Academic Development Interventions — Do We Know What Our Students Need?

Nombulelo Phewa 
(University of South Africa)

Abstract: This study aimed to identify Unisa students’ academic needs by administering an online diagnostic assessment tool, with an intention to provide guidelines for the development of appropriate and relevant intervention programmes. The tool assessed 13 language-oriented proficiency skills, which were in turn categorised into 7 skills clusters. The latter were grouped into linguistic, discourse and visual and numerical competencies. The results revealed that not only the “underprepared” students have areas of academic development, but also the so-called prepared students do, albeit hidden by their overall achievement scores. We therefore recommend that all students be exposed to diagnostic assessments and that a close integration of learner support and academic services be established. This will ensure that the students’ academic development needs are addressed at the levels of recurriculation; materials; and staff development.

Key words: academic development, diagnostic assessments, achievement assessments, language proficiency skills, academic literacies