The Impact of an Advanced Certificate in Education (ACE) Program on the Professional Practice of Graduates

Abstract

This paper examines the impact of a distance education program offered by the University of Pretoria, South Africa, on the professional practice of teachers. A pilot study was conducted using a combination of surveys and focus group interviews. Findings reveal that the program was beneficial to graduates’ personal development, professional practice, schools, learners, and colleagues. Further, principals who participated in the study attested to the differences they observed between the graduates and other teachers who had not been exposed to such a program. Suggestions for improvements included the introduction of subjects taught at school as areas of specialization, involvement of school principals in the assessment of enrolled students, visits to schools by the organizers, and exposure of students to the practical opportunities offered by the program (with portfolios that could be a part of the assessment).

Evaluation of the Vocational Education Orientation Programme (VEOP) at a university in South Africa

“…Survey instruments have been identified as being the most popular data collection tools in outcomes measurements and evaluation (Aluko, 2009;Sampson, 2003). Two questionnaires were used to gather data about the student-lecturers' views of the VEOP at the UFS.…”

“…The questions in the second survey were also based on the learning outcomes of the programme, as well as the principles that guide the programme (cf. Aluko, 2009). The researchers, furthermore, entered into lengthy discussions with the dean and the director of short courses at SOL to determine their perspectives on VEOP, their expectations of the evaluative study, and their views on the future of VEOP at SOL.…”

“…This suits full-time professionals such as FETC lecturers. Distance education methods have been used to teach, develop, and support teachers for many years (Aluko, 2009;Mishra et al, 2009). The effectiveness of distance education for teacher training is well documented (cf.…”

“…The effectiveness of distance education for teacher training is well documented (cf. Aluko, 2009 The two most important problems associated with distance education are high attrition rates and quality assurance (Sikwibele & Mungoo, 2009 improve the quality of teaching-learning, to enhance the relevance of the programme, to access how the programme is perceived by its stakeholders and meet their expectations, and to provide regular feedback on the factors that affect outcomes (Mishra et al, 2009). In the evaluation of distance education programmes, cognisance should also be taken of the American Distance Education Consortium's (ADEC) principles for good practice:…”

Going beyond Kirkpatrick's Training Evaluation Model: The role of workplace factors in distance learning transfer

“…Unfortunately, not much has been done to measure the impact of distance education training programmes on the professional practice of teachers (Fahy, Spencer and Halinski, 2007;Aluko, 2009). Research has shown that reports emanating from such evaluations can reveal the strengths and weaknesses of programmes, and can be used to improve them if necessary (Newcomer and Allen, 2008).…”