Reconceptualising Student Success

Abstract

The phrase 'access for student success' is familiar in the South African Higher Education (SAHE) sector since the formation of the Department of Education in 1994, a result from the desegregation of the then 17 racial departments. Numerous initiatives to address this concept have been instituted in different ways by the Higher Education (HE) institutions. These have taken the form of student support programmes which have, inter alia, included access and/or foundation provision, academic development initiatives, career development and employment preparation programmes. The University of South Africa (Unisa) has not been omitted in taking on similar initiatives. Unisa in its attempt to enhance student success offers academic development (AD) programmes such as the Science Foundation Provision (SFP), amongst others. However, academic development remains an ad-hoc activity being offered by different directorates working in silos and often times duplicating some of the services. This paper aims to present a proposal towards developing an integrated model for learner support whose objective is to identify students' academic and career needs at the point of entry; refer them to appropriate learning and career development programmes; and thereafter enrol them in a job readiness training and placement programme (JRTP) in preparation for work-integrated learning (WIL) placements. This is a mixed methods study, involving a diagnostic academic literacies assessment, student and employer questionnaires as well as focus group discussions. Participants were 'employers' of Unisa students in WIL programmes with and/or without the career development and JRTP experience as well as Unisa students in these programmes. It was found that most senior students view student success as obtaining a qualification, and being able to use such qualification in gainful employment.