Policy, Benchmarking, Monitoring and Research (PBMR)

About Policy, Benchmarking, Monitoring and Research

The Policy, Benchmarking, Monitoring and Research (PBMR) unit of the Postgraduate School (PGS) fulfils several functions supporting the management, governance, monitoring and reporting, and policy development for the PGS and the University as a whole.

Review of Policies

PBMR has reviewed the Higher Degrees Policy and Higher Degrees Administration Policy. Policies are submitted to relevant statutory committees and are approved accordingly. PBMR is also actively involved in the annual review of the university’s academic regulations.

List of policies applicable to PGS include:

• Higher Degrees Administration Policy
• Higher Degrees Policy
• Plagiarism Policy
• Research Data Management Policy
• Student-Supervisor Relationship Policy

Electronic Monitoring System (EMS)

The development and refinement of the EMS progress based on Integrated Tertiary Software (ITS) has been ongoing. Reporting has also been ongoing from 2019 as the data fields for capturing progress-related information was refined. Focus is on capturing data in the ITS areas for research information for coursework masters’ students registered for the research module, research masters, and doctoral students. The reporting of supervisors for the said student groups are highlighted and a systematic process of capturing data is implemented by utilising the Higher Education Data Architecture (HEDA) Interrogator reporting tool. The HEDA reporting as well as ITS-based cubes are developed to enable faculties to monitor the progress of their students and to ensure data-driven interventions.

Data sets focus on research milestones such as academic timeline, supervisor details, examiner details and other important information that faculties are required to capture onto the EMS.

Graduate Output Monitoring and Senate Higher Degrees Committee (SHDC)    

Reporting

PBMR supports and provides analysis and consultative input during the development and finalisation of graduate targets. These graduation targets are monitored and reported by producing monthly reports to the Senate Higher Degrees Committee (SHDC). The report also presents information that pertains to projects in the category of the Fourth Industrial Revolution (4IR) and the percentage of black South Africans qualifying with doctorates. These reports are generated following engagement with Heads of Faculty (HFA) to ensure that the data presented is correctly reported to SHDC.

Postgraduate Enrolment Planning and Monitoring:

Planning

PBMR has been active in the process of setting Postgraduate (PG) targets at faculty and institutional levels. The process of planning PG enrolment targets as well as the registration targets are complex and require a range of factors to be considered. The contribution of PBMR is viewed as significant and value-adding.

Monitoring

PBMR fulfils an important role in monitoring compliance with enrolment targets and supporting initiatives to reach targets. The process of supporting faculties and providing input is the monitoring tool that is used to track progress as well as highlight areas where challenges are presented.

Faculty Support

Support to faculty administration and Vice-Deans Research, as well as Deans is provided routinely by PBMR. This ranges from specific reporting, support in using of data, guidance on processes and guidance on policy matters. To streamline some of the feedback and alignment processes. Data governance matters, PDRF concerns as well as PFM matters are discussed with the Vice-Deans, faculty administration as needed as well as with supervisors with pressing concerns. There has been significant progress, alignment, and improvement by respecting and supporting the faculty.

Contacts: