Improving postgraduate supervision in an Open and Distance Learning (ODL) environment. A case study at the College of Education University of South Africa (Unisa)

Heeralal, Prem Jotham

doi:10.20853/29-3-490

Cited by 11 publications

(13 citation statements)

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“…This research has established that the students' satisfaction and motivation mainly stemmed from the strong academic support of their supervisors who readily assisted them. This corroborates Heeralal's (2015) finding that most postgraduate students in the College of Education at Unisa were satisfied that their supervisors met their expectations. He established that students expected their supervisors to guide them, respond promptly to emails and maintain good relationships with them.…”

Section: Discussionsupporting

confidence: 85%

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Postgraduate Students’ Perceptions of Support Services Rendered by a Distance Learning Institution

Lekhetho¹

2021

IJHE

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Postgraduate studies are generally draining for most students because of the high rigour and cognitive demands required. They are even more arduous for students in a distance-learning context as most of them are full-time employees and lack enough time for their studies. Consequently, they tend to have low success rates due to a lack of required academic and research skills, low English proficiency, and inadequate student support. Underpinned by Simpson's student support model, this research adopted a qualitative approach and a focus group technique to probe nine Ethiopian doctoral students about their perceptions of the support provided by the University of South Africa (Unisa). From a thematic analysis of the themes that recurred, the findings revealed that despite the challenges, most students appreciated the support provided, particularly by supervisors who guided them efficiently and gave them feedback promptly. To improve graduation rates, it is recommended that supervisors be trained in effective supervision and support of students from diverse linguistic and educational backgrounds.

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Section: Discussionsupporting

confidence: 85%

“…Such deficits might be exacerbated by the supervisors' insufficient knowledge and guidance skills (van Rooij et al, 2019). While the average time taken to complete a PhD in South Africa is 4.8 years (Heeralal, 2015), Unisa (2021) stipulates that students must complete a doctoral programme within six years.…”

Section: Overview Of Postgraduate Educationmentioning

confidence: 99%

Postgraduate Students’ Perceptions of Support Services Rendered by a Distance Learning Institution

Lekhetho¹

2021

IJHE

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“…It would be vital too to look at how pre-COVID-19 distance education and online doctoral studies programmes assure their quality when it comes to frequency of interaction between supervisor and supervisee. Heeralal's (2016) case study on improving postgraduate supervision in an Open and Distance Learning (ODL) environment would be a good starting point. http://dx.doi.org/10.18820/2519593X/pie.v40.i1.17…”

Section: Study Limitationsmentioning

confidence: 99%

The need for revision of selected aspects of online Master's and doctoral student supervision

Ferreira–Meyers

2022

pie

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Since the onset of the COVID-19 pandemic, higher education institutions have been concerned about their Master and doctoral students, in particular how and when they would be able to continue and complete their research activities and dissertations. Scholars have noted the potential deterioration in the quality of research projects for a variety of reasons (transformation and/ or abandoning of approved research methods, anxiety-related lowered performance rates, altered modes of supervision and delays in completion times). In this article, I discuss the findings of a small-scale study, undertaken in July 2020, on whether there has been a significant change in the supervision of Master's and doctoral students in Africa due to the outbreak and impact of the COVID-19 pandemic. I used a Google Form online survey to obtain participants' opinion on the frequency of interactions between supervisors and supervisees, the medium of interaction as well as the Master's and doctoral candidates' general progress. The study participants were all instructors in higher education who supervise Master and PhD students. There has been a change in frequency and means of supervision, that there is more reliance on videoconferencing tools and interaction "at a distance". However, the data cannot conclusively confirm that there has been a significant transformation in the way students are supervised because many study participants indicated their wish to return to the way things were done pre-pandemic. Nevertheless, there will probably be more reliance on social media, email and other online tools such as Zoom and Skype post-pandemic. In the words of the study participants, "online supervision is developing" and "the pandemic has also given us more tools of engagement, which is good".

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“…Lack of effective field work practice and supervision leads to lack of competency in doing work in the field (Dash and Botcha, 2018). Other issues related to field work supervision are allocation of supervisors, less qualified supervisors (Bukaliya, 2012), the quality and frequency of feedback (Heeralal, 2015) and students not consulting regularly (Mafa and Mapolisa, 2012).…”

Section: Review Of Literaturementioning

confidence: 99%

Field work supervision through open and distance learning: an Indian perspective

Guin

2019

AAOUJ

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Purpose The purpose of this paper is to highlight the method of field work supervision in BSW and MSW programmes offered through open and distance learning (ODL) at the Indira Gandhi National Open University (IGNOU). The key argument of the paper will focus on the fact that despite various challenges, field work supervision through ODL provides lot of scope and flexibility to students, generating a cadre of trained social work professionals. Design/methodology/approach The paper adopts a case study approach in presenting the various methods employed for field work supervision by the University. This section will highlight the achievements in terms of developing indigenous theory course and the best practices adopted by IGNOU to train social work professionals through adequate and timely supervision in the ODL mode. Findings Field work supervision in the ODL mode poses many challenges, especially when compared to that in the conventional universities. Some of these include irregular meeting of supervisor and student, inability of students to meet supervisor due to several reasons like remote location, poor economic background, lack of leave for working professionals, etc. Research limitations/implications There is a need for developing a mechanism to regularly orient field work supervisors in supervising students in the ODL mode. It is recommended that regular field work practicum workshops be conducted for supervisors and students. Viva for field work could be made mandatory at different regional centres. Field work supervision could be enhanced through the use of technology, namely, Skype, e-mail, WhatsApp, etc. Originality/value The paper describes the various nuances of field work supervision through ODL system. It is an original work and is of great value in understanding the challenges and difficulties encountered by learners and academic counsellors throughout the process of supervision. The paper highlights important recommendations by the stakeholders themselves in mitigating the challenges faced during field work supervision through ODL.

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Improving postgraduate supervision in an Open and Distance Learning (ODL) environment. A case study at the College of Education University of South Africa (Unisa)

Cited by 11 publications

References 0 publications

Postgraduate Students’ Perceptions of Support Services Rendered by a Distance Learning Institution

Postgraduate Students’ Perceptions of Support Services Rendered by a Distance Learning Institution

The need for revision of selected aspects of online Master's and doctoral student supervision

Field work supervision through open and distance learning: an Indian perspective

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