The document summarizes findings from a study on factors affecting student learning at the University of the Western Cape (UWC). The study found that many students struggle with poor attendance, unclear expectations from lecturers, a lack of feedback and consultation. It also found that students would benefit from more support with reading, writing and using technology. The study recommends that UWC improve teaching practices by being more available to students, clearly conveying expectations, providing constructive feedback, and better supporting skills like reading and writing.

1. Rethinking teaching in higher
education
Who are our students?
What are their needs?
Dr Melvyn November

2. The Student Retention and Graduate
Destination Study:
Dropout or stop out at the
University of the Western Cape
Mignonne Breier
Chief Research Specialist in the Education, Science and Skills
Development Research Programme of the HSRC

3. Background
• Problem of student attrition acute in SA
• In 2000,
– 30% dropped out in first-year of study
– Further 20% dropped out in 2nd & 3rd years
– Of the remaining 50%, fewer than half (22%)
graduated with generic BA with specified
three-year period (DoE, 2001)

4. Rationale of study
• To provide a clearer understanding of the
factors that shape the trajectory of
students into, through and out of HE
institutions and into the labour market.

5. Scope of the study
• Study - moment in history of institutions: 2002
• Seven institutions
1. Cape Peninsula Technikon
2. Fort Hare 5. U. of the North
3. Pretoria Technikon 6. Western Cape
4. Stellenbosch 7. Witswatersrand

6. Three phases of project
• Institutional profiles
– graduates and non-completers
• Profiles of individual students
– Surveys of graduates and non-completers
 without achieving a qualification, and those
 with a notional three- or four-year
qualifications
• Case studies of the seven institutions

7. Socio-Economic Status of Non-Completers
90%
82% 82%
79%
80%
70%
60%
53%
50%
50% Low-SE
40% High-S
30% 25% 25%
20%
10% 6% 6% 6%
0%
UFH UNorth UWC SU Wits

8. Completers vs Non-Completers:
UWC Faculty Enrolment
70
65
60
50
40
Completers
32
Non-Completers
30
24
20 18 18 17
8 9
10
5 4
0
Humanities Combined Science Education BSC
programmes

9. Reasons for non-completers leaving
80%
68%
70%
60% 53%
47%
50%
UWC
40% 32%
SU
30%
20%
10%
0%
Excluded Voluntarily

10. Reasons for students being excluded
60%
52%
50%
40%
40%
33%
31% UWC
30% 27%
SU
20% 17%
10%
0%
Finance Academic Finance & Academic

12. • Zivana Jenkinson, General Marketing Manager of Edu-
Loan, South Africa's dedicated education financial
services provider, says:
"Some students apply for partial bursaries and then find
themselves stuck with additional costs they can't afford
… Aside from the tuition, there are textbooks, transport,
food, accommodation and other living costs that can
financially cripple the student - and that's when they
drop out” (www.eduloan.co.za. 12-1-11).

13. Income of fathers, mothers or guardians
60
53
50
44
41
39
40
Father/male guardian % Non-
completers
30 28
Father/male guardian % Graduate
24 25
21 Mother/female guardian % Non-
20 completers
13 13 13 13 Mother/female guardian %
11 10 10 11 Graduate
10
6 5 6 6
3 3
1 1
0
No Income Under R3,200 R3,200-R6,400 R6,401- R12,001 + Don't know
R12,000 above

14. Conclusions - UWC case study
• Many students leave prematurely
– cannot afford to stay at university
• Student under-performance and dropout:
Not be seen in isolation from
– personal and
– parental financial resources
• Vicious cycle:
– financial disadvantage and
– academic underperformance

15. Factors affecting student learning at UWC
Study conducted by
Prof. Vivienne Bozalek
2008

16. Motivation of study
• To investigate students’ learning needs
and experiences, and
• To use findings to improve learning
environment & culture of learning at UWC

17. Methodology - Workshop
• Workshop on Participatory Learning and Action
– 20 students from EMS, ARTS, NS, and CHS
• Individual and group exercises on factors
impacting on students’ learning at UWC
– Visioning Exercise, Mapping, Matrix ranking, Tree Exercise

18. Methodology – Survey
• Questionnaire administered to 696 students
• Included all 7 faculties:
EMS, CHS, Arts, Dentistry, Education, Law and Science
• Currently 2nd year students
• Data collection: September-October 2008

19. Experiences with lecturers and in
the classroom
• What do you think students said about our
teaching and learning practices?

20. Attendance: The Lecturer/lectures 1
70.00%
61.99%
60.00% 54.90% 54.24%
50.00%
41.21%
40.00%
30.00%
20.66%
17.15% 17.73%
20.00% 15.03%
10.00%
3.17% 2.31%
0.72% 0.87%
0.00%
Very
clear
Quite
Always
Not very
well
Very well
unclear
Almost
Usually
unclear
unclear
regularly
Irregular
attend
attend
never
Not at all
Very
Often
quite
Fairly
well
ly
How often attend Explain objectives Clarity

22. Consultation with lecturers
100.00%
90.13%
90.00%
80.00%
70.00%
60.00%
50.00% 45.87%
40.00% 34.37%
30.00%
20.00% 13.72%
9.87%
10.00% 6.05%
0.00%
No
Yes
Hardly at all
Most of the
All the time
Sometimes
time
Consultation Availability

23. Dialogue
90.00% 82.49%
80.00%
70.00%
60.00% 56.43% 55.21%
50.00% 44.79%
40.00%
30.00% 26.32%
17.51%
20.00% 12.72%
10.00% 4.53%
0.00%
A lot of
A little
Virtually
amount
No
No
Yes
Yes
none of
A fair
of it
it
it
Learning activity in class Group Work Enjoy group work

24. Use of Digital Media
90.00% 78.83%
80.00%
70.00%
60.00%
47.25%
50.00% 41.98%
40.00% 34.99%
30.64%
30.00% 19.36% 21.17% 20.12%
20.00%
10.00% 2.75% 2.92%
0.00% No
Yes
More
Never
Less
Enough
Very often
Much More
Quite often
Occasionally
Use PC Attended course Use of technology

25. Use of Writing Centre
90.00% 80%
80.00%
70.00%
57.79%
60.00%
50.00% 42.21%
37.68%
40.00%
28.17%
30.00% 21.83% 20%
20.00% 12.32%
10.00%
0.00%
No Yes Not really A little bit A fair A lot No Yes
amount
Using the centre Usefulness Help in faculty w ith
w riting

26. Feedback from Lecturers
60.00%
53.97%
50.00%
39.94%
40.00% 36.03%
30.00% 26.92% 26.05%
20.00%
10.00% 7.09%
0.00%
No Sometimes Usually Almos No Yes
Alw ays
Useful Constructive

27. Inclusivity in higher education
• ‘Access without support is not opportunity. That
institutions do not intentionally exclude students from
college does not mean that they are including them as
fully valued members of the institution and
providing them with support that enables them to
translate access into success’ (Engstrom & Tinto, 2008:50).
• Promotion of inclusivity in an attempt to redress
apartheid legacies such as the skewed distribution of
resources & divisions on the basis of race in this sector.
• Key factors seen to be within the higher education
sector’s control are affective factors arising from
institutional culture and teaching and learning processes
followed in HEIs.

28. Conclusions and recommendations
1. Need to be accessible and available to students
2. Need to Convey clear expectations to students
3. Feedback – why students get marks; improve performance
4. Scaffolding the reading and writing processes
5. Infusion of technology with teaching
6. Use student evaluations - Improve teaching and learning
7. Ways of motivating student learning