Investigating the efficacy of the Bachelor of Engineering Technology degree in Mechanical Engineering at the Durban University of Technology

Abstract

As of 2018, the Durban University of Technology’s (DUT) Mechanical Engineering Department offers a Bachelor of Engineering Technology (BET) degree, as well as master’s (MEng) and doctorate (DEng) degrees. DUT subsequently launched a BET honour’s qualification in 2022, which serves as a stepping stone from the BET degree to the master’s degree. The BET degree was initiated for several reasons to replace the existing National Diploma as part of the aligned process to the newly introduced Higher Education and Qualifications Sub-Framework (HEQSF). The BET degree also constitutes those academic requirements necessary to apply for registration as a Professional Engineering Technologist with the Engineering Council of South Africa (ECSA). This dissertation investigates the success of the new degree by assessing the academic success of Mechanical Engineering students enrolled in the BET programme. The investigation is not limited to students who have successfully completed their studies, but includes students who have begun their studies and have failed to complete them, or do so in a reasonable amount of time, for several reasons. The primary data source for the research included information from the institution's Management Information System (MIS). Conforming to a positivist paradigm, the research employed mixed methods methodology, comprising five sub-studies to understand student success in the BET programme. The first sub-study involved success rate analysis. Since the commencement of the BET degree in 2018, the success rates of the cohorts (2018, 2019, 2020, and 2021) were analysed to assess programme efficacy. The second sub-study concerned the relationship between National Senior Certificate (NSC) results and students’ performance in first-year modules. Students' NSC results were compared to their first-year module outcomes to determine the correlation between NSC Maths, NSC Physics, NSC English, and the appropriate first year engineering modules. The third sub-study relates to Graduate Attributes (GAs) and their implications on student throughput. The concern was that if a student failed a GA, they would also fail the module. An investigation was conducted to determine whether students are failing primarily because of failing GAs. The fourth sub-study related to selected modules offered in successive semesters (‘back-to-back’ modules). The purpose of which was to determine whether offering Strengths of iv Materials I and Mechanics of Machines I in the first semester resulted in higher success rates, and whether this intervention ought to be maintained. The fifth and final sub-study related to the student success in National Diploma (ND) vs. BET modules. Student success rates of BET modules that were deemed similar to modules offered within the ND qualification were compared and analysed. Performing these five sub studies resulted in insights into the success of the BET Mechanical Engineering programme at DUT, and is anticipated to enable DUT’s Mechanical Engineering Department to make informed decisions in addition to placing interventions in the programme to ensure greater student success. The content comprising this dissertation was disseminated into one abstract (Walker, Graham and Sheoratan 2022a), one poster (Walker, Graham and Sheoratan 2022b) and one full conference paper (Walker, Graham and Sheoratan 2023) and one journal article (2024 – still under review). See Appendix D (Publications).