Browsing by Subject "postgraduate studies"

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    Open Access
    Development of the Monitoring Disability in Society Post Graduate Diploma Course for Online Delivery
    (2016-04-04) Nwanze, Ikechukwu
    The Monitoring Disability in Society (AHS4118 MDIS) postgraduate diploma course has been adapted with a blended online component using teaching and learning technologies. This online component ran from when the students were at UCT physically (July 2015) to end of the course (November 2015). The course had a total of 18 students from within South Africa, Namibia and Botswana. The engagement of the postgraduate students in the online space has been remarkable and at the end of the course in November 2015, there was a 93% participation level for the forum and blog Vula online engagements. This was measured based on student posting and comment engagement with their peers for the 4 online activities we had in the course. This resource contains a report on the process of moving the course to a blended model and ten student outputs.
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    Open Access
    Exploring the transition: a case study of RPL students in a postgraduate programme
    Brenner, Aimee; Goodman, Suki; Meadows, Alison
    There has been a movement across South Africa's education sector to widen access and participation in higher education (HE). Recognition of Prior Learning (RPL) programmes offer an opportunity to do so by providing access to HE to those who do not necessarily have the prerequisite requirements. There is still much to learn regarding RPL programmes and the unique needs and challenges of RPL students, as most of these programmes are still in the pilot stage. This study is specifically concerned with the transition of RPL students into postgraduate HE, as little research has been conducted on this topic. To gain a deeper understanding of RPL student transition, the researcher followed a case-study approach in which the experiences of RPL students enrolled in an online postgraduate diploma programme in management in marketing (PgDipMM) at a South African university were investigated. The programme piloted a novel RPL assessment and selection process which aimed to address criticisms of previous models. Qualitative data was obtained through eight open-ended, in-depth interviews with RPL students enrolled in the programme. Using a thematic analysis approach, nine key themes were identified as possible mechanism that facilitated RPL students' successful transition into the postgraduate diploma and six themes that did not. Findings indicated that, to a large extent, the novel RPL assessment and selection process appeared to have facilitated RPL students' successful transition into a postgraduate diploma through technical preparation and building students' confidence in their abilities. Possible enablers and barriers to RPL students' successful transition were also identified and discussed. In short, the enablers included learner maturity, transference of prior knowledge and skills, social support, sense of belonging, access to effective resources and financial security. Conversely, the barriers included academic difficulties, under preparedness for the intensity of HE and time restrictions. The study had theoretical and practical implications in that it contributed to our understanding of RPL student transition to HE and provided suggestions for ways in which their successful transition can be facilitated