Kruger, Susanna Aletta
English: The study has been undertaken against the contextual background of a changing higher education and labour market. Global and national labour market requirements, trends and challenges such as economic pressure, the knowledge economy and unemployment rates have a significant impact on the expectations placed on higher education. In the national and international higher education arena rapid expansion and access of a diverse student population further impact on higher education. Different stakeholders such as government, funding bodies, professional associations and students have growing expectations that universities should address the graduate attributes that will enhance the employability, social responsibility and lifelong learning of students. It is in the light of this movement toward equipping students with more than discipline-specific knowledge and skills that the study endeavoured to identify graduate attributes that will appropriately prepare Economic and Management Sciences students for the world of work and to subsequently design a framework that may ultimately assist in accommodating these attributes in undergraduate curriculum design and delivery in the Faculty of Economic and Management Sciences (EMS), University of the Free State (UFS). The literature review focused on answering four research questions, namely (i) identifying contemporary perspectives pertaining to graduate attributes required for preparing students for the world of work; (ii) determining how curriculum design/mapping models can assist in addressing and embedding these graduate attributes that have been identified in EMS curricula, (iii) determining how graduate attributes can be taught and the evidence of their development and attainment collected and assessed; and (iv) identifying the educational considerations pertaining to the transferability of graduate attributes in higher education. The literature review informed the empirical investigation. The empirical investigation entailed a qualitative multi-method case study with limited quantitative enhancement. The first round of data collection involved an online questionnaire consisting mainly of open-ended questions. The views of purposefully selected university teachers, graduates and human resource practitioners were collected, pertaining to: the graduate attributes required to prepare undergraduate EMS students of the UFS for the world of work; the extent to which these attributes are adequately addressed in undergraduate curricula, as well as related curriculum design and delivery. An integrated interpretation of the findings from this stakeholder questionnaire survey and the extensive literature review subsequently led to the construction of a preliminary framework for accommodating graduate attributes in undergraduate curriculum design and delivery in the Faculty concerned. The preliminary framework was subjected to evaluation by a purposefully selected validation panel by making use of an online questionnaire allowing participants to rate each feature and make comments and suggestions. Based on the findings from this second round of data collection the necessary adaptations were made to the preliminary framework to arrive at a final proposed framework. The significance of this study is found in the development of a framework for accommodating graduate attributes in undergraduate curriculum design and delivery applicable to the current higher education environment. The framework is based on sound theoretical principles takes into account international and national trends, and directives from national governing bodies, the institution and professional associations, and was informed by participants with contextual and real-world experience in both the higher education environment and the world of work. Although the aim was not to generalise the findings, the generic nature of the features of the framework could serve as a vantage point for other interested parties wishing to explore the accommodation of graduate attributes in undergraduate curriculum design and delivery. The framework is grounded in an asset-based approach where the exploration of existing effective practices are encouraged and individuals can learn from one another by continually exploring the strengths and challenges pertaining to practices and find pro-active solutions to problems. It is non-static and allows for innovation and choice within the contextual realities of those tasked with such undertakings.
Afrikaans: Die studie is binne die konteks en teen die agtergrond van ŉ veranderende hoëronderwysomgewing en arbeidsmark onderneem. Wêreldwye en nasionale arbeidsmarkvereistes, -tendense en -uitdagings soos ekonomiese druk, die kennisekonomie en werkloosheidkoerse het ŉ betekenisvolle impak op die verwagtinge wat van hoër onderwys gekoester word. In die nasionale en internasionale hoëronderwysarena het die snelle uitbreiding en toeganklikheid van ŉ diverse studentepopulasie ŉ verdere impak. Verskillende belanghebbendes soos die staat, befondsingsliggame, professionele verenigings en studente het groterwordende verwagtinge dat universiteite aandag moet skenk aan die eienskappe waaroor gegradueerdes moet beskik om hul indiensnemingsmoontlikhede, hul sosiale verantwoordelikheid en hul vermoë tot lewenslange leer te verhoog. In die lig van hierdie beweging om studente toe te rus met meer as dissipline-spesifieke kennis en vaardighede, het die studie gepoog om die eienskappe van gegradueerdes wat studente in Ekonomiese en Bestuurswetenskappe toepaslik vir die werkomgewing sal voorberei, te identifiseer, en om vervolgens ŉ raamwerk te ontwerp wat uiteindelik kan help om hierdie eienskappe in die voorgraadse kurrikulumontwerp en -aflewering in die Fakulteit Ekonomiese en Bestuurswetenskappe (EBW), Universiteit van die Vrystaat (UV), te akkommodeer. Die fokus in die literatuuroorsig was op die beantwoording van vier navorsingsvrae, naamlik (i) die identifisering van kontemporêre perspektiewe rakende die eienskappe van gegradueerdes wat vereis word om studente voor te berei vir die werkomgewing; (ii) om te bepaal hoe kurrikulumontwerp-/-karteringsmodelle kan help dat meer aandag geskenk word aan en dié eienskappe ingebed word in die EBW-kurrikula; (iii) om te bepaal hoe dié eienskappe van gegradueerdes onderrig kan word en hoe die bewyse van ontwikkeling, ingesamel en geassesseer kan word; en (iv) die identifisering van die onderwysoorwegings wat verband hou met die oordrag van eienskappe van gegradueerdes in hoër onderwys. Die empiriese ondersoek is onderlê deur die literatuuroorsig. Die empiriese ondersoek is uitgevoer as ŉ kwalitatiewe meervoudigemetode-gevallestudie met beperkte kwantitatiewe uitbouing. Die eerste ronde data-insameling is gedoen met behulp van ŉ aanlyn-vraelys met hoofsaaklik oop vrae. Hierdie vraelys het die sienings van doelbewus geselekteerde dosente, gegradueerdes en menslikehulpbronpraktisyns oor die volgende ingewin: die eienskappe van gegradueerdes wat vereis word om voorgraadse EBW-studente van die UV voor te berei vir die werkomgewing; die mate waarin hierdie eienskappe voldoende aandag kry in voorgraadse kurrikula, asook kurrikulumontwikkelings- en -afleweringoorwegings wat verband hou met die ontwikkeling van die eienskappe van gegradueerdes. ŉ Geïntegreerde interpretasie van die bevindinge van hierdie vraelys vir belanghebbendes en die uitgebreide literatuuroorsig het vervolgens gelei tot die opstel van ŉ voorlopige raamwerk vir die akkommodering van die gewenste eienskappe van gegradueerdes in voorgraadse kurrikulumontwerp en -aflewering in die Fakulteit EBW aan die UV. Die voorlopige raamwerk is daarna deur ŉ doelbewus geselekteerde evalueringspaneel geëvalueer deur gebruik te maak van ŉ aanlynvraelys wat die deelnemers geleentheid gebied het om elke kenmerk na waarde te skat en kommentaar te lewer en voorstelle te maak. Op grond van die bevindinge van hierdie tweede ronde data-insameling is die nodige aanpassings aan die voorlopige raamwerk aangebring om ŉ finale raamwerk voor te stel. Die waarde van die studie is geleë in die ontwikkeling van ŉ raamwerk om gewenste eienskappe van gegradueerdes in die ontwerp en aflewering van voorgraadse kurrikula, wat toepaslik is binne die hoëronderwysomgewing, te akkommodeer. Die raamwerk is gebaseer op grondige teoretiese beginsels, neem internasionale en nasionale tendense en voorskrifte van nasionale beheerliggame, die instelling en professionele verenigings in ag, en is toegelig deur deelnemers wat beskik oor kontekstuele en reële ervaring in beide die hoëronderwys- en werkomgewings. Alhoewel die doel nooit was om die bevindings van die studie te veralgemeen nie, mag die generiese aard van die kenmerke van die raamwerk dien as ŉ vertrekpunt vir ander belangstellende partye wat daarin belangstel om die akkommodering van eienskappe van gegradueerdes in voorgraadse kurrikulumontwerp en -aflewering te ondersoek. Die raamwerk is gegrond op ŉ bategebaseerde benadering waarvolgens die ondersoek van bestaande effektiewe praktyke aangemoedig word en individue van mekaar kan leer deur voortdurend die sterk punte en uitdagings rakende praktyke te verken en pro-aktiewe oplossings vir probleme te vind. Dit is nie staties nie en laat ruimte vir innovering en keuses binne die kontekstuele realiteite van diegene wat met sodanige verpligtinge getaak word.