SUCCESS WITH EXTENDED PROGRAMMES: A SOUTH AFRICAN CASE STUDY

Extended programmes in the South African context refers to diploma or degree programmes with and extended minimum duration. The additional curriculum space is intended to assist underprepared students as measured by their performance in the National Senior Certificate (NSC) or admission tests. Over a number of years this has proven to be more successful than simply providing additional support and mentoring during the first year. Extended programmes play a significant role in bridging the gap between secondary school and university, facilitating equity of access specifically for previously disadvantaged black students not meeting standard entry criteria [1].

Although extended programmes have been funded by the South African Department of Higher Education and Training (DHET) since 2004 [2], and many success stories have been reported, the general conclusion is that extended programmes in commerce, engineering and science do not improve the graduation rate of students relative to their mainstream peers, but that these initiative contribute significantly to the number of graduates from previously disadvantaged communities [3].

This paper reports the results of a longitudinal study of National Diploma students enrolled from 2010 to 2014 in the Faculty of Engineering and the Built Environment at the Tshwane University of Technology (TUT). The results for 2079 extended students enrolled in Civil, Electrical, Mechanical, Industrial and Mechatronic Engineering during 2010 - 2014 show that although the performance in terms of retention and throughput of the extended groups are slightly lower than the cohorts who were part of the first semester intakes, the extended groups outperformed the mainstream cohorts who were part of the second semester intakes. The results confirm that at TUT, extended programmes in engineering play a significant role facilitating equity of access and in bridging the gap between secondary school and university.

References:
[1] Ndebele, N. (chair). Report of the Task team on Undergraduate Curriculum Structure. August 2013. A proposal for undergraduate curriculum reform in South Africa: The case for a flexible curriculum structure. Pretoria: Council on Higher Education (CHE).
[2] DoE (Department of Education). 1997. Education White Paper 3: A Programme for the Transformation of Higher Education. Pretoria: Department of Education
[3] Pearce, H., Campbell, A., Craig, T.S., le Roux P., et al. 2015. The articulation between the mainstream and extended degree programmes in engineering at the University of Cape Town: Reflections and possibilities. South African Journal of Higher Education. Vol. 29, No. 1, pp. 150-163.