College of Business and Economics Annual Report 2017 31 Peer Mentors Measures for accelerating student success Measures need to be adopted to mitigate the risk of student dropout, particularly at first-year level. Passing the first year remains a major hurdle for university entrants. Up to 60% of first-year students at South African universities drop out, and of the remaining students, less than 50% graduate. Various measures have been adopted to improve student success, which include investment in key tutor programmes, peer mentoring and intensive revision programmes. An institutional Student Success Committee was set up in the latter part of 2017, with the aim of driving research and initiatives aimed at improving student throughput. This Committee has mandated the Academic Development Centre (ADC) to work closely with faculties on the development and implementation of plans for improving the success rates of so-called priority modules (modules with high enrolments and/or poor pass rates). The CBE has embraced this collaboration and heads of departments have committed to working closely with the ADC to improve the pass rates of priority modules. Moreover, a Student Development and Experience Committee has been established as a subcommittee of the CBE Teaching and Learning Committee to drive the various components that contribute to student experience and performance. Employability of graduates The 2017 Undergraduate Employability Survey revealed that respondents were: • on average 25 years old • with 81% having had part-time jobs during their studies. • After graduation, 67% were employed within three months and • 93% within 12 months. Employment resulted from: • Student networking opportunities (20%); • Exposure during work-integrated learning (13%), • Web applications (10%) and • Recruitment agencies (9%). Overall, 89% of respondents indicated that a UJ qualification helped them to be employed. The CBE considers the employability of its graduates a critical outcome of its academic project, hence the need for ongoing programme review and development and an enriching student experience. Schools and departments are expected to identify typical employers in their respective domains and to establish mechanisms for ongoing engagements with them with a view to sustaining purposeful programme reviews and development.
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