Student Support Services

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What is student support services ?

What is student support services at the College?Ā 

The field known asĀ student support services at the CollegeĀ is made up of professionals dedicated to supporting the academic and personal development of individuals attending our college.

ROLES OF STUDENT SUPPORT SERVICE:

About Academic Support Services:

Academic Support Services are available at all 4 College campus sites established to provide assistance for students to develop, enhance and implement strategies that promote academic success by assisting students with implementing effective academic skills independently.
An important role of student services is to prepare students for active participation in society. Among the services available to students, the most important are those which meet their academic, personal development and emotional needs.

Student Co-curricular Activities:

Examples of co-curricular activities might incorporate student council, school sports teams, math clubs, chess clubs, talent shows, spelling bees, writing competitions, debates, mock trials, school newspapers, and drama production and many other creative ideas.
Student Support for Financial Aid ā€“ students at the college may be able to get help with tuition fees, the costs of their course and their living expenses by getting student support in the form of student grants (including bursaries) from the Government (Department of Higher Education Science and Technology: ā€œDHESTā€ NSFAS bursary scheme.

Computer Students

STUDENT SUPPORT SERVICES:

PRE-ENTRY SUPPORT

This is the stage where the students who wish to enrol in any of our programmes at the College is thoroughly orientated to the College and the various study options available by our highly qualified career guidance officers. The orientation program is well-structured and Student Support Services Offices and Lecturing personnel are on board to assist in the implementation of this program.

The programme encompasses but not limited to the following:

  • Career guidance, be it one on one or in groups
  • Selection and Placement (CAP TEST, and); the test informs and educates students on a variety of career options. By the same token it gauges the studentā€™s personal interest in the different career fields
  • The induction and orientation programmes to the new students
  • The administration of registration/ enrolment
  • Student Code of Conduct

Orientation and Induction:

At the commencement of intake of new students, the College organises orientation and induction, which assist students to obtain College information such as:Ā 

  • Academic expectations from students and lecturing staff
  • Academic related policies from DHEST and College
  • Services available from SSS office
  • Commencements of classes
  • the College and college management
  • the whoā€™s who at the campus
  • programmes offered
  • College rules, student code of conduct and other related student policies,
  • Student Representative Council (SRC)
  • facilities and services available
  • Various offices that provide assistance during their academic stay.

Ā Information on access to Bursaries / DHEST NSFAS Bursary

  • NSFAS bursaries are available and are located to financially needy students yet academically deserving through a Means Test.
  • When a student chooses not to apply for bursary, such student will be liable for full payment of his/her studies.
  • Returning students who are funded by NSFAS in previous year(s) need not to re-apply for NSFAS, as NSFAS automatically continue to fund if you have made an academic progress to the next level of programme(s).
  • Lists of provisionally funded students are sent regularly to the College by NSFAS to allow students to be advanced with allowances, therefore, attendance and retention is maintained.
  • College students are encouraged to attend their classes at all times as travel and accommodation allowances. This is because beneficiaries who fail to meet the minimum 80% class attendance requirement for a particular month in accordance with the DHEST TVET Students Attendance and Punctuality Policy 2013, monies willĀ  not be disbursed.
  • The NSFAS 2017 Rules and Guidelines administration document is available at Student Support Services Office and SRC office.

ON-COURSE SUPPORT

On-course support is to support students as they undertake their programme studies. It requires mainly academic support, access to personal tutors, life skills, language, maths and maths literacy support, advice on health, practical assistance, and opportunities for leadership (SRC), sport and cultural development, counselling, & etc.

Resource Centres
The College has fantastic Resources Centres in all campuses including the ā€œLand is Wealthā€ farm in Maropeng, Krugersdorp where Primary Agriculture is offered, along with our expert staff that will help you to study and achieve your very best.
Students automatically become a member of the library when they enroll andĀ we have a wide range of resourcesĀ that students can use including:

  • Newspapers
  • books and encyclopedias
  • journals and newspapers

The above resources can be used to carry out individual research for the assignments/projects and for supporting the studentā€™s continuous learning needs.Ā  Books can either be used in the Resource Centre or borrowed on a short term basis.

Counselling

  • The College assigned a Student Counsellor, who rotate from one Campus to another when is necessary to assist all College students atĀ  all College Academic Campuses when it is necessary.
  • A Student Counsellor is tasked with personal counseling and are mainly responsible for referring services related to health and welfare of the students including addressing issues that are particularly impacting upon vulnerable groups such as single-headed households, women and people living with HIV/AIDS, and many others.

  • This involves the provision of information and guidance on higher education and further training opportunities; the identification of opportunities for job placements; entrepreneurial skills development opportunities and the introduction
  • The College has a Unit that is called ā€˜New Business Developmentā€™ that is solely looking at assisting the students with Work Integrated Learning opportunities and Entrepreneurship opportunities.
  • There are also SMMEs at all campuses that are the to equip students with entrepreneurial and management responsibilities in a small businesses; and how to manage the operations of the business ethically, efficiently and effectively
  • Student Support Services Office also assist exiting/exited students about job requirements, preparation and/or updating CV, writing letters of application and preparing for the job interview, intending to study further and starting own business.

STUDENT ADVISORY:

Attendance and punctuality policy for students
  • Terms and conditions for the students as stipulated in the public Further Education and Training College Attendance and Punctuality policy from the Department of Higher Education and Training.
The students are expected to:
  • Be 100% present at all schedule classes.
  • Ensure that they attend all classes and arrive before the start of the class properly equipped and prepared to participate in the session.
  • Inform their lecturers in person before the start of the class or by agreed contact route, if they give genuine reasons for lateness or absence.
  • Understand the expectation of attendance, the level at which follow-up action will happen and what the consequence will be.
  • Always schedule medical and other appointments out of College hours where possible.
  • Not take on work commitment that clash with schedules class times at the College. Any absence for work will constitute unauthorized absence.
  • Commit to complete outstanding work as homework from classes missed due to punctuality or attendance.
Consequences

Ā Three stages to be followed where absence is unauthorized.

Stage 1 Formal Warning (Issued by lecture)

  • There should be no more than 3 formal warning before moving to stage 2.

Stage 2 Formal Absence Review Meeting (Lecturer and Programmed Manager/ Sir Lecturer/HOD)

  • Attendance: Below 80% ā€˜presentā€™ or absent one or more sessions in a week or 4 or more absence in any 4 week period.
  • Lateness: Late twice in a week or more than 5 times in any 4 week period or other patterns of lateness.
  • Patterns of absence, e.g. Every Monday, every Friday, specific lessons, etc., or sickness occurring on a regular basis.
  • Unauthorized absence could lead to NSFAS payment, where applicable, being stopped for the rest of the term/trimester/semester /year.
  • The review meeting should discuss the reasons of absence, and decide on support where required and methods to catch up on missed work. The review meeting should result in an action plan which is agreed to by the student.
  • There should be no more than 2 formal absence review meeting before moving to stage 3.

Stage 3 Formal Hearing (Academic Manager /HOD)

  • Attendance: Continued ā€˜presentā€™ rate of less than 80%. Persistent lateness or failure to improve despite warning or absence reviews.
  • If second formal hearing for poor attendance or punctuality is held, this can lead to final written warning.
  • Should the student fail to comply after the final written warning, this could lead to the cancellation of entry to final examination or exclusion.
General rules regarding assessment and exams

Invigilation (Instructions to Students)

  1. Examination will now be conducted in this room in the following subjects: (the invigilator then announces the actual subjects). Students who have not entered for these subjects must now leave the examination room.
  2. Cell phones are not allowedĀ in the examination room. If your cell-phone rings during the examination period, an irregularity would be declared and you would render yourself liable to suspension from current and future examinations for a period up to 11 months.
  3. No explanation of examination questions may be asked for or given.
  4. You will not be allowed to leave the examination room within the first hour from the start of the session and during the last 15 minutes of the examination period. In an emergency, a student will be allowed to leave the examination room only under supervision.
  5. A student must carefully read and comply with the instructions, which appear on the front cover of his or her answer script and also those on the question paper.
  6. You are not allowed to assist another student or try to assist him or her to get help or communicate with anybody other than the invigilators. Any questions should be directed to the invigilator.
  7. You may not create a disturbance in the examination room or behave in an improper or unseemly manner.
  8. You may not disregard the instructions of the invigilator.
  9. Unless otherwise stipulated for an examination, you may not have a script, memorandum, notes, maps, photos or other documents or papers (including unused paper), or other material which may be of help to you in the examination, other than that provided to you by the invigilator and the admission letter/permit in your possession, while you are in the examination room. The excuse that you have forgotten that you had it in your possession will not be accepted.
  10. Only calculators as approved and prescribed may be used by a student in the examination, except in subjects where these are indicated on the question paper as being prohibited.
  11. If youĀ do notĀ obey these instructions, you render yourself liable to suspension from current and future examinations, and the Department of Higher Education & Training may, in such a case, refuse to give you credit for other examination papers written.
  12. You will only be issued a second answer booklet once the first answer booklet isĀ fullyĀ utilised (on every page).
  13. AllĀ aids and answer scripts as well as answer sheets issued to you must be handed in before you leave the examination room.
  14. Read any errata on a specific question paper to the student(s) concerned. You are allowed ten minutes reading time of the question paper before the official commencement of the examination during which time NO writing of any kind may take place.
  15. You may NOT tear out, cut out, or damage any pages of your answer script for any reason. Answers may be crossed out and you will continue to write answers in the answer book thereafter.
  16. As soon as you have signed out and handed in your examination script, you must leave the examination room. You will not be allowed back into the examination venue forĀ any reasonĀ once you have signed out and handed in your examination script. No answer script will be acceptedĀ for any reasonĀ once you have signed out and left the venue.
Additional Instructions for Computer Examinations Only
  1. You must be seated 30 minutes before the start of the examination time; this time is allocated to reading and implementing instructions. You may NOT begin typing until instructed to do so by the Invigilator.
  2. Ensure that all your computer printouts haveĀ your own Identity number typed in, as well as the watermark, which clearly indicates the computer station number. All printoutsĀ withoutĀ theseĀ typedĀ identification requirements (or withĀ handwrittenĀ identity numbers) will NOT be considered for marking.
  3. You may not print for another candidate or have another candidate print for you. This is regarded as an examination irregularity.
  4. During the examination, printouts will be collected from the printer by one of the invigilators and handed immediately to each student identified by the identity number and watermark (computer number). No student will be permitted to leave his/her station to go to the printer.
  5. Ensure that you save your work on a regular basis. It is the candidatesā€™ responsibility to protect their answers, through regular saving in order to prevent loss of work. No extra time will be allocated for such loss of work.
  6. Save your work correctly. It is not the responsibility of the Invigilator or Technician to ā€œfindā€ work that has been incorrectly saved and ā€œlostā€.
  7. You may not request the Invigilator to assist youĀ in any wayĀ unless the computer freezes or is faulty and needs the intervention of the IT Technician or his designate; or if there is a fault in the question paper and needs the intervention of the Chief Invigilator.
  8. All printouts which you regard as errors must be crossed out and inserted at the back of your folder. (No printouts may be discarded or thrown into the dust bin).
For Information Processing and Office Data Processing:
  1. Invigilator must have either a stop watch or any watch/clock with stop watch facilities and MUST be familiar with conducting a speed & accuracy test using it;
  2. The speed and accuracy question will be conducted ONCE ONLY by the Invigilator, in a controlled, timed session at the beginning of the examination.
  3. Before the speed and accuracy question commences, you will be instructed to insert your examination number (Identity number) and question number only. Thereafter, you will wait until the Invigilator instructs you to begin, and you will stop and print when the Invigilator instructs you to do so.
  4. The invigilator will collect and keep the printouts of this question from the printer, sign it at the end of the typed work; and only hand it out at theĀ endĀ of the examination to be inserted into your folder.
  5. If you are late and/or are not present during the execution of the timed speed and accuracy question, you have forfeited this question and will only be allowed to continue with the rest of the examination thereafter.
  6. If you were present and do not do this question, you will only be allowed to continue with the rest of the examination when the duration of the speed and accuracy question has been concluded.
  7. AllĀ uncontrolledĀ speed and accuracy questions will NOT be marked. This is identified as follows:
  8. if a student has completed the entire speed and accuracy question within the given 10 minutes and yet is unable to complete all other questions within the balance of the 3 hours, this arouses suspicion of the speed and accuracy question not being timed and controlled and will be flagged as an irregularity.
  9. If the completed speed and accuracy question is not signed by the Invigilator.