1. Diane Grayson Overview of the South African Quality Enhancement Project

2. SA population (2011)51.8 million No. 15-19 year olds (2011)5.0 million No. 20-24 year-olds (2011)5.4 million No. HE students (2013)983 698 20-24 year old participation rate 20% Black African16% White55% Key statistics

3. Throughput rates for 3-year degree 2008 student cohort in public HEIs (excluding UNISA) (VitalStats Public Higher Education 2015, CHE)

4. Throughput rates by race for 3-year degree 2008 student cohort in public HEIs (excluding UNISA) (*Potential graduates may still be in the system)

5. Constituted between late 1880s and 1980s 36 institutions comprising: English-medium (“liberal”) universities Afrikaans-medium universities Dual-medium universities Universities for specific racial and ethnic groups Technikons Distance education institutions SA Higher Education Institutions in1994

6. Technikons became universities of technology Government-mandated mergers and absorptions took place in 2004, resulting in 23 institutions of three types: - Universities (traditional) - Comprehensives (traditional + technology) - Universities of technology Two new HEIs were opened in 2014 One merged university was unbundled and part of it formed the core of a new university in 2015 Changes to the HE landscape since 1994

7. 26 PUBLIC HEIs 6 Universities of technology 8 Comprehensive universities 12 Universities ABOUT 120 PRIVATE HEIS Very diverse – small single focus to large, multi-focus; certificate to PhD Higher education institutions in 2015

8. Accreditation of HEI programmes National reviews of key programmes (e.g. MBA, BEd) Institutional Audits - Once through all public universities (3 still open) - Need to focus on improving teaching and learning identified First Quality Assurance Cycle 2004-2011

9. Advisory group Formal QA structures Focus groups DVCs meetings QA Forums Three regional symposia with Vincent Tinto (expert on student success) Visit to QAA Scotland and international enhancement conference THE QUALITY ENHANCEMENT PROJECT 2012 to 2013: Exploration of alternatives to institutional audits to focus on improving T&L

10. The enhancement of student learning with a view to producing an increased number of graduates with attributes that are personally, professionally and socially valuable. 1. enhanced student learning, leading to an 2. increased number of graduates that have 3. improved graduate attributes STUDENT SUCCESS Focus of the Quality Enhancement Project

11. Institutions engaged simultaneously Four focus areas identified to start with for first two years Both individual institutions and collaborative groups of institutions are involved Inductive and iterative (two 2-year phases) DVCs Academic and T&L are co-leaders with the CHE Approach

12. Both institutionally-based and nationally coordinated activities Institutional enhancement HE system enhancement

13. Focus areas for Phase 1 (2014-2105) 1. Enhancing academics as teachers Including professional development, reward and recognition, workload, conditions of service and performance appraisal. 2. Enhancing student support and development Including career and curriculum advising, life and academic skills development, counselling, student performance monitoring and referral. 3. Enhancing the learning environment Including teaching and learning spaces, ICT infrastructure and access, technology-enabled tools and resources, library facilities. 4. Enhancing course and programme enrolment management Including admissions, selection, placement, readmission refusal, pass rates in gateway courses, throughput rates, management information systems.

14. Teaching Assessment Curriculum development FA 1: Enhancing academics as teachers Creating an enabling institutional environment

15. Teaching Assessment Curriculum development FA 2: Enhancing student support and development Developing institutional mechanisms for student support Support Counselling Monitoring

16. Teaching Assessment Curriculum development FA3: Enhancing the learning environment Providing institutional resources Counselling Monitoring Support Learning environment

17. FA4: Enhancing course and programme enrolment management Admit Mainstream Extended Gateway Continue ExcludedDrop out Delayed

18. Institutional submissions Analysis Feedback Collaboration Analysis Symposia, working groups Projects of other bodies Institutional capacity development Research projects Select focus areas Individual Institutional feedback Feedback Institutional reports Process per phase

19. 2014 Feb Mar May Sept Oct Nov 2015 Mar Apr May June Aug Sept Nov Dec 2016 QEP Launch, DVCs meeting QA forums Institutional updates QEP baseline institutional submissions due QEP representatives meeting QEP DVC Forum constituted QEP institutional workshops (4 people per institution) QEP DVC Forum Content analysis of baseline submissions published Workshops on assessing and rewarding university teaching QEP DVC Forum Scotland trip Peer reviewer training Phase 1 final institutional submissions due Individual institutional feedback; begin Phase 2

20. Successes so far The whole HE sector is engaged HEIs are talking to each other– good ideas are being shared, common challenges are being identified DVCs are beginning to work together nationally Focus areas are getting embedded in institutional plans Challenges Need to develop a culture of evidence-based decision- making Institutions reluctant to share what is not working Variation among institutions in understanding the need to shift from compliance to reflective mode

21. Benchmarks and codes of good practice for quality undergraduate provision Policy recommendations Tools and resources for improving student success Research Communities of practice Raise the bar for what can be expected of institutions in promoting student success in future Expected outcomes of the QEP

22. 1.Enhancement of the quality of undergraduate provision. 2.Enhancement of the quality of graduates. 3.A higher education system that is improving continuously as members of the higher education community collaborate to share good practice and solve shared problems. Broad desired outcomes