The North-West University (NWU) Preparatory Programme has been approved recently by the North-West University’s Institutional Committee for Academic Standards (ICAS) for a test period, running from January 2012 until November 2012. The programme provides an opportunity for students who did not meet the admission requirements of a NWU BCom degree. The programme will serve to develop the academic, personal and social competencies required for this degree. After having completed this foundation programme and meeting University entrance requirements, successful students will be credited with two of the five modules offered (Business Management and Mathematics) should they decide to study towards a generic NWU BCom degree.
The programme will be supported and delivered by the Open Learning Group (OLG), official open distance learning partner of the NWU. The multi-modal model of delivery consists of face-to-face tutoring; Smartboard-enabled broadcasts enabling easy interaction between students and tutors across geographical distances; as well as paper-based academic content delivered via an eLearning platform such as Moodle. Students will also receive full support from the OLG call centre.
The ICAS endorsement assures that students are offered a quality programme that will receive wide recognition.
The pilot programme will form part of a research project during which the student’s development and progress will be tracked to determine the success of this foundation programme as well as its impact on the student’s future academic performance. Elements that will be monitored include the quality of the material content; the processes and systems used; and the delivery of the programme. Ongoing research will be conducted. It is designed to facilitate improvements for a complete University Preparatory programme in future.
The programme will be presented at the three NWU campuses in Potchefstroom, Vanderbijlpark and Mafikeng and possibly at other venues determined by the location of registered students. Selected applicants will also receive a 50% bursary grant from the NWU when enrolling for the programme.
A limited number of seats are still available for prospective students. For more information contact OLG on 011 670 4700 or email leilani.ludick@olg.co.za
Article by www.olg.co.za
