Tertiary learning requires a professional approach with a personal touch
child, or for yourself if you are a professional wanting to study, is the first vital step in ensuring the best learning outcomes.
He highlights the fact that demand for places in South African tertiary institutions massively outstrips supply. Consequently, many universities and courses are very crowded, which can result in individual students being overwhelmed and feeling like little more than a student number.
“This lack of personal attention can be a significant barrier to optimum learning outcomes,” he explains. “It is why MSA deliberately adheres to an operating model that prioritises quality over quantity and focuses on giving each student the student-centric experience and personal attention needed to foster the sense of belonging, security and stability on which excellent results are typically founded.”
It is, he adds, important to find a tertiary institution that offers for- ward-thinking curricula, created and delivered by highly qualified academics and that ensure graduates have the knowledge and skills to contribute to local and global economic development.
A truly valuable tertiary qualification is one that creates opportunities for the graduate to deliver a real and lasting impact on his or her employer, industry and, even, country,” he says.
“This means that the choice of tertiary institution should be guided not only by whether it offers a particular course, but more so by whether previous graduates have enjoyed access to the networks and career opportunities they needed to maximise the impact they have - on themselves and their communities - from their qualifications.”
Finally, Prof Louw points to the vital link that exists between student success and tertiary institution innovation and flexibility. “Whether they are undergradu- ates, post-graduates or executive students, today's tertiary learners typically experience massive demands on their time. It is why Monash South Africa has made flexible study schedules and innovative learning channels core components of many of its courses.”
Ultimately, the desired outcome for any student, or parent of a student, is that the chosen course of study is completed on time and with the best possible results. Maximising the likelihood of such an outcome requires an approach to selecting a tertiary institution that involves much more than going wherever you are accepted first.
“Any student’s potential for excellent performance is enhanced when the tertiary institution they attend is a good fit with their individual study approach and offers them a highly personalised learning experience in a professional environment,” he concludes, “and