Suellen Shay | University of Cape Town (original) (raw)

Papers by Suellen Shay

Curriculum Tranformation: Looking Back and looking forward, 2018

THis is a chapter in a book called Higher Education Pathways: South African Undergraduate Educati... more THis is a chapter in a book called Higher Education Pathways: South African Undergraduate Education and the Public Good Edited by Ashwin and J. Case. The focus of this chapter is on curriculum -- what have we learned in SA about attempts to reform curricula in order to address what we know to be unjust and unequal differentiation of the student experience? Whole book available free download from African Minds.

Susan Booysen, author and editor, of Fees must fall sets out to answer the key questions: what di... more Susan Booysen, author and editor, of Fees must fall sets out to answer the key questions: what did the student revolt of late 2015 to mid-2016 mean for governance in South Africa? How did it affect higher education and national government? Booysen states clearly that the answers to these questions “depend on the lenses worn and the directed angle” but she argues in conclusion that “from whichever angle it is approached …. it is evident that governance in South Africa and its higher education institutions has been irrevocably altered” (p 310). The challenge which this review takes up is to cross-examine this conclusion not from hindsight but by drawing on various viewpoints within the book.

While acknowledging higher education’s complicity in inequality, the premise of this paper is tha... more While acknowledging higher education’s complicity in inequality,
the premise of this paper is that curriculum transformation can be
one means of challenging and dismantling structural injustices
towards the goal of equity of access and outcomes. Fraser’s multidimensional framework for social justice is drawn upon to explore
what this transformation requires. The framework is used to critique
a particular case of curriculum intervention, Education
Development in South Africa. In Fraser’s terms, the interventions
have been largely affirmative, not transformative. In addition, they
have focused on only the first dimension of justice, redistribution,
and have generally failed to attend to misrecognition and representation.
Overall, we argue that the responses of higher education
institutions in South Africa to the challenges of a globalised,
pluralist world have been affirmative, not transformative. A transformative
approach demands a ‘reframing’ of the curriculum. This
involves adjusting the scale of the problem, interrogating assumptions
informing the norms of the curriculum, questioning current
boundaries between ‘mainstream’ and ‘other’ students and
reviewing the fitness of the curriculum for a pluralist society. The
paper concludes with recommendations for what such a reframing
of the curriculum might entail.

None Although there has been rapid expansion of higher education around the globe, such expansion... more None Although there has been rapid expansion of higher education around the globe, such expansion has not resulted in a more equitable system. Drawing on the work of Nancy Fraser, equity in higher education is conceptualised as 'parity of participation' and includes both equity of access and outcomes. The tensions between expansion and equity are illustrated by comparing South Africa's equity challenges with those of Brazil and the USA. Focusing on South Africa's critical choices, four scenarios or possible futures are provided to illustrate some of the trade-offs and strategic choices. The main argument is that if South Africa's higher education system continues to expand without a concomitant investment in the effectiveness of teaching and learning, it will not achieve the policy goals of equity of access and outcomes. Furthermore the investment needs to be strategically targeted to interventions that can serve as systemic levers of change for reducing drop-out rates and improving graduation rates. To this end, over the next decade the state needs to prioritise an investment in an undergraduate curriculum more 'fit for purpose'. The investment needs to be in curriculum reform that normalises different levels of foundational provision, identifies and removes curriculum obstacles that delay or impede graduation, and provides opportunities for 'breadth' for all students, not only those who come from privileged backgrounds. Significance: • If South Africa's higher education system continues to expand without a concomitant investment in the effectiveness of teaching and learning, it will not achieve the policy goals of equity of access and outcomes.

Opinion piece written for the M&G in response to the the State's new proposed financial aid schem... more Opinion piece written for the M&G in response to the the State's new proposed financial aid scheme. Main argument being that we need a twin investment of financial aid and improvement in the curriculum if we are to achieve equity of access and outcomes.

Although there has been rapid expansion of higher education around the globe, such expansion has ... more Although there has been rapid expansion of higher education around the globe, such expansion has not resulted in a more equitable system. Drawing on the work of Nancy Fraser, equity in higher education is conceptualised as 'parity of participation' and includes both equity of access and outcomes. The tensions between expansion and equity are illustrated by comparing South Africa's equity challenges with those of Brazil and the USA. Focusing on South Africa's critical choices, four scenarios or possible futures are provided to illustrate some of the trade-offs and strategic choices. The main argument is that if South Africa's higher education system continues to expand without a concomitant investment in the effectiveness of teaching and learning, it will not achieve the policy goals of equity of access and outcomes. Furthermore the investment needs to be strategically targeted to interventions that can serve as systemic levers of change for reducing drop-out rates and improving graduation rates. To this end, over the next decade the state needs to prioritise an investment in an undergraduate curriculum more 'fit for purpose'. The investment needs to be in curriculum reform that normalises different levels of foundational provision, identifies and removes curriculum obstacles that delay or impede graduation, and provides opportunities for 'breadth' for all students, not only those who come from privileged backgrounds. Significance: • If South Africa's higher education system continues to expand without a concomitant investment in the effectiveness of teaching and learning, it will not achieve the policy goals of equity of access and outcomes.

In 2013 the Council on Higher Education (CHE) released a proposal for the reform of South Africa'... more In 2013 the Council on Higher Education (CHE) released a proposal for the reform of South Africa's undergraduate degree arguing that all current 3-year degrees and diplomas, as well as 4-year Bachelor's degrees be extended by one year with an additional 120 credits. This paper argues that the structure proposed provides the conditions for a different kind of curriculum that enables epistemic access and development. The paper firstly offers a set of theoretical tools for conceptualising this enabling curriculum structure. Secondly, drawing on the CHE exemplars, the paper makes explicit the general curriculum reform principles that underpin the enabling structure. Finally, the paper describes how these reform principles translate into qualification-specific curriculum models which enable epistemic access and development. This research is an important contribution to the next phase of curriculum reform in South Africa, what we refer to as a 'new generation' of extended curricula.

Executive Summary In August 2013 the Council for Higher Education (CHE) released “A proposal fo... more Executive Summary
In August 2013 the Council for Higher Education (CHE) released “A proposal for undergraduate curriculum reform in South Africa: A case for a flexible curriculum structure” (CHE, 2013). The argument was that the current curriculum structures pose a systemic obstacle to access and success that can only be overcome through deliberate intervention at a systemic level. Until such time as the proposal is approved, higher education in South Africa finds itself in the precarious position of ambitious targets for growth in enrolments and graduation rates but without a systemic plan for how these targets will be achieved. The DHET is committed to a range of strategies for improving student success. One of its key strategies is increased investment in ear-marked funding for extended curriculum programmes, also known as foundation programmes. The question however is, will these extended curriculum programmes as they are currently being implemented enable the systemic reform required? The CHE proposal argued that despite some successes the existing Foundation Programmes will not achieve the scale of reform required. This is not only a matter of scale but also the poor completion rates of the majority of these programmes point to existing inefficiency. In its own analysis of the 2000-2008 cohorts DHET (2016) notes significant improvement in first year attrition rates which may in part be as a result of Foundation Programmes. They concede, however, that this has not resulted in the necessary improvement in graduation rates; with nearly half of those enrolled failing to complete within 5 years’ time.
In 2014 a multi-institutional research and development project was launched -- funded by the DHET Collaborative TDG -- with the aim of understanding the strengths, limitations and overall effectiveness of the current extended (EXT) curriculum programmes, and what reform is required to strengthen the contribution of these programmes to systemic reform. Across four universities, a total of nine extended curriculum programmes from faculties of Engineering, Science, Commerce and Humanities were investigated.
The first key question of the study is, what are the key principles that need to inform undergraduate curriculum reform in South Africa? Drawing on the CHE (2013) Flexible Degree Proposal (FDP) the research findings propose that in order to address key structural problems, the following curriculum reform principles need to apply:
• Foundation provision: at the entry level there is a recognition that serious knowledge gaps need to be filled given problematic curricular assumptions about students’ prior knowledge.
• Epistemic transitions: there is further acknowledgment that addressing the entry-level gaps will not suffice; there is a need to scaffold students’ epistemic development beyond foundation provision.
• Enhancement: there is a need for a structure that enables greater ‘breadth’ of exposure in order to produce graduates for the contemporary world.
• Enrichment: there is the necessity for ‘curriculum enrichment through key literacies’.
The study further illuminates how these general principles will vary across knowledge domains, qualification types and institutional contexts. In other words, there is no ‘one-size-fits-all’ reform template. Epistemic access and development in the sciences is different to that of the humanities, and that of the formative qualifications is different to that of the professional ones.
The second key question is, to what extent are the curriculum reform principles of the FDP currently being implemented in existing extended (EXT) curriculum programmes. Drawing on the four institutional case studies, the findings are:
• The curriculum principle of foundational provision is being achieved. Furthermore, the Year 1 to 2 progression data suggests that the majority of the EXT programmes are successfully supporting students through to their second academic year. It is noteworthy that with the exception of two programmes, the Year 1 to 2 progression of EXT cohort is better than the mainstream (MS). This suggests that decades of investment in foundational provision have made a significant contribution to retention and progression into second academic year of study for those students on extended programmes who face significant obstacles in terms of academic, financial and psycho-social preparedness for university study.
• The curriculum principles of epistemic transitions, enhancement and enrichment are not being fully implemented in the majority of the EXT programmes. In other words, the developmental support of the EXT programmes ceases at the end of foundation provision. The average cohort completion data (N=4 years for EXT) is 22% in contrast to 30% for MS. The average cohort completion data (N+3=7 years for EXT) is 47% compared to 59% for MS. This suggests that the investment and resulting positive gains of the foundation provision are wasted for more than half of the students on these programmes.
• There are four notable exceptions of EXT programmes where all of the principles of the FDP are being implemented. The cohort completion data (N+3) shows that three of these programmes have relatively successful completion rates (54, 63 and 65%) and two of these programmes have better completion rates than the MS. Thus the key finding of this study is that across these case studies the EXT programmes which are truly extended four-year programmes have better completion rates than those which are confined to foundation provision only.
The findings of this study strongly support the DHET’s on-going commitment to Extended Curriculum programmes. These programmes have played a significant role in terms of providing access and retention to South Africa’s most talented and capable but underprepared black students. The success of these programmes in delivering students to their second academic year of study points to the commitment of academic development (AD) staff in delivering a quality of curriculum and wrap-around support which is highly commendable and is likely to attract greater international attention as higher education systems around the globe increasingly face the consequences of inequality on student access and success. These programmes (and the significant academic human resources which make them possible) serve as a very strong base for any future educational investment in curriculum reform in South Africa.
The findings however also suggest that unless these Extended Curricula adhere to the curriculum reform principles of the FDP, the investment will not contribute to the systemic reform required. More pointedly, it will be wasted for a majority of the students who fail to graduate.
In summary we recommend the following:
• Extended curricula programmes need to be designed as four/five-year degree/diplomas with strong foundational provision but developmental provision throughout the curriculum with enrichment and enhancement. If designed appropriately it is possible that this developmental provision can also be made available to mainstream students who would benefit, thereby further extending the reach of the investment.
• The revised policy framework for extended curricula programmes need to not only make this extended provision possible but should incentivize development provision at second/third year level.
• Placement practices onto extended curriculum programmes need to be informed by clear institutional policies that draw on full range of data available. More specifically, NSC results need to be complemented with other data, such as NBTs.
• Developmental provision in the second and third academic year will require significant organizational shifts in the way that AD resources are currently deployed. This will require clear vision and strong leadership both from AD but as importantly from the department and faculties in which these programmes are located. The challenges of achieving these shifts should not be underestimated.
In conclusion, given the stated intention of strengthening the role of extended curricula, this research is an important contribution to the next phase of development of, what we refer to as, a ‘new generation’ of extended curricula. We echo the warning of Badat (2015) who, with specific reference to the CHE proposal argues, “unless much needed academic transformations are instituted, we will deny opportunities to people from socially subaltern groups, tragically waste the talents and potential of these individuals, and perpetuate injustice. This compromises democracy, which proclaims the promise of greater equality and a better life for all people.” The demands for transformation initiated by the #RhodesMustFall and #FeesMustFall student protests during 2015 point to the very urgent need for research-informed, evidence-based, systemic and structural reform. It is hoped that this research will make a contribution to this reform.

This is the editorial for a special issue on Curriculum as Contestation in the May issue of Teach... more This is the editorial for a special issue on Curriculum as Contestation in the May issue of Teaching in Higher Education.

Sociologists of education rooted in social realism have for more than a decade argued that knowle... more Sociologists of education rooted in social realism have for more than a decade argued that knowledge matters in education, there are different kinds of knowledge, not all forms of knowledge are equal and that these differentiations have significant implications for curriculum. While this argument has made an important contribution to both theoretical and policy debate, the implications for curriculum have not been sufficiently addressed. In other words, a theory of differentiated knowledge has not translated into an adequate theory of differentiated curriculum. Drawing on Basil Bernstein’s work on knowledge differentiation and Karl Maton’s Legitimation Code Theory, this paper offers an empirically derived emerging framework for conceptualizing differentiated higher education curricula with a particular interest in occupationally and pro- fessionally oriented curricula. The framework illuminates the principles underlying curriculum differentiation, thus enabling a richer conversation about epistemological access and progression.
Keywords: curriculum; higher education; knowledge; differentiation; Basil Bernstein; Legitimation Code Theory

Drawing on the theoretical and analytical tools from the sociology of education, in particular th... more Drawing on the theoretical and analytical tools from the sociology of education, in particular the work of Basil Bernstein and Karl Maton, the paper explores the tensions within curriculum reform discourses and how these tensions play out in different global
contexts. The analysis focuses on two curriculum reform policies – Hong Kong and South Africa. On the surface the policies appear to be addressing a similar problem of inadequate schooling systems and proposing a similar solution, the restructuring of the
undergraduate degree from three to four years. Drawing on the principles of temporality and specialization from Legitimation Code Theory, the analysis shows that the underlying logic for these reforms is very different. A comparison of these different
logics provides insight into the highly contested space of curriculum reform and the implications for addressing inequality.

Keywords: curriculum reform; higher education; Legitimation Code Theory; inequality; Basil Bernstein

South Africa produces too few engineers to meet its development needs. The number of graduating e... more South Africa produces too few engineers to meet its development needs. The number of graduating engineers is slowly increasing, but is still only about 2000 per year, serving a population of over 50 million. Data from the Council on Higher Education (CHE 2013) show that for the 2005 cohort of BEng students nationally only 25% obtained an engineering degree in the regulation time of four years, with another 19% taking five years. In a study for the Engineering Council of South Africa on improving throughput (Fisher 2011), one suggestion was to increase curriculum flexibility to better cater for the needs of a diverse student population. As part of a CHE project, we developed exemplar curricula for engineering degrees designed to take either four or five years to complete. In this paper we describe the underpinning principles that guided the design and illustrate how they are applied in curriculum exemplars for a mechanical engineering degree.

Abstract The growing demands on higher education have placed an unprecedented external pull on un... more Abstract The growing demands on higher education have placed an unprecedented external pull on universities. Bernstein (Pedagogy, symbolic control and idenity: theory, research, critique, Rowman & Littlefield Publishers Inc., Lanham, 2000) refers to this
‘‘outward’’ pull of the late twentieth century as the ‘‘regionalization of knowledge’’. One of the consequences of this ‘‘facing outward’’ is contestation over curriculum and what should be privileged. Should it privilege knowing, doing or being? Should it foreground formative training in the basic sciences or applied problem-solving? Is its priority educating the mind or
preparing for a vocation? These questions can set up a series of ‘‘false choices’’ about the purpose of higher education, what it means to be educated and what our priorities should be in
curriculum reform. The aim of this paper was to move the discourse beyond these polarities by making visible the ‘‘stakes’’ in the curriculum reform debate illustrated in Muller thinkpieces.
The paper offers a conceptual framework for understanding current curriculum contestation and applies the framework in an illustrative manner to a particular higher education curriculum
reform initiative in South Africa. The framework shows how ‘‘what does it mean to be educated?’’ will vary depending on the different types and hence purposes of curriculum.

This chapter addresses the theme of 'What is Higher Education for?' from the rich and contested s... more This chapter addresses the theme of 'What is Higher Education for?' from the rich and contested site of curriculum. Much of the contestation around curriculum occurs against the backdrop of global concerns about a general failure of higher education evidenced in poor articulation between the school and university, poor completion rates, the performance gap between privileged and under-privileged, under-employed graduates, and the general failure of higher education to meet the needs of the knowledge society. Scott (2009) describes this crisis in South Africa as a systemic failure: higher education in South Africa is failing the majority of its young people.

Shay, S. & Steyn (forthcoming) Enabling knowledge progression in vocational curricula: Design as a case study. In Maton, K., Hood, S., Shay, S. (editors) Knowledge-building: Educational Studies in Legitimation Code Theory. Routledge.

The Cape Peninsula University of Technology’s Design Foundation Course (DFC) has as its purpose t... more The Cape Peninsula University of Technology’s Design Foundation Course (DFC) has as its purpose to give talented but underprepared students epistemological access to the general field of design as well as to a range of specific design disciplines. In order to design curricula that enable epistemological access we argue that educators need to make explicit what makes their knowledge practices special. Drawing on research into levels of design expertise as well as Legitimation Code Theory, this paper offers a theoretical and analytical framework that accounts for progression in levels of expertise, forms of knowledge and the cultivation of a designer gaze. The analysis of the DFC curriculum briefs reveals that design expertise develops through the engagement between increasingly more context-dependent design problems and increasingly complex design concepts. The paper concludes by drawing on the design case for a set of principles which can inform the progression of knowledge in vocational curricula more generally.

Studies in Higher Education, 2009

... Departments: Faculty of Arts & Social Sciences > Educational Research. ID Code: 27324.... more ... Departments: Faculty of Arts & Social Sciences > Educational Research. ID Code: 27324. Deposited By: Dr Paul Ashwin. Deposited On: 19 Oct 2009 09:02. Refereed?: Yes. Published?: Published. Last Modified: 27 Jan 2011 23:27. ...

In 2013 the Council of Higher Education (CHE) released a proposal for the reform of South Africa’... more In 2013 the Council of Higher Education (CHE) released a proposal for the reform of South Africa’s undergraduate degree arguing that all current 3-year degrees and diplomas, as well as four-year Bachelor’s degrees be extended by one year with an additional 120 credits. The proposal argues that essential to the success of this reform and its goal of improving student success is how the structure enables a different kind of curriculum. This paper argues that what is fundamentally different about the flexible curriculum structure is that it must enable epistemic access and development. Drawing on the sociology of knowledge, the notion of ‘epistemic access’ is elaborated to conceptualize some of the key conditions of such an enabling curriculum structure. The paper then moves to discuss what a curriculum structure which enables epistemic access and development might look like. This is described at the level of general and qualification specific principles. The analysis reveals how knowledge domains differences (for example, science vs. humanities) and the qualification type differences (formative vs. professional degrees vs. vocational) will require different curriculum models for enabling epistemic access.

Curriculum Tranformation: Looking Back and looking forward, 2018

Keywords: curriculum reform; higher education; Legitimation Code Theory; inequality; Basil Bernstein

Studies in Higher Education, 2009

This is a keynote given to the Stellenbosh Scholarship of Teaching and Learning Conference on the... more This is a keynote given to the Stellenbosh Scholarship of Teaching and Learning Conference on the 26 October 2016.

Although here has been rapid expansion of higher education around the globe it has not resulted in a more equitable higher education. Drawing on Fraser’s definition of justice as ‘parity of participation’, equity in higher education is conceptualized as both equity of access and outcomes. The tensions between expansion and equity are illustrated by comparing South Africa’s equity challenges with those of Brazil and the United States. Focusing on South Africa’s critical choices, the paper then offers four scenarios or possible futures to illustrate some of the trade-offs and strategic choices. The main argument is that if South Africa’s higher education system continues to expand without a concomitant investment in the effectiveness of teaching and learning, it will not achieve the policy goals of equity of access and outcomes. Furthermore the investment needs to be strategically targeted to interventions that have a catalytic effect, serving as systemic levers of change that lead to reduced drop-out rates and improved graduation rates. To this end the paper argues that the state needs to prioritize over the next decade an investment in an undergraduate curriculum more ‘fit for purpose’. In the final section, a proposal is made for what this educational investment would like at the institutional level. Fraser’s concept of ‘reframing’ is drawn on to conceptualize a transformative curriculum reform strategy.

This presentation was given to the Third International Social Realist Symposium at Jesus College ... more This presentation was given to the Third International Social Realist Symposium at Jesus College University of Cambridge, 2 July 2015. The paper on which it is based is Curriculum Reform: A contested space (available under papers).

This presentation was given to the CHED Research Seminar Series and report on phase 1 of a DHET T... more This presentation was given to the CHED Research Seminar Series and report on phase 1 of a DHET TDG collaborative project which is exploring the key curriculum principles underlying the proposed Flexible Degree policy. The argument is that the Flexible Degree must enable a different kind of curriculum -- one which enables epistemic access and development.

This presentation was given to the UCT Library Research Week and explores how we develop the next... more This presentation was given to the UCT Library Research Week and explores how we develop the next generation of knowledge producers from a curriculum point of view.

This was a short input given to UCT colleagues who are interested in the Professional Masters -- ... more This was a short input given to UCT colleagues who are interested in the Professional Masters -- a new qualification on the HEQFS.

If the Minister of DHET wants to 'decolonize' the curriculum he should have approved the CHE's pr... more If the Minister of DHET wants to 'decolonize' the curriculum he should have approved the CHE's proposal for a restructured undergraduate curriculum in South Africa.

Financial access dominated discussions at the 2015 South Africa's higher education summit. It was... more Financial access dominated discussions at the 2015 South Africa's higher education summit. It was a chance for leaders to act – but they didn't. (see link above)