Institutional Research in South African Higher Education - Intersecting Contexts and Practices

Historical perspectives on research on higher education, institutional research and research utilisation

“…However, the implementation of IR remains at large a national and local phenomenon. In South Africa, for example, the historical context of apartheid made the transformation of the higher education system and higher education institutions a key priority (Botha, Muller & Webber, 2016), necessitating effective and timeous institutional research work.…”

Higher education research: Responding to his/her Master’s voice

“…In the context of this chapter, it is noteworthy to point to the mandate of the Department for Institutional Advancement (DIA) whose focus is, inter alia, to (1) "initiate and develop integrated communication and marketing activities to position UNISA as a leading comprehensive Open Distance Learning (ODL) institution by means of the Institutional Advancement Framework"; (2) "create a shared understanding of the strategic themes of UNISA among internal and external target markets and ensure adherence to corporate governance requirements, by means of the Institutional Advancement strategy", and (3) to "analyse and interpret the competitive environment and establish market needs through detailed environmental analyses and benchmarking and provide continuous corrective strategic communication and marketing direction". 19 For an overview of where Unisa fits into the broader research landscape in South Africa, see Botha and Muller (2016) and the report by the Academy of Science of South Africa (ASSAf) (2019).…”