SAQA

All qualifications and part qualifications registered on the National Qualifications Framework are public property. Thus the only payment that can be made for them is for service and reproduction. It is illegal to sell this material for profit. If the material is reproduced or quoted, the South African Qualifications Authority (SAQA) should be acknowledged as the source.

SOUTH AFRICAN QUALIFICATIONS AUTHORITY

REGISTERED QUALIFICATION:

Postgraduate Diploma in Adult and Community Education and Training

SAQA QUAL ID	QUALIFICATION TITLE
101911	Postgraduate Diploma in Adult and Community Education and Training
ORIGINATOR
University of Cape Town
PRIMARY OR DELEGATED QUALITY ASSURANCE FUNCTIONARY			NQF SUB-FRAMEWORK
CHE - Council on Higher Education			HEQSF - Higher Education Qualifications Sub-framework
QUALIFICATION TYPE	FIELD		SUBFIELD
Postgraduate Diploma	Field 05 - Education, Training and Development		Adult Learning
ABET BAND	MINIMUM CREDITS	PRE-2009 NQF LEVEL	NQF LEVEL	QUAL CLASS
Undefined	120	Not Applicable	NQF Level 08	Regular-Provider-ELOAC
REGISTRATION STATUS		SAQA DECISION NUMBER	REGISTRATION START DATE	REGISTRATION END DATE
Reregistered		EXCO 0821/24	2021-07-01	2027-06-30
LAST DATE FOR ENROLMENT		LAST DATE FOR ACHIEVEMENT
2028-06-30		2031-06-30

In all of the tables in this document, both the pre-2009 NQF Level and the NQF Level is shown. In the text (purpose statements, qualification rules, etc), any references to NQF Levels are to the pre-2009 levels unless specifically stated otherwise.

This qualification does not replace any other qualification and is not replaced by any other qualification.

PURPOSE AND RATIONALE OF THE QUALIFICATION

Purpose:
The purpose of this qualification is to equip learners with knowledge and skills in adult and community education and training. Its primary purpose is to provide a professional qualification to those with a first degree, seeking to enter the field of practice, and to provide opportunities for more advanced theoretical, strategic and curriculum engagement for those who have already completed undergraduate studies in Adult and Community Education and Training (ACET). It aims to enable learners to undertake advanced reflection and development by means of a systematic survey of current thinking, practice and research methods in the field of adult and community education and training. It will provide some opportunities for specialisation in, for example, the sub-fields of curriculum design, policy development, community development or workplace skills development.

Rationale:
The Postgraduate Diploma in Adult and Community Education and Training is designed to provide practitioners with knowledge and skills that will enable them to engage in continuing professional development or advanced studies in this field. This qualification targets professionals and practitioners in the field of adult and community education and training and has been restructured to meet the new requirements of National Policy. The Postgraduate Diploma in Adult and Community Education and Training will also play an important role as an articulation route into the Adult education specialisations to a Master of Education.

The field of Adult and Community Education and Training has been identified as a national priority, and the new qualifications for Adult and Community Educators and Trainers is a significant move in the direction of professionalising the field. The introduction of requirements for new professional qualifications will lead to a significant increase in demand by those currently employed in Technical Vocational Education and Training (TVET) and Community Colleges who lack appropriate qualifications, by new entrants to the field, as well as those needing to upgrade their existing qualifications to a professional, postgraduate level.

The qualification targets learners in adult education, training and development practitioners, present or future planners, consultants or policy analysts in the field of adult education and training, leaders of community, trade union or skills development institutions, or graduates who have an interest in adult education and human resource development issues.

LEARNING ASSUMED TO BE IN PLACE AND RECOGNITION OF PRIOR LEARNING

Recognition of Prior Learning (RPL):
RPL procedures are in place to facilitate access for candidates who have cognate experience but do not meet the above academic criteria. The standard procedure requires submission of a portfolio of evidence; an oral presentation; and two written tests of academic ability including one open book, and one written under 'exam' conditions. Adult education teaching staff in the School of Education have expertise in RPL and it has been regularly used (where appropriate) for access to Adult Education qualifications in the past.

Entry Requirements:
The minimum entry to this qualification is:

A three (3) year Bachelor's Degree, Level 7.
Or

An Advanced Diploma in Adult and Community Education and Training, Level 7.
Or

A Bachelor of Education Degree, Level 7.
And

At least two years' experience as working professional educators.

RECOGNISE PREVIOUS LEARNING?

QUALIFICATION RULES

This qualification consists of compulsory and elective modules at Level 8 totalling 120 Credits.

Compulsory Modules, 90 Credits:

South African Education in Context, 30 Credits.

Knowledge and Experience in Adult and Vocational Education, 30 Credits.

Learning at Work, 30 Credits.

Elective Modules, 30 Credits (select one):

Researching Practice in Education, 30 Credits.

Doing Research in Education, 30 Credits.

EXIT LEVEL OUTCOMES

Collect, analyse, organise and critically evaluate information.

Identify and solve problems in which responses display that responsible decisions using critical and creative thinking have been made.

Communicate effectively in the modes of oral/written presentation.

Understand and interpret texts within the area of Adult and Community Education and Training.

Understand the specialism or field of Adult and Community Education and Training at a high level of theoretical engagement and intellectual independence.

Understand approaches to research in this specialism/field.

Understand the ethical dimensions of issues facing professional educators.

Understand contextual influences on Adult and Community Education and Training in South Africa.

ASSOCIATED ASSESSMENT CRITERIA

The Associated Assessment Criteria will be applied in an integrated manner across the Exit Level Outcomes:

Trace the historical developments that have shaped the current system of education, with particular reference to adult and community education and training provision in South Africa.

Demonstrate familiarity with current debates on inequality in education, specifically in relation to class, race, gender and place, and analyse contextual influences on adult educational experiences and outcomes.

Outline the post-apartheid policy framework and locate their own work within the field of Adult and Community Education and Training.

Identify different features of informal, non-formal and formal learning in adult and vocational education and training.

Understand key lines of debates about the relationship between knowledge and experience.

Reflect critically on the role and tasks of the educator in different adult and vocational education contexts.

Provide a considered argument for the design of a curriculum that enables application of knowledge in practice.

Understand changes in the organisation of work under globalisation, and their implications for knowledge and adult learning in the workplace.

Put forward views on debates around workplace learning and knowledge.

Reflect critically on their own experiences of learning at work, and design new approaches to learning in their own work context.

Conduct a search of the research literature in a selected area of interest.

Describe and evaluate a range of approaches to researching their area of specialisation within the field of Adult and Community Education and Training.

Write a critical evaluation of published literature and research reports on a topic of interest in Adult and Community Education and Training, and draw out implications for their practice.

Understand the logic of a coherent research design with a particular focus on the relation between a research problem, a research question, a literature review, theory, data and analysis.

Understand the purpose of different research methods and select appropriate methods of data collection.

Conduct and write up a small independent research study under supervision in their area of specialism within the field of Adult and Community Education and Training.

Integrated Assessment:
The qualification will use both summative and formative assessment. Assessment in all modules requires written work amounting to 5000 words per course. Each module will have at least one assessment task during the course designed as a learning opportunity and to provide feedback to learners.

All modules in this qualification will be assessed by using written assignments or a project as an assessment method. The aim is to focus on development of conceptual and analytical tools, and appropriate use of such tools for reflecting critically on (and thus enhancing) professional practice; assessment by assignment (with its emphasis on reading widely, careful exposition of concepts, and intelligent application of concepts to analyse professional practice) is deemed best able to achieve these aims.

INTERNATIONAL COMPARABILITY

This qualification compares favorably with the following qualification:

Murdoch University (W. Australia) - Graduate Diploma in Tertiary and Adult Education.

Griffith University (Australia) - Graduate Diploma in Adult and Vocational Education.

Massey University (New Zealand) - PGDE in Tertiary Education.

University of Waikato (New Zealand) - Graduate Diploma in Adult Education and Training.

University of West Indies (Barbados) - Postgraduate Diploma in Adult and Continuing Education.

University of Stirling (UK) - PGDE with an optional Adult Education specialisation.

Mary Immaculate College, University of Limerick (Ireland) - Graduate Diploma in Adult and Further Education.

ARTICULATION OPTIONS

This qualification offers vertical articulation with the following qualification:

Vertical Articulation:

Master of Education, Level 9.

It would (theoretically) be possible for the student to articulate (horizontally) with another PgDip, or a B.Ed. (Hons) qualification, but it is more likely that a graduate of the PgDip in Adult Education would move on (vertically) to the Masters in Adult Education. In order to do that, they would need to complete a small research project as part of their PgDip in Adult Education.

MODERATION OPTIONS

N/A

CRITERIA FOR THE REGISTRATION OF ASSESSORS

N/A

NOTES

N/A

LEARNING PROGRAMMES RECORDED AGAINST THIS QUALIFICATION:

NONE

PROVIDERS CURRENTLY ACCREDITED TO OFFER THIS QUALIFICATION:

This information shows the current accreditations (i.e. those not past their accreditation end dates), and is the most complete record available to SAQA as of today. Some Primary or Delegated Quality Assurance Functionaries have a lag in their recording systems for provider accreditation, in turn leading to a lag in notifying SAQA of all the providers that they have accredited to offer qualifications and unit standards, as well as any extensions to accreditation end dates. The relevant Primary or Delegated Quality Assurance Functionary should be notified if a record appears to be missing from here.

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