The challenges of designing a new programme and qualification mix (PQM) for a comprehensive university in South Africa
| dc.contributor.advisor | Hay, Johnnie F. | |
| dc.contributor.advisor | Van der Westhuizen, Louis J. | |
| dc.contributor.author | Dandala, Maxwell Andile | |
| dc.date.accessioned | 2018-01-12T10:44:59Z | |
| dc.date.available | 2018-01-12T10:44:59Z | |
| dc.date.issued | 2009-04 | |
| dc.description.abstract | English: This study focused on the challenges of designing a new Programme and Qualification Mix (PQM) for a Comprehensive University (CU) in South Africa. The mergers and incorporations of higher education institutions in South Africa resulted in the formation of three institutional types, namely, traditional universities, universities of technology (former technikons) and comprehensive universities (offering both university-type programmes and technikon-type programmes). The interest in pursuing this study was initiated by the challenges that the CUs would face in designing their first post-merger PQMs. Walter Sisulu University (WSU) which resulted from the merger of three historically disadvantaged institutions (HDIs) was used as the case study. WSU was one of the six South African CUs, four of which were currently offering both university- type programmes and university of technology-type programmes. The other two CUs were seemingly at the initial stages of offering both types of programmes. The study explored the transformation of the South African Higher Education system which was informed by what the position was before 1994 and also by examining the higher education transformation agenda after 1994 through attempts by the first democratic post-apartheid government of South Africa to create a single higher education system through the National Commission on Higher Education (1996), the Education White Paper 3 (1997), the Higher Education Act, Act No. 101 of 1997, as amended, the National Plan for Higher Education (2001), as well as the Guidelines for Mergers and Incorporations (2003). Documents such as the Qualifications Structure for Universities in South Africa – Report 116 (1995), the Qualifications Structure for Technikons in South Africa – Reports 150 and 151 as well as the Higher Education Qualifications Framework (HEQF) – 2007 were used in conjunction with the Eastern Cape Provincial Growth and Development Plan (PGDP) – 2004-2014 in order to enrich the debate that informed the designing and development of the PQM for WSU as a comprehensive university. The above legislative framework was followed by an attempt to define or explain terminologies like “university”, “comprehensive university”, “programme”, “qualification”, “programme and qualification mix”, in the context of the South African higher education system. These definitions were compared with equivalent international practice. This study, in attempting to analyse the PQMs of CUs, discussed the inherent nature and roles of universities as well as the classification of university types in South Africa which resulted from the mergers and incorporations of certain higher education institutions. The chapter described in the above paragraph was followed by a discussion of academic programmes and qualifications1 offered at selected comprehensive universities on five continents, namely, Africa, Asia, America2, Australia and Europe. This was done in conjunction with an exploration of the process of the development of the PQM of two South African traditional universities, two South African universities of technology and four3 South African comprehensive universities. In order to analyse the challenges associated with the designing and development of the first post merger PQMs for comprehensive universities in South Africa a sample of eight universities were asked to respond to a survey using questionnaires. Research questionnaires were distributed and retrieved from the selected eight universities including two merged traditional universities, two merged universities of technology and four merged comprehensive universities as well as one questionnaire to each of the three former Vice Chancellors of the three institutions which merged to form WSU. The Executive Deans of the four faculties of WSU had to respond to the same questionnaire and this gave a clearer hands-on and current view of the process of PQM design and development at WSU. These universities were asked questions on the definition of terms like what Programme and Qualification Mix are understood to be, what comprehensive universities are, what their views are in terms of the sustainability of the binary divide, what their PQM development processes entailed, which stakeholders were involved in their PQM development processes and what challenges faced their PQM development processes. A selection of stakeholders who are interested and affected parties in the PQM design and development process of WSU was interviewed. Interviews were conducted with a senior official of the Higher Education division of the national Department of Education, the Eastern Cape Provincial Member of the Executive Council (MEC) for Education, the official who led the process of developing the Eastern Cape Provincial Growth and Development Plan (PGDP) as well as the Executive Mayors of the three District Municipalities, namely, Amathole, Chris Hani and OR Tambo, in whose areas all four campuses of Walter Sisulu University are situated. The interview schedule covered questions like the roles of the above stakeholders in WSU’s PQM development processes and what these stakeholders expected to achieve from the aforementioned PQM processes. They were also probed on what specific programmes they would like the PQM processes to include. The results of both the questionnaire and the interview surveys were analysed and conclusions were drawn therefrom. Since WSU is used as a case study, the challenges of designing the first post-merger PQM for this specific university as a comprehensive university were outlined in detail with a possible model proposed for its PQM. The last chapter drew general conclusions, recommendations and suggested areas for further empirical studies in this field. | en_ZA |
| dc.description.abstract | Afrikaans: Hierdie studie het op die uitdagings daaraan verbonde om ʼn Program-en-Kwalifikasie-Kombinasie (PKK) van ʼn Komprehensiewe Universiteit (KU) in Suid-Afrika te ontwerp gefokus. Die samesmelting en inlywing van hoëronderwysinrigtings in Suid-Afrika het drie institusionele tipes ten gevolg gehad, naamlik tradisionele universiteite, universiteite vir tegnologie (voormalige technikons) en komprehensiewe universiteite (wat sowel universiteit-tipe programme as technikon-tipe programme aanbied). Die belangstelling om hierdie studie voort te sit, het ontstaan uit die uitdagings waarvoor die KU te staan sou kom in die ontwerp van hulle post-samesmeltings-PKKs. Die Walter Sisulu Universiteit (WSU), wat ontstaan het uit die samesmelting van drie historiesbenadeelde inrigtings (HBI), is as gevallestudie gebruik. WSU is een van die ses Suid-Afrikaanse KU, waarvan vier tans sowel universiteit-tipe programme as universiteit-van-tegnologie-tipe programme volg. Die ander twee KU is nog nie gereed om albei tipes programme aan te bied nie. Die inherente aard en rolle van universiteite, sowel as die klassifikasie van universiteitstipes in Suid-Afrika, wat voortgespruit het uit die samesmelting en inkorporering van hoëronderwysinstellings, die transformasie van die Suid-Afrikaanse Hoëronderwysstelsel wat gelei (geinformeerd) is deur wat die posisie voor 1994 was, asook deur die hoëronderwys transformasie-agenda ná 1994 deur pogings van die eerste demokratiese post-apartheidsregering van Suid-Afrika om ʼn enkele hoëronderwysstelsel te skep by wyse van die Nasionale Kommissie oor Hoër Onderwys (1996), die Witskrif oor Onderwys 3 (1997), die Wet op Hoëronderwys, Wet No. 101 van 1997, soos gewysig, die Nasionale Plan vir Hoër Onderwys (2001) asook die Riglyne vir Samesmelting en Inlywing (2003), word ondersoek. Dokumente soos die Kwalifikasiestruktuur vir Universiteite in Suid-Afrika – Verslag 116 (1995), die Kwalifikasiestruktuur vir Technikons in Suid-Afrika – Verslae 150 en 151, asook die Hoëronderwys Kwalifikasieraamwerk (HOKR) – 2007 is gebruik in samewerking met die Oos-Kaapse Provinsiale Groei- en-Ontwikkelingsplan (PGOP) – 2004-2014, ten einde die debat te verryk wat die ontwerp en ontwikkeling van die PKK vir WSU as komprehensiewe universiteit van inligting voorsien het. Die bogenoemde wetgewende raamwerk word opgevolg deur ʼn poging om terminologie soos “universiteit”, “komprehensiewe universiteit”, “program”, “kwalifikasie”, “program-enkwalifikasie- kombinasie”, in die konteks van die Suid-Afrikaanse hoëronderwysstel te definieer of te verduidelik. Hierdie definisies word met soortgelyke internasionale prakties vergelyk. Hierdie studie het die inherente voorkoms en rol van universiteite asook die klasifikasie van universiteitstipes in Suid Afrika wat voortgespruit het in geval van die samesmettingsprosesse van sekere hoëropvoedkundige institusies, bespreek. Die programme en kwalifikasies4 wat by geselekteerde komprehensiewe universiteite op vyf kontinente aangebied word, naamlik Afrika, Asië, Amerika5, Australië en Europa, word uiteengesit in samewerking met die PKK van twee tradisionele Suid-Afrikaanse universiteite vir tegnologie en die vier6 Suid-Afrikaanse komprehensiewe universiteite. ʼn Steekproef van agt universiteite is gevra om te reageer op ʼn opname deur middel van vraelyste om sodoende die uitdagings wat geassosieer word met die ontwerp en ontwikkeling van die eerste post-samestellings-PKKs vir komprehensieweuniversiteite in Suid-Afrika te analiseer. Navorsingsvraelyste is uitgedeel van agt universiteite en terugontvang, insluitend twee saamgesmelte tradisionele universiteite, twee saamgesmelte universiteite vir tegnologie en vier saamgesmelte komprehensiewe universiteite, asook een vraelys van elk van die voormalige Visekanseliere van die drie inrigtings, wat saamgesmelt het om die WSU te vorm. Die Uitvoerende Dekane van die vier fakulteite van WSU moes geageer op dieselfde vraelys en dit het ʼn duideliker en resente siening van die proses van PKK ontwerp en ontwikkeling van WSU gegee. Hierdie universiteite is gevra vrae soos wat bedoel word met die definisie van terme soos Program-en-Kwalifikasie-Kombinasie, wat komprehensiewe universiteite is, wat hulle standpunte is in terme van die volhoubaarheid van die binêre verdeling, wat hulle PKK-ontwikkelingsprosesse behels, watter deelhebbers betrokke was in hulle PKK-ontwikkelingsprosesse en voor watter uitdagings hulle PKKontwikkelingsprosesse te staan gekom het. Onderhoude is gevoer met ʼn seleksie van aandeelhouers wat geïntereseerd is, en betrokke partye in die ontwerp en ontwikkeling van WSU se PKK. Hulle is ook gevoer met ʼn seleksie van ‘n senior beampte van die Hoëronderwysafdeling van die Nasionale Departement van Onderwys, die Oos-Kaapse Provinsiale Lid van die Uitvoerende Raad (LUR) vir Onderwys, die beampte wat die ontwikkelingsproses in die Oos-Kaapse Provinsiale Groei- en Ontwikkelingsplan (PGOP) gelei het, asook die Uitvoerende Burgemeesters van die drie Distriksmunisipaliteite, naamlik Amathole, Chris Hani en OR Tambo, die gebiede waarin al vier kampusse van die Walter Sisulu Universiteit geleë is. Die onderhoudskedule het vrae gedek soos die rolle van bostaande deelhebbers in die ontwikkeling van WSU se PKKontwikkelingsprosesse en wat hierdie deelhebbers verwag het om deur middel van voorafvermelde PKK-prosesse te bereik. Hulle is ook gepols oor watter spesifieke programme hulle in die PKK-proses sou wou insluit. Resultate van beide die vraelys opnemers en die onderhouds opnemers is geanaliseer en gevolgtrekkings is bereik. Aangesien die WSU as gevallestudie gebruik is, word die uitdagings om die eerste post-samesmeltings-PKK vir hierdie universiteit as ʼn komprehensiewe universiteit in detail uiteengesit, met ʼn moontlike voorgestelde model vir ʼn PKK vir die universiteit. Die laaste hoofstuk maak algemene gevolgtrekkings, doen sekere aanbevelings, en stel terreine vir verdere empiriese studie op hierdie gebied voor. | af |
| dc.description.sponsorship | Walter Sisulu University (WSU) | en_ZA |
| dc.identifier.uri | http://hdl.handle.net/11660/7601 | |
| dc.language.iso | en | en_ZA |
| dc.publisher | University of the Free State | en_ZA |
| dc.rights.holder | University of the Free State | en_ZA |
| dc.subject | Challenges | en_ZA |
| dc.subject | Designing | en_ZA |
| dc.subject | Development | en_ZA |
| dc.subject | Programme and Qualification Mix (PQM) | en_ZA |
| dc.subject | Comprehensive university | en_ZA |
| dc.subject | Binary divide | en_ZA |
| dc.subject | Merger processes | en_ZA |
| dc.subject | PQM model | en_ZA |
| dc.subject | Education, Higher -- South Africa | en_ZA |
| dc.subject | Educational change -- South Africa | en_ZA |
| dc.subject | Thesis (Ph.D. (Higher Education Studies and Development))--University of the Free State, 2009 | en_ZA |
| dc.title | The challenges of designing a new programme and qualification mix (PQM) for a comprehensive university in South Africa | en_ZA |
| dc.type | Thesis | en_ZA |