South African College for Open Learning: A Model of an Inservice Distance Education Programme for Initial Teacher Education (CIE, 2002, 37 p.): 3. Context in which the data was collected

South African College for Open Learning: A Model of an Inservice Distance Education Programme for Initial Teacher Education (CIE, 2002, 37 p.)

		(introduction...)
		Multi-Site Teacher Education Research Project (MUSTER)
		List of Acronyms
		Abstract
		1. Introduction
		2. Overview of Development of Teacher Education at SACOL
		3. Context in which the data was collected
		4. Data Collection and Analysis
		5. Overview of the College
		6. The Initial Teacher Education Curriculum and its Evaluation
		7. Students' Aspirations, Expectations and Preparedness
		8. Costs of the SACOL Programmes
		9. Key Issues from the SACOL Case Study
		10. Concluding Remarks
		References
		Appendix One: Student registration at SACOL for 1999 and 2000
		Appendix Two: Results for certificate courses
		Appendix Three: Results for diploma courses
		Appendix Four: Higher Diploma in Education
		Appendix Five: Further Diploma In Education
		Appendix Six: Categorisation of academic staff into faculties and departments
		Appendix Seven: Buildings and infrastructure at each campus
		Appendix Eight: Diploma In Education: Structure (10 Cotep Credit - 360 Saqa)

3. Context in which the data was collected

Data for this study was collected from March to July 2000. During this period there were various structural and policy changes taking place at SACOL. At a structural level, in March 2000, the staff from the ex-Umlazi College of Education moved to the ex-Springfield campus. During the time of data collection there was a movement of staff and files. Things looked chaotic and not everything could be found on time. Data collection had to be managed within that environment.

In April 2000 the Minister of National Education issued a directive that the colleges had to be incorporated into institutions of higher education by 1 January 2001. Since March college staff have been concentrating on the issues of incorporation. The uncertainty of their future has led to low morale among staff and this permeated the interviews. No new materials were developed in 2000 (although there has been some adaptations of materials for the second year of courses that began in 2000). The study was then conducted in the mood where the key issues were not curriculum and student learning but rather job security and the future of individuals.