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 THAT HAS PASSED THE END DATE:

Advanced Postgraduate Diploma: Protected-Area Management

SAQA QUAL ID	QUALIFICATION TITLE
14725	Advanced Postgraduate Diploma: Protected-Area Management
ORIGINATOR
University of Natal
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 03 - Business, Commerce and Management Studies		Generic Management
ABET BAND	MINIMUM CREDITS	PRE-2009 NQF LEVEL	NQF LEVEL	QUAL CLASS
Undefined	128	Level 7	Level TBA: Pre-2009 was L7	Regular-Provider-ELOAC
REGISTRATION STATUS		SAQA DECISION NUMBER	REGISTRATION START DATE	REGISTRATION END DATE
Passed the End Date - Status was "Reregistered"		SAQA 2663/05	2006-07-01	2009-06-30
LAST DATE FOR ENROLMENT		LAST DATE FOR ACHIEVEMENT
2010-06-30		2013-06-30

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

The qualification aims to produce well-qualified professionals able to improve the management of protected areas, particularly in southern Africa, enabling them to promote effective development and use of such areas in a variety of contexts.

The programme is based on a new vision of the need for trans-disciplinary professional training for the management of all categories of protected areas in South Africa and elsewhere in Africa. It will be supported by strategic research, which addresses the requirements to enable the emergence of world-class management, which achieves synergy between the protection of resources, use by people and economic development.

The qualification is founded on strategic alliances within South Africa (South African National Parks, KwaZulu-Natal Nature Conservation Services and NGO's such as the Wilderness Action Group) and abroad (The University of Montana and the US Forest Service). These partnerships will ensure that the programme of training and research is relevant and maintains standards of excellence.

LEARNING ASSUMED TO BE IN PLACE AND RECOGNITION OF PRIOR LEARNING

For the AdvPGCertProtAreaMgt: Possession of an Honours or four-year undergraduate degree acceptable to the Board of the Faculty in appropriate humanities or science disciplines (512 credits of prior learning).

RECOGNISE PREVIOUS LEARNING?

EXIT LEVEL OUTCOMES

Successful AdvCertProtMgt students will be able to demonstrate:

Understanding and appreciation of the origins, philosophies and ethics of natural-resource protection in various cultural and economic contexts.

Ability to interpret and influence the formulation of policies, legislation and regulations relevant to the establishment and management of protected areas.

Understanding and appreciation of the principles of protected-area management under different utilization strategies (e.g. biodiversity conservation versus resource harvesting).

Appreciation for and an ability to establish a learning-organisation culture as a means of promoting life-long learning.

Competence in conceptualisation, formulation and implementation of protected area management plans.

Competence in protected-area management systems to achieve appropriate balances between perpetuation of biodiversity and enhancement of visitor experience.

ASSOCIATED ASSESSMENT CRITERIA

All students:

Course-work components assessed using a range of methods including tests, assignments and formal examinations, in written and oral form.

The above, and, in addition, an internship with a relevant organisation, assessed through written and oral reports produced by the student, the academic supervisor(s) and the organisational supervisor(s).

Integrated assessment:

The University of Natal is currently reforming its assessment strategies to include the assessment of applied competence for each qualification. In the meantime, a combination of continuous assessment and traditional written examinations serve to assess the integration of all/most of the learning outcomes for each module in a qualification.

For all students: A weeklong, open-book examination (including fieldwork and written academic discourse) in July, involving an authentic task in a specific environmental context functions as a capstone which brings together the knowledge, skills and attitudes learnt during the formal course-work component of the programme but does not comprise a distinct registrable module

ARTICULATION OPTIONS

The program articulates with a variety of Honours programmes in the humanities and sciences, both intra-and inter-institutional. Articulation is also possible with other appropriate diploma or degree programmes in combination with relevant experience.

MODERATION OPTIONS

The ETQA system for HE is not yet fully developed. Until such time as it is, procedures described under Assessor Criteria will suffice.

CRITERIA FOR THE REGISTRATION OF ASSESSORS

Until the HEQC establishes a registration system for assessors in the HET Band, the University of Natal assumes that, on the basis of its rigorous selection criteria for the appointment of academic staff (who also have opportunities for staff development in assessment), staffs are competent to assess students on the modules they teach. This assessment is quality assured via a university system of internal moderation and external examination. External examiners are appointed for their teaching and disciplinary expertise and subject to the approval of Faculty Boards. The University of Natal ruling is that 66 % of all assessments at exit level, i.e. leading to a qualification, are externally examined.

REREGISTRATION HISTORY

As per the SAQA Board decision/s at that time, this qualification was Reregistered in 2006.

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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