Abstract:

Student academic development demands that the underprepared student is able to grow to the level of preparedness and fulfil learning outcomes or graduate attributes envisaged at the start of the course for the future-ready graduate. While supplementary instruction is not a new method of preparing a future-ready graduate, it is finding expression in the developing country contexts through grants availed for the purpose of improving instruction in universities. The distribution of the support across an institution may be inequitable owing to awareness of what is and is not permissible in the context. The paper is an attempt to explain the circumstances governing conduct of student support strategy known in some instances as supplementary instruction (SI) or tutorials in the context of a university of technology. The study is located in an interpretive paradigm and utilised a qualitative approach where interviews and focus group discussions were the main data collection instruments. The paper explored the question of how first years experienced supplementary instruction in the form of tutorials as a form of student academic development for the future-ready graduate. The findings were discussed using a thematic approach. The main emergent themes are that the context is crucial to the realisation of graduate attributes facilitated through tutorials; SI has the potential of smoothing the articulation gap between matric and/or high school and university education. Sound structures need to be put in place to facilitate goals SI namely a staff member responsible for implementation of the tutorials; seeing to it that learning spaces are available; the correct number of students attend each tutorial; a proper timetable is drawn up and adhered to; tutors are working in conjunction with lecturers and are conducting evaluation of the impact of the tutorials in teaching and learning of content and other outcomes in the first-year student experience.

Keywords:

Disadvantaged higher education institution, first-year student experience, supplementary instruction, context.