Contact
Details
Contact Person : Mr. L. E. Dawha and Mr. S. Malunga
E-mail: simon@id.co.zw or simon@intec.edu.za
Fax: None
Postal Address: Michael House, 62 Nelson Mandela Avenue
P O Box 2523
Harare
Telephone : 705 801/2/3
Description
Rapid Results College (RRC) of Zimbabwe belongs to the stable of
International Colleges Group (ICG), which also runs Intec and ILPA colleges and is
therefore related to Rapid Results Colleges in South Africa and other countries. The
Zimbabwe RRC aims at offering distance education at an affordable price to all who need
it. It sees itself as responding to the educational needs of industry and the society in
general and also complementing government’s efforts in making education accessible by
helping the government run Study Groups Programmes. The college targets students with
limited access to conventional classrooms, for whom they run the Study Group programme,
and post-secondary and tertiary students who wish to advance their skills or
qualifications in business, professional, and vocational Skills. Certificates and college
diplomas are offered in these areas. Among the targeted groups that do not have access to
conventional classrooms are soldiers and members of the police force who want to enhance
their skills in the above-mentioned areas. To reach its targets, RRC advertises the
college and courses in strategic media such as Army and Police magazines and other popular
daily newspapers. This strategy, together with word-of-mouth advertising (people sharing
information about the college), has worked well for the college.
Since the college is a branch of Intec colleges in South Africa,
enrolment statistics were not readily available during the visit. Apparently, apart from
an intake of thousands of Zimbabweans from the entire country, this branch also caters for
students from as far as Zambia and Malawi.
Apart from financial assistance received from government for running
the Study Group Programmes (which were introduced by the Ministry), the college is self-
sustaining. It relies on fees paid by students and money from learning materials sold.
Delivery Modes and Use of Technologies
The college offers education entirely by distance. There are no
face-to-face sessions organized by the college, but students may form learning groups on
their own. Registration takes place by post, and materials are sent to students by post.
Learning materials also have assignments which students have to complete and send to the
college in Harare. Tutors are contracted by the college, not to teach but to mark
students’ assignments and give detailed feedback. Marked assignments are sent back to
students.
Because of limited resources and the fact that technologies such as
computers, television and audio-visual cassettes are extremely expensive, the college has
relied very much on printed media. Radio, which is a technology more affordable than
others, has not been used because there is no dedicated educational channel, which means
that if RRC uses radio broadcasts, it will actually be offering lessons to millions of
people for free, which is not financially sustainable. This means that cost has been the
major factor hindering use of technologies.
Learner Support
The most important learner support strategy is ensuring that the
college has to produce quality material and that material allows self study (in other
words, it should not be difficult to understand). Before registration, students are given
counselling in the form of career and subject choices. Such counselling is given by
writing to students who are very far from the college. Students are also given booklets,
which give them all necessary information about how the college operates and how they can
use services effectively. They are also given additional material to provide them skills
on how to study. Information for the guidance of tutors is given to all tutors. Such
information helps tutors to understand distance education students and to avail themselves
to give students the necessary support by marking their work as quickly as possible and
giving detailed comments which should help students identify their problems and how they
can go about improving that situation.
The college has established a Tutorial Department, which facilitates
production of learning materials and interaction between tutors and students. The tutor
student liaison officer is also available to offer support by handling students’
administrative queries. Students keep in touch with their tutors and the student liaison
officer via telephone, but this is limited as many students do not have access to
telephones.
The college also tries to find ways to visit areas in which students
have formed study groups. Such visits are intended to help students in all aspects of the
education process, be it administrative or study skills.
Assessment
RRC is mainly a tuition college, and does not offer examinations for
its learners. It is up to students to register with any examining body where they will be
able to sit for examinations. However, the college does offer students tests and
assignments to guide their reading and to prepare them for their examinations. Some of the
assignments are marked by students themselves, while others are sent to the college to be
marked by tutors. Tutors are required to mark the students’ work, ensuring that their
standard of marking is appropriate to the examination that students intend to write.
Quality Assurance
The management of the college aims to have college courses accredited
by various educational institutions. As a result, they strive to produce materials of good
quality. Experts in various areas of learning (for example, a judge in the area of law or
an accountant in the area of accounting) are commissioned to produce learning materials.
The material is then sent to the college, where it is edited by the Director of Academic
Studies to ensure that it conforms to distance education standards.
Although there is no formal form or questionnaire for students to
evaluate learning material, students are encouraged to write to the college if they find
the material not to be clear or useful. The paper on Information for the Guidance of
Tutors also encourages tutors to give the college advice on any aspect of their
tuition material such as updating material, amendments to improve the course, and advice
on examination questions. The College’s Tutorial Department revises course material
on a continuous basis and comments of both tutors and students are taken seriously.
According to management, as a result of their quality assurance processes, the
college’s materials are in most cases recommended by other institutes and are
sometimes even used by students registered in formal schools.
Professional Development
Professional development is focused mainly on management and
administrative staff. To save money, the college relies on internal workshops run on
college premises. Tutors are not trained. Rather, they are given guidelines on how to mark
students’ work and offer students the necessary support.
National and Institutional Policy
The Rapid Results College is a private institution, which, although it
does not operate directly under the Ministries of Education, Sport and Culture and Higher
Education, does seem to enjoy a close relationship with the section of Adult and
Non-Formal Education. This section formulates policy on adult continuing and distance
education to create facilities and opportunities for learning outside the formal system
and coordinate and monitor the activities, personnel and organizations involved in
programmes under its charge. Due to its mission provide access to education to students
with limited access to conventional educational classrooms, the college has been working
closely with the government to ensure the success of the Study Group Programme.
Enabling and Hindering Factors
Lack of adequate financial resources was identified as the major
hindering factor for the college. This is going to be exacerbated by government's decision
to cut its financial contribution to running Study Groups. There is also a feeling that
distance education does not have a high profile in government circles and that, as a
result, private distance education colleges have not had the necessary support to enable
them to function effectively.
The brand name of the college (Rapid Results College) is considered an
enabling factor in that the college has been operating for a very long time and people
perceive it to be tried and tested. Factors that have ensured the success of the college
include the quality of its course materials, low prices and the fact that they have their
head offices in South Africa, which means that they are able to share expertise with their
colleagues in South Africa. The establishment of the Zimbabwe National Association for
Distance and Open Leaning is also perceived positively in that it enables distance
education institutions in Zimbabwe to share their experiences. |
