Hungary Presentation December 2009. INTRODUCTION The University of South Africa (UNISA)s Strategic Plan For 2015 geared to establishing itself as a.

Hungary Presentation

December 2009

INTRODUCTION

The University of South Africa (UNISA)’s Strategic Plan For 2015 geared to establishing itself as a world class higher education institution through Open Distance Learning (ODL).

The Mission is aligned with national development imperatives and Vision encompasses the African continent.

Registration Absolute Formal Headcount Distribution by College, 2004 - 2008 to

date

Vision 2015 An Agenda for transformation

Position Unisa as a leading provider of quality distance education programmes through an academic product range that expands on its comprehensive character

Unisa as a comprehensive open and distance education university: university of first choice and not last resort, by instituting a tuition model appropriate to the purposes of the programmes, and the context and needs of students An appropriate and relevant programme and qualifications mix (PQM) aligned with the comprehensive nature of the institution, its vision to become ‘the African University in the service of humanity,’ its need to maximize economies of scale wherever possible, as well as legislative and socio-economic imperatives.

Relevance of Unisa’s PQM and research by regularly conducting needs analyses of our markets, our students and our stakeholders, both at an institutional level and within Colleges and organisational units, while at the same time benchmarking these with the highest international standards.

Ensure that the curriculum for each module is up-to-date and well-researched, with aims and learning outcomes appropriate for the level of study; and with teaching, learning and assessment methods that are consonant with those aims and outcomes.Increase headcount enrolments in line with national parameters to a plateau of 250 000 students by 2015.

ComprehensiveOpen and Distant learningFirst choiceAppropriate and relevantAfricanizationNeeds Analysis StakeholdersUp to date curriculaAssessment methodsEnrollment targets

UNISA is signatory to UNGC

3 principles directly relate to environment:• Precautionary approach to environmental challenges• Promotion of greater environmental responsibility• Development and diffusion of environmentally friendly technologies

Graduateness of environmental responsibility• Generic module to support this concept ‘Environmental Awareness. Core aspect of college.

Other principles relate to the Modus operandi of the University e.g Ethical values (Unisa values)

Relevant & Africanization

Applied Sciences lend themselves to relevance and africanizationIndigenous plants and animals as examplesAfrican examplesContextualization of learning in africaTextbooks where possible

• Supported by relevant material in study manuals• Ethnobotany• Ethnomedicine• Biodiversity

• Growth 22.7% average for 5 years

Comprehensive2% Doctoral5% Masters10% PG 55% UG degree30% UG certificate and diploma

NQF General Formative

Professional Vocational

5 Higher Certificate: Animal Welfare

5 Higher Certificate: Food & Nutrition Security

6 Diploma: Animal Welfare6 Diploma: Animal Health6 Diploma: Agricultural

Management6 Diploma: Food & Nutrition

Security 7 Bachelor

Human Ecology

Postgraduate Diploma: Animal Health

Advanced Diploma: Animal Health

7 Bachelor of Agriculture

Postgraduate DiplomaFood & Nutr Security

Advanced Diploma: Agricultural Management

7 BSc: Agriculture8 Honours B. Human

Ecology Honours8 BSc Honours:

Agriculture(4 Streams)

9 Masters of Human Ecology

9 Masters of Science: Agriculture

10 PhD: Agriculture

COMMUNITY NEEDS AND RESOURCES

AGRICULTURAL RESOURCES

NATURAL RESOURCES

Focus areas

Addressing the needs of South Africa and Africa

Nature Conservation: a sustainable management approachAgriculture : Integrated approachSustainable LivelihoodsFood and Water SecurityEnvironmental ScienceClimate changeIndigenous plants, beverages and medicinesContextualized and Integrated geographical approach

HIV/AIDS mainstreamingNutrition (Honour’s courses)Household food security

INSTITUTIONAL OBJECTIVES1.Africanisation within the Unisa Context•Definition2. Indigenous Knowledge Systems : •Knowledge infrastructure, transfer, Africanisation of courses, build knowledge, African leadership & NEPAD3. Open Distance Learning (ODL)•Tutor; student centredness; retain academics; curriculum policy4. Comprehensiveness•Compliance; MIT; align enrollment plan; market•WIL partnerships•Articulation

5. Multi-Inter-and Transdisciplinarity (MIT)•African partnerships; IKS; promote MIT•HFS6. Social Responsiveness•Societal need, community need•Relevance MIT comprehensiveness•Sustainable development 7. Student Centredness•Profile students; paradigm shift from teaching to learning•Access (SFP ROAP; comprehensive)8. Graduateness•Research in UG; MCQ; 4 year degree9. ICT and Innovation•Increase usage (myunisa as pedagogic tool)•Electronic books10. Scholarship

Research in the College of Agriculture & Environm. Sciences focusses mainly on the Environment, Health and Sustainable

Livelihoods’. There are several research subgroups or units that fall under this focus area and they are:

• Applied Behavioural Ecological and Ecosystem Research Unit (ABEERU). This unit carries out research on indigenous wildlife and vegetation in the natural environment in order to optimise responsible and sustainable utilization of resources. International partners include universities in Canada, Belgium and Switzerland.

Elephant Management Research form part of sub-disciplines of applied behavioural ecology. Remote sensing and GIS are technologies used to assist with elephant management plans.

•Rand Water Research GroupThe group is involved in industry commissioned research on indigenous and endemic plants to improve the environment and sustainable utilisation of water resources. The research activities are complementary to those of ABEERU and some funding is from the same source, Rand Water.

•Applied Environmental Chemistry Group This is part of the NRF Niche Focus Area of UNISA, the Ecotoxicology and Bio-inorganic and Natural Product Research group and shared with CSET.

•Contract FarmingThis is a newly constituted research group to investigate the agriculture industry in terms of contracting farmers to supply goods and services.

•Antarctica and Marion IslandsIn collaboration with the Department of Science and Technology and other members, this group is involved in research on geomorphological processes in the Antarctica and Marion Islands. A CAES staff member is one of the lead members of the group.

•Indigenous Knowledge SystemsResearch is varied and multidisciplinary, where currently the major crop plants being investigated under ethnobotanical and environmentally based considerations, include the truffle (Kalaharituber pfeilii), rooisbos tea (Aspalathus linearis) and bush tea (Athrixia phlicoides). The studies include nutritional and medicinal parameters of the plants. The mining of ‘Hot Water Springs’ and use of this water for agriculture in Limpopo, is an area that has received great attention by a unit under this group. This links to geothermal energy research.

•Nuclear Magnetic Resonance (NMR) SpectrometerIn collaboration with the CSIR, the CAES NMR Research group has acquired an NMR 600 MHZ spectrometer for analysis of mechanisms of protein binding so as to understand the pathogen/toxin interactions in drug development. The NMR is a versatile piece of equipment that could also be used generally for structural analysis of biological material. The equipment is worth close to 1M Euros and has been commissioned. Postgraduate students have already started to train on utilising it for research and development.

B. ODL ResearchThe Geography department is driving ODL research in the

college and indications are that this area of research is gaining ground.

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There is hope for our beautiful Africa