The article presents a socio-critical model and framework for understanding, predicting, and enhancing student success developed at the University of South Africa. An extensive literature review indicated that predominant models from international contact institutions were of partial application in this context. Integrating socio-critical, anthropological, and cultural theoretical perspectives, the model applies the key constructs of situated agency, capital, habitus, attribution, locus of control, and self-efficacy to both students and institutions in understanding success at each step of the student's journey. The model and framework, to be implemented incrementally during 2011, provide useful pointers for open distance learning and other institutions in pursuing greater student success.

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Identifying what kind of knowledge is appropriate for the citizen of the new millennium is of special concern in developing countries. They face two simultaneous challenges: carving out niche areas of innovation within the competitive global arena while meeting the basic development needs of the majority of their increasingly marginalized and impoverished populations. Against this background, our article examines the question of appropriate knowledge in the globalizing world of the new millennium. We analyse some of the risks for teaching and learning entailed by recent assumptions regarding the changing social nature, production and dissemination of knowledge. In the final section, we critically examine one of these new knowledge production practices—community-based academic service learning—in light of these risks.

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