UCT's admissons policies: Is the playing field level?

The article outlines how UCT’s commitment to redress and diversity has officially guided the university’s approach to admissions planning. In 2009 the Senate requested the Vice Chancellor to conduct a review of the admissions policy particularly to determine whether race continued to be an adequate proxy for disadvantage. This article analyses data prepared by the Institutional Planning Department of the University to support the review process, reflecting changes in the demographic profiles of all students and first-time entering (FU) intakes between 1994 and 2009. The data provide a more nuanced picture of offers, rejections and enrolments by race and poverty quintile of the 2009 new undergraduate intake. The article then goes on to assess the effects of various policy instruments used to facilitate access to UCT, demonstrating that the Academic Development Programmes have been the most significant instruments of facilitating access. Drawing on the analysis of the data, the article concludes that there is no empirical basis for arguing that race should no longer be a factor in admissions, given that the proportion of black students at UCT is still far from approximating that of the South African population, and that the percentage of black students in 23 of 44 programmes is less than 24 (the Western Cape proportion of blacks)

From study to work : methodological challenges of a graduate destination survey in the Western Cape, South Africa

Current literature proposes several strategies for improving response rates to student evaluation surveys. Graduate destination surveys pose the difficulty of tracing graduates years later when their contact details may have changed. This article discusses the methodology of one such a survey to maximise response rates. Compiling a sample frame with reliable contact details was foremost important, but may require using additional sources of information other than university records. In hindsight, graduates should have been contacted prior to introduce the survey and mention its importance, while email and postal reminders appeared to have a limited effect on non-respondents. Due to varying response rates between participating universities, online responses were augmented with a call centre administering the survey telephonically to nonrespondents. Although overall differences between online and telephonic responses appeared to be small, certain question items may need to be treated with caution when conducting telephonic surveys. The article concludes by highlighting some of the benefits of the Western Cape graduate destination survey.http://www.tandfonline.com/loi/caeh20hb201

Introduction to SAAIR Articles

The theme for the 2011 forum of the Southern African Association of Institutional Research (SAAIR) was Enhancement . It was designed to provide opportunities for critical self-reflection to institutional researchers, planners, quality assurance professionals and other administrators, as well as academics, on how evidence-based practices can be used to improve the quality of teaching practices and graduate attributes. Papers reporting on: • strategic issues related to enhancement, • evidence-based innovations, • the use of information to promote reflective and responsive practices, • new ways of approaching operational tasks, • investigations or evaluations of interventions at UG or PG levels, • the use of IR/QA/planning to improve the quality of the student experience, and • conceptual papers exploring the relationship between institutional research and quality were specifically invited

From study to work: methodological challenges of a graduate destination survey in the Western Cape, South Africa

Current literature proposes several strategies for improving response rates to student evaluation surveys. Graduate destination surveys pose the difficulty of tracing graduates years later when their contact details may have changed. This article discusses the methodology of one such a survey to maximise response rates. Compiling a sample frame with reliable contact details was foremost important, but may require using additional sources of information other than university records. In hindsight, graduates should have been contacted prior to introduce the survey and mention its importance, while email and postal reminders appeared to have a limited effect on non-respondents. Due to varying response rates between participating universities, online responses were augmented with a call centre administering the survey telephonically to nonrespondents. Although overall differences between online and telephonic responses appeared to be small, certain question items may need to be treated with caution when conducting telephonic surveys. The article concludes by highlighting some of the benefits of the Western Cape graduate destination survey.http://www.tandfonline.com/loi/caeh20hb201