practicalities+of+student+support +soph+uwc+experiences

University of the Western Cape, School of Public HealthA WHO Collaborating Centre for Teaching and Research in Human Resources for Health

Thinking about the practicalities of student support: the experiences of the School of Public Health, UWC

Emerging opportunities in post-graduate public health education

for health systems development 18 – 22 May 2015

School of Public Health, University of the Western Cape


Reflecting on our own experience - as students!

Have you studied through a distance education programme?

What kind of support did you find the most valuable?


The aim of this session:

• To reflect on the unique skills, qualities and/or characteristics that student administrators and academic staff (ideally) ought to have so as to be able to provide distance education students with the necessary support they require.

• To share our experiences with you – as one example of what can be done, and to learn what your own experiences and strategies are in relation to this issue.


Our Student Administrators

Corinne Carolissen & Janine Kader – working with Ziyanda Mwanda

Supporting our 193 Post Graduate, MPH and PhD students in 2015.


The role of a Student Administrator in our distance education programme – job description

1. Communicating with applicants & assisting with the management of the application task and

selection process

2. Dispatching learning materials and resources to students

3. Facilitating communication with students (notices, deadlines, resources, assignments)

4. Responding to requests from students (queries, information, extensions)

5. Counselling students (from their selection of modules to a range of personal issues)

6. Providing support to academic staff (scheduling assignments; compiling student lists;

managing assignments & marks & monitoring student progress; liaising with internal & external

examiners, the exams office & compiling final marks and graduation lists)

7. Participating in academic programme planning & management meetings with academic staff

8. Liaising with CHS Faculty (facilitating registration & payment processes, promotions &

graduations – and resolving problems).


The role of a Student Administrator in our distance education programme – the reality

“The demands of our distance learning programme are different from those of other

programmes on campus, as it involves acting on behalf of students on campus, as

well as substantial student support, motivation and counselling.

Distance learning is known to require a high level of administrative efficiency to sustain it.

We have had to act as the interface between students from quite a number of different

African countries, which requires problem-solving at many levels, and perseverance in

making our students’ needs felt on campus. This role also involves taking initiative

regularly as requests cannot always be referred to academics for assistance…


The role of a Student Administrator in our distance education programme – the reality (cont)

“Since our students work in high demand jobs as health professionals and study off

campus after hours, they make exceptional demands on us. This often requires a mature

and patient responsiveness to multiple requests rather than reactive behaviour (which

cannot be helped at times). It involves negotiating deadlines with students and being firm

and diplomatic when responding to requests.

At times when students attend contact sessions, we work long hours under extreme

pressure to meet their demands in the short time they are on campus. During key

administrative periods, we handle up huge amount of queries a week, many of which

require considerable follow up. The service we provide has been noted by many of our

students to be one of the positive aspects of our programme.”

Corinne Carolissen & Lucy Alexander, SOPH, UWC


A Student Administrator, supporting a distance education programme,

what qualities do you need ?

You have to be compassionate – and often act as a counsellor: “A student called me recently and said her father had died…she was so stressed….Often, I try to

calm a student down and then re-assure them or guide them about what they can do to continue (their studies).”

“When someone is battling to keep up…I encourage them to think about just making the minimum requirements…getting through that.”

You have to understand the realities of the lives of our working students: ‘What it means to be a wife and a working mother…’

You have to know the rules inside and out – but also be a little flexible: “So when someone calls you and says ‘I’m so busy at work…I just need a day or two more for my

assignment’ you need to be responsive to their immediate needs. But you can only do this if you know what is possible in terms of the established rules and procedures.”

You also have to be assertive: ‘…otherwise they run away with you!’


A Student Administrator – supporting a public health distance

education training programme:

In your experience what are the most important skills, personal attributes and

qualities for a Student Administrator to have?


Supporting Strategies I:Welcoming students into the SOPH & our academic programme

Engagement starts from the beginning: application & selection, registration, delivery of learning materials.

Sending a welcome / introductory email /memo to all students at the start of the year from the Student Administrators and including them in a ‘admin’ google group

Welcome email/letter from each of the Course Convenors at the start of their module

Additional – face/face engagement at our Summer School – in which the core modules are taught.


Supporting Strategies II: Orientating our students to our academic programme

Programme Handbook outlining general expectations and providing information on: Staff of the SOPH and their contact details (and other staff in UWC that can offer support) Description of all the core and elective modules Guidance around the pace of study & selection of electives Orientation to Summer & Winter schools Information about the process of registration, payment of fees & financial assistance Academic resources available to students (eg. using the library, support with academic writing) Assessment (eg. submission procedures, policies around academic dishonesty) Academic rules

Academic Handbooks provides the student with information on: Challenges of postgraduate study at a distance Developing qualities of an effective learner Managing yourself as a learner Developing information literacy (use of the library & accessing electronic databases and journals) Getting to grips with academic practices (writing strategies, referencing, reading & note-taking)

Providing students with guildelines about how to access the UWC online learning management system (iKamva) and who to contact to resolve any difficulties they might experience.


Supporting Strategies III:Staying in contact with students during the semester

Administrative issues: Regular reminders of deadlines (and enquires made if a student does not meet the

deadline) Student Administrators remain accessible to discuss a range of issues with students

(extensions, decisions around choice of electives, changing the pace of study, visas & accommodation options for winter school – and more personal matters impacting on their studies).

News about the SOPH Sending students the monthly SOPH newsletter (which includes some interviews with

current and graduating students, introduces students to new SOPH staff members and the research that the SOPH is currently doing)

Facebook Twitter – including tweets about this workshop!


Our distance learning materials

Developed according to a template Content is carefully sequenced Interactive in style - guided didactic conversation, voice of a peer Focus on practical problems frequently encountered by managers

and practitioners in the health service Multi-media - with strong demand to read Integrates assessment requirements, in-text tasks and readings We have increased the sense of a learning community through

online discussion groups, skype or WEBEX sessions

We are in a transition from using a paper based to an online format.


Our distance learning materials - illustration

Resources available online: Core Management Strategies for the Public Health Services (2013) Public Health Research (2013)

Resources available online: Electives Alcohol Problems: A Health Promoting Approach Nutrition: Epidemiology and Control of Chronic (Non-Communicable

Diseases) Public health Nutrition: Policy and Programming.

http://www.uwc.ac.za/Faculties/CHS/soph/Pages/default.aspx




Providing academic support to distance students

Supporting students academically:

Feedback on assignments (drafts and final)

Support students in terms of academic literacy (academic discourse, how to source literature, how to reference).

Monitoring of each student’s marks across the different modules and appropriate intervention made if possible (eg. reducing number of modules/year).

practicalities+of+student+support +soph+uwc+experiences

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