Project Mpumelelo

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Project Mpumelelo Working towards synergy in
addressing students success and retention issues
at the University of Johannesburg

• Presented by André van Zyl
• Academic Development and Support Unit, Auckland
  Park Kingsway Campus, University of Johannesburg,
  South Africa
• EAN Annual Conference 2007
• Galway, Ireland

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Introduction

• Who am I?
• What do I do?
• Where do I work?
• The University of Johannesburg
• Four Campuses across Johannesburg and surrounding
  areas
• More than 40 000 students
• Range of qualifications (levels and types)

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Context and Background
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A Historical Overview

• Rand Afrikaans University (RAU)
• Vista Soweto
• Vista East Rand (Daveyton)
• Incorporation during 2004
• RAU with three campuses
• Merger between Rand Afrikaans University (RAU)
  and Technikon Witwatersrand (TWR)
• January 2005 Creation of University of
  Johannesburg
• Practical merger process

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Retention in South African Higher Education

• We can no longer afford to lose half our
  students at university to the drop-out pool and
  we can no longer afford to look at the number of
  unemployed graduates without alarm.
• Part of our success is that we have widened
  access to our universities (3 in 4 students are
  black 2 in 4 students are women) but we have to
  ensure that those young men and women, whose
  parents struggle to send them there, succeed at
  university so that they are equipped to meet
  every challenge that the corporate world has to
  throw at them.
• Minister Naledi Pandor in a speech to the BMF
  during October 2006

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Retention in South African Higher Education
Students entering in 2000 Dropped out by 2004 Graduated by 2004 Not completed by 2004
RAU 2874 33 (948) 58 9
TWR 3777 60 (2266) 29 11
Universities 38407 38 (14594) 50 12
Technikons 43484 58 (25220) 32 10
MACFARLANE, D. (2006)
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Retention at UJ

• Situation at previous institutions
• Situation at UJ
• Government benchmarks and funding implications
• Emphasis on student success
• Massive changes in student demographics during
  the last decade
• Issues of access and success

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Project Mpumelelo
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Project Mpumelelo Conceptualisation

• Retention challenges at UJ
• Limited resources
• Various activities aimed at improving student
  success
• Fragmented efforts
• Lack of communication and coordination
• Generic efforts v integrated efforts

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Project Mpumulelo Theoretical base

• Tintos model
• Astin Student involvement
• Cultural capital
• First Year experience
• Various of European influences
• Work done at UJ and other South African
  Universities
• Uniquely South African factors
• Limited resources and extreme diversity

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Project Mpumelelo General information

• Initial meetings within Learning Centre
• Lack of coordination of efforts identified as
  major shortcoming
• Initial discussions with top management
• Pilot projects during 2007
• Phases of intervention
• Residences
• Upon arrival
• After the first assessment

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Mpumelelo Goals for 2007

• Initiating and building relationships with
  academic staff
• Establishing processes to facilitate effective
  cooperation
• Planning, implementing and evaluating pilot
  projects
• Raising awareness within the University

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Mpumelelo Activities for 2007 Residences

• Residences as learning centers
• Historical situation
• Specific plans
• Culture of learning
• Tutors in residences
• Merger process
• Future of this phase of the project

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Implementation cont.

• Upon arrival
• Information gathered on 2700 first year students
  in January 2007
• Analysis of information and initial dissemination
• After the first assessment
• Workshops up to date
• 171 Humanities first year students
• 94 Business management diploma students
• 350 Business management degree students

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A Typical implementation

• Cooperation between Academic Development and
  Academic departments
• Meetings with individual lecturers to discuss
  involvement and needs
• Development of material
• Discussion of material
• Presentation of workshops
• Follow up with students (Consultations)
• Follow up with lecturer (Meetings)

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Project Mpumelelo Feedback Student voices

• Feedback from training session on study
  techniques offered to a group of 346 (171 BA and
  175 B Com) first year students using Philosophy 1
  and Business Management 1 subject content
• Evaluation questionnaire completed at the end of
  the session
• Short questions and open comment question at the
  end
• 245 out of the 346 students made a written comment

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Initial Results
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Selected Qualitative Results
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Project Mpumelelo Feedback Student voices

• General tone
• Students enjoyed the presentation and were
  thankful for the development opportunity
• Thank you for providing me with the opportunity
  to learn about these learning techniques. I am
  sure now my grades will improve (BA student)
• Where have you been? I would have been better
  off in High School if someone had shown me these
  techniques! Thanks! (B Com student)

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Project Mpumelelo Feedback Student voices

• Some (healthy) skepticism
• Some students (Six in total) were worried about
  the time it would take to apply the techniques
  illustrated
• Looks like this is suppose to turn one into a
  bookworm, yet it is helpful (BA Student)
• I Think this presentation must be presented
  before the first test as it needs long-term
  planning. To make the studying easier it must be
  given a long time before
• (B Com student)

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Project Mpumelelo Feedback Student voices

• Timing (Many comments)
• Students would have liked to have been exposed to
  this type of development opportunity at an
  earlier time
• I honestly wish that we had this session before
  any of our first tests, but it is better now than
  never (BA student)
• This should be integrated in the orientation
  programme for first years. (B Com student)

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Project Mpumelelo Feedback Student voices

• Identification of past mistakes and bad habits
• Students were able to compare what they had been
  doing up to now with the new way of engaging with
  the material
• I feel that the training session has helped me
  understand where I have been going wrong, and my
  success with philosophy as well as my other
  subjects is sure to improve (BA student)
• It was great Makes you realize things you
  wouldnt normally notice (B Com student)

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Project Mpumelelo Feedback Student voices

• Awareness of available support
• Students became more aware of available support
  and assistance
• I would really like to go to the Learning
  Centre. It would be a great help to my studies
• Transferability of knowledge gained
• Students were able to compare what they had been
  doing up to now with the new way of engaging the
  material
• Excellent techniques, hopefully it will help for
  future tests, subjects and lectures

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Project Mpumelelo Feedback Student voices

• General comments
• Thanks for the help. Very informative, concise,
  interesting and in context. Would have been
  better to have had one of these earlier, but due
  to my reluctance I did not. Suggestion maybe
  make other students go to these
• The actual representation will help me prepare
  for my philosophy tests in the future!
  Management should have more study sessions in the
  first term. Especially with first years!

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Project Mpumelelo Feedback Student voices

• Lastly
• I think this technique will be very useful in my
  studies, hopefully I will do much better in the
  second semester. I will start applying the new
  techniques at the beginning of the semester
• I learned a lot today in terms of how to
  approach the subject and recall more information.
  I can and will definitely use this methodology
  to prepare for my future exams

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Selected Quantitative Results
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Project Mpumelelo Feedback Student voices
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Project Mpumelelo Feedback Student voices
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Project Mpumelelo Feedback Student voices
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Project Mpumelelo Feedback Student voices
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Project Mpumelelo Feedback Student voices
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Interesting initial results

• Developmental session conducted with Philosophy 1
  students.
• All students were encouraged to attend the
  session
• Session conducted directly after first test and
  well before second test
• Students tracked
• Results were as follows

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Interesting initial results

• 153 didnt attend the session
• Average mark for test 1 45.54
• Average mark for test 2 47.99
• Increase of 2.45
• 27 did not write test 2
• Average increase without students who did not
  write test 2 of 8.20

• 169 attended the session
• Average mark for test 1 42.85
• Average mark for test 2 56.09
• Increase of 13.24
• 6 did not write test 2
• Average increase without students who did not
  write test 2 of 14.82

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Conclusion
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Project Mpumelelo Lessons learnt and initial
conclusions

• Value of relationships (staff and students)
• Finding champions
• The need is great and efforts make a positive
  impact
• Coordinated effort is needed
• Integrated material (applied to students actual
  work)
• Timing is important

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Project Mpumelelo What does the future hold?

• Newly formed ADS unit
• Long road ahead
• The power of synergy
• Increased integration and cooperation
• Making success an institutional academic matter

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• Thank you!
• andrevz_at_uj.ac.za

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Bibliography

• PANDOR, N. (2006). Address to the Black
  Management Forum annual conference, Durban 12
  October 2006
• MACFARLANE, D. (2006) Shock Varsity dropout
  stats. Mail and Guardian newspaper. September
  22 to 28 2006. p6