUILDING WORKSHOP.doc

notes with Prof Mesatywa.docx

CHE TEMPLATE _IP_Evidence_15April_2015f.docx

Annexure I: Curriculum Development_Social_Work

Feedback Portfolio Development.docx

REPORT ON PORTFOLIO DEVELOPMENT WORKSHOPS JULY 2015.docx

UNIZUL PORTFOLIO ASSESSMENT RUBRIC FOR EVIDENCE IN PORTFOLIO.docx

UNIZUL PORTFOLIO ASSESSMENT RUBRIC JUNIOR LECTURER.docx

Attendance_Register

UNIZUL PORTFOLIO ASSESSMENT RUBRIC LECTURER.docx

SCHEDULE OF

ACTIVITIES .docx

Report 2 PORTFOLIO

Module 1 Material.docx

UNIZUL PORTFOLIO ASSESSMENT RUBRIC SENIOR LECTURER.docx

Annexure J: Portfolio Development

Progrmme Course

Outline Workshop.doc

Course OUtline and

Study Guide Workhop Documents.docx

DOC 5 REVISED

Bloom.docx

DOC 7 Instruc

guide.docx

DOC8 COURSE

PACK.docx

Annexure K: Course Outlines and Study Guides

Programme_FYE

FYE_Ethical Clearance_Certificate

CMD_FYE_Review_Form

Freshers speak.docx

CMD_FYE_Survey_Notice

Annexure L: The First Year Experience

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Induction_programme

Annexure M: Staff Induction 19-21 October 2015

RESEARCH REPORT

TO THE FACULTY BOARD OF EDUCATION - 01 April 2015 -30 June 2015.docx

RESEARCH REPORT

TO THE FACULTY BOARD OF EDUCATION - 01 JULY 2015 - 21 SEPTEMBER 2015.docx

Research REPORT TO

THE FACULTY BOARD OF EDUCATION - 05 JANUARY 2015 -31 MARCH 2015.docx

Annexure N: Faculty_of_Education

FCAL_Research FCAL_Research_Programme

FCAL_T&L_Programme

FCAL_Mentorship_Poster

FCAL_Mentorship_Report

Annexure O: Faculty of Commerce, Administration and Law

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Promotions.xlsx

Annexure P: Policy and Criteria on the Promotion of Academic and Research Staff

Attendance_Register Report KAREN on Tutor Training Main Campus.docx

UNIVERSITY OF ZULULAND - TUTORSHIP TRAINING 1.docx

Annexure Q: Tutor_Training

QEP

Alumni_communication_Zondo.docx

Annexure R: Alumni

Toyota Graduate Programme Annexure S: Toyota Graduate

Programme

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Enactus_Poster Enactus_Report_Page_1

Enactus_Report_Page_2 Enactus_Report_Page_3

Enactus_Report_Page_4

Annexure T: Enactus_World_Cup_2015

Moot_court NMMU_Reg

Annexure U: Department of Law

UZ-SAICA MOU.docx

UZ_UCT_MOU.docx

Annexure V: Department of Accounting

Attendance Register preliminary

computer literacy.docx

Report computer literacy training.docx

Annexure W: Computer Literacy

CAMPUS CLINIC REPORT HIGHLIGHTS.docx Annexure X: Campus Clinic

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Report_Capital_works Annexure Y: Capital Works

Annual Report 2014 Final.docx

LIS_2014_Booklet bookmark4UserEd1.doc

Summary of e-Resources.docx

STRUCTURE 2014.docx

Summary of Library Services for new staff members 2014.doc

Library Staff Establishment 2014.doc

Evidence2015

Library.docx

Annexure Z: Library_Information_Systems

Adapt_It_Invoice BCP_DMP ITS2 _ITS3

PBX_programming_training Assessment_bundle Online_registration

Annexure AA: ICT

Faculty_Board_Agenda Faculty_Board_Minutes

Annexure AB: Engineering

Information_Brochure_2015 Registration_Drawings_Bhekuzulu_Plan_2015.docx

Registration_Walk-in_Flow_Diagram.docx

Annexure AC: Registration

HEMIS Meeting Agenda_Feb 2015_draft minutes.docx

Throuput Rate workings from 2009-2013_all qual types_26 Mar 2015.xls

Annexure AD: HEMIS

BENCHMARKING

REPORT NMMU UFH.docx

CHE TEMPLATE

_IP_Evidence_15April_2015f.docx

notes with Prof

Mesatywa.docx

Minutes_29 October

2015.docx

Annexure AE: Social Work

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Wilders_Invoice

Annexure AF: Biokinetics

DLIS Prospectus 2014

October 17.doc

Ethical Responsibility

of Student Social Workers and Lecturers.docx

INFORMATION

STUDIES fieldworkdocument_final 2014.docx

Psychologists@Work.

docx

Positions obtained by

psychology Majors.docx

Comm_Sci Amangwe_Village

Annexure AG: Faculty_of_Arts

Moodle Administrator: S. Nzimande Njabulo Zungu Neil Evans C. Hermann P. Tarwireyi P. Kok

LMS support.zip

Copy of moodle

logins and courses.xlsx

Moodle Training 2014-15 briefing(updated Nov 2014) (3).docx

Annexure AH: Moodle Training

From left: Prof P. Fitzgerald, Dr N. Mashiya and Dr O. Seale

Discussions on Day 1 of the workshop

Discussions on Day 2 of the programme Dr Mashiya handing out writing material

O Seale_UniZul

Workshop_Presentations_18-11-15.pptx

bHE Governance for

UniZulu.ppt

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Attendance_Register

Annexure AI: Training for Staff in Management Positions

Attendance Register_24 June 2015.doc

CAO_Evaluation_Form

Annexure AJ: CAO Training

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References Enactus (2015). Annual Report 2015. University of Zululand, South Africa. Tinto, V. (1999). Adapting learning communities to the needs of development education students. Paper presented at the National Center for Postsecondary Improvement, Stanford University. Tinto, V. (2008). Access without Support is Not Opportunity. Paper resented at the 36th Annual Institute for Chief Academic Officers, The Council of Independent Colleges, Seattle, Washington.

Quality Enhancement Project - Council on Higher Education

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Transcript of Quality Enhancement Project - Council on Higher Education