Quality in Private Higher Education: Wake up or shake up?!

1. Quality in Private Higher Education: Wake up or shake up?! Dr Johann Hugo Prestige Academy CHE QEP Workshop for PHEIs 17-18 Sept 2015 Cape Town

2. #1.The Balancing Act Quality Potential gap BusinessTeaching & Learning Conditions for Student Success: Alignment of institutional goals, intervention strategies and planning. Coordination across different institutional structures (CHE 2014:14)

3. #2. Improving Teaching and Learning Strategic priorities: Curriculum design Student selection and admission Teaching-learning methodologies Generic skills, eg academic literacy Management of teaching and learning Environ- Assessment practice ment (Scott et al 2007:42-67)

4. The PHET Environment Output & Results Enablers Customer satisfaction Customer & Market focus Policies & Processes Service & Products Business strategy Continuous Review and Improvement External Push and Pull factors Internal

5. The Learning Environment Behind the stage Visible Infrastructure Processes Methodologies Assessment ICTs Materials Support services Library Student engagement Initiative Curriculum Policies Planning Preparation Organisation Management Psychosocial Funding Leadership

6. Environment conducive to learning • Make students desire toknow or experience more • Multiple ways of engagement and learning expression • Promote active learning • Utilise all available resources • Be creative, adopt and adapt • Match different learning styles as much as possible.

7. #3. Equip Students for Life and Articulation • CAT is a major challenge • Avoid the vocational trap – narrowly defined technical training that limits employment opportunities • Specify graduate attributes • Transferable knowledge and skills make articulation easier

8. Levels of Intellectual DevelopmentContextual knowingIndependent knowingTransitional knowingAbsolute knowing Reflective Practice

9. Reflection report (Contextual InfoDesign CD21) “The most challengingpart was the communication barrier due to cultural differences. We had to consider all factors to ensure we weren’t offensive, disrespectful and misinterpreted.” (GvdW) “I was excited to see a smile on his face after we gave him the sleeping bag. I expected him to be really cross with us but he proved me wrong.” (GB) “The criteria applied in this case were cost-effectiveness of the product, environmentally friendly and using local knowledge.” (RB).

10. #4. Evidence-based Practice Institutional National Global Apply and do better • Universities • Other PHEIs • Own champions Integrating best available external evidence from research with own practices.

11. Discussion time

12. An Alternative: Developing Attitude toward Learning(Robert Mager 1968) Areas of observation • Instructor • Instructional materials & devices • Physical environment • Social environment • Policies, rules & procedures Categories of questions • Contact difficulty • Contact conditions • Contact consequences Improve practice

13. Examples of questions: Instruction Contact difficulty • Does the lecturer allow or encourage questions? • Do the students “connect” with the subject? Contact conditions • Is he interested in students’ growth or simply to get a salary? • Does he put students to sleep with a boring teaching style? Contact consequences • Does he give prompt and constructive assessment feedback? • Are students with special learning needs left alone to fight their own battle?