University of Venda

UNIVERSITY OF VENDA

FOR SCIENCE AND TECHNOLOGY

TERTIARY EDUCATION LINKAGES PROJECT: PHASE IV

Institutional Focus Area: Curriculum/Program Development

Proposal TitleCurriculum and Program Development, with Emphasis on the School of Environmental Sciences; School of Agriculture, Rural Development and Forestry and Center for Gender Studies

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UNIVERSITY OF VENDA

FOR SCIENCE AND TECHNOLOGY

TERTIARY EDUCATION LINKAGES PROJECT: PHASE IV

1. Proposal Title

Curriculum and Program Development, with Emphasis on the School of Environmental Sciences; School of Agriculture, Rural Development and Forestry and the Center for Gender Studies

2. Name and Profile on the Institution

2.1. Name

The name of the institution is The University of Venda for Science and Technology (Univen).

2.2. Profile

2.2.1. Vision and Mission

The University of Venda for Science and Technology (Univen) together with its affiliated components exists to build the region, the nation, the continent and the international community through a people-centered curriculum, which integrates science, technology and the humanities. The University will at all times ensure that its curriculum, pedagogy and research are rooted in development problems and driven by projects centered on community needs. The University strives to inculcate in its staff and students a culture of lifelong skills development and dedication to human ideals.

The University, in collaboration with commerce, industry, and the public and private sectors, is dedicated to identify and develop appropriate staff, infrastructure and technology to achieve intellectual, moral and academic excellence.

The University is a Community of Schools dedicated to inter-disciplinary activity, which advances the cause of empowerment through:

• Innovative tertiary and supportive linkages with industry and commerce, the community and other institutions (nationally and internationally);
• Continuous proactive appraisal and development of staff as well as ongoing proactive organizational development;
• Continuous appropriate research and publication activity;
• Good teaching practice
• Pedagogical excellence in the interests of empowerment;
• Addressing structural and academic backlogs
• Being a reservoir and custodian of knowledge accessible to both public and private consumers;
• The realization of the University’s Pan-African scholarly function

2.2.2. Brief History

The University of Venda for Science and Technology was established on the grounds of an Agricultural High School in 1982, with 382 students. The business of the University was conducted in the old buildings of this school. Univen was established as part of the scheme of the previous apartheid government, to give credence to the spurious notion of independence for the homeland of Venda. Unlike most tertiary institutions, Univen was not given any establishment grant.

Over the past 16 years the Univen has metamorphosed from its original self, into a comprehensive and fully-fledged university in terms of identity, mission and vision. The University of Venda is now an important player in the South African higher education scenario, contributing significantly to the human resources and development needs of the country. In 1995, the University of Venda re-organized its academic offerings from the faculty system to a school system.

Univen is a rural university located in the Northern Province, surrounded by forests heavily used for the timber/wood industry and recreation. Economically, the Northern Province is one of the most disadvantaged provinces. It shares its borders with the more affluent Gauteng and Mpumalanga Provinces. A larger percentage of students at the University of Venda hail from both the Northern Province and Mpumalanga. It is anticipated that in the near future, Univen will increasingly draw more students from Zimbabwe, Mozambique and further north.

For the past three years the institution has been, and is continuing to be, guided by the Three-Year Rolling Plan, which is derived from and perpetuates the new vision.

2.2.3. Major Programs of Study

Currently the academic programs of the university are organized into schools and centers. The primary objectives of introducing the school system are multi-pronged. It encourages team-teaching, cross teaching and inter-disciplinary-ness in academic course delivery. The academic endeavor of the university takes place in the following Schools and Centers:

The School of Agriculture, Rural Development and Forestry

The School of Business, Economics and Administrative Sciences

The School of Education

The School of Environmental Sciences

The School of Graduate Studies

The School of Health Sciences

The School of Human Sciences

The School of Integrated Studies

The School of Law

The School of Mathematics and Natural Sciences

Center for Gender Studies

Center for Rural Development

Center for Youth Studies

Center for Entrepreneurial Studies

Center for Environmental Technology

Center for Academic Development

Center for African Studies

The university has advanced plans to establish the following school, centers and institutes:

The School of Engineering

Institute for Indigenous Knowledge Systems and Technology

Institute of Government

Institute for Semi-Arid Environments & Disaster Management

Institute for Policy Studies

Center for Biotechnology

Center for Cultural Studies

Center for Languages and Literature

Center for Peace and War Studies

Center for Human and People’s Rights

Center for Reconstruction and Development Studies

Business Career and Placement Center

It is envisaged that these new centers and institutes will enhance the university’s vision and paradigm of science and technology and its quest to be relevant and in tune with real community needs and problems.

2.2.4. Demographic Profile

Univen is one of the only two institutions serving the population estimated at 7 million people in the Northern Province and Mphumalanga. The student mass is about 95.5% black with some few pockets of Coloured and Indian students. The gender ratio is generally balanced at an institutional level but there are imbalances within different disciplines and different levels of study. There are about 250 academic members of staff of whom 72% are male and 73% are black; 22% are white.

The following tables show student enrolment by gender per school. The details are given only in respect of schools that the proposal seeks to have emphasis on, as named above.

School of Agriculture, Rural Development and Forestry

Center for Gender Studies

School of Environmental Sciences

Other Schools

Summary of Total Staff Compliment by Race and Gender

No

2.2.5. Major Constraints Facing the Institution.

As mentioned earlier, the university was not given any establishment grant when it started operating. For this reason infrastructure development at the University has been disproportionate to the enrolment and curriculum growth occasioned by overwhelming demands.

The upshot of the lack of physical infrastructure development has been that some classes are overcrowded. There is pronounced shortage of laboratory space, office space for academic and administrative staff. Campus residence only house 1069 students, a mere 17% of registered students.

Major programs contained in the university’s Three Year Rolling Plan and Strategic Plan are under threat of not being implemented due to financial constraints facing the university. The present funding formula by the government does not favor institutions like Univen because of its reward for senior degree enrolment.

2.2.6. Priorities Identified in the Institution Strategic Plan

In respect to curriculum and program development the following were the priorities recommended in the University Strategic Plan.

• To link the core activities of the university with the needs of the community the university serves.

• To increase the employment prospects of graduates by developing curriculum and programs which are attractive to the job market.

• Increase the success rate of students by introducing bridging programs, orientation of teaching and assessment methods, integration of knowledge and skills and curriculum restructuring.

• Increase the number of students in the natural and applied sciences by transformation into a University of Science and Technology and redirection ofresources accordingly.

• Develop niche areas or centers of excellence where the University can make the greatest impact regionally and internationally.

2.2.7. Progress Under the Existing PILs

The university is currently administering and managing two existing PILs, viz. PIL 80 : the establishment of computer mediated English practical course and PIL 30, TELP Coordinator PIL.

In respect of PIL 80, there was a delay experienced with implementation initially due to the fact that the University signed the PIL only in May 1999. This was about five months later than scheduled. The implementation is slightly behind schedule. However claims submitted to the USAID for this PIL are in compliance with PIL implementation requirements. That is the total amount claimed is proportional to the period elapsed so far.

In respect of PIL 30, the first TELP Coordinator was appointed in March 19998. The Coordinator resigned at the beginning of August 1998. Another TELP Coordinator for this institution was appointed on the first of September 1999, about thirteen months without a TELP Coordinator. The claims submitted and reimbursed are proportional to the total period during which there was a TELP Coordinator.

3. Problem Statement

Arising from the planning context; mission statement and vision the institution has transformed itself into a University of Science and Technology. During phase one of the three year rolling plan, the University initiated the introduction of a curriculum that integrates knowledge and skills. Therefore the critical challenge facing the University is to restructure the curriculum so that it can fit into the new science and technology paradigm.

As the university’s transformation process from a comprehensive institution to a University of Science and Technology unfolds, which aims at raising the level of skill acquisition and productivity amongst the people it serves it, in that process, lacks from within itself professional skills to accomplish the task of this magnitude.

There are three different academic units that have been identified as having peculiar needs in this regard. These academic areas (which shall be referred to as the focus areas throughout this proposal) are the School of Environmental Science; the School of Agriculture, Rural Development and Forestry and the Center for Gender Studies.

They therefore disproportionately require specific intervention. This is in terms of:-

• Their centrality to the paradigm of science and technology
• The specialty and the magnitude of their needs
• The critical place they occupy in the transformation discourse of the university

However the proposed project will also have university-wide impact in terms of the project objectives and resultant activities.

Other deficiencies characterizing the university in general and the mentioned disciplines in particular are:

• Inadequate facilities in laboratories and classrooms
• Budget cuts by government
• Low research output
• Poorly structured administration
• Poor quality of programs.
• Weak understanding and implementation of the modular system
• Inadequate capacity to implement project-driven curriculum
• Inadequate infusion of technology into the School program
• Lack of understanding of how to integrate gender into the curriculum.

In accordance with its strategic plan and the necessity to implement outcome based education, the University of Venda for Science and Technology has furthermore restructured the entire curriculum by committing all schools to:

(a)A problem-based and project-driven curriculum.

(b)Move away from year-long courses to a modular system.

Unfortunately the staff of the institution in general and that of the two mentioned schools and the one center in particular are not adequately versed in the implementation of a problem-based, project driven curriculum. Although modules have been developed there appears to be little difference (except in duration of teaching) between the old year-long courses and the new modules. There is a definite problem of the appropriate teaching methods, assessment methods, weighting of the various modules and module selection in relation to career paths.

The transformation process has meant that schools should not only align themselves to the new direction but they must infuse technology into their programs to justify their relevance and reinforce the new direction. Transformation and development also calls for a gender analysis and critical thinking in all these areas.

All these new changes need to be accompanied by the following:

• A knowledge of how to phase-in a well selected and affordable technology disciplines
• New teaching and assessment methods
• Clear knowledge of modules and modularization process
• New quality promotion and control measures
• School administration system that is adaptable to the demands of the new direction.
• Gender analysis and equity

Unfortunately because of the newness of the direction vis-à-vis understandable adherence to hitherto familiar ways of delivery, the staff of the schools at the university remain intimidated by the challenges of the new direction. The intimidation is made worse due to poor level of staffing in some programs, poor facilities in some laboratories, inadequate exposure to relevant teaching and assessment methods and to the range of issues underlying modularization (e.g. weighting of modules, module clustering in line with career paths) and project-driven curricula.

Because of these concerns, the institution proposes a project on curriculum and program development as a means to cope with the challenges of a problem-based, project-driven curriculum in a new University of Science and Technology. Through this project the following constraints will be overcome:

• Weak understanding and implementation of modularization.
• Inadequate capacity to implement a problem-based, project-driven curriculum.
• Inappropriate teaching and assessment methods.
• Inadequate quality promotion and control measures.
• Low level of infusion of technology into the school programs which lowers program quality.
• Poorly focused school administration system.
• Lack of gender equity in the curriculum

In respect to the above constraints one of the identified schools, i.e. the School of Environmental Sciences, has already taken the following steps:

• Restructured the entire curriculum to produce semester modules of equal length/duration and credit weights.
• Identified the need for staff training (through workshops, visits and collaboration with academics in the same field, short courses) in module development, teaching and assessment.
• Established the Center for Environmental Technology for intensive evaluation, design and fusion of Environmental Management Technologies into the curricula of the school. Application for UNESCO Chair of Environmental Technology was submitted to UNESCO in April 1999 and is still under consideration.
• Established an Institute for Semi-arid Environments and Disaster Management to undertake in-depth research into the widespread problem of aridity and other climate disasters in this region. The institute is to identify critical problems around which teaching projects will be organized. The University has approved the post of professor for the institute but cannot be filled because of budget cuts.

• Identified benchmarking as an effective and affordable method of quality promotion and control in regard to curriculum and program development and research promotion.
• Earlier won an award from IDP Australia for linkage with the Faculty of Environmental Sciences, Griffith University (1997-1999). The linkage was for capacity building in curriculum development, teaching and research. Although a lot was achieved much of the curriculum issues were based on yearlong courses of the time rather than modules for a problem-based curriculum.

Because of past poor employment history of graduates from this University, the school of Environmental Sciences promoted interdisciplinary training where for example degree majors in Geology, Hydrology, Planning and Geography are combined with majors in Environmental Management. Since these innovations were effected, graduates of the School obtained employment relatively easily.

The applied nature of the programs together with good job prospects combined with relatively large number of well qualified international staff have given the program a high demand amongst the potential student pool. This has led to rapid increase in enrolment every year since 1995.

Within the context of transition from a comprehensive university to the university of science and technology, the university has embarked in a process of integrating and mainstreaming gender into all its pursuits. This is a dynamic process, which implies whole paradigm shift from the way disciplines at the university are currently conceived.

At present gender is not integrated into the curriculum. Therefore the present curriculum, at university-wide scale, does not foster gender equity. A holistic integration of gender into the university curriculum eschews the hierarchical and totaling theory or solutions. Gender bias in the university curriculum is a serious problem which occurs in written text and the way in which disciplines are taught. Curriculum needs that promote critical thinking as opposed to acceptance of the status quo in a sexist society are what are needed.

The institution has - through the school of Agriculture, Forestry and Rural Development - an academic link with the Department of Forestry and Agriculture, University of Aberden, United Kingdom. This commenced in 1999.