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Reflecting on the development of a student resource centre – support for students, by students

Presenter

Busayo is a senior lecturer and the current acting-Director of the Education Development Unit, in the Department of Health Sciences Education. She first joined UCT in 2009 to coordinator teaching and learning in the newly-created Intervention Programme in the Department of Health and Rehabilitation Sciences.  The Intervention Programme, which was designed to provide academic support to underrepresented students in the first year of study, has subsequently been absolved into the new Department of Health Sciences Education.

Busayo has a PhD in sociolinguistics from the University of KwaZulu-Natal.

Outside academia, Busayo enjoys playing tennis (poorly) and watching rugby and soccer.

Lunelle has been a lecturer in the Education Development Unit since 2011, where she teaches on the Postgraduate Diploma in Health Professions Education course. Prior to joining the EDU, she worked as a physiotherapist in the UCT Division of Physiotherapy. She holds an MSc in Physiotherapy and is currently working on her PhD in Health Science Education.

Lunelle grew up in Mitchell’s Plain and completed her schooling at Rocklands High School. She currently lives in Kuils River and her favourite meal is rice, chicken and potatoes.

Gregory Doyle has a Masters in Information Technology and is currently the E-Learning Manager in the Faculty of Health Sciences at the University of Cape Town). He is passionate about learning technologies, staff development and has presented at conferences, published in open access journals and created online courses.  

Abstract

In the last two-decades, higher education institutions in South Africa have continued to invest in the ability to create access for students therefore, enrolment numbers have become a key drive and measurement of institutional success and transformation. Today, however, the enrolment numbers do not result in graduation, especially for non-traditional and underrepresented students. Institutions have become aware of the reality that more is required to change the status quo, and simply opening the door is not enough. This paper highlights the need to shift focus to supporting and driving student success. It is well documented that first generation students come with different needs from those of traditional first years.  We see that where support is being instituted, it is usually too general and unfamiliar to first generation students. This paper argues that unless tuition support recognises and targets the academic needs of these students, support will remain inaccessible and ineffective.  In this paper, we question the timing of support that is on offer and interrogate the relationship between the forms of support offered to the students.  In conclusion there will be a reflection on bridging this gap together with a critique of how students are introduced to the Student Resource Centre in the Faculty of Health Sciences at the University of Cape Town.

Presentation & Resources