Siyaphumelela Conference 2017

Mobilising key stakeholders towards systemic initiatives based on empirical research to improve student success in South African universities.

The goals of the Siyaphumelela programme are to:
• Improve capacity to collect student data and integrate it with Institutional Research, Information and Communication Technology (ICT), academic development, planning, student support and academic divisions.
• Create South African models of universities using successful data analytics to improve student outcomes.
• Create a greater awareness and support for data use to improve student success in South Africa (collaborating with existing and new South African national initiatives wherever possible).
• Create and highlight a shared vocabulary and consensus on effective practices to improve student success.
• Enlarge the cadre of experienced data analytics professionals supporting student success.

This year's conference builds on the highly successful May 2015 and June 2016 conferences and features a number of international speakers as well as key South African role players and students. While the work of the five Siyaphumelela grantees is profiled, we are keen to hear of other developments from a cross-section of universities in South Africa. The conference will be preceded by three concurrent workshops.

Our theme “Driving student success by making our universities student-ready as well as making our students university ready” includes discussions centred on:
• Leadership and innovation for student success
• Use of data for change
• Learning design for todays’ students.