Working members identified poor class attendance as a major contributor to poor student success. Of major concern was the lack of interest and poor class attendance by repeating students. This trend was also observed in terms of attendance of extra classes and other student support programmes. In addition, academics identified monitoring of class attendance as a challenge especially for large classes. There is a need to emphasise the importance of class attendance during orientation week. The university has put several structures such as excellence offices in faculties, mentors, tutors, and extra classes in place to support students who are struggling academically. However, as noted already, the students who need these interventions do not make optimal use of these structures, whether in faculties or in support environments. There is an urgent need for a change in attitude and culture among students and staff as many of these interventions happens in isolation, and without thorough planning with the subject lecturers. Work Group members recommended that TUT should conduct focus group interviews, which could be facilitated by mentors, to uncover the reasons for the negativity by students regarding their own studies and poor class attendance. The university should endeavour to understand the of the 21st century student. This generation of students are technologically inclined, and the university has to consider how it aligns teaching, learning and student support strategies to meet their needs. The university should also consider the profile of the students that it enrols for study. in the concerns listed above. Academics reported that they did not have control over the deregistration of students from the system, which was a challenge for the calculation of student success rates. Students who cancelled, dropped out or disappeared from the system are included when success rates are calculated. Various social factors that had a severe impact on student performance were identified, such as teaching hungry students, absenteeism due to lack of transport fees, parents divorcing, death of a breadwinner, etc.
Working members identified poor class attendance as a major contributor to poor student success. Of major concern was the lack of interest and poor class attendance by repeating students. This trend was also observed in terms of attendance of extra classes and other student support programmes. In addition, academics identified monitoring of class attendance as a challenge especially for large classes. There is a need to emphasise the importance of class attendance during orientation week. The university has put several structures such as excellence offices in faculties, mentors, tutors, and extra classes in place to support students who are struggling academically. However, as noted already, the students who need these interventions do not make optimal use of these structures, whether in faculties or in support environments. There is an urgent need for a change in attitude and culture among students and staff as many of these interventions happens in isolation, and without thorough planning with the subject lecturers. Work Group members recommended that TUT should conduct focus group interviews, which could be facilitated by mentors, to uncover the reasons for the negativity by students regarding their own studies and poor class attendance. The university should endeavour to understand the of the 21st century student. This generation of students are technologically inclined, and the university has to consider how it aligns teaching, learning and student support strategies to meet their needs. The university should also consider the profile of the students that it enrols for study. in the concerns listed above. Academics reported that they did not have control over the deregistration of students from the system, which was a challenge for the calculation of student success rates. Students who cancelled, dropped out or disappeared from the system are included when success rates are calculated. Various social factors that had a severe impact on student performance were identified, such as teaching hungry students, absenteeism due to lack of transport fees, parents divorcing, death of a breadwinner, etc.
RPT_TUT%20Final%20QEP%20Report%20Phase%201_20151123.docx