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:

Diploma: Community and Development Studies

SAQA QUAL ID	QUALIFICATION TITLE
72862	Diploma: Community and Development Studies
ORIGINATOR
University of KwaZulu-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
Advanced Certificate	Field 05 - Education, Training and Development		Adult Learning
ABET BAND	MINIMUM CREDITS	PRE-2009 NQF LEVEL	NQF LEVEL	QUAL CLASS
Undefined	256	Level 5	NQF Level 06	Regular-Provider-ELOAC
REGISTRATION STATUS		SAQA DECISION NUMBER	REGISTRATION START DATE	REGISTRATION END DATE
Passed the End Date - Status was "Reregistered"		SAQA 091/21	2021-07-01	2023-06-30
LAST DATE FOR ENROLMENT		LAST DATE FOR ACHIEVEMENT
2024-06-30		2028-06-30

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 replaces:

Qual ID	Qualification Title	Pre-2009 NQF Level	NQF Level	Min Credits	Replacement Status
16273	Diploma: Community and Development Studies	Level 5	Level TBA: Pre-2009 was L5	256	Complete

PURPOSE AND RATIONALE OF THE QUALIFICATION

The primary purpose of the programme in Community and Development Studies is to prepare learners for the following taught Master programmes

Housing

Social development

Economic development

Urban and regional Planning

Environmental Planning

Development planning

Population studies

Development Studies

Childhood and Youth Development

Despite its emphasis on preparation for postgraduate study, graduates who exit at the bachelors, certificate of diploma level will be equipped with a wide range marketable, employment-orientated competencies and skills. The programme has both academic and vocational elements at all levels. It aims to equip learners with the necessary understanding and skills to pursue a range of careers in applied social sciences like those listed above. It also provides learners with basic research, computer and statistical skills, and it incorporates a number of credit-bearing service-learning components that involve placement of learners in community organisations as part of their training. A programme of this nature, oriented towards careers in the applied social sciences, is crucial if South Africa is to produce innovative thinkers who are able to assist in the process of addressing the multiplicity of social, infrastructural, economic and environmental problems that this country faces.

LEARNING ASSUMED TO BE IN PLACE AND RECOGNITION OF PRIOR LEARNING

Recognition of prior learning will be subject to university and faculty policy.

Age, level of maturity, life experience, work experiences and potential to study at the tertiary level are taken into account.

Currently, University of Natal policy allows a discretionary dicisions to be made by Senate.

RECOGNISE PREVIOUS LEARNING?

EXIT LEVEL OUTCOMES

On completion of this level of the programme, students should be able to demonstrate:

An understanding of cultural diversity and the causes of inequality in society

An understanding of development processes and its pitfalls

Sensitivity to the need to balance social needs with environmental preservation

A basic ability to work with community organisations

Sound oral and written presentation skills

Competence in use of computing technology

The skills necessary to assist with social research

ASSOCIATED ASSESSMENT CRITERIA

On completion of this level of the programme, students will be assessed in terms of the following criteria:

They must have demonstrated, in their written work, an understanding of cultural diversity and the causes of inequality in society

They must have demonstrated, in their written work, an understanding of development processes and its pitfalls

They must have demonstrated, in their written work, an understanding of the necessity to balance social needs with environmental preservation

They must have demonstrated a basic ability to work with community organisations

They must have demonstrated sound oral and written presentation skills

They must have demonstrated competence in use of computing technology

They must have demonstrated the skills necessary to assist with social research

Integrated assessment appropriately incorporated to ensure that the purpose of the qualification is achieved:

The Service Learning modules are the vehicle for integrated assessment of students. In the Service Learning modules, students are required to bring together the knowledge and skills learned across the other modules in the conduct of community development activities in a real-world context outside or the university. These modules are, therefore, the `capstone` modules in which the learning outcomes for the various qualifications are integrated and assessed.

ARTICULATION OPTIONS

Students may exit the programm with:

128 points (Certificate)

256 points (Diploma)

384 points (Bachelors Degree)

EXPORTABILITY: (Transfer to other programmes)
With the exception of Service Learning, all the modules are located within and have been drawn from a variety of other undergraduate programmes at the University of Natal (Durban). There is, therefore, a high degree of `exportability`. Whether or not credit for Service Learning will be transferable to other programmes will, of course, depend on the flexibility of these other programmes.

IMPORTABILITY: (Transfer from other programmes)
To exit with the certificate, as student may import no more than 128 points from non-programme modules. All imported modules must be approved by the Programme Director and dean as being equivalent to one of other of the programme modules. No equivalents will be awarded for Service learning modules. Thus, at the discretion of the Programme Director and Dean, certificate students may enter with anything between 0 and 128 points.

RECOGNISED AND CROSS-LISTED MODULES FROM OTHER PROGRAMMES:
No particular non-programme modules are recognised and cross-listed because there is not yet available a complete list of all modules on offer in the University; therefore, it is impossible to determine whether the content and outcomes of other modules are more or less equivalent to the content and outcomes of programme modules. Once such a list is made available it is possible that a number of non-programme modules will be formally recognised and cross-listed. For the time being, requests to import non-programme modules will be dealt with on an individual basis as outlined immediately above.

POSSIBILITIES FOR ACCELERATED PROGRESS:
By making use of the Winter Semester, and by gaining 80 credit points in each of the First and Second semesters, it is possible for students to complete the bachelors degree in two years of full-time study.

LINKS WITH POSTGRADUATE PROGRAMMES:
The programme is designed to feed students into various programmes in the Faculty. As such, it acts as the Faculty`s `core` undergraduate programme. The postgraduate programmes for which it prepares the student include: Housing, Social Development, Economic Development, Urban and Regional Planning, Environmental Planning, Development Planning, Population Studies, Development Studies and Childhood and Youth Development.

MODERATION OPTIONS

There is no formal professional to act as an external moderator. As mentioned the programme makes use of both internal and external assessors. The Programm Director and the Co-ordinator of the Service Learning modules wil act as overall assessors. Attempts will be made to evaluate the quality of graduates by tracking their progress after graduation and by meeting with, and obtaining feedback from employers.

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 qualifications are externally examined.

REREGISTRATION HISTORY

As per the SAQA Board decision/s at that time, this qualification was Reregistered in 2006; 2009; 2012; 2015.

LEARNING PROGRAMMES RECORDED AGAINST THIS QUALIFICATION:

When qualifications are replaced, some (but not all) of their learning programmes are moved to the replacement qualifications. If a learning programme appears to be missing from here, please check the replaced 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.

1.	University of KwaZulu-Natal