College of Business and Economics | Annual Report 2022 26 • The overall UG module (credit) success rate (MSR) for 2022 was 83,9%. This is significantly lower than the 2021 MSR of 88,2% (by 4,3 percentage points). It is also lower than the rates attained in the immediate years before the Covid-19 pandemic. The MSR averaged 86,4% over the last five years, which was clearly impacted by the distinctly lower rate in 2022. The signs of a decline in student performance were already identified in the first semester of 2022. This prompted extensive discussions involving various stakeholders. This is elaborated below. • The deterioration in student performance is also evident in the decline in the MSR for the first- time-entering UG students by 3,2 percentage points from 89,9% in 2021 to 86,7% in 2022. The MSR for this student category averaged 87,4% over the last five years. • The UG dropout rate by year two averaged 11,3% for the cohorts from 2018 to 2021. The overall dropout rate by year two averaged slightly higher at 11,8% for cohorts over the same period. • The overall graduate output for 2022 is 4 429 students, which is 13,9% less than in 2021. This decline is evident for UG and PG programmes of 15,6% and 9,2%, respectively. The CBE has yielded an average total graduate output of 5 170 students per year over the last five years. • The overall graduation rate for 2022 is lower at 24,3% compared to 28,3% for 2021. Lower graduation rates are evident for both UG and PG programmes, from 24,9% to 20,9% and from 45,4% to 41,1%, respectively. The overall graduation rate averaged 28,4% over the period 2018 to 2022. The poor student performance in the first semester of 2022 led to a series of engagements involving the College Leadership Team (CLT) and other stakeholders, namely the Academic Development Centre (ADC), PsyCad, and the Centre for Academic Technologies (CAT). The primary reasons presented for the poor performance included the following: • Inadequate engagement with online and inperson learning opportunities. • Poor class and tutorial attendance. • Inadequate preparation for assessments. • Behavioural and mindset issues stemming from school. • Challenges with adjusting from online learning to in-person or hybrid learning. • Language issues. • Students are not taking responsibility for their learning. • Low student self-esteem and confidence. • Transport costs and other socio-economic issues that impact class attendance. • Absence of campus culture. There was a shared view that the following two factors are critical to student performance: • Student mindset and level of engagement. • A vibrant campus culture that promotes a sense of identity and belonging. As we advance, it is emphasised that students should be encouraged to take advantage of the several support services provided by ADC, PsyCad and CAT. However, eliciting the ‘students’ voice’ was also crucial through a CBE-wide survey and focus group interviews. Prof Adri Drotskie, Director of the School of Management, undertook to coordinate this latter initiative. In the end, she surveyed the views of both students and staff through focus group discussions facilitated by lecturers at school/ departmental levels. A comprehensive data set was obtained from the lecturers who facilitated focus group discussions in class, and from students who completed Google forms. A total of 300 Google forms were received with data that resulted in 1 700 lines of input. The findings from the student input revealed typical difficulties relating to socio-economic factors, finance, a sense of isolation stemming from operating in an online environment in past years, not being well prepared for the demands of university studies, lack of a campus life/culture, transport issues and security concerns. Several recommendations emerged in response to the findings, such as the use of technology as an enabler for online learning on campus; orientation workshops at the start of each year of study; workshops on basic skills; extending the role of tutors to assist in life skills and personal support; student societies in different fields of interest; lecturers taking on the role of facilitators and mentors; incorporation of more practical/ experiential learning into curricula; provision of more learning spaces for students to study on campus; and ultimately ensuring a safe and healthy campus environment that would give students a sense of security. Discussions on the implementation of these recommendations are yet to take place.
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