247650180975HRBUS83
ASSIGNMENT 4 Unique no: 882233
STUDENT NO:38689936
5 JUNE 2018
020000HRBUS83
ASSIGNMENT 4 Unique no: 882233
STUDENT NO:38689936
5 JUNE 2018
Table of Contents
TOC o “1-3″ h z u The quality of teaching and learning of BCom Honours degree students at an open distance learning university in South Africa. PAGEREF _Toc515544227 h 1Introduction PAGEREF _Toc515544228 h 1Problem statement PAGEREF _Toc515544229 h 1Literature review PAGEREF _Toc515544230 h 1Research methodology PAGEREF _Toc515544231 h 2Research findings PAGEREF _Toc515544232 h 2Conclusion PAGEREF _Toc515544233 h 3References PAGEREF _Toc515544234 h 3Strategic Human Resource Management of Volunteers and the Link to Hospital Patient Satisfaction PAGEREF _Toc515544235 h 3Introduction PAGEREF _Toc515544236 h 3Problem Statement PAGEREF _Toc515544237 h 4Literature review PAGEREF _Toc515544238 h 4Research methodology PAGEREF _Toc515544239 h 5Research findings PAGEREF _Toc515544240 h 5Conclusion PAGEREF _Toc515544241 h 6References PAGEREF _Toc515544242 h 6
The quality of teaching and learning of BCom Honours degree students at an open distance learning university in South Africa.Introduction
Distance learning, sometimes called e-learning, is a formalized teaching and learning system specifically designed to be carried out remotely by using electronic communication. It orientated in the British colony and three countries including South Africa adapted the model to meet the local, cultural, educational and employment needs” (Antwerpen 2015, p682). Because distance learning is less expensive to support and is not constrained by geographic considerations, it offers opportunities in situations where traditional education has difficulty operating. Students with scheduling or distance problems can benefit, as can employees, because distance education can be more flexible in terms of time and can be delivered virtually anywhere. The study is conducted using a sample of Bcom Honours students to establish the quality of education at Unisa who the biggest open distance learning is university in South Africa Unisa 2015 (as cited in Antwerpen 2015). The Quantitative research method was used, and students of all ages were used. The results have proven that no previous studies were done. The support given to students were not fully employed. There’s also not enough student funding. Students are also not utilizing all the resources available on the Unisa website or tutorials. The Ethical approval for the study was obtained from the Unisa Senate Research and Innovation and Higher Degrees Committee. A letter of consent was also attached.
Problem statement
The main problem examined in this study pertains to the educational needs with specific reference to the quality of teaching and learning at Unisa. The study focuses on students enrolled for the BCom honours qualification. Hardly any previous research had been done on issues involving honours degrees in South Africa. Literature reviewTHEORETICAL FOUNDATION
Most countries on the African continent have a demand for Higher education but can not afford to study. ODL provides an alternative cost-effective way of studying (Antwerpen, 2015). Support system has been developed to assist in the admin side and academic support. ODL is a recognized way of the conventional higher education. As (Sampson, 2003) suggest you need will power and the freedom to study at own pace. The author goes on to say that student support in ODL is difficult because there is no human interaction daily. Unisa one of the biggest distance learning institutions has a notable way of involving students so that students do not feel like they are studying on their own (Antwerpen, 2015). The author goes on to say that through different forms of communication with other peers/students can meet educators and other students. With all of this in mind the communication process at Unisa has become somewhat difficult because lack of a Call Centre and immediate response which is easy when you at a different Higher institution. The “success factors” that Subotzky and Prinsloo (as cited in Antwerpen, 2015) will be part of the study to measure the needs of Bcom Honours students registered and to identify the level of support offered by Unisa. Studies indicate that distance learning can be as effective as the traditional format when the methods are appropriate to the teaching tasks, there is student-teacher interaction, and the teachers provide students with appropriate and timely feedback.
Best services for writing your paper according to Trustpilot
Research methodology
A quantitative non-experimental research with descriptive statistics was conducted. The survey design was the use of structured self-completed questionnaires which students could do at their own time on their personal computers without observation from lecturers.A sample was drawn from a population of all the bachelor or commerce students registered for HPBUS81 for the academic years 2013 (n=370) and 2014 (n=417) at a large open distance education institution in South Africa. Data was collected electronically with the use of email and a URL link that was send out to students. which was used to capture information about each students age, gender, race, languages, the source of financial report and Bcom specialization that students are registered for. Data analysis: The study made use of Statistical Package for the Social Science (SPSS) to perform detailed data analyses. The t-test was used to determine the significant statistical differences between women and men regarding the journey through studies.
Research findingsAs stated by the author the results were examined by combining the responses from participants registered during semester 2(2013) and semester 1 (2014). The results of 166 students were received and captured on the Lime Survey data base and transferred to a SPSS to reflect thoughts and reasoning. Out of the sample 72(43,4%) from the second semester in 2013 and 76 (45,8%) from the first semester in 2014 and 6(3,6%) for second semester 2014. The Kruskal – Wallis (one-way analysis of variance by ranks) and student t-test were used. In the research done by CITATION Sum15 l 1033 (Antwerpen, 2015) it was found that students made sure to read tutorial 101 which covers vital information to complete the module. The author goes on to write that the students make use of the ‘additional resources’ and use the marking rubric to complete assignments. Not many students make use of the workshop offered.
ConclusionThrough the findings of the author it is evident that several students are unaware of what the honours programme entail thus hinder their ability to perform at their best. Unisa has a big challenge to accommodate students through support not only in study material provided but also through other services. Students should be aware that there are additional resources available on the Unisa website to assist them through their studies. Students must have self-discipline and not only skim through the work this will make ODL much easier. By taking the module in research students are being thought the importance of research and the steps that will guide them in their research. Continuous feedback from educators play a crucial roll in the progress of the student. Through lack of funding a lot of strain is put on students and this could demotivate them to study at their best ReferencesSumei van Antwerpen (2015) The quality of teaching and learning of BCom honours degree students at an open distance learning university in South Africa, Africa Education Review, 12:4, 680-695, DOI: 10.1080/18146627.2015.1112159Strategic Human Resource Management of Volunteers and the Link to Hospital Patient SatisfactionIntroduction
Hospitals are continuously striving to give patients the best care keeping in mind to keep cost low while providing excellent service including the running costs for volunteers. By using volunteers, the patients are more satisfied with the service the hospital gives and this add value to the hospitals performance as a whole (Brent Hotchkiss et al., 2009). Volunteers play an integral part in our health care system, particularly in rural and remote areas. They add the human touch to technical aspect of care which benefits both patient and families, but it is evident that this is not always clearly understood (Rogers et al 2015). However, there is a little empirical evidence to support this claim. This document has been developed in recognition of volunteers in the health care sector and to guide and manage this valuable resource. Research was done using the lens of strategic human resource management theory, a perspective pervasive in business administration scholarship (Rogers et al 2015). This study utilized quantitative research to explore the belief that the volunteer workforce is cost effective and can greatly enhance quality in a hospital setting. Hospitals throughout five U.S states of Florida were invited to participate in the study by completing a brief questionnaire Results indicate that the use of volunteers offer significant cost savings to hospitals. As the authors suggest further research can be done to check the value added and the impact of effective strategic volunteer engagement.
Problem Statement
Preliminary evaluation of the volunteer program. There is a great deal of pressure on healthcare organizations to keep cost low while providing excellent service. The research question to be addressed in this study is: Strategic Human Recourse Management of volunteers and the link between volunteer patient satisfaction. This study will contribute to working with Volunteers and Managing Volunteer Programs in Health Care Settings.
Literature review
Human Resource Management as Strategic Choice
Strategic human resource management supports long term goals and outcomes with a strategic frame work. It’s the management of people Hospitals can proactively manage their volunteers in ways that enhance bottom-line outcomes puts the needs & desires of patients/families first – before the needs and desires of Care Givers.Using the perspective strategic human resource management theory to recruit and retain volunteers, it is important that Hospitals are mindful of why people are motivated to volunteer. This awareness allows the development of this relationship between care giver and patient. An essential element of strategic human resource management is the aligning of organisations strategy with recruitment and management of staff in this case ensuring that volunteers are placed only in volunteer designated positions. Issues such as what motivates current volunteers, flexibility of work time and the degree of formality in the process will all affect volunteer recruitment.
Links between Strategy, Volunteer Management, Volunteer Attributes, and Patient Satisfaction
To recruit and retain volunteers, it is important that Hospitals are mindful of why people are motivated to volunteer. Be selective, screen prospective volunteers, and require a minimum time commitment. Well–trained volunteers are the mainstay of a successful volunteer management system. Training may be appropriate as this helps paid staff and volunteers to work together and providing excellent service to patients.
Research methodology
Both primary and secondary data was used to do the analysis. The survey asked for data between October and December 2010. In order to complete the study a survey using the quantitative research approach, a questionnaire was send to volunteer directors in 496 hospitals in five U.S states to collect data on the volunteer programs. Out of this only 131 completed surveys were received back, which made it difficult to finalise the outcome of the survey. The sampling unit for the proposed study is the hospitals. For the purposes of the patient satisfaction variable the average of two HCAPS items were used. By using the approach from Takeuchi (2009), to do a test independent-sample t tests comparing the means for several hospital variables, including number of hospital admissions, beds available, operating expenses, and number of paid employees, for survey respondents and non-respondents. The focus was on volunteer hours, not the number of volunteers.
Research findingsA five-factor measurement model was fitted to analyse the determinants of satisfaction (Roger et al., 2015). Exploratory factor analysis was used to evaluate the clustering of items included in the questionnaire and to derive dimensions of satisfaction for analysis.
By using organizational strategy, volunteer management practice, volunteer human capital, motivation and autonomy. All dimensions of satisfaction were positively and significantly contributing to happiness and comfort of patients (Roger et al., 2015).
ConclusionHospitals in the United States have had a great deal of pressure to produce high quality care at minimum expense. The purpose was to identify issues important to patients. The quantitative research model was done using the strategic human resource management theory to explore the volunteer–hospital patient satisfaction relationship. In order to establish the outcome further research should be done to see if volunteer resource management contribute to hospitals delivering excellent service (Roger et al., 2015). The authors also found no concrete evidence from the quantitative research was established to proof the link between volunteer resource management and outcomes. Furthermore, the empirical evidence provided by this study when shared with current and future volunteers may act as a motivational tool. There are several gaps in this study because of the number of hospitals that have been used. Better results may have been reached if it had been possible to include more hospitals across U.S. Furthermore, the use of a director of volunteer services whom is responsible for the coordination of volunteer activities were asked instead of volunteers themselves and no conclusive evidence regarding the link between volunteer-patient satisfaction was gathered. The work of volunteers is sometimes over looked. The results of the study can help orient hospital administrator’s actions to improve patient experience and satisfaction in hospitals. Finally, feedback such as patient satisfaction surveys allow for the assessment of performance standards and improvement in quality areas. However, future research into what the cost of using organisational resources in volunteer
ReferencesBrent Hotchkiss, R., Fottler, M. D., ; Unruh, L. (2009). Valuing volunteers: The impact of volunteerism on hospital performance. Health Care Management Review, 34, 119-128.
Rogers S. E., Jiang, K., Rogers C.M., ; Intindola M. (2015). Strategic human resource management of volunteers and the link to hospital patient satisfaction. Nonprofit and voluntary sector Quarterly. Doi: 10.1177/0899764015596434
