Unisa MOOC magic enhances student transition to higher education

An authoritative 2020 study aimed to identify risk factors timeously that impacted first-year students’ intention to drop out from university. The study reported that 11.5% of the respondents from a South African university had already considered dropping out in their first eight weeks after enrolment.

Yet another study indicates that for many students the excitement of acceptance to a South African university is short-lived, as the challenges faced are often overwhelming, resulting in many dropping out in their first year of study.

Moreover, students transitioning to Unisa, face a double phenomenon of transitioning to higher education, and to an open, distance and eLearning (OdeL) institution. This compels the institution to provide innovative support to incoming Unisa students to ensure a generation of successful students.

First-Year Experience (FYE) Massive Open Online Course (MOOC): An unavoidable revolution to higher education transition

It is for this reason that the Student Retention Unit (SRU), under the Department of Tuition Support and Facilitation of Learning (DTSFL), was established to ensure the successful transition of first-time students into the ODeL environment. One of the SRU’s many successful initiatives to ensure student retention and success at Unisa is the FYE MOOC whose goal is to enhance readiness for ODeL among students entering Unisa for the first time.

As of 2021, first-time entering students at Unisa are obligated to complete the FYE MOOC before accepting an offer to study at the institution, with the conviction that this will assist them to successfully transition to the university.

Included in the FYE MOOC are self-paced learning online resources, student support information, and videos that assist students in mapping out a successful first-year journey. FYE MOOC data shows over 80 500 prospective students used these resources when applying for the 2024 academic year, solidifying the need for this critical bridge in transitioning to Unisa.

To date, a remarkable 96.4% of first-time entering students completed the FYE MOOC. The remaining 3,6% difference is owing to exemptions given to students with disabilities and those who are incarcerated.

To ensure that no student is left out, the SRU team created an offline version of the MOOC to circumvent connectivity challenges. Importantly, embedded in the FYE MOOC is a feedback survey which is used to profile incoming students. This is a vital tool for the SRU as this critical information is used to inform student support needs and initiatives that cannot be obtained in any other way and at any other point before registration. For instance, the survey includes questions on other retention and success projects such as the First-Generation Students project – highlighted on the strategic risk register.

Other questions aim to conscientise students on issues such as dealing with loadshedding, accessing digital learning devices as well as connectivity, to mention a few. Lastly, the survey solicits feedback on the student experience on the FYE MOOC itself; this is done to constantly adapt and improve the FYE MOOC to ensure a satisfactory student experience. Certainly, successful participation and completion of the FYE MOOC scaffolds successful participation at Unisa.

* By Ziyanda Febana, Student Success Practitioner, Unisa Student Retention Unit