Mentorship and sustainable research output : a case study of the University of Johannesburg

Abstract: Higher education institutions (HEIs) in South Africa are facing challenges arising as a result of the shift from traditional teaching activities to a combination of research and teaching. Increasing emphasis on research, an integral part of this transformation of higher education, has required HEIs to develop and implement capacity development strategies to enable those new to research to engage in research output; and mentorship is a strategy that is enjoying increasing popularity. This article explores the challenges faced in the implementation of a formal research mentorship programme (REMP), using the University of Johannesburg as a case study. A quantitative approach was adopted to obtain the perceptions of academic staff of REMP as a strategy for building research capacity. The findings reveal that whilst the REMP is strongly favoured by academics as a means of guiding novice researchers, key factors need to be addressed to ensure its success. This article examines the challenges for both mentors and mentees and suggests actions to help mentorship programmes make sustainable contributions to the development of research capacity

Institutional culture of mergers and alliances in South Africa

South Africa’s extensive set of higher education mergers were implemented between 2002 and 2005. While there has not been a systematic evaluation of this merger process, that created 11 new institutions from 26 merger partners and affected 62 % of the South African higher education system (in terms of current student registrations), a full set of independent and rigorous quality assurance reports provide the basis for evaluating the consequences of the policy. These institutional audits suggest three broad types of outcome: mergers that have resulted in well functioning new institutions, failed mergers, and a set of new universities that are still responding to the consequences of merger. Finally, the publication of South Africa’s new National Development Plan in 2012 and a new analysis of student access and success across the country’s public higher education system as a whole, completed in 2013, allow an assessment of the degree to which the objectives of the 2002 merger plan have been achieved