HEQC’S QUALITY SYSTEMS RESTRUCTURING PROJECT:

QUALITY PROGRAMMES, QUALITY MATERIAL

• Prof Louie Swanepoel• Directorate Quality Assurance and

Promotion• (012) 429-2674• swanelm@unisa.ac.za

Towards the African university in the service of humanity

Recognition of Unisa and its qualifications

• On 1 January 2004 the Technikon of Southern Africa merged with Unisa incorporating the distance education leg of Vista University to form the new Unisa

Diversity of Learners

• The UNISA student population comprises students from South Africa, the African continent and the rest of the world.

• The average age of a UNISA student is 30 years of age.

• At present, UNISA students represent a total of 23 languages.

Location

• Two main campuses– Pretoria Campus– Florida Campus

• Five Hubs– Coastal Hub– Gauteng Hub– KwaZulu-Natal Hub– Midlands Hub– North Eastern Hub

Formal Headcounts, 2004-8 to date (Prov.)

Absolute Formal Headcount Distribution by College, 2004 - 2008 to date

• Formal registrations by regional office 2007

• Unisa students in Africa 2007

Registrations by continent 2007

• Formal headcount registrations by degree level 2007

88.9%

7.5%

236 320 students

128 students

5 570 students

20 053 students

• Demographic profile 2007

• Registrations by age group 2007

Qualifications

• Both career-focused and university type.

• From certificate programmes up to doctoral studies.

• Housed in the 5 colleges

– College of Agriculture and Environmental Sciences (CAES)

– College of Economic and Management Sciences (CEMS)

– College of Human Sciences (CHS)

– College of Law (CLAW)

– College of Science, Engineering and Technology (CSET)

Registration Absolute Formal Headcount Distribution by College, 2004 - 2008

to date

Purpose of Finnish Project

• To establish and embed a QA framework of continuous improvement within academic programmes through a well-conceptualised, integrated course design and development and delivery process, taking cognizance of the critical principles of ODL.

– Contribute to the transformation of Unisa by establishing effectively contextualized ODL best practices through:developing an appropriately contextualized ODL model for Unisa through:

• Interrogation of current ODL best practice internationally and

• Assessment of the current approach and practice at Unisa.

• Introducing change initiatives to establish a relevant ODL culture and practice throughout the university

– Impacting directly on the effective access, retention and success of students through establishing an appropriate service and learning environment

• FINNISH RESEARCH PROJECT:to develop QA management system for integrated course design and development process within ODL

• Trial process for the development of a QA framework in other areas of the value chain of service delivery within a ODL context.

FINNISH RESEARCH PROJECT:

• Registrations by employment type 2007

ODL

• Focuses on removing barriers to access learning, flexibility of learning provision, student-centeredness, supporting students and constructing learning programmes with the expectation that students can succeed

DEFINITION OF ODL

• Open distance learning is a multi-dimensional system aimed at bridging the time, geographical and transactional (communication and educational) distance between:

• student and institution, • student and lecturers/tutors,• students and courseware, and • student and peer.

UNISA’S ODL MODEL

Institutional:Identity

PQM/curriculumT+L approach

Institution Facilitate admin

process for registrations

Facilitate access and prepare for

student

Support students to enter learning

process

Facilitate learning and Formative

assessment

Facilitate summative

assessment

Facilitate recognition /

certification

Preparation

for learningStudent Student

enquiry

Student choice and preparation

for registration

Student

registration LearningSummative assessment and credit

accum.

Graduations

Life long learning

Alumni

Budget and financial resourcing

HR recruitment and provisioning

ICT platform and capacity

Infrastructure

Unisa’s ODL model

Input Process Output

Remedial options for students

failing

Addressing skills/needs of

students for success

Monitor progress of

students and their impact

Addressing skills/needs of

students for success

UNISA STUDENTS

• Are at the centre of the learning process

STUDENT WALK

User friendly calendar and info booklets

Choices guided by self assessment and appropriate support staff

Flexible learning arrangements within fixed parameters

Continuous support including peer group

Integrated formative and summative

assessment

User friendly calendar etc.

Institutional plans and preparedness/to facilitate learning

Access to quality integrated

courseware

Accessible JIT registration and admin services

General ICT enabling

Key Principles

FINNISH PROJECT

• Focus in on one of the core distinguishing characteristics of an ODL institution:

• DEVELOPMENT OF APPROPRIATE LEARNING RESOURCES -

Research Process: Phase 1:

• Situational analysis• Interviews• For a understanding of current

practices, procedures and processes and future expectations of key stakeholders

• Gap analysis

Quality improvement project

• Key steps in design and development process were identified and agree upon

• Each key step needs to be informed by policy and/or procedure as well as quality standards

KEY STEPS

–An overview of the key steps in the materials design and development process :

• Design• Development• Delivery

Three key isseus:

• Lack of an integrated system for planning and monitoring of the entire programme and materials development process from design to review

• No mechanisms to enforce policies and procedures– Staff might need training to fully

understand and implement policies• Need to articulate more fully in

guidelines for programme development

Power course

• Prototype – part of the new ODL model will ensure team approach and that systems are integrated

• ICLD – worked on 10% of study guides

• Team approach – time-consuming• Lecturers – staff-student ratios

1:4000.

Key question

• What do we need to know & understand about the nature of

– Students– Courses

in order to design and implement high-quality, highly relevant & successful ODL-oriented power courses?

Power courses

• Developing courseware for modules or programmes to integrate student profile, stakeholder needs, orientation and counseling needs, tutoring, multi-media, formative assessment etc.

• Large enrolments or used in many different programmes

• Tied to a new tutor-marker-system and integrated IT, HR and Finance infrastructure.

TUITION POLICY

• An agreed-upon and planned process of course design, development, production and delivery with a view to integrating and co-ordinating Unisa’s system.

• Team approach to course programme design will be mandatory with flexibly composed course teams whose specific roles and responsibilities are clearly delineated.

• No such system is consistently applied.

• Focus should be on programme design and the ways in which individual courses and study guides contribute to the achievement of programme outcomes.

• Planning teaching and learning support activities and an assessment strategy – important element of design

• Improve internal and external liaison in the design process – working with stakeholders

• Need for greater focus on issues of articulation, progression and NQF levels

• Piloting and/or external critical peer review of programmes, modules and materials

• Programme review processes should be built into planning cycles

STEP 2: Protocol for programme design and materials development

• Draft guidelines for instructural Design and Learning Development agreed upon by early February 2008.

• Unisa systems – to be aligned with ODL principles underpinning power courses

Monitor and review

• Surveys to measure the efficacy, understanding and development process for the first series of piloted power courses

• Inform the power course project and ensure some degree of triangulation and closure to process.– 4 surveys

Results

• Entire process of quality programmes and materials development, which involves design, development and delivery (with feedback loop) – not captured in any single document in any single locations

• Process not supported by a common digital system

• However, staff know the key steps

Course Design and Development

• UNISA courses are primarily developed by teams consisting of a number of specialists.

• These teams are flexible and are constituted according to specific course design needs.

• UNISA offers innovative delivery systems (e.g. interactive videoconferencing and online delivery) and student support in the form of

– Learning centres

– Tutors

– Contact

– Counseling

Course Design and Development (cont)

• Delivery systems

– Technology support

– Online learning

– Print-based materials

– Teleconferencing

– Videoconferencing

– Tutors

Course delivery

• Innovative delivery systems (e.g. interactive videoconferencing and Online delivery)

• Student support– Learning centers– Tutors– Contact– Counseling

Distance Learning Delivery Systems

• Print based materials• Tutors

– Technology support– Teleconferencing– Videoconferencing– On-Line Learning

Tutoring• Ideally, students need to be linked to a tutor at

registration; a new relationship has to develop between lecturers and tutors; tutors have to mark students’ assignments giving detailed feedback and support and mark the work of the same student each time (and there have to be at least two formative assessment opportunities as part of the learning mediation); and tutor-markers have to keep contact with students through tutorials (or other media if students do not attend tutorials). In this way the transactional distance between the student, the institution and teachers will be bridged.

Challenges

• Is policy realistic?• Does the development of study

material receive appropriate recognition and is adequate time provided?

• Many still to give through to overall programme design issues.

• Give thought to the development of appropriate language and learning skills as part of the programme and module design process.

• Assessment policy – assignments for assessment can be improved.

Close the quality loop

• Directorate QAP – responsible for promotion of QA to effect improvement

• Monitor of quality outcomes of designed, developed and delivered courses.

QUALITY ASSURANCE POLICY

SELF-EVALU-ATION

PEER REVIEW

QUALITY MANAGEMENT

SYSTEMCAPACITY BUILDING

PO

LIC

IES

PR

OC

ED

UR

ES

ST

RA

TE

GIE

S

PR

OC

ES

SE

S

PLANNING

SERVICE LEVEL

AGREE-MENTS

BENCH-MARKING

UNISA 2015: AN AGENDA FOR TRANSFORMATION

RESOURCE ALLOCATIONGOVERNANCE

SATIS-FACTION SURVEYS

Refinement and

continuous improvement

INPUT PROCESS OUTPUT IMPACT

Refinement and

continuous improvement

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FRAMEWORK FOR QUALITY AT FRAMEWORK FOR QUALITY AT UNISAUNISA

Bits and Bits and piecespieces

INTEGRATED APPROACHINTEGRATED APPROACH

All improvement involves change, not all change is an improvement.