Students ponder quality and diversity

It would appear that both academics and students are grappling with issues of diversity, especially when it threads its way into teaching and learning.

And there's still plenty to debate and mull over, as was evident at the Student Forum on Quality Assurance, hosted by the Students' Representative Council (SRC), the Institutional Planning Department (IPD) and the Department: Student Affairs (DSA) on 13 August. Themed Promoting Diversity through Teaching and Learning, the forum discussed the pros and cons of making UCT's course on Global Citizenship compulsory for most (if not all) students, and creating an enabling environment for students, especially those with disabilities.

"Quality assurance is now not only discussed by the academics or the management of the university," said the SRC's Insaaf Isaacs, "but has also branched over to its student leaders, and guidance is sought from fora such as these and incorporated into university policy."

In keeping with its central concern, the forum also launched its Students Quality Assurance Handbook, aimed at encouraging students to contribute to the discussion.