Is a year-long access course into university helping previously disadvantaged black students In biology?

Abstract

There has been increased demand to widen access to university study. The Science
Foundation Programme (SFP) at the University of KwaZulu-Natal (UKZN) (formerly
Natal), Pietermaritzburg, is a year-long access course specifically for previously
disadvantaged black students. Students in the SFP take five courses and
performance in these is reflected in final marks. This determines whether they
proceed into the faculty. However, little is known about whether or not this
guarantees their success. One of the subjects SFP students take is biology. In the
present study the performance of these students in their SFP biology course was
assessed across years (1995±2000), as well as in the first year bioscience course.
Assessment marks were also analysed to determine if they showed trends in the
mastery of the skills and knowledge tested. The use of different forms of assessment
as monitoring instruments appears to improve the reliability and validity of the final
mark awarded to a student. It seems that passing their biology SFP does not
necessarily mean that these students will perform well in their first year Biology
course. This is a consequence of a myriad of academic and non-academic factors.
However, in terms of ongoing curriculum development, the types of teaching and
assessment used to award a final grade need to be examinationined. Development
of language and higher order thinking skills need to be examinationined at both
SFP biology and bioscience levels.

South African Journal of Higher Education Vol. 19 (4) 2005: pp.666-683