CURRICULUM RENEWAL AS A TRANSFORMATIONAL PROJECT AT THE DURBAN UNIVERSITY OF TECHNOLOGY: WHAT DO THE EXISTING DATA SAY?

Abstract

As one of the cornerstones of transformation at the Durban University of Technology (DUT), the curriculum renewal project (CRP) identifies desired graduate attributes that serve to inform the revitalising of the university’s academic programmes. A critical component of the renewal process is the introduction of General Education (GE) modules that are designed to address the deficiencies of poor schooling, enshrine the values of the university and complement programme content so that DUT graduates leave the university with the life skills and attributes needed to function successfully in society. As such, GE aims to provide a holistic education that goes beyond discipline- specific knowledge. One of the premises of the CRP therefore is that some DUT graduates leave university without achieving those ‘graduate attributes’ to the extent desirable. But how has DUT fared in terms of developing the desired graduate attributes in so far as students are concerned? This study uses the 2010 South African Survey on Student Engagement (SASSE) to examine student perceptions of their growth in career-related and general life skills, prior to the formal implementation of the CRP. As such, it could serve as a benchmark for assessing the efficacy of GE, subsequent to its formal integration into the academic programme across all faculties in the future.