HEQF An Electrical Engineering Provider Perspective

							          HEQF: An Electrical
          Engineering Provider
          Perspective
               Eric L Dixie

IPET Workshop on HEQF and new Engineering
    Technology Education Qualifications
               1 April 2008
Challenges of Engineering
Education


 Shortage of Skills
 Shortage of Staff
 Shortage of Funding
 Student Challenges
Shortage of Skills
Shortage of Staff

Not enough well-qualified academics
 available for every institution to offer
 the same specialist qualifications.

A student is not better than the teacher,
  but the student who has been fully
  trained will be like the teacher.
                        Jesus Christ
                        Luke 6:40 (NCV)
Shortage of Funding
Student Challenges
CHE Higher Education Monitor No 6

Shortage of Suitable Students
5% of 1.6 Million Grade 1’s achieved SC
 with university entrance

Engineering Institutions compete for
 relatively few students
Student Challenges
CHE Higher Education Monitor No 6


Underprepared Students
In 2003 SA last in Grade 8 Science and
   Mathematics out of 50 countries.

Standard of Senior Certificate English
  Higher Grade 2nd Language has
  dropped.
Student Challenges
CHE Higher Education Monitor No 6


Poor Throughput
Only 5% of ND Engineering students
 graduated in the minimum 3 years.
Only 15% had graduated after 5 years.

High Drop-Out Rate
Another 12% still registered after 5 years.
Minimum 73% dropped out.
Cooperative Education

 Cooperation between DoE and DoL
 Cooperation between Academic Institutions and
  Industry
 Cooperation between Providers offering:
      Different levels of engineering qualifications
      Same qualifications, but different niche areas



Real Cooperation between Equal Partners
Cooperation between DoE and
DoL

These departments are responsible for the
  Quality Assurance of the Qualifications

 DoE for Stage 1 Academic Engineering
  Qualifications
 DoL for Stage 2 Work-based
  Engineering Qualifications
Cooperation between Academic
Institutions and Industry
Using Advisory Boards these partners
 decide together on which competencies
 are better learned:

 In an Academic environment
 In the Work place


They monitor what is being taught and deal
  with deficiencies
Cooperation between Provider
Institutions
 History of competition for students, staff
  and funding
 Unhealthy competition resulted in
  today’s problems of parallel
  qualifications


Let’s not make that mistake again!!
Cooperation between Providers
offering Different Levels of
Qualifications

Few academic institutions have the resources to
  offer all engineering qualifications

Decide on niche areas and offer qualifications
  accordingly

Lower level qualifications will act as an academic
  filter for higher level qualifications
I regret saying that I have never seen such a
useless outfit before.

There is only 5 weeks left and in my
professional opinion, 90% of this class WILL
fail.

No ambition, no personal commitment, no
zest, no zeal, no inclination for research,.....

I don't have time to spoon-feed this class.
They are not close to being ready for third
year, or second year for that matter.
Cooperation between Providers
offering Different Levels of
Qualifications
FET Colleges will eventually offer Level 5 and
  Level 6 Certificates

Universities have to offer degrees

Some UoT’s will offer Certificates and Degrees

Other UoT’s will offer Degrees and Post Graduate
  Qualifications
Cooperation between Providers
offering Same Qualifications but
different Niche Areas

Institutions collaborate to decide which offers what
   specialisation.

Institutions attract students, staff and funding
   based on niche area not geographical location.

There are not sufficient resources in the
  country for similar specialist qualifications
  at different institutions.
Benefits of Cooperation
between Providers
Staff
 Less competition for staff
 Universities require staff to have post-
  graduate qualifications
 FET Colleges do not need staff to have
  post graduate qualifications
 Specialist staff will go to the institutions
  offering their specialisation
Benefits of Cooperation
between Providers
Funding
 Less competition for funding


 In everyone’s interest that institutions offering
  undergraduate qualifications receive sufficient
  funding.

 Institutions offering post-graduate qualifications
  will have access to research funding in their
  niche areas
Benefits of Cooperation
between Providers
Underprepared Students
 Need only enrol for a 120 credit Higher
  Certificate initially.

 Will gain the foundation they need to continue
  with higher engineering qualifications or choose
  another career.

 Much less resource intensive than foundation
  and bridging courses.
Benefits of Cooperation
between Providers
Student Throughput and Drop-Out
 Students commit themselves to a sequence of
   manageable qualifications resulting in better throughput
   and less drop-out.

 Emphasize success rather than failure.


 Proven success in the lower level qualifications will give a
   strong foundation for the upper levels.

 Sponsors will identify successful students and give them
   bursaries for further study.
                          Sem 1   Sem 2   Sem 3   Sem 4   Sem 5   Sem 6     Total
    Generic
                           60      36                                         96
L 5 Engineering
    Generic Electrical
                                   24      60                                 84
L 6 Engineering
    Specialist Elec Eng
                                                   60                         60
L 6 Sub-discipline
    Specialist Elec Eng
                                                           60       60       120
L 7 Sub-discipline
                                                            Total Credits    360




             Possible Credit Allocation for a 360 credit Degree
                             Higher
                                                      Degree
                            Certificate
                            Sem   Sem     Sem   Sem    Sem     Sem    Sem
                                                                              Total
                             1     2       3     4      5       6      7
      Generic
 L5                         60     60                  36                      156
      Engineering
      Generic Electrical
 L6                                       60           24                       84
      Engineering
      Specialist Elec Eng
 L6                                             60                              60
      Sub-discipline
      Specialist Elec Eng
 L7                                                            60      60      120
      Sub-discipline
                                                                    Credits    420




Possible Credit Allocation for Higher Certificate followed by Degree
                           Higher       Advanced
                                                             Degree
                          Certificate   Certificate

                          Sem   Sem     Sem   Sem     Sem   Sem   Sem     Sem
                                                                                  Total
                           1     2       3     4       5     6     7       8
L   Generic
                          60      60                  36                           156
5   Engineering
L   Generic Electrical
                                        60            24                   60      144
6   Engineering
L   Specialist Elec Eng
                                                60                                  60
6   Sub-discipline
L   Specialist Elec Eng
                                                            60    60               120
7   Sub-discipline
                                                                        Credits    480




    Possible Credit Allocation for Higher Certificate followed by an
              Advanced Certificate followed by a Degree
Implications of Providers not
Offering Full Range of
Qualifications

Articulation between institutions will have to be on
  the basis of completed qualifications.

Qualifications are expressed in Outcomes which
  are universal.

The Learning Programmes that an institution will
  use to enable students to achieve those
  outcomes will be unique.
Conclusion

We need a network of educational
 providers and industry
 cooperating together to provide
 pathways for students to
 progress as far as they like in
 their particular field for their own
 benefit and for the benefit of the
 country.
Conclusion

We need
 Complementary not Competing
  Qualifications
 Cooperation not Competition
  amongst institutions of Higher
  Learning
 Collaborations between stake-
  holders, not Isolation from each
  other.
  Conclusion



          We need


Cooperative Education!!!!