Enhancing academic success through the involvement of students in quality assurance and promotion in higher education: A synopsis [Scholarly Article - South African Journal of Higher Education, 2020]

Title:

Enhancing academic success through the involvement of students in quality assurance and promotion in higher education: A synopsis

 

Author:

A. Saidi

 

Published:

South African Journal of Higher Education, Volume 34, Number 5 (2020)

https://www.journals.ac.za/index.php/sajhe/article/view/4347

Abstract:

One of the hallmarks of the democratisation of higher education is the involvement of students in the entire higher education delivery value chain. Global literature demonstrates a positive causal relationship between the involvement of students in the higher education delivery value chain and academic success. The article contends that, since quality assurance and promotion are acknowledged as integral components of the higher education delivery value chain, the involvement of students in quality assurance and promotion processes at the institutional and national levels can contribute positively towards enhancing academic success for students. The post-apartheid policies on higher education envisioned a transformed, effective and efficient higher education system, characterised by, among others, expanding access and improving student success. Unfortunately, while access has been expanding substantially, academic success of students has not improved significantly. This state of affairs requires that all stakeholders should have their hands on deck to contribute, through their diverse work activities, towards improving academic success of students. It is within this context that the CHE organised a conference on the theme: “Enhancing Academic Success through the Involvement of Students in Quality Assurance and Promotion in Higher Education”. This article provides a synopsis of the contribution of the conference to the discourse on enhancing the academic success through the involvement of students in quality assurance and promotion.

Curriculum design as an enabler of student involvement and success in higher education (Scholarly Article - SAJHE, 2020)

Title:

Curriculum design as an enabler of student involvement and success in higher education

 

Authors:

H.M. van Zyl, Y. Burger, L. Carstens & M. Geyser

 

Published:

South African Journal of Higher Education, Volume 34, Number 5 (2020)

https://www.journals.ac.za/index.php/sajhe/article/view/4267

 

Abstract:

Quality assurance, promotion, and the success of students are core drivers in Higher Education. Students shifted from being receivers in the knowledge transfer process of Higher Education to active co-producers in the learning process, which makes students more involved in the quality assurance process today than they were in the past. This shift requires curriculum developers of programmes to not only understand the nature of the change in the students’ role in Higher Education but also to anticipate future changes in their role. The Mode 1, Mode 2 and Mode 3 models of knowledge production are useful systems to help curriculum designers understand this daunting task. This research conducts a theoretical exploration into students’ shift in knowledge production as they engage with the curriculum in higher education, which explores the different modes of knowledge production. The exploratory research includes practical curriculum examples that highlight the changes in the structures of control, characteristics, and practicalities of the different modes, changes in assessment strategies, changes in teacher-student relationships, and the inclusion of other role-players such as industry and society. The first mode of knowledge production is a disciplinary and homogeneity model, with the second mode shifting to a transdisciplinary, heterogeneous, transient, and more systemic model which includes industry stakeholders, with a permeable boundary. The third mode of knowledge production is situated in the fourth industrial revolution space and looks at the combined future of science, knowledge, and technology.