Issue 04

CLTD Newsletter - Issue 04 - April 2011 - Page 4 of 8
CLTD RUNS AN E-LEARNING WEEK (01-05 NOVEMBER 2010)
CLTDS HOLDS A LEADERSHIP MANAGEMENT DEVELOPMENT WORKSHOP
As part of WSU e-Learning Week, CLTD hosted a
Leadership Management and Development Workshop in
Buffalo City from 04 – 05 November 2010. The objective of
the workshop was to assist the participants to understand
potential factors that place students at risk and theories to
consider when deciding whether or not students are at risk.
The trainers were Dr Louwarnoud van der Duim (RUG),
Olaf Romijin (RUG), Stefan Riezebos (RUG), CLTD, HEMIS
and ICT staff from WSU. The workshop targeted HODs and
Directors of schools from FSET; WSU Registration office and
Quality Management Directorate.
Participants were exposed to the tracking tools on
WiSeUp. They also had an opportunity to study the system of
tracking students’ progress used at the RUG with
the goal of adapting it to WSU. The RUG system
detects a student’s risk of dropping out or poor
performance at early stages. Early detection of
students at risk will help departments to develop a
system of intervention. During the workshop participants
interacted with the results of the throughput study conducted
in Faculty of Science, Engineering and Technology (FSET).
Participants were also introduced to WiSeUp’s Early Warning
Sytem, a tool that automatically monitors and tracks students
by flagging those below average. Mr Ncube from Mechanical
Engineering, Ibika and Mr Ngarivume from the Department
of Chemistry and Chemical Technology, NMD were tasked
to work with the tracking and monitoring team to pilot how
the whole WSU community of academics could successfully
utilize the WiseUp tracking tool.
PARTICIPANTS’ REFLECTIONS ON THE WORKSHOP
Ms Rose Masha, Deputy Director, Extended Studies
Academy, CLTD, WSU
For me, the workshop cleared a lot of the fuzziness that
existed around the issue on tracking and monitoring
students, specifically because I was never involved in
the process from its inception. I can safely say, from
discussion with the others, this sentiment is shared by the
other participants. Another important point is the planned
collaboration with the academics and the tracking and
monitoring team. This will ensure that the team is aware
timeously what is happening in the student’s academic
development, and that intervention occurs as soon as problems
are picked up through the early warning system. What needs
to happen though is for both the academics and the team to
construct a viable plan that will ensure that the system does
carry through. Lastly, ICT promised to set up a separate email
box for the tracking and monitoring team to use in this process.
Ms Noluthando Mayaphi, Tracking and Monitoring Specialist,
Extended Studies Academy, CLTD, WSU
This workshop helped me realize that tracking and
monitoring, though often overlooked, is a crucial
strategy in improving throughput and retention in the
university. It is critical for me to have a firm grasp on the
monitoring and tracking system at WSU and to understand
systems at other institutions including our Nuffic Project
Partners. During the workshop I came to appreciate the value
of skills such as teamwork, collaboration, reporting and
communication.
Ms Ayanda Nongogo, HEMIS Officer, Bureau for Institutional Research and Planning, WSU
Extended Studies Academy, CLTD
The workshop succeeded in creating awareness regarding throughput studies and monitoring. It established many good
working relations and interactions amongst WSU support service departments namely, Bureau for Institutional Research and
Planning (BIRP) and CLTD.The visitors from RUG gave much relevant guidance and advice on how WSU could benchmark
its tracking model against that of the RUG and decide the model that is best for the institutuon. I hope that ICT will rise to the
challenge and give the necessary support in acquiring required software resources. This workshop was an excellent way to
develop leadership and management at the operational level.
(...Continuing from page 1) According to the dictionary, wise up means become informed or make
somebody aware or informed and what better way of doing so than using the WSU LMS. The name has a good rhythm
to it. It is short and vibrant, making it acceptable to the student population. The name itself is a motivator. Who would
not want to WiSeUp. We all want to be informed and inform others, so let us all log on to our WSU LMS and WiSeUp.
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