Abstract:

Universities in developing economies have a social responsibility towards students and the community to successfully deliver graduates that meet the demands of the country (locally relevant) and can function in the knowledge economy (internationally competitive). Students entering university are differently prepared as a result of a schooling system catering for citizenship rather than preparing students for tertiary education. This realisation requires a reformulation of the teaching paradigm to bridge the gap and to enable the successful progression and graduation of students.

Massification of tertiary education and the increased diversity and multiculturalism amongst the student body requires a better interpretation of the most salient expectations as well as the experiences of these students. From a teaching perspective, it is fundamental to align the lecturer offerings in the learning experience with the altered needs of students. Enhancing and optimising student learning opportunities could increase their prospects on being successful.

This paper reports on a longitudinal study in the Faculty of Economic and Management Sciences at the University of Pretoria, South Africa, to determine the perceived return on expectations of students. A multi-pronged strategy was used to investigate the expectations and learning experiences of a cohort of students, over their three years of study. First-year students completed a questionnaire articulating amongst other issues, their expectations of their lecturers. The same cohort of students also completed an experience questionnaires in the latter part of their first, second and third years of study eliciting the characteristics of their worst and best lecturers. An inductive approach was followed to qualitatively analyse the open-ended responses. The responses were then analysed deductively through the theoretical framework of three successful educator attributes; namely, skills, knowledge and attitude. The results of exploring how the students’ lecturer expectations correlate with their perceived worst and best characteristics of their lecturers, is presented. Results are validated and presented by taking into account the students’ locus of control in the different years of study.

This project showcases a systematic research protocol to uncover the real expectations and experiences that influence students’ study success in the unique local higher educational and cultural landscape of South Africa. The findings inform changes encompassing curriculum, teaching, assessment, support and logistics, leading to more successful learning experiences for students as well as enhancing continuous academic development of lecturers. The findings of this study will contribute towards the management of students' expectations and experiences. As a large cohort is examined and not mere samples, the findings are valid and reliable.

Keywords:

Student expectation, student experiences, longitudinal study, lecturer characteristics.