DIVISION FOR INSTITUTIONAL PLANNING & QUALITY PROMOTION (DIPQP)

DIPQP'S Vision

The DIPQP vision currently reads as follows: The foremost division of its kind in South African Higher Education that leads and facilitates Institutional Research and Planning and Quality Promotion and Assurance to support UJ in increasingly realising its vision and mission.

DIPQP'S Mission

The division’s mission is pursued via the work and dedication of the various units and was formulated in 2008: To lead (act as catalyst), promote (develop and empower) and facilitate institutional and strategic planning and quality promotion and assurance in support of increasing and sustainable UJ effectiveness. The four verbs (in bold in the mission statement above) give an indication of what we ideally perceive our role in the UJ to be.

The Division (that functions under the leadership of Prof Gerrie Jacobs) consists of two interrelating Units, namely the:

Unit for Institutional Research and Decision Support (Prof Neels Fourie is the Head of the Unit): The Unit is responsible for supporting the planning processes around Institutional and Strategic Planning. Institutional Planning analyses and research on issues (internally and externally) relevant to the UJ is carried out. The information is then utilised for management decision support and institutional performance purposes, as well as for supporting, coordinating and facilitating strategic and institutional planning in the University. With respect to Strategic Planning, various strategic planning processes in the institution are supported through the maintenance and management of the Institutional dashboard and the generation of progress reports on the institution’s progress towards accomplishing its strategic goals.

Unit for Quality Promotion (Prof Hester Geyser is the Head of the Unit): This Unit is responsible for providing support to and, promoting and coordinating quality-related matters. This includes the preparation of UJ for its institutional quality audit in 2009, programme and short course accreditation, programme self-evaluations and peer reviews, service and support unit’s self-evaluations and peer reviews, as well as quality-related surveys and impact studies (e.g. the undergraduate student experience survey).

The Division reports to the DVC: Human Resources & Institutional Planning, Prof Derek van der Merwe and is situated on the ground floor of the A (purple) Ring of the Auckland Park Kingsway campus.

STRATEGIC THRUSTS OF THE DIVISION FOR 2011 - 2013 (Not in priority order)

Sustained support in respect of UJ’s Quality Promotion Plan: 2010-2016 in the faculties and divisions
1. Quality reviews of Service and Support Divisions
2. Implementation of faculty-specific quality plans (programme-focused?)
3. Research project: Quality management at Faculty level (in collaboration with the Quality Ethos research project team)

Sustained support in respect of the institutional quality system
1. Institutional Student Quality Literacy Plan
2. Regular review of the UJ Quality Promotion & Assurance system
3. General support for UJ policy review and development
4. Steer the Signing of the University of Johannesburg – Edge Hill University (UK) Memorandum of Understanding and monitoring of its implementation and mutual dividends/impact for/on institutional quality system
5. Quality-related committees (SQC, STLC, PWG) & Conferences

Sustained support in respect of UJ’s Quality Improvement Plan: 2010-2015
1. Development of different drafts of the Improvement Plan
2. Consultations & approval
3. Submission of final Improvement Plan
4. Progress reports in respect of the abovementioned

DIVISIONAL Research projects: Initiate, Conduct (or “outsource”), Report & Disseminate
1. Value of the mock audit
2. Determinants of an institutional quality ethos & “state” of UJ’s quality culture (2 articles)
3. DIPQP’s Operations Manual
4. Value of the institutional programme reviews (article)
5. DIPQP’s Value for Money strategy (geared toward an impact study)

Functional, credible IR UNIT & MIS Sub-Unit
1. Practice notes: Marketing of Unit’s & Sub-Unit’s functions and roles
2. Establishment of MIS (Business Intelligence) Sub-Unit – preceded by capacity building
3. Satisfactorily, timeously and professionally handle/conduct ad-hoc, commissioned and self-generated MIS requests and proactive IR projects
4. Establishment (including the functions) of a UJ Data Oversight Committee & UJ IR Data Warehouse

Relevant IR PROJECTS
1. Commissioned IR, as requested by relevant UJ stakeholders, and disseminate the research findings optimally (e.g. “Relationship between class attendance and student success” or “Trends stemming from alumni job surveys”).
2. Identify and conduct self-generated IR projects (e.g. UJ fact books) and disseminate findings optimally.
3. Conduct periodical/cyclical IR projects and disseminate findings optimally (e.g. postgraduate student satisfaction surveys; undergraduate student satisfaction surveys; alumni surveys; etc.)
4. Establish an institutional database of information (including relevant institutional research reports) to serve as a data repository and source of information for the use and support of all staff involved in institutional research.

INSTITUTIONAL PLANNING support
1. Facilitate and monitor appropriate environmental scanning (of the HE sector and UJ landscape), which will support strategic goal & KPI identification in respect of UJ’s 2nd Strategic Plan
2. Facilitate and monitor appropriate student profiling (of UJ’s student body, since its establishment), which will support strategic goal & KPI identification in respect of UJ’s 2nd Strategic Plan
3. Support the VC and DVC (Institutional Planning) in the development of, institutional buy-in into and monitoring of progress made in respect of UJ’s 2nd Strategic Plan (and involvement in the envisaged Change Management Coalition)

DIPQP’s Staff, Leadership & Climate focus' enhance and monitor the optimal functioning, performance, professional development, capacity building and total wellness of all staff of the Division, via leadership with integrity by striving for an open and conducive climate and by utilising the following focused initiatives (making use of independent contractors, if and when appropriate):
1. an induction programme for and mentoring of new staff;
2. leadership development and appropriate appraisal of people in leadership positions;
3. establishing an open and conducive divisional climate, via periodical ‘brainstorming’ and self-reflection sessions ;
4. capacity building and professional development;
5. increasing employment equity, supported by cultural integration strategies;
6. special dedication to a professional divisional image, via the internalisation of DIPQP’s Code of Ethics;
7. wellness and overall resilience of staff, complemented by informal cohesion opportunities;
8. appropriate performance development and appraisal strategies, aimed at career development; and
9. an increased focus on recognised scholarly engagement, involvement and outputs, in striving to enhance the institutional, national and international credibility and reputability of the Division’s staff.