COUNCIL ON HIGHER COUNCIL ON HIGHER EDUCATIONEDUCATION

HEQF Implementation:HEQF Implementation:

An overview of preliminary dataAn overview of preliminary dataand the and the

Way forward: Category BWay forward: Category B

HEQF IMPLEMENTATION HISTORYHEQF IMPLEMENTATION HISTORY

• October 2007 HEQF Gazetted• 2008 – Joint Communique 1 and 2 on the HEQF

Implementation• June 2009 – Joint Communique 3 on HEQF

Implementation (Interim arrangements)• April 2010 – HEQF Think Tank• October 2010 – CHE-HEQF Communique 1 HEQF

Implementation Plan• January 2011 – HEQF Implementation Workshop• August 2011 – HEQF-online goes live

HEQF ALIGNMENT: IMPLEMENTATION AND OPERATIONAL PLAN

ALL HIGHER EDU

CATIO

N

PROGRA

MM

ES AN

D Q

UALIFIC

ATION

S SU

BMITT

ED VIA HEQ

C O

NLIN

E FO

R APPRAISA

L AND

CATEGOR

ISATION

CATERGORY A

MINIMAL CHANGES: EG NAMEOF QUALIFICATION

CATEGORY B

MINOR CHANGES: IE LESS THAN 50% CHANGE TO QUALIFICATION

CATEGORY C

MAJOR CHANGES: IE MORE 50% CHANGE TO QUALIFICATION

UNIVERSITIES Blue Group

UNIVERSITIES Purple Group

UNIVERSITIES OF TECHNOLOGY

COMPREHENSIVE UNIVERSITIES Red Group

PRIVATE PROVIDERS

EST. 60 – 70% OF APPLICATIONS

LARGE SCALE EVALUATIONS OF APPLICATIONS IN AC-STYLE MODEL

OUTCOME: APPROVED AND ‘DEEMED’ ACCREDITED

EST. 30 – 25% OF APPLICATIONS

‘ACCREDITATION-STYLE’ EVALUATION BY INSTITUTION TYPE, DISCIPLINE AND QUALIFICATION TYPE

EST. 5% OF APPLICATIONS

MAKE NEW APPLICATION FOR CANDIDACY-PHASE ACCREDITATION

OUTCOME: APPROVED AND ‘DEEMED’ ACCREDITED

OUTCOME: PROVISIONAL ACCREDITATION

NOT APPROVED NOT APPROVEDNOT ACCREDITED

COMPREHENSIVE UNIVERSITIES Orange Group

HEQF IMPLEMENTATION PROCESSHEQF IMPLEMENTATION PROCESS

• Phased approach• Phase 1 – to be completed June / July 2012• Categorise qualifications as Category A, B or C• Complete offline HEQF Implementation 2-part

template• S1 – existing qualification information (A, B, C)• S2 – amended qualification information (A, B –

delayed)

HEQF-ONLINE DATA RESULTSHEQF-ONLINE DATA RESULTS• Preliminary data extracted in May 2012 – will change as

institutions continue to submit – should not be considered auditable data at this stage

• Data needs further analysis and disaggregation • Summarises info received largely from S1• Provides broad overview of public sector and some PHEI data• Provides indication of areas where dataset is incomplete and

requires clarification, repopulation and ‘clean-up’• Specifically, PHEI data appears incomplete in some areas and

will need further review and requests for clarification• Existing qualifications categorisations (A, B, C)• Overview provides an indication of future changes in the sector

QUALIFICATIONS RECEIVEDQUALIFICATIONS RECEIVED

UNIVERSITIESUNIVERSITIES

COMPREHENSIVESCOMPREHENSIVES

UOT’SUOT’S

PRIVATE PROVIDERSPRIVATE PROVIDERS

PRIVATE – UG/PG SPLITPRIVATE – UG/PG SPLIT

PRIVATE - HIGHLIGHTSPRIVATE - HIGHLIGHTS

CESMCESM DISTRIBUTIONDISTRIBUTION

CATEGORY A SUBMISSIONSCATEGORY A SUBMISSIONS

CATEGORY A PROCESS CATEGORY A PROCESS EVALUATIONSEVALUATIONS

• Processed over 4100 Category A qualifications via HEQF-online• Majority have been approved by the HEQC• Doctorates, diplomas, MBAs parked until HEQF Review finalised• Currently finalising details such as content of automated e-mails,

report formats available to institutions via the HEQF-online, outcomes letters, etc

• Some data clean-up is required prior to the release of outcomes such as spelling and title corrections

• After initial clean-up is completed, institutions will be informed of approvals in principle

• After approval, additional clean-up may be required including info for CESMs, major fields of study etc

IMPLEMENTATION WAY FORWARDIMPLEMENTATION WAY FORWARD

• Analysis of data – determine CESM (disciplinary), institution type, qualification type differentiation

• Only Category B• Phase 2 – begin in September 2012 • HEQF-online submission of curriculum change

information for evaluation (user-experience survey conducted to assist in improving the system)

• Accreditation-style evaluation• HEQC approval• Challenge – HEQF Review finalisation

PHASE 2 CATEGORY B TIMEFRAMEPHASE 2 CATEGORY B TIMEFRAME

January 2014 – June 2014

July 2013 – December 2013

September 2012 – June 2013

July 2014 – December 2014

Universities –submit Category B + S2 Applications (1089 qualifications)

Private Providers submit Category B + S2 Applications (89 qualifications)

Comprehensives – Orange Group submit Category B +S2 Applications (514 qualifications)

Universities of Technology submit Category B + S2 Applications (246 qualifications)

PHASE

TWO

CATEGORY B PROCESSCATEGORY B PROCESS• September 2012 – release HEQF Category B questions –

Word version (http://www.che.ac.za/heqf/) and HEQF Implementation Handbook 2.0

• November 2012 – Category B questions for submission on HEQF-online system, submitted in 2 parts

S1 submissions locked but ‘viewable’ and S2 available for submission or amendment

Category B questions in Q&A narrative format (similar to HEQC-online system)

• HEQF-online system will be open to all institutions once system goes live until indicated deadlines

CATEGORY B PROCESS 2CATEGORY B PROCESS 2

• September 2012 – June 2013, CHE = train subject-matter experts as evaluators to evaluate the Category B submissions

• After each deadline, specific institution type will be evaluated per discipline and qualification type

• Submissions will be processed in an Accreditation-type evaluation and will tabled at HEQC for final approval

• Outcomes will be communicated to institutions once approved

• Anticipated all evaluations and outcomes will be released by end of 2015

HEQF-HEQF-onlineonline USER-EXPERIENCE USER-EXPERIENCE SURVEYSURVEY

• Conducted an online user-experience survey irt using the HEQF-online system as an effective ICT tool to implement the HEQF – apply to moving future development for Category B

• 38% response rate• Still analysing the data• Broad issues: Better communication, RSS feeds, automated e-mails Clarify processes and workflows, including checklists Pilot future templates more rigorously, Finalise the template

and stick to it Needs to be user-friendly – online and offline?? New online systems are always intimidating

CATEGORY B QUESTIONSCATEGORY B QUESTIONS• Purpose and characteristics of programme irt HEQF• Curriculum and programme design changes• Learning activities• Professional body requirements• Assessment• Articulation and progression• WIL• RPL• Widening accessCategory B Template circulated widely to members of public and

private sector for comment. Comments will be collated and considered into final Category B Template (Word and HEQF-Online)

QUESTIONS OR COMMENTS?QUESTIONS OR COMMENTS?

E-mail: Tamara Bezuidenhout

heqfonline@che.ac.zaTel: 012 349 3934

URL: http://www.che.ac.za/heqf/