Stellenbosch University (SU) has set up a series of summer schools aiming at generating funds to reinvest into Stellenbosch students when they engage in a student exchange programme or wish to participate in a summer school abroad. The summer schools also serve as a tool for ‘internationalization at home’, as not all students are able to go abroad. Local students take part in the summer schools and engage with international students.
Topics – credits – audience – language requirements
The Stellenbosch summer school consists of four streams.
1. General Elective Programme: contains three elective groups with a total of 13 courses to choose from on a wide variety of topics. Students can register for one to three electives, offered over a four-week period. Orientation and a general introduction to South Africa are part of the programme. Excursions are also offered. Each elective is worth 4 ECTS credits. The full four-week programme (3 electives) is worth 12 ECTS credits. The target group is second-year students and up.
2. Learning, Sustainability and Community Engagement aims at enabling social impact and planning transformation. The summer school last four weeks and offers theory on community engagement and practice with local schools and the township nearby Stellenbosch. (16 ECTS credits)
3. Doing Business in South Africa is a four-week programme and covers a wide variety of topics on entrepreneurship, emerging markets, future growth identity, including visits to different companies. (14 ECTS credits)
4. The Public Health programme focuses on all kind of public health in South Africa, such as infectious diseases, HIV and domestic violence, including visits to hospitals. A medical background is not required (14 ECTS credits).
Summer schools 2, 3 and 4 also offer a course on South Africa’s political history during the first week.
All students need to be proficient in English. Entrance requirements are min. GPA 2.8.
Teaching staff
The majority of the teaching staff in the summer schools are SU staff. Each department has appointed a summer school supervisor. The Summer School Unit pays a fee per hour of teaching to the departments involved. Departments are free to choose how to use this extra money. Most departments allocate the extra income to a departmental fund. This creates new opportunities for international travel and conference attendance among staff.
Stakeholders at Stellenbosch University
The coordinating Summer School Unit is part in the International Office. It coordinates the set-up, organization, marketing, recruitment and logistics, including transportation, classrooms and so on. For each summer school course, one academic coordinator is appointed. There are 17 in total. For each week of the summer school this coordinator finds the academic staff needed within the department. The financial officer of the International Office takes care of all financial aspects. Eight student assistants help with the day-to-day running of the schools together with the academic coordinators and the summer schools coordinator. Extra South African students stay in the same dormitory as the international students and also take care of the evening and social programmes. This well-prepared organization leads to synchronized teamwork.
Marketing and recruitment
The coordinating Summer School Unit takes care of the promotion of the summer schools. Its sends out a summer school brochure and electronic mailings to all partner universities of Stellenbosch University, manages the summer school section of the International Office’s website and maintains the Facebook account. The summer schools are also widely advertised to Stellenbosch students through the communication channels of the university. Focused communication is also carried out among special target groups.
The first summer school was established in 2000 and the number of summer schools has grown organically since then. About 150 participants now attend, this means 10 to 20 per course, including 10% of SU students. The number can eventually go up, but the organization wants to remain small. The focus is on quality rather than on quantity.
Previously participants have mainly been American, as the summer school was initially set up for an American partner university. With the introduction of the elective system, European and Asian students also register as this better suits their academic calendar (about 40-50% now). Partner universities often send a small group of students, as do companies and other external providers.
Facebook is used but the best results develop from good contacts with partner universities. They have face-to-face conversations with students, encourage students and give information on Stellenbosch University. Visits to partner universities and attendance at fairs in Asia are also successful, as they all allow for personal communication.
Registration – Logistics
The application form is available on the summer school website. Additional documents such as transcripts are sent to Stellenbosch University via email.
All teaching activities and student accommodation are organized at SU premises. It is compulsory that students stay in the university dormitory for the entire period of the summer school. It creates a community and family environment.
Fee
The full fee is ZAR 27,000 for a 10-day course (1 week) and ZAR 52,000 for a 4-week course. Partner universities get a 50% reduction. Students coming under a summer school cooperation agreement study for free. The fee includes tuition, registration fee, housing and all programme-related costs (airport transportation, excursions, closing dinners). Lunches and dinners are to be paid separately.
Stellenbosch students participate for free as they serve as ambassadors. Their help is essential for the good functioning of the summer schools. Their participation is part of the budget of the summer schools. Students need to apply and pass an interview for selection. They receive a scholarship to take part. Participation in the summer school is co-curricular: students do not get credits towards their degree but the summer school attendance is stated on their transcript of records and they benefit from an enriching experience.
Financial aspects
Some courses are more established than others and attract more registrations. A minimum of 10 enrolments are needed in order to offer a course, but a lower number is accepted during the start-up phase. The courses tend to balance each other out.
Recommendations
Between planning and running a course, three years are ideally needed. First indicate trends: what types of courses do students want? Then you will need two to three years to develop, try and adjust. It is essential to build op good relationships with the academic staff and the departments.
Start. It is trial and error. Start small. Find a partner university. Find eager academic staff to cooperate. Use word of mouth.
More information about the Stellenbosch summer schools
Interview with Werner de Wit, Coordinator of Summer Schools & Short Programmes at Stellenbosch University International.