Face-to-face education (conventional education)

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Transfer of institutional cultures

The culture of an organisation indicates a dialectical process that is formed through the common understanding that shapes social interaction and in turn, gets reshaped through those interactions. According to Rhoads and Valadez (1996) ‘culture’ can be described as not only providing the parameters for social interactions. It also provides a framework for how we define ourselves in relation to others. Cross-institutional collaboration gives institutions the opportunity to create a knowledge-sharing culture. Everyone is willing to learn from others if the operation of an organisation is based on the ethos of sharing knowledge. The culture of the organisation cannot change nor can there be a sharing of knowledge without innovative and inspirational leadership. A culture that encourages knowledgesharing should have trust, systems-thinking, teamwork and leadership as key elements in the development of the knowledge-sharing process (Ngulube, 2005:52-56).

Quality control

Eloff (2006), Vice-Chancellor of NWU, envisages an increase in high quality HE and DE institutions that should be value-driven to satisfy the needs of its clients. For institutional quality assurance regimes and systems to be successful in any HE institution, senior management has to send the correct message to the organisation and take front-line leadership in quality assurance initiatives. This necessitates mutual co-operation and concern by all institutional stakeholders: learners, educators, administrators, managers, cleaners, governors and technicians (Heckroodt, Lemmer & Van Wyk, 2004). This simply means that there exists no hierarchy or protocol in quality concerns. All stakeholders are to be equally concerned and practically involved in quality matters in relation to their levels of responsibility, their structural position and domains of expertise (Cele, 2005:191). Each educational institution (provider) has to be able to demonstrate to the relevant South African ETQA that it has a quality management system in place that includes quality management policies and procedures as well as review mechanisms to ensure quality teaching and learning.

The CHE and HEQC

The CHE is responsible for quality assurance and promotion in HE through its permanent committee, the Higher Education Quality Committee (HEQC) (see section 2.4.2 on accreditation). As stipulated in the HEQC Guidelines for accreditation of private providers the CHE was established in terms of Section 4 of the HE Act. According to this act the CHE, through its permanent committee, the HEQC, has to perform the duties of promoting quality assurance in HE namely, auditing institutional quality assurance systems and management mechanisms of HE institutions, and accrediting HE learning programmes (Cele, 2005:191).

Investment in infrastructure and capacity building

‘Infrastructure’ is generally seen as structural elements that provide the framework supporting an entire structure. It may also refer to information technology, informal and formal channels of communication or social networks. The concept means that infrastructure provides the organizing structure and support for the system or organization it serves, i.e. a HE and DE institution (Wikipedia, 2001). Academic infrastructure provides a means of describing academic standards in HE education. It allows for diversity and innovation within academic programmes offered by HE (Quality Assurance Agency for Higher Education, 2002). A management that invests in quality infrastructure not only affects the academic standards, but also the capacity building at the institution.

Private HE and DE institutions

Private institutions are educational or professional bodies that offer nationally accredited courses (and often non-accredited courses), but which are neither universities nor Technical and Further Education (TAFE) colleges. Many private institutions were established by professional bodies such as the Securities Institute or the Association of Professional Engineers. The courses offered by private providers span the Vocational Education and Training (VET) and HE sectors. Those which offer VET courses are called Registered Training Organisations (RTOs). Those providers which offer HE courses are called Registered Higher Education Providers. As universities have been forced to re-negotiate many undergraduate courses, the playing field has levelled out, encouraging new entrants, ranging from management consultancies to training colleges, to offer HE courses that are the equivalent of university courses (Hobson & Kulo, 2008).

TABLE OF CONTENTS :

• CHAPTER 1: INTRODUCTION AND RATIONALE FOR THE STUDY
  • 1.1 INTRODUCTION AND RATIONALE
  • 1.2 AIM OF THE RESEARCH
  • 1.3 PARADIGMATIC PERSPECTIVE
  • 1.4 DEFINITIONS OF CONCEPTS
    • 1.4.1 Council of Higher Education (CHE)
    • 1.4.2 Distance Education (DE)
    • 1.4.3 Face-to-face education (conventional education)
    • 1.4.4 Higher Education (HE)
    • 1.4.5 Cross-institutional collaboration
    • 1.4.6 Providers
    • 1.4.7 Quality control
  • 1.5 RESEARCH DESIGN AND METHODS
    • 1.5.1 Ethical measures
    • 1.5.2 Trustworthiness
    • 1.5.3 Method
    • 1.5.3.1 Sample
    • 1.5.3.2 Data collection
    • 1.5.3.3 Data processing
  • 1.6 DIVISION OF CHAPTERS
  • 1.7 CONCLUSION
• CHAPTER 2: CROSS-INSTITUTIONAL COLLABORATION
  • 2.1 INTRODUCTION
  • 2.2 GROWTH
    • 2.2.1 Co-existence of institutes
    • 2.2.2 Enrolments
    • 2.2.3 Cooperation
    • 2.2.4 Challenges affecting growth
  • 2.3 MAINTENANCE
    • 2.3.1 Co-operation and partnership
    • 2.3.2 Prerequisites for effective collaboration
    • 2.3.3 Evaluation of a programme
    • 2.3.4 Effective communication systems
  • 2.4 PROGRESS
    • 2.4.1 Knowledge sharing and dissemination
    • 2.4.2 Accreditation
    • 2.4.3 Transfer of institutional cultures
  • 2.5 CONCLUSION
• CHAPTER 3: QUALITY CONTROL
  • 3.1 INTRODUCTION
  • 3.2 QUALITY MANAGEMENT
  • 3.2.1 Quality control
    • 3.2.1.1 The British Accreditation Council
    • 3.2.1.2 The CHE and HEQC
  • 3.2.2 Investment in infrastructure and capacity building
  • 3.2.3 Factors influencing quality management
    • 3.2.3.1 Globalisation
    • 3.2.3.2 Private HE and DE institutions
    • 3.2.3.3 Transformation of Higher Education
  • 3.3 TEACHING METHODOLOGY
  • 3.3.1 Distance Education
  • 3.3.2 Face-to-face education
  • 3.3.3 Innovative approaches
  • 3.4 CONCLUSION
• CHAPTER 4: RESEARCH DESIGN
  • 4.1 INTRODUCTION
  • 4.2 AIMS
  • 4.3 RESEARCH DESIGN
  • 4.4 RESEARCH METHODS
  • 4.4.1 Ethical measures
  • 4.4.2 Measures to ensure trustworthiness
  • 4.4.3 Data collection
    • 4.4.3.1 Sample
    • 4.4.3.2 The researcher as instrument
    • 4.4.3.3 Data collection method
  • 4.4.4 Data processing
  • 4.5 CONCLUSION
• CHAPTER 5: RESEARCH RESULTS
• CHAPTER 6: CONCLUSIONS, RECOMMENDATIONS AND LIMITATIONS

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MANAGING A BRITISH HIGHER EDUCATION INSTITUTION WITH A MAINLY SOUTH AFRICAN MARKET: A CASE STUDY