2015 2019 DUT STRATEGIC PLAN - DUT's
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DUT STRATEGIC PLAN
2015 - 2019
Towards Relevance, Responsiveness and Resiliencestrategic plan 2015 - 2019
Conceptualising the Strategic Plan
The design concept in this booklet (on the cover and elsewhere) is made up of the two strands of DUT’s
DNA, namely Student-centredness and Engagement. These strands could also be described as the two
threads which make up the fabric of the University. Connecting these strands are four Strategic Focus Areas,
each of which has its own motif that is carried throughout.
BUILDING SUSTAINABLE STUDENT COMMUNITIES OF LIVING AND LEARNING
BUILDING RESEARCH AND INNOVATION FOR DEVELOPMENT
BUILDING A LEARNING ORGANISATION
BUILDING A SUSTAINABLE UNIVERSITY
These four Strategic Focus Areas encapsulate the core functions of teaching-learning and research, and are
interwoven with, or bridge, the quintessential strands of Student-centredness and Engagement. These are
further given effect by six drivers (which are defined later). The Strategic Plan is thus made up of two strands,
four Strategic Focus Areas, six drivers.
1Towards relevance, responsiveness and resilience...
DUT heads into its ninth year as a
University. While the institution has a
Secondly, they perform research and
thereby contribute to the generation of While the institution
rich history of more than one hundred new knowledge. Some of this will be ‘blue-
years as a place of vocational and higher sky’ research performed for the purpose of
contributing to humanity’s understanding
has a rich history
education it is the fact that DUT is now
a University that makes this strategic
planning process a defining milestone.
of the universe in all its manifestations.
But universities also contribute to
of more than one
knowledge production that is strategic
Universities everywhere in the world are
both intensely local and intensely global and applied in nature, contributing to the hundred years
and they are buffeted by conditions in global competitiveness of South Africa’s
both contexts. These conditions are in industry or that helps South Africa solve
its reconstruction and sociopolitical
as a place of
a state of rapid change due partly to
the increasingly interwoven relationship
between research and knowledge
challenges. Thirdly, universities contribute
to the building of critical, participatory vocational and
citizens who are both national and global
systems, industrial innovation and
production, the cataclysmic upheavals
in scope, who strengthen this still nascent
democracy while ensuring they are also
higher education it
in the world’s financial systems, and
the political contexts within which the
institution resides. As South Africa heads
effective as individuals in an increasingly
globalised, increasingly connected is the fact that DUT
world. Engagement with society in all its
into a third decade of popular democracy,
there are also vast changes taking place
manifestations is a key terrain for each is now a University
of these contributions. So universities
in global geopolitics which alters the way
in which societies (and hence universities
are driven by the local context in which
they find themselves and by the forces of
that makes this
within them) relate to each other. It is,
therefore, imperative for the continued
wellbeing and relevance of any higher
globalisation.
Holding interesting, intimate conversations strategic planning
across the staff spectrum is at the heart of
education institution that there is ongoing
engagement on its strategic orientation
any strategic planning process so that there
are opportunities for building alignment
process a defining
and its external and internal alignments.
Universities are social institutions
within the institution. These should extend
to external audiences as well. milestone.
embedded in the contexts in which So, the purposes of a higher education
they find themselves and as such they institution can be stated as:
have multiple purposes. Of these three u building ethical and engaged
are primary. Firstly, they perform high citizens for a multilayered, complex
level teaching and learning and thereby democracy, and contributing to
contribute to the development of a imagining and shaping a new nation;
flexible, deep labour market that matches u broadening and deepening the
the needs of a complex economy. intellectual culture of our society;
strategic plan 2015 - 2019 I 2A framework for the Strategic Plan
u producing the human resource and
knowledge needs of a developing
DUT to understand the complex changes
taking place in the global economy, in To remain a
South Africa and its complex global geopolitics and in the local context,
economy; and and for it to understand whether in
terms of its core activities (teaching-
viable, sustainable
u being bridges to the global community.
Operating within the South African
learning and research) it is responding
to these. The second is to understand
institution it is
higher education (HE) landscape, what changes are taking place in the
DUT’s context is one of transformation, higher education system in South Africa critical to anticipate
reconstruction and development. The (for example, new policies, new funding
University is informed by various national
policies, plans and strategies, including
systems, new political contexts) and to
assess its ability to respond to these. The
the opportunities,
the Higher Education Act (No. 101
of 1997); the National Development
third requires a rigorous re-evaluation of
business processes and support systems, challenges and
Plan; recommendations of the National and ensuring that outdated modes of
Planning Commission; the White Paper
for Post-School Education and Training
operating are replaced with effective and
efficient substitutes, particularly ways of
potential crises
in South Africa and the Department of
Higher Education and Training (DHET)
delivering service to our stakeholders
(internal and external). to the education
2014−2019 Enrolment Plan. The National
Plan for Higher Education (February
There are different kinds of alignment.
Broadly speaking we should all be pulling environment.
2001) identifies a number of key significantly in the same direction. There
strategic goals for the country’s higher should be firm alignment between the
education system, including educating strategic objectives of the University and
for economic and social development its budgets. The research and teaching
through educational relevance, achieving programmes of the University should
equity through improving student access be aligned with the broad needs of
and success and sustaining and promoting socioeconomic development.
research.
‘Business as usual’ can no longer be the
As DUT moves towards realising its accepted mode of operation. For this to
identity as a university of technology, it happen, strategies have to be developed
is also confronted with the conditions to activate and improve organisational
buffeting all universities operating within systems, capabilities and capacities. The
the local and global higher education fourth, and perhaps most important, is
context. To remain a viable, sustainable whether DUT has the right professional
institution it is critical to anticipate the capacity and ability to match the
opportunities, challenges and potential challenges and opportunities that it faces.
crises to the education environment. To operate in this rapidly changing
What are some of these? The first is for environment, it will be critical for the
3To operate in [a] University to be relevant, responsive and
resilient.
University cannot be distanced from the
community and context within which it
There is also deep concern that after eight is situated if it wishes to be sustainable.
rapidly changing years of existence as a University, we are The committed support of its external
partners (industry, government and the
yet to consolidate a strongly defined, well-
environment it will considered and imaginative sustainability
model that will take the institution safely
non-profit sector) are critically important
for the success of the University as it
endeavours to meet the need to produce
be critical for the into the future. There are a number of
reasons why this is doubly difficult for socially responsible graduates who are
DUT – the fact that the majority of our conscious of their role in contributing
University to be students are drawn from the lower Living
Standards Measure (LSM) categories,
to the national development effort and
social transformation. DUT’s imperative
relevant, responsive the University’s lack of large reserves
to draw upon, the poor state of our
is to understand its local context while
operating in a global environment. It
infrastructure, the fact that subsidy levels is critical to be relevant to the local
and resilient... per FTE are in decline, and the increasing conditions and needs in which it functions.
To address these purposes, DUT has to
costs of staff remuneration all contribute
we are yet to to the concerns about sustainability. This
has been an important impetus for this
be student-centred and it has to be an
engaged institution. How can this be
achieved?
consolidate a planning process.
Approaches to differentiation (and hence There are a set of embedded values
improved competitiveness) must include which will assist in achieving the DUT
strongly defined, elements which refer to DUT’s core
areas of engagement: teaching-learning
purposes. The values identified by DUT
embrace and adhere to the universal
well-considered (the nature of the programmes it offers,
the quality of delivery, the support it
values and principles of:
u academic freedom, collegiality and
provides to students, online education, ethical behaviour;
and imaginative work integrated learning), research u institutional autonomy;
u good governance
(areas of engagement, strategic nature of
sustainability research, relationships with industry), the
quality of its service to students and other
based
co-operative
on accountability,
governance and
transparency;
model... beneficiaries of the University. DUT’s
capacity to maintain its ability to compete
u relevance to society, both local and
global;
will also depend on its capacity and ability u seeking new knowledge through
to retain its outstanding staff. research;
As a dynamic organisation, DUT is u understanding students as developing
closely entwined with its local context human beings; and
and is responsive to the needs of its u seeing staff development as essential
environment and community. The in the DUT purpose.
strategic plan 2015 - 2019 I 4A framework for the Strategic Plan
(continued)
If one tries to imagine the texture of the
fabric upon which the strategic plan of
with communities built on strong bonds
between the University and its social
The notion of
the University is painted there are two
quintessential threads that constitute it:
context.
This has strong resonance at DUT
student-centredness
the engagement of the institution with its
multiple contexts and student-centredness.
The University as an entity is a social
where the majority of its students derive
from the communities in which such
is that DUT exists
institution. It plays a role in nation building,
in deepening and strengthening our
engagement will occur. to provide its
For engagement to be successful, the
democracy, in developing new knowledge,
in contributing to reconstruction and
University has to develop dynamic students with the
interfaces between itself and these
economic development and in building a
broad-based intellectual culture. contexts in which it finds itself, safe places kind of learning
where there can be honest, trusting,
The notion of student-centredness is
that DUT exists to provide its students mutually beneficial engagements. These environment that
with the kind of learning environment dynamic interfaces are likely to be both
that helps them grow intellectually, socially inside and outside the University. At helps them grow
and emotionally. Student-centredness the core of all engagements must be the
is predicated on the University’s
understanding of its students and what
core functions of the University - the intellectually, socially
they bring with them to this place of
learning so that it designs its programmes,
generation of knowledge, its dissemination,
its application and continued use. and emotionally.
its interaction and social interfaces, its
physical spaces and its technological
So this Strategic Plan articulates the
University’s vision and mission through
Engagement has
capacities to impact maximally on
their growth as rounded, productive,
strategic objectives that underpin the
teaching-learning, research, engagement
many dimensions
responsible human beings.
Engagement has many dimensions but is
and academic and administrative activities
of the University for the period 2015 –
but is always
always predicated on the core functions
of the University – teaching-learning and
research. As a university of technology,
2019. It aligns all University endeavours to
the strategic focus outlined, and provides
predicated on the
DUT must engage with local industry
so as to support the development of
a constancy of purpose, a common vision
and understanding of the University’s
core functions of
the strategic parts of the economy. The
engagement of the institution with local
role in the complex society in which it is
located.
the university –
and national government is critical if DUT
is to contribute to improving the quality of Professor Ahmed C Bawa, Vice-Chancellor teaching-learning
life of people – through its research and and Principal,
teaching. Vital to this role is engagement November 2014 and research.
5Vision
A preferred University for developing leadership in technology and
productive citizenship.
Mission statement
To excel through:
u a teaching and learning environment that values and
supports the University community;
u promoting excellence in learning and teaching, technology
transfer and applied research; and
u external engagement that promotes innovation and
entrepreneurship through collaboration and partnership.
Values
u academic freedom, collegiality and ethical behaviour;
u institutional autonomy;
u good governance based on accountability, co-operative governance
and transparency;
u relevance to society, both local and global;
u seeking new knowledge through research;
u understanding our students as developing human beings; and
u seeing staff development as essential in the DUT purpose.
strategic plan 2015 - 2019 I 6Vision, mission, values
DUT Purposes:
u improving the life chances and aspirations of our
students and helping them to reach their maximum
potential;
u contributing to building:
� a safe society by addressing poverty reduction,
food security, health security, water security, energy
security, safety, building a culture of non−violence
and peace;
� a learning society through broadening access in
traditional and non-traditional forms, engaging with
schools, TVETs and other educational institutions;
� a busy society by contributing to building
entrepreneurship, working closely with government
and established business and industry to broaden
the economic base of our society; and
� a playing society by contributing to the creation of
ladders of formal and informal sport, designing fun
cities and green spaces.
The threads of student-centredness and engagement
draw these into the fabric of the institution, in the values.
7Strategic objectives
Each Strategic Focus Area is expanded by a set of Strategic Objectives which provides a framework for action. Six strategic drivers with proposed activities
(projects) seek to realise the interconnectedness of Engagement, Student-centredness, Teaching-learning and Research between the Focus Areas. These
are university-wide activities; in addition to these, each division/department/unit will develop their own plans aligned to these Strategic Focus Areas and
objectives.
SFA 1: Building sustainable student SFA 2: Building research and innovation
communities of living and learning for development
u Provide enabling living and learning u Strengthen the culture of research and
environments that promote student innovation.
success and advance the intellectual, u Build research capacity around the
social and emotional growth of our identified research focus areas.
students. u Strengthen and expand a supportive
u Cultivate a shared understanding of research administration and
student-centredness that underpins environment.
students’ attainment of the desired u Build national and international
DUT graduate attributes. research collaborations.
u Develop and strengthen ethical citizenship
among students and their sense of critical social
and political agency.
u Deepen the University’s engagement locally and
internationally as a way to build global citizens.
u Provide innovative teaching, learning and
assessment that accommodates the diverse needs
of our students and enhances the quality of our SFA 4: Building a sustainable
graduates. University
u Deepen the innovative use of technology to improve u Develop a sustainable growth
the quality of learning and broaden access. model which ensures rigorous
and aligned planning, resource
allocation, risk assessment and
quality assurance.
u Create dynamic interfaces at
SFA 3: Building a learning organisation the local, national and global
level between the University,
u Build an institutional culture of learning, the community, NGOs, industry
innovation and responsiveness. and government partners to
u Foster among staff a culture of promote sustainability.
systemic thinking, alignment, shared u Reduce wastage, optimise
values, collegiality, accountability and utilisation and build stewardship
institutional citizenship. of all DUT resources and
u Build a shared understanding of the facilities.
University in its context. u Use technology more effectively
u Attract, retain and nurture talent, and innovatively to enhance
recognise excellence and develop all aspects of the University’s
the full potential of our staff. business.
strategic plan 2015 - 2019 I 8Strategic drivers
Six strategic drivers cut across the four Strategic Focus Areas; these, together with proposed projects, form the high level institutional implementation of
the Strategic Plan.
Strategic Focus Areas
1. Building 2. Building 3. Building a 4. Building a
sustainable research and learning sustainable
Drivers
student innovation for organisation university
communities development
of living and
learning
A. Transforming institutional a. Curriculum renewal as a a. Culture of research and a. Create programme of a. What is meant by
culture transformational project innovation learning for all staff sustainable – financial,
environment, social
To engage in activities of b. The second curriculum b. Create dynamic b. Build institutional
imagination and action to (co-curriculum) as a site interfaces between citizenship b. Develop an institutional
shape an institutional culture of learning DUT and external culture of reduced
environment. c. Build systemic thinking, consumption and on
embracing of all and the
c. Strengthen student action and alignment. wastage
richness of our many diversities
activism c. Build research focus
and differences. d. What is Student-
areas c. DUT Foundation Project
d. e-Learning centredness?
To work deliberately to
eradicate all forms of prejudice d. Build research into d. Broaden access through
e. Develop the residences e. Strengthen role of the CCPE
and intolerance. To work the undergraduate
as learning environments student affairs &
towards an anti-racism and curriculum.
services in the Academy e. Create a third stream
anti-sexism. f. Build a culture of income culture
nonviolence, tolerance f. Hold an annual
To strengthen DUT’s resolve to and peace. DUT Transformation f. Increase number of
build an institutional culture of Conference international students
non−violence and caring. g. Build an entrepreneurial
spirit in our students.
To embrace the talents,
dedication and comments of h. Internationalisation of
the staff and to build capacity the Curriculum
continuously.
To transform the culture of
the institution to embrace the
centrality of the intellectual,
social and emotional
development of its students as
its core purpose.
To imagine an institution
that builds a culture of giving
amongst its staff and students.
9Strategic Focus Areas
1. Building 2. Building 3. Building a 4. Building a
sustainable research and learning sustainable
Drivers
student innovation for organisation university
communities development
of living and
learning
B. Back to Basics a. Improve all learning and a. Research admin process a. Service culture and staff a. Financial sustainability
living facilities improvement agency project
Getting the University to work
better; improving the quality of b. Build simple, resilient, b. Improve quality of b. Regular workshops b. Process improvement
service; making sure the basics connected student service to researchers on leadership - review, refine, improve
are in place and functioning well. systems to improve c. Increase external and management processes and systems
Ensuring the fundamental order student and staff research funding development c. Student recruitment and
of things experience c. Institute a programme enrolment management
d. Increase the percentage
c. Universal access of staff with Ms and Ds of developing learning d. IT Infrastructure plan
d. Process improvement histories
e. Increase research e. Understand cross-
– review, refine, improve output d. Develop an institutional subsidisation and cost of
processes and system understanding of studies at DUT
f. Increase postgraduate Student-Centredness
f. Improve student safety student intake and f. Strategy for maintenance
and wellness graduation rates e. Develop a deep
g. Develop a strategy for institutional
g. Internationalise research understanding of
internal and external
communication with h. Improve internal Engagement
students communication with
researchers
h. Design first year
experience
C. The Knowledge Project a. Create infrastructure a. Create research a. Investing in strategic a. Strategic utilisation of
to embark on large focus area in Higher capacity building to business intelligence
Creating the research capacity institutional research Education Management engender/drive adaptive
of the institution for strategic b. Strategic integration
projects Studies and attract and responsive initiatives of planning, resource
development and policy postgraduate students
formulation b. Understand who our b. Develop a culture of allocation, risk
students are; the student b. Publish findings of vigorous and rigorous assessment and quality
experience institutional research debate and discussion assurance
c. Develop a culture of programme c. Build the quality and
intellectual engagement quantity of systemic
and leadership among thinking for DUT to be
our students responsive, resilient, agile,
d. Develop technology flexible
systems for continuous
student feedback
e. Develop analytics
capacity to improve
student success
strategic plan 2015 - 2019 I 10Strategic drivers
(continued)
Strategic Focus Areas
1. Building 2. Building 3. Building a 4. Building a
sustainable research and learning sustainable
Drivers
student innovation for organisation university
communities development
of living and
learning
D. Networking the University a. The student online a. Collaboration platforms a. Using technology a. IT infrastructure for
experience for improved third stream activities
Using technology in all its b. Providing access to high communication with such as online learning
aspects to improve the quality b. Use technology performance computing staff opportunities
of the University’s work. This for improved and other technologies
includes broadening student communication with b. The staff online b. Technology and
access, improving student students c. Technology for better experience applications to improve
success, improving quality of administration of service
staff and student experience, c. e-Learning Policy and research
improving the research implementation
environment, business process
re-engineering, etc.
E. Greening the University a. Second curriculum a. Encourage student/staff a. Build a greening a. Develop stewardship of
research and innovation community of practice all University resources
Building a shared environmental Strengthen student projects on greening
consciousness and actively activism DUT b. Create an Environment b. Develop an e-Waste
addressing how we use energy Committee as a Policy
and water resources, improving b. First curriculum b. Bring innovation to subcommittee of the
consumption patterns. Build advocacy, changing address the greening of UPRC
attitudes towards the campus, especially
DUT and external in those areas in which
environment there is strong research
capacity at DUT
c. DUT should lead by
example
F. Internationalising the a. Internationalisation a. Internationalise DUT’s a. Develop a strategic, a. Recruit international
University at home and of the academic enterprise systemic approach students
curriculum including research to comprehensive
The incorporation/engendering and capacity building internationalisation
of international dimensions into b. Increase the number of programmes, compete
the activities and functioning international students for international funding b. Create a culture of
of the University so as to at DUT Internationalisation at
help to build global citizens; b. Build a regular flow of DUT
Embedding comprehensive c. Increase international faculty in both directions
internationalisation across the mobility of students c. Improve, optimise staff
university so as to benefit the mobility
University and all its staff and
students
11This is obviously of key importance and u Per faculty/support divisions in the
The University necessitates an integrated approach and context of approved plans;
must measure its the attention of managers across the
University. Attention will be given to the u Visits by the Vice-Chancellor to
performance over the principle tasks of strategy implementation, faculties and divisions to create the
conditions for the Plan to become a
including:
life of this Strategic living one, to guide our development
u Building University capacity for as a University over the next five
Plan. To do so, it successful strategy execution; years.
must have evidence u Exercising appropriate strategic Monitoring takes place in different ways:
against which to leadership at all University levels;
u Continuous monitoring via quarterly
judge its performance u Continuously shaping corporate
culture to fit the strategy;
Senior Executive Team meetings, and
reporting to Council as required;
against the strategic u Formal measurement and evaluation
u Aligning administrative support
objectives set out in systems (policies, procedures, systems of the performance of departments
and controls) in support of the two and divisions (particularly with regard
the plan. Performance strands of Student-centredness and to faculties) by way of approved
measures and Engagement, and the four Strategic
Focus Areas;
targets and indicators;
indicators will be u Building a strategy-supportive
u Evaluation of the extent to which
service departments succeed in
identified by the budgeting process. providing the necessary enabling
services to meet the strategic
various constituencies, Implementation takes place at different direction of the University.
University levels:
which will be used Finally, reporting on the performance of
to manage and u Institutionally by the Principal and
his management team in relation to
the University in executing its strategy
occurs annually, to Council, and as
track organisational the implementation of overarching
institutional strategies, as identified by
per legislated requirements, to the
Department of Higher Education and
performance. the six drivers; Training.
strategic plan 2015 - 2019 I 12Implementation and monitoring
Strategic Plan: Cascading, coherence, integration across the University
2 DNA strands
4 Strategic Focus Areas
1
Strategic Objectives
6 Drivers
Faculty and Divisional Plans
2
Departmental Plans
13Postal Address PO Box 1334, Durban South Africa, 4000 WEBSITE: www.dut.ac.za
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