Programme Level Review as a Tool for Constructing the Differentiated Curriculum in emerging Comprehe

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Process for and Conduct of Programme Review The
UNISA Case Study Rachel Prinsloo rprinslo_at_unisa.ac
.za
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6 Dimensional Analysis

• UNISA Context as Dedicated ODL Institution
• Responsiveness to External Realities
• Historical Pre-merger Context
• Re-engineering the Comprehensive
• Programme Reviews for Planning/QA
• UNISA Structural Arrangements and Challenges

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UNISA ODL Context

• Vision Towards the African University in the
  service of humanity
• Celebrate African identity within a Comprehensive
  University
• Craft an innovative set of offerings (PQM) that
  is aligned with the UNISA 2015 Agenda for
  Transformation and national strategic imperatives

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UNISA ODL Context

• The new institutional type, the comprehensive,
  informed addressing a range of policy goals
  central to the national human resource
  development strategy. Stipulated as key
  advantages
• Facilitating access to higher education and
  promoting student and adult worker mobility
  through enhanced articulation between
  occupational /career-focussed and general
  academic programmes
• Strengthening applied research, and improving
  responsiveness to regional and national human
  resource, skills and knowledge needs.

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UNISA ODL Context continued

• The Observatory on Borderless Higher Education
  provides a really important service to the busy
  and increasingly pressurised leaders in higher
  education. It targets the kind of information
  necessary to decision-making about the strategies
  fundamental to survival in a complex and fast
  changing HE landscape. Brenda Gourley,
  Vice-Chancellor, The Open University

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Responsiveness to External Realities- Policy
Environment

• NPHE (2001)
• NAP (2002)
• NADEOSA Quality DE Tools Criteria, Minimum
  Standards, Provider Readiness
• CHE (2004) Policy Advice Enhancing Contribution
  of DE in SA
• HEQF (2004)

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Constructive Engagement

• CE implies strenuous, reflective and
  reflexive, argumentative interaction with the
  external sphere in at least four spheres
• Setting goals, purposes, and priorities
• Relating teaching and learning to the wider world
• Dialogue between researchers and practitioners
• Taking on wider responsibilities as neighbours
  and citizens in the public good

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Responsiveness to External Realities-Global
QA

• HE in 21st Century
• Globalisation and GATS
• Regional Blocs
• Innovations in ODL Delivery
• Codes of Conduct for Cross Border Delivery

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HE in 21st Century

• ODL an innovative response to the
• education environment reflecting the vision
• of the World Declaration on Higher
• Education for the Twenty-first Century
• Vision and Action, adopted by the World
• Conference on Higher Education convened
• by UNESCO in Paris on 9 October 1998.

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UNESCO Declaration on HE(paraphrased)Provide
opportunities for higher lifelong learning
with optimal range of choice and flexibility of
entry and exit points within the system, as well
as opportunity for individual development and
social mobility in order to educate for
citizenship and for active participation in
society, with a worldwide vision, for endogenous
capacity-building, and for the consolidation of
human rights, sustainable development, democracy
and peace, in a context of justice.
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Historical Pre-merger Context

• TSA / SAIDE Courseware Evaluation and Capacity
  Building Project (August 2000-August 2002)
• Brief develop a rigorous, cost effective and
  QAed review process
• Four Key Activities
• Mapping
• First Level Evaluation (FLE)
• In-Depth Evaluation (IDE)
• Materials Redevelopment

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TSA / SAIDE Courseware Evaluation and Capacity
Building Project (August 2000-August 2002)

• 65 FLE reports
• An IDE requires 7 days to complete
• Interviews with stakeholders (2 days)
• Observations (2 days)
• Assessment feedback (1 day)
• Consolidated report (2 days).

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TSA / SAIDE Project- Planning the IDE Research
Process (CE)

• Clarifying the nature and purpose of the IDE
  exercise (within resource constraints agreed with
  the steering committee)
• Establishing an IDE protocol
• Formulating an IDE action plan
• Revising IDE instruments

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Research Process

• Stakeholder Interviews
• (IDEs)
• Site Observations
• Tutorials, Workplace
• Practicals

FLE
PQ Purpose Graduateness
Integrated Assessment Timely Feedback
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Generic Statement of Graduateness

• SAQA (200121) formulation that students
• demonstrate that they have an understanding of
  what they are doing, and why (foundational
  competence)
• demonstrate the ability to perform a set of tasks
  in an authentic context (practical competence)
  and
• demonstrate that they can integrate their
  performance with their understanding, so that
  they can adapt to changed circumstances and
  explain the reasons behind their actions
  (reflexive competence).

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Insights and Lessons from the TSA / Saide
Programme Review Project (1)

• Pre-merger strategy to consolidate vocational
  programmes, internally QA and produce guidelines
  for programme redesign and redevelopment
• Critical alignment to national DE Quality
  Criteria, Improved Teaching and Learning
  Strategies, Integrated Assessment

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Insights and Lessons from the TSA Faculty Audit
and Programme Review Project (2)

• Production of FLPEI based on prior TSA/SAIDE
  Evaluation and Capacity Building Study and
  Recommendations
• Historical Context of Institutional Inequities
  and Discrimination (Ogude et al)
• FLPEI Evidence based reporting leading to Self-
  Assessment Report and Recurriculation Plan
• Iterative Design and Methodology

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Insights and Lessons from the TSA /SAIDE
Programme Review Project (3)

• Enriched process harnessing Academic Expertise
  with Educational Design and Learning Development
• Intended and Unintended Consequences
• Improved T L integrated assessment enhancing
  applied competence curriculum benchmarking,
  research based development and future trajectory
• Critical location and alignment of programmes /
  insertion of research themes

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Re-engineering the Comprehensive

• Distillation of Key Features of Comprehensive
  Institutions (Baijnath)
• Diversity Indices
• 1. Systemic diversity referring to type, size and
  
• Fitness of Purpose characterisation
• 2. Structural diversity, premised upon
  differing legal and historical foundations,
  governance structures, institutional culture
  delegations of authority

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Diversity Indices cont

• 3. Programmatic Diversity scope, levels,
  comprehensiveness, purposes, mission and emphases
  of programmes and mode of delivery, nature of
  technical and support services
• 4. Procedural Diversity structural internal QA
• 5. Reputational Diversity status and prestige
  differentials
• 6. Constitutional Diversity- students served,
  range of stakeholder constituencies

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Gibbons- DoE CCI Concept Document (2004)General
Traits Responsiveness and relevance of PQM and
research foci to local, regional and national
needs globalDiversity full suite of
programmes (vocational, career-focused,
professional and general formative) reflecting
university and technikon types Accessibility-
differing entry and exit levels Learner mobility
and articulation vertical, horizontal and
diagonal Flexibility collaboration and
partnerships with community, Co-operative
Governance involving key stakeholders in civil
society, government, business, organized labour,
and industry partners
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Programme Reviews for Planning and QA

• Current Context
• Ways of Seeing the UNISA QF
• Conceptual Deepening and Strategic Academic
  Planning
• Invoking HEQF PQM Refinement
• Curricular Differentiation and Consolidation
• Programme Redesign and Streamlined Efficiencies

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Programme Reviews for Planning and QA

• Widened Planning and Dialogical Platforms
• Alignment to UoTs Regional Meta-Frameworks
  (SADC RQF) and DEASA
• Pan-African (ACDE) and International Frameworks
• Leadership in ODL and Collaborative Capacity
  Building

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UNISA Structural Arrangements

• College Level Analysis for Re- engineering
• College Tuition Committees and Boards
• Senate Academic Planning and QA Committee
• Senate Tuition Committee
• Senex / Senate
• Council Ratification
• Implementation, Oversight and Monitoring

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Six Key Challenges

• Fluid Policy Environment
• ODL lead in time and investments
• Disaggregated programme level planning data
  systems reconfiguration
• Staff reorientation and development
• Complexity and scale of operations
• Unresolved Tensions
• (i) Transformation / Continuity
• (ii) Incremental / Radical Overhaul