Higher education and national development

1. Higher education and national development A view of current output and educational challenges Ian Scott, UCTSAGRA February/March 2006 Ian Scott, UCT

2. Research in progress • Recognising the multiple roles of thehigher education sector • Making a case for a central focus onimproving graduate output • because an adequate supply and mix of good graduates is essential for national development • because the system is not performing well Ian Scott, UCT

3. Significance of higher education for national (economic) development • Demands of economic globalisation and SA economic growth target • Recognition of skills shortages • Graduate unemployment • Graduate production is exclusive responsibility of HE sector Ian Scott, UCT

4. How well is the sector doing? • Key performance patterns, derived particularly from DoE’s cohort study of the 2000 intake of first-time entering students NB: Provisional data – not for quoting at present Ian Scott, UCT

5. HE participation rates and their significance • Overall 17%*: low for level of economic development • Major discrepancies between population groups: • White and Indian high • Black and Coloured low * Approximate % from HEMIS 2003 Ian Scott, UCT

6. Some implications • Need for growth, at least in key areas • for economic and social reasons • Where will the growth come from? • Who ‘belongs’ in higher education? Ian Scott, UCT

7. Performance data after 4 years: Overall Ian Scott, UCT

8. The educational development agenda • Patterns prove need for improvement in • equity • efficiency (graduation in regulation time) • shape (grad distribution by subject area) • quality and responsiveness? • Implications of the DoE’s new policy on enrolment growth Ian Scott, UCT

9. Some observations • Performance weakest where growth is most needed • Patterns of performance will not change spontaneously Ian Scott, UCT

10. Key implication: A new significance for equity-focused approaches • Not enough traditionally ‘prepared’ students to meet national graduate needs • Improving equity of access and outcomes: an imperative for economic as well as social development Ian Scott, UCT

11. Why are we not doing better? • Major changes affecting the sector: • substantial growth: 57% since 1991 • diversity in student intake • changes in the economy • Yet little change in mainstream educational processes • outdated curriculum structures • not coping well enough with diversity • Resources: human and material • …………… Ian Scott, UCT

12. Observations • The key challenges (including graduate quality) arise from systemic problems • More-of-the-same not working • Do we have the expertise (and will) to identify and implement effective solutions? Ian Scott, UCT

13. 2 decades of Academic Development • Alternative approaches (eg foundation programmes) can work • at UCT: more black Engineering and Science graduates through AD programmes than through ‘mainstream’ • Relationship between selection and curriculum • Importance of the literacies – as foundations and graduate attributes Ian Scott, UCT

14. What does it take? • Effective learning frameworks • curriculum structures that cater for diversity • Design and delivery informed by an understanding of how adults learn (SoTL) • Dealing with diversity in the classroom • Institutional culture Ian Scott, UCT

15. What does it take? (cont) • resources • educational expertise which in turn require: • commitment to educational goals • raising the status of ‘teaching’ Ian Scott, UCT

16. In conclusion • The need to optimise the performance of the students already accessing the sector • Whose responsibility? • Drawing on expertise outside the university? Ian Scott, UCT