The and gown’ settings of Stellenbosch and Potchefstroom, according to ‘town informants, create a very different environment from the busy urban settings of UCT and Pretoria, while the relative demographic homogeneity of Stellenbosch and Potchefstroom mark these institutions off, in some respects, from Pretoria, Wits and UCT. The changes here may be more subtle than expected, however: at both Pretoria and Stellenbosch, it appears, there are increasing numbers of white English-speaking students, and English as a medium of instruction is becoming more prevalent. What can be concluded from these, unavoidably sketchy and subjective observations on institutional climate? The object is not to pass judgment, but to highlight the important point that different institutional contexts and realities may have important effects for teaching and learning, including throughput rates and graduate outcomes. For present purposes, the following points stand out: Institutional climate and context may have important impacts on teaching and learning, and hence on throughput rates and student outcomes Institutional throughput rates should be seen in context, and crude comparisons between institutions capture only part of the picture Efforts to improve throughputs need to be context-sensitive Some institutions may require assistance to address the challenges they face; others may benefit from dialogue and engagement, at a strategic and policy level There is a need for more fine-grained institutional research, to better understand institutional climate and its impacts on student access and success. Language Language is, in a number of senses, an important dimension of the institutional climate and culture discussed above. Language is part of the culture and identity of institutions, and a strong factor in students’ choice of university, as well as a means of - or barrier to - communication, and access to knowledge. For increasing numbers of students, English is a second, or even a third or a fourth language. At some campuses, where staff turnover has resulted in the appointment of academics from other African, as well as from central European and other countries, English may be a second language for increasing numbers of staff, too - and accents, and a grasp of the local vernacular, may add to the difficulties of communication. At some universities, on the hand, dual- or parallel medium language ‘Afrikaans’ policies, and increasing numbers of white English-speaking as well as black students, require that Afrikaans-language lecturers teach, or at least communicate, in their
The ‘town and gown’ settings of Stellenbosch and Potchefstroom, according to informants, create a very different environment from the busy urban settings of UCT and Pretoria, while the relative demographic homogeneity of Stellenbosch and Potchefstroom mark these institutions off, in some respects, from Pretoria, Wits and UCT. The changes here may be more subtle than expected, however: at both Pretoria and Stellenbosch, it appears, there are increasing numbers of white English-speaking students, and English as a medium of instruction is becoming more prevalent. What can be concluded from these, unavoidably sketchy and subjective observations on institutional climate? The object is not to pass judgment, but to highlight the important point that different institutional contexts and realities may have important effects for teaching and learning, including throughput rates and graduate outcomes. For present purposes, the following points stand out: Institutional climate and context may have important impacts on teaching and learning, and hence on throughput rates and student outcomes Institutional throughput rates should be seen in context, and crude comparisons between institutions capture only part of the picture Efforts to improve throughputs need to be context-sensitive Some institutions may require assistance to address the challenges they face; others may benefit from dialogue and engagement, at a strategic and policy level There is a need for more fine-grained institutional research, to better understand institutional climate and its impacts on student access and success. Language Language is, in a number of senses, an important dimension of the institutional climate and culture discussed above. Language is part of the culture and identity of institutions, and a strong factor in students’ choice of university, as well as a means of - or barrier to - communication, and access to knowledge. For increasing numbers of students, English is a second, or even a third or a fourth language. At some campuses, where staff turnover has resulted in the appointment of academics from other African, as well as from central European and other countries, English may be a second language for increasing numbers of staff, too - and accents, and a grasp of the local vernacular, may add to the difficulties of communication. At some ‘Afrikaans’ universities, on the hand, dual- or parallel medium language policies, and increasing numbers of white English-speaking as well as black students, require that Afrikaans-language lecturers teach, or at least communicate, in their
ECSA%20Throughput%20Report.docx