institutional planning department

comprehensive mapping of UCT‟s existing initiatives in schools in the area. The main activities of the Institu-tional Information Unit during the first half of 2010 included Enrol-ment Planning, the organisation of the annual Environmental Scan and the annual Admissions Review. Work on the “no show” survey, which will explore the reasons why some applicants who were offered academic places at UCT in 2010 did not register at the beginning of the year, is progressing well. The IIU has dealt with numerous ad hoc data requests from sources within UCT as well as outside of the uni-versity and had also supported the ongoing work of the Admissions Policy Review Task Team and of the Strategic Intelligence Project Team. In terms of staffing, the IPD was pleased to host two interns during the first semester of this year. Zandile Tennyson completed a formal internship in the Institu-tional Information Unit, at the end of which she applied for and was appointed to the vacant position in the IIU. We are delighted to wel-come her to the team. Portia Gama, a master‟s student in the EBE fac-ulty was with us in a less formally: she has chosen to work on Enrol-ment Planning for her thesis and so became integrally involved in this year‟s process, attending meetings, assisting with minute taking etc. We look forward to reading her thesis and hope that it will include some pointers for improving enrol-ment planning at UCT. Barbara Schmid, who has been appointed as the Project Manager for the Science Shop pilot, will be located within the IPD and we look forward to her joining us early in August. Director Judy Favish was awarded special leave for the months of June and July, in recog-nition of her numerous publications and conference presentations dur-ing her tenure. She is using the time to read around issues of rele-vance to UCT and to Higher Educa-tion in general. We look forward to welcoming her back in August and to benefiting from her studies and reflections.

O nce again, the first half of the year has been a busy and exciting one for the

IPD. One of our first tasks was to pro-vide the necessary support for the completion of the Vice-Chancellor‟s Strategic Funds for 2010. During the process, we worked closely with the Finance Department and built a solid basis for the future roll-out of this process. The IPD, in partner-ship with the Research Office, Re-search Contracts and Intellectual Property Services and CHED were amongst the recipients of the 2010 awards for the Science Shop initia-tive, which will be piloted during 2010. During this time, we also continued to work with the executive on a framework for monitoring the im-plementation of UCT‟s new strate-gic goals. Once finalised, this framework will inform the develop-ment of a revised University Dashboard, aligned with the key performance indicators associated with these strategic goals. The IPD‟s Quality Assurance Unit arranged two events during the first half of the year. In April, the second Student Quality Forum, organised in cooperation with the Depart-ment of Student Affairs (DSA), focused on Enabling Student Suc-cess. The forum provided an impor-tant contribution to UCT‟s ongoing discussions around enhancing the First Year Experience. The second major event was the Teaching Learning Symposium, held on June 1st. This well-attended symposium was chaired by Vice-Chancellor Dr Max Price and pro-vided (in the first session) an op-portunity to showcase the contribu-tions to innovative teaching of the recipients of the 2009 CHED Col-laborative Education Practice awards. The second session comprised pres-entations from members of the Faculties of Humanities, EBE, Health Science and Science in rela-tion to embedding graduate attrib-utes in the curriculum. These pres-entations sparked a lively discus-sion session, with many conversa-tions continuing over a delicious finger lunch.

The Academic Planning Unit has continued to work with the SAPC towards aligning UCT‟s suite of programmes to the HEQF. Work on mapping the masters pro-grammes against the requirements of the HEQF is almost complete and during the second half of the year the focus will be on detecting any possible inconsistencies in relation to our postgraduate diplomas and the HEQF. An extremely successful First Year Experience Colloquium was organ-ised in April of this year, in collabo-ration with Prof Ian Scott, Head of CHED‟s Academic Development Programme. The programme in-cluded presentations from Wits, Stellenbosch University and the University of Johannesburg and highlighted the need for a holistic, integrated approach in order to enhance the first year experience. A Task Team appointed by the SAPC will continue to work on this initiative during the second half of the year. Within the Social Responsiveness unit, the major focus for the first half of 2010 has been the comple-tion of the 2009 Social Responsive-ness Report. In addition, the Unit has been integrally involved in the work of the EduLab project which aims to develop a coordinated plan for UCT‟s involvement in improving school education. This exciting project has chosen to focus on Khayelitsha as a geographical area and is currently undertaking a

FROM THE DESK OF THE ACTING DIRECTOR

Newsletter of the

Institutional

Planning

Department at the

University of Cape

Town

July 2010 Volume 3, Issue 1

INSTITUTIONAL

PLANNING

DEPARTMENT

IPD Units and

Acronyms

Institutional Infor-

mation Unit (IIU)

Social Responsive-

ness Unit (SRU)

Quality Assurance

Unit (QAU)

Academic Planning

Unit (APU)

Inside this

issue:

The Implimenta-

tion of the HEQF

2

2010 No Show

Survey

3

Internships 3

FYE Colloquium 4

Environmental

Scan

4

Edulab 5

SQF 6

Strategic

Funding Bids

6

T+L Symposium 7

Staff Training 8

Acting Director: Jane Hendry

Institutional Planning Department

T he Higher Education Qualifications Framework was gazetted in October 2007. The HEQF re-quires that a new programme or qualification

must conform to the requirements of this Framework from the date of implementation, 1 January 2009. In-stitutions were requested to ensure that new pro-grammes scheduled to commence from 2009 meet these requirements. The approval and accreditation of new programmes, and the registration of new qualifica-tions, will depend on their meeting the requirements of the HEQF. With regard to existing programmes and qualifications, the HEQF specifies that they must conform over time with the requirements of this policy, by a date to be determined by the Minister by notice in the Govern-ment Gazette. This date has not yet been determined. As indicated in Communiqué No 2: Joint communiqué on the implementation of the Higher Education Quali-fications Framework (September 2008, CHE, DoE, SAQA), "the importance of maintaining consistency and coherence in the higher education system is of such importance that this date is likely to be at least 4 to 5 years from [November 2008]." There is, therefore, no immediate need for institutions to re-align existing programmes to conform to the HEQF. Institutions are not, however, prevented from doing so. In 2009 the Senate Executive Committee decided that

we should start preparing for compliance with the HEQF by addressing inconsistencies with the HEQF require-ments in relation to our postgraduate programmes. The Senate Academic Planning Committee (SAPC) com-pleted the first phase of this exercise which involved a focus on Honours programmes. A template which contained a comparison between our current Master's qualifications and the HEQF was sent to faculties in December 2009. This template highlighted areas where there appear to be misalignments. An exam-ple of this would be the MBA which had 125 credits at level 7 whereby the HEQF requires 120 credits at level 9 and 60 credits for research. This has since been rectified by the faculty. Faculties were requested to report to the SAPC early in 2010 and the Board for Graduate Studies on any inaccura-cies in the template and on planned strategies to address any inconsistencies that exist. Not all faculty reports have been received to date. We also hope to explore how these committees can use the information provided to identify possible opportunities for inter-disciplinary collaboration. In the second half of 2010, the SAPC will look at the exist-ing Postgraduate Diplomas. This exercise will address the inconsistencies with the HEQF requirements in relation to Postgraduate Diplomas.

THE IMPLIMENTATION OF THE HIGHER EDUCATION QUALIFICATIONS FRAMEWORK

Interim Guidelines: 2009 & 2010

Faculties are requested to note the Procedures and Guidelines for academic programme applications which the De-

partment of Higher Education and Training (DoHET) and the Council on Higher Education (CHE) will use during

2009 and 2010.

These guidelines and procedures are highlighted in Communiqué No 3: Council on Higher Education (CHE), Depart-

ment of Higher Education and Training (DoHET) and South African Qualifications Authority (SAQA), July 2009.

The communiqué is also available on CHE website (http://www.che.ac.za/documents/d000197/

HEQF_Joint_Communique3.pdf ). These interim procedures and guidelines will be reviewed by the DoHET and the

CHE during 2010.

C ouncil approved the university‟s strategic plan for the period 2010 – 2014 in December 2009. The plan contains several strategic objectives

which have implications for academic planning within the university. The Institutional Planning Department has compiled a high level summary of these strategic objectives and the activities which faculties and PASS departments have thus far committed to organizing to address the objectives. The SAPC has set up a special meeting on 24 August

2010 to comment on the planned activities and to identify gaps and challenges. The SAPC is also invited to discuss its role and the role of the faculty representatives in enabling the institution to achieve the strategic objectives. All documentation for this meeting has been put on Vula. The name of the Vula site is Implications of the UCT Strategic Plan for the SAPC. The website is open to the Senate Aca-demic Planning Committee members. To access Vula Web-site please send a request to [email protected] and he will add your name to the participant list.

An Update on HEQF alignment preparation at UCT

SAPC EXAMINATION OF THE STRATEGIC GOALS

2010 “No Show” Survey

Volume 3, Issue 1

E ach year the IPD prepares a review of the recently com-pleted admissions cycles, pro-

viding comparisons with recent cycles. The review monitors trends in take-up rate on new undergraduate offers, which are used to determine how many offers must be made in each programme in order to achieve the following year‟s admissions targets. UCT received over 18 700 applications for new undergraduate places in 2010, and made academic offers to 7 711 of these applicants. At the beginning of the year, 3976 new undergraduates – or 52% of those who had been made academic offers – registered at UCT. Of concern was the fact that the 2010 offer take-up rate was markedly lower than the equivalent take-up rate in 2009 (58%). It was therefore fortuitous that the IPD had been requested by Council during 2009 to undertake a “no show” survey in order to probe the

reasons that successful applicants to UCT often do not take up their academic places at the University.

The IPD has commissioned a local BEE call centre to conduct telephonic interviews amongst the 2010 “no shows”. The interview schedule establishes the current activities of the applicants, the main reasons for not registering at UCT (financial reasons, residence issues, timeliness of UCT‟s offer, offer programme etc) and asks what UCT could have done to secure their ulti-mate registration. Applicants‟ experi-ence of applying to study at UCT is also probed. The call centre anticipates completing the interviews within the next week and subsequently returning the cap-tured responses to the IPD. The analysis of the responses will be com-pleted during July, and a draft report will be submitted to the Admissions and Progressions Committee in August.

SA Commercial Direct

Call Centre

I have been at the receiving end of IPD services for a number of years now and this year I de-

cided to join them as an intern. The first thing I learned is that IPD is the engine of the university, especially its committees. The sheer volume of the work produced and the fact that the department services nearly eve-ryone in the university has con-vinced me of that. The thing that I have appreciated the most, is the patience and support of the staff members that has been key to my learning and development. The other thing that I liked was the information sharing during the staff meetings. We all know what every-one is working on and this helps to enhance collaborations. I have really enjoyed working at IPD and I hope that my experiences in the corporate sector will be similar. Portia

T he Institutional Planning Department Internship Pro-gramme was launched to give

opportunity to people who have had no experience of working in the higher education sector and also to improve the equity profile of the department. When the opportunity came I grabbed it with both hands and it has provided me with the opportunity to obtain hands-on experience in a field higher educa-tion. The structured mentoring pro-gramme exposed me to all the work of the different units in the depart-

ment and gave me the opportunity to locate my own area of interest. The first half of the internship was very inten-sive; it was exposed to the day to day activities of the Institutional Planning Department (IPD) as well as the de-bates taking place within and outside

the university. I found discussions on policy issues fascinating and in the process I learnt a lot about the com-plexities and the challenges that the sector is grappling with. The second half of the internship was more focused on the activities of the Institutional Information Unit where I am currently employed as planning officer as from

the 1 July 2010. Given the general lack of skills and knowledge about the higher educa-tion sector I would really like to encourage other departments to set up internship programmes in order to equip people interested in higher

education with the necessary skills and exposure. These interns can then serve as prospective em-ployees should vacancies occur within these departments. Lastly I would truly like to thank the IPD staff for making my internship such a wonderful learning experience. Zandile

INTERNSHIPS

PORTIA GAMA ZANDILE TENNYSON

“ O f c o n -

c e r n w a s

t h e f a c t

t h a t t h e

2 0 1 0 o f f e r

t a k e - u p

r a t e w a s

m a r k e d l y

l o w e r ”

T h e t h i n g

t h a t I

h a v e a p -

p r e c i a t e d

t h e m o s t ,

i s t h e

p a t i e n c e

a n d s u p -

p o r t o f

t h e s t a f f

m e m b e r s


I n accordance with its mission and strategic plan, UCT is committed to providing an environment that strongly fosters learning and personal growth for all

its students. A key element of this is facilitating a first year experience that enables students to develop sound academic and social foundations for success at UCT in all its facets. Under the auspices of the Senate Academic Planning Committee (SAPC), UCT undertook a project to plan and implement a new initiative to enhance the first year experience (FYE). IPD, under the direction of Prof Ian Scott (CHED) helped to plan and organize the First Year Experience Collo-quium which took place on Wednesday 14 April. The colloquium was intended to provide an opportunity for interested parties from the academic community, student affairs and the student body to learn about FYE projects at other universities and to discuss the scope and focus of the UCT initiative. Guests from the Universities of Stellenbosch, Johannesburg and Witwatersrand were invited to speak on their extensive FYE experience and join UCT in its discussions. About sixty people attended. In addition, the colloquium was attended by the UCT Vice Chancellor, Dr Max Price and the Deputy Vice Chancellor, Prof Jo Beall who wel-comed guests.

In summary, the discussions highlighted the need for a more holistic integrated, institution wide approach that is information driven but recognises faculty specificities, the need to think about who the driver will be and the need for a clear vision of where UCT wants to go. In closing proceedings, Prof Beall highlighted that for the project to be successful it will need strong institutional commitment. She also mentioned that resources are a problem because there isn‟t a coordinated budget for supporting teaching and learning. These discussions endorsed the SAPC‟s decision to ap-point a Task Team to consider and make recommenda-tions on the purposes and nature of the project.


First Year Experience Colloquium

T he annual Environmental Scan, organised by the IPD and attended by the Senior Leadership Group, took place on May 13 2010.

The major objectives of this year‟s Scan were to: · reflect on how discussions with, and data on, similar institutions to UCT from South Africa and other parts of the world can help us become better at what we do in critical strategic areas, and · identify things in our external environment that consti-tute major threats to being able to advance our strategic goals and to discuss ideas for addressing these. In the first session of the Scan, the IPD‟s Judy Favish delivered a presentation on how the “Group of 8” univer-sities in Australia use comparative quantitative and quali-tative information to promote a culture of continuous improvement. The input for the second session was a presentation by Jane Hendry of the IPD on comparative

SA Higher Education sectoral data: trends in student enrolments and instruction/research staffing, and peer comparisons in relation to key indicators. This was fol-lowed by an update on performance in the National Sen-ior Certificate in 2009, in comparison with prior years and focusing on results in key subjects such as Mathe-matics. The lack of growth in the South African post-graduate sector, challenges with regard to changing the demographic profiles of postgraduate students and staff, and worrying national trends with regard to school out-puts with major implications for any plans for growth in the university sector were highlighted. The first two sessions provided persuasive cases about the value of looking at other institutions, and particularly the usefulness of engaging with comparative information (quantitative and qualitative) to assess progress and to effect improvements in processes, etc.

In the third session, Judy Favish made a presentation on high level descriptors of World Universities Network (WUN) institutions as well as a sample of other institutions in the North and Global South with a view to enabling UCT to identify possible institutions to engage with in a structured way around key proc-esses and systems. DVC Prof Jo Beall then led a session focussing on threats and opportunities to UCT in respect of achiev-ing the goals of the new strategic plan. Key focus areas that emerged for possible in-depth engagement with international institutions were:

Environmental Scan

0

50,000

100,000

150,000

200,000

250,000

300,000

350,000

400,000

450,000

Occasional

student

UG Dips

and Certs

UG

Bachelors

Degrees

Post-

graduate

Bachelor’s

Degree

PG

Diplomas

and

equivalent

Honours

and

equivalent

Masters

and

equivalent

Doctors

and

equivalent

2004

2005

2006

2007

2008

Changes in HE enrolments by qualification

type 2004 - 2008

DVC: Prof J Beall

Volume 3, Issue 1

I n his inauguration speech on the 19 August 2008 the Vice Chancellor, Dr Max Price,

made reference to a number of social issues that he wishes to pri-oritise during his term of office. One of these is education, where the crisis in public schooling is acknowledged as having negative consequences not only for the country as a whole, but for univer-sities in particular. The impact is felt acutely at this institution where the ongoing un-der-achievement and failure of black learners in the Matric exami-nations (particularly in township schools in and around Cape Town) results in relatively small numbers qualifying for entrance to UCT. Dr Price also acknowledged that in the past, tertiary institutions such as UCT had tended to take the view that problems in schooling were not theirs to fix. This, he believes, is something that must change. In order to develop a co-ordinated plan that will enhance UCT‟s bid to improve school education, Mr John Samuel was employed as Dr Price‟s special assistant and strategic advi-sor during the last five months of 2009. Over this period, Mr Samuels consulted widely across the institution, visiting depart-ments and student volunteer or-ganisations to gather information on the range of activities and pro-jects undertaken in and around schools here in the Western Cape.

A consultative forum was also consti-tuted. Initially chaired by Mr Samuel, since the beginning of this year this role has been taken on by Professor Crain Soudien, the newly appointed Deputy Vice Chancellor. What has come to be known as the EduLab initiative, has to date held a number of meetings at which the nature of the schooling crisis in the Western Cape has been dis-cussed, information about school-related work shared, and consideration given as to how the university can synergise these activities. Out of these deliberations, a decision was taken to explore the possibility of focusing our attention on a single geo-graphical area, and after considering a number of different schooling commu-nities, Khayelitsha was chosen for this

purpose. It is important to stress that from the outset EduLab has understood the need to take a holistic approach to working in schools, with a number of organising principles that go beyond simply seeking to impact positively on

teaching and learning in the class-room. For instance, it has been agreed that the over-arching goal is to promote democratic citizenship; that schools themselves have to be considered „in community‟ and crucially, there are no education „quick fixes.‟ It is also recognised that the EduLab initia-tive has important transformative potential for the institution as a whole. The next step for EduLab is a com-prehensive mapping of the univer-sity community‟s current initiatives in Khayelitsha. This will involve an extensive survey of all academic departments and PASS units in the university. The VC has approved a part-time appointment of Dr Sharman Wickham who will work with about 20 students to collect this informa-tion. They will start by contacting heads of academic and PASS depart-ments and where appropriate will meet with staff directly. We hope to finalise a report on UCT‟s initiatives by the end of June. In addition, in recent weeks con-structive meetings have been held both with Western Cape Education Department officials responsible for schools in that area, and with the Khayelitsha Development Forum and its Education sub-structure.

Internationalisation at home

Innovative teaching and learning models

Cross departmental processes

How to improve the quality of the student experience

Research-led teaching

Postdoctoral fellows and fellowships

How to increase the visibility of research

Promoting global citizenship Robust plenary discussion followed each of the inputs.

Agreed outcomes of the Scan were that the IPD would write an article for the Monday Paper on the compara-tive data with an analysis of lessons and implications for UCT, and that Prof Beall would use the list of focus areas in identifying possible WUN institutions where bilateral agreements could be initiated. In addition, the IPD was requested to develop a proposal in consultation with IAPO for consideration in a future meeting which would take account of the need to articulate clearer pur-poses for benchmarking and recommend particular institutions for entering into bilateral agreements.

Edulab Takes Holistic Approach

Enviro. Scan Continue..

“ T h e V C h a s a p p r o v e d a p a r t - t i m e a p p o i n t m e n t o f D r S h a r m a n W i c k h a m w h o

w i l l w o r k w i t h a b o u t 2 0 s t u d e n t s t o c o l l e c t t h i s i n f o r m a t i o n ”



T he Students‟ Representative Council (SRC) decided on “Enabling Academic Suc-

cess” as the theme of its second Student Quality Forum which was organised in cooperation with the Institutional Planning Department (IPD) and the Department of Stu-dent Affairs (DSA).

The Student Quality Forum is mainly aimed at promoting ongo-ing conversations about the role of students in quality assurance prac-tices. The forum is dedicated to building students‟ capacity to ac-tively engage in quality assurance discussions, improve their access to information on quality assurance practices and make informed in-puts about ways of improving the quality of education offered at in-stitutional, faculty and course levels.

The purpose of the second forum was to provide students with a platform to discuss avenues avail-able to strengthen existing struc-tures aimed at enabling student academic success. As such, stu-dent leaders from across the stu-dent governance were invited, including class representatives. In addition, the forum was attended by Prof Jo Beall, Deputy Vice Chancellor, Ms Moonira Khan, Executive Director: DSA, Prof David Gammon, Deputy Dean of Science, Ms Judy Favish, Direc-tor: Institutional Planning De-partment, Ms Edwina Goliath, Director: Student Development.

A special keynote was made by Ms Prem Coopoo, Dean of Stu-dents of the University of Wit-watersrand on the “First Year Experience at the University of Witwatersrand”.

She emphasized that enabling academic success requires a coherent initiative which cuts across divisional boundaries. This view was supported by Prof Anwar Mall, Head of Surgery, Faculty of Health Sciences at UCT. He further stressed the importance of build-ing an intervention around the holistic needs of the student, recognizing that it is often the non-academic aspects of a student‟s life affecting negatively on the student performance. The forum also featured parallel sessions centered on three sub-themes namely: Classroom Experience, Orientation Programme and Postgraduate Experi-ence. During these sessions useful reactions, comments and possible solutions were pro-vided by students. The next forum will be announced shortly.

2nd Students Quality Forum:

Ms Prem Coopoo—Wits University

T he Vice Chancellor‟s Strategic Fund, worth R100 million over 5 years was set up in 2009 as a com-petitive source of funding to support and expand

the range and impact of activities that would advance UCT‟s vision and strategic goals.

In the first round of consultations, which ended in No-vember 2009 and supported by the IPD and Finance, the VC‟s Strategic Fund attracted 80 proposals, re-questing more than R100 million for 2010 alone, and over R225 million for the four-year time-frame.

After careful consideration of the submissions, all in-teresting and of high quality, and using the assessment

criteria set out in the original call for proposals, the review committee, consisting of the Vice-Chancellor along with the 4 DVCs, agreed to fund a total of 36 proposals that it felt best represented the valuable contributions made by the university in various spheres, and which it felt would come closest to achieving the goals set out in UCT's strategic plan.

For the next round of funding for the 2011 calendar year, the process will start in August 2010 with the IPD issuing a call for proposals with a deadline of 30 September 2010. Changes to the process include a formal sign-off from Deans and Executive Directors before consideration by the review committee.

STRATEGIC FUNDING BIDS

Student Representative Council

Volume 3, Issue 1

T he Teaching and Learning Symposium was held on Tuesday, 01 June 2010 as a collaboration between the Department of Institutional Plan-

ning Department (IPD) and CHED (Centre for Higher Education and Development). The symposium was an opportunity to celebrate and learn from the achievements in innovative teaching practice at UCT and to stimulate debate on whether a focus on graduate attributes can enrich the design of mainstream curricula. It consisted of two panel discussions. The first was organized around presenta-tions by the winners of the 2009 CHED Collaborative Educational Practice Award. The second was organized around presentations by a sample of academics who have been nominated by their

faculties to write reflective papers on how they have integrated thinking about desired graduate attributes into their curricula for the 2009 Teaching and Learning Report. The UCT SRC presented on the attributes which they felt UCT should seek to nurture amongst UCT graduates. The forum was chaired by the Vice Chancellor Dr Max Price and attended by the Deputy Vice Chancellor, Prof. Jo Beal. About sixty-five people attended all in all.

2010 TEACHING AND LEARNING SYMPOSIUM

“ T h e s y m p o s i u m w a s a n o p p o r t u n i t y t o c e l e b r a t e a n d l e a r n f r o m t h e a c h i e v e -

m e n t s i n i n n o v a t i v e t e a c h i n g p r a c t i c e a t U C T ”

Room 229.4

Bremner Building

UCT Lower Campus

Lovers' Walk

Rondebosch

Phone: (021) 650 2179

Fax: (021) 650 2114

E-mail:

[email protected]

Institutional Planning

Department

University of Cape Town

IPD Website

www.uct.ac.za/services/ip/

department/

T he importance of the Academic Structure at UCT has been emphasized by the staff in the depart-ment, and therefore the following training was given to highlight the importance thereof:

The Higher Education Qualification Framework (HEQF) and Statute allow articulation under certain conditions, as demonstrated below. TYPES OF QUALIFICATIONS AND ARTICULATION Constraints on Articulation

Matriculation exemption requirements. A potential student admitted to a Diploma in Music cannot articulate to a BMus unless s/he has also met the matriculation exemption requirements when starting the Diploma.

Double dipping principle – if a qualification has been conferred it cannot be topped up to make up the difference between it and the next. A Master‟s student may be upgraded before the dissertation is submitted, expand the scope of the project and then graduate with a PhD, but not a Master‟s.

The Naming Qualifications is a process which is set out in terms of Qualification Types, Designators and Qualifiers UCT uses majors or specialisations to structure our undergraduate programmes below the level of programmes. Majors A vertical sequence of courses at undergraduate level, which have been combined to achieve a coherent unit within a discipline. These are typically found in the formative degrees, Humanities, Science and Commerce. Specialisations The focus area of a programme. Used at undergraduate level as an alternative to structuring the cur-riculum using majors, a coherent combination of courses to create a focus. eg BMus, which has specialisations in Jazz, African Music or Western Classsical At postgraduate level, where a programme such as a Master‟s in Political Studies could cover a number of areas, specialisations are used. eg a Master‟s in Justice and Transformation could be offered with a specialisation in: Human Rights, Conflict Resolution, Social Transformation. PLAN AND PROGRAMME CODES A decision has been made to reconceptualise the programme and plan codes at UCT in order to ensure coherence and uniformity. INTEGRITY OF THE STRUCTURE AND GOVERNANCE OF PROGRAMMES Please note that even if the programme is planned to be offered over a period longer than the minimum time (eg the ACEs), the minimum time is statutory. UCT cannot unilaterally make a four year (non-professional) bachelors degree, or a two year honours degree. However, UCT may – and do- offer a 3 year bachelors over four years („extended programmes‟), or an honours over two years, but this does not affect the minimum formal time. Each faculty handbook detailing the programme curriculum and rules. Each programme may have unique rules regarding readmission, distinctions, etc, which apply additionally to the general degree rules. The handbook is the official record of what the programme is, and no change may be made in it without due approval. The IPD staff would like to take this opportunity once again, to thank the presenters Karen van Heerden and Lisa Belding for a very useful training session.

STAFF TRAINING: THE ACADEMIC STRUCTURE AT UCT

IPD STAFF: Elaine Hendricks, Ashraf Conrad, Zone Mdledle

institutional planning department

Documents