What we do - IPQA Units
About IPQA
The Directorate of Institutional Planning and Quality Assurance (IPQA) at the University of Venda (UNIVEN) was established in 2007. At UNIVEN Institutional Planning and Quality Assurance are one directorate. The model conforms to current global practices where university-wide planning and quality assurance activities are integrated. Both strive towards enhancing an effective and credible university. They represent common activities that strengthen each other and allow the university to carry out its core function of teaching and learning, research, and community engagement. The significance of this directorate cannot be over-emphasized, considering the increasingly complex planning and quality control challenges that confront higher education institutions throughout the world.
Institutional Planning and Quality Assurance functions have become matters of great importance for universities around the world. In South Africa, responsibilities and activities of Institutional Planning and Quality Assurance are strongly informed by the statutory reporting requirements of universities to bodies such as the Department of Higher Education and Training (DHET) and the Higher Education Quality Committee (HEQC); as well as the national call for Universities to contribute to higher education policy analysis and development.
Mandate
The Institutional Planning and Quality Assurance (IPQA) is a resource Directorate that facilitates and plays a critical role in Institutional Planning, Institutional Research, Quality Assurance and Management Information Systems processes and procedures that drive decisions and actions aimed at achieving sustainable levels of effectiveness in teaching and learning, research and community engagement. The responsibilities and activities of IPQA are strongly informed by the statutory regulatory frameworks of the Higher Education Institutions (HEIs) through the governing structures (DHET, SAQA, CHE, and Professional Bodies).
Vision
IPQA is the foundation and rationale for all decisions and actions aimed at realizing the vision and mission of the University of Venda.
Mission
IPQA fosters continuous improvement in good governance for effective and efficient institutional planning, institutional research, academic planning, quality assurance, and management of information system strategies in alignment with UNIVEN’s strategic goals, values, and ethos. Thus, enhancing the relevance and impact of UNIVEN.
Institutional Planning
Institutional Planning (IP) undertakes strategic evaluation of the university’s performance against set targets, through analysis and benchmarking of performance for academic and support services, and the coordination for the development of institutional annual performance plans (APPs) and annual divisional operational plans (ADoPs) to inform the annual planning process. This function of the unit also can model future performance trajectories, such as student enrolment projections, complete impact assessments on program offerings, biographical student data, etc. The unit is responsible to:
- Conceptualise, coordinate, conduct, and manage all assigned projects for institutional planning using various appropriate methodologies (qualitative and quantitative).
- Institutional strategic planning and re-integrating strategic intelligence emanating from Institutional Research outcomes into the business cycle and service delivery to inform the formulation of the University’s strategic direction and deliverables.
Management Information System
The Management Information Systems (MIS) unit is responsible for gathering, validating, analysing, and disseminating institutional information to support the university’s institutional planning, evidence-based decision-making, and both internal and external reporting. The unit fulfils the university’s statutory reporting obligations by coordinating and leading HEMIS audits, maintenance, and management of the University’s Academic Structure. The unit is responsible for:
- Facilitates and develops the enrolment planning with faculties consultations.
- Enrolment monitoring and institutional performance.
- Data provisioning for three layers of management i.e. strategic, tactical, and operational.
- Provision of data analyses on success, access, efficiency, and research indicators (throughput, graduate, cohort, attrition, retention).
- Support Institutional reporting for APP, Mid-Term, and annual performance reports (APRs).
- Handling of long-range university-wide data requests (planned, ad hoc, and research-related).
- Trend analysis, benchmarks, and data provisioning.
- Prepares, collates, and analyses data for subsidy purposes (TIU, TOU, RG, and IFG).
- Forecasting, and projections using the institutional data for various purposes.
- Preparing, collating, and submitting the institutional performance data in line with university ranking agencies.
- Maintenance, tuning, and administration of the HEDA environment, refurbishing and development of new dashboards.
Quality Assurance
The Quality Assurance (QA) unit supports the University’s strategy by advising and interpreting policies and procedures that address academic planning, program and qualification mix (PQM), and promoting quality assurance for both academic and non-academic activities. The unit facilitates internal and external processes (i.e. program accreditation processes, internal program quality reviews, departmental quality reviews etc.) to assure stakeholders to conform to applicable standards, guidelines and criteria that define the higher education landscape. The unit is also responsible for promoting quality culture within the institution by engaging with academic platforms and support structures in the processes and procedures of self-evaluation and peer review, to lead to consciousness about strengths, areas for development, and continuous improvement. Overall, the unit acts as a liaison office between the university and the DHET, the HEQC of CHE, SAQA, and professional bodies on key issues that have an impact on academic programs.
Institutional Research
The core values of Institutional Research (IR) are based on conducting institutional research to help re-integrate strategic intelligence emanating from institutional outcomes into the business cycle using formalised and effective tools such as surveys and ensure regular and timely communication of the results to the relevant management and governance structures as well as external authorities. The unit is responsible for:
- Conceptualising, coordinating, conducting, and managing all assigned projects for institutional research (research, surveys, benchmarking studies, impact assessment studies, trend analysis, positioning research) using various appropriate methodologies (qualitative and quantitative).
- Conducting institutional research to support institutional learning, academic planning, innovation, and advancement by gathering, integrating, and transforming data into information and knowledge for decision-making, planning, and policy information.
- Integration with MIS unit as the data warehouse to support the reporting, analysis, and data visualisation requirements of varying levels of management with careful attention to data quality and data accuracy.
- Disseminate of institutional research findings from different projects and inform the university management for decision-making.
Our Staff
Dr. Shannah Patience Nkami Mativandlela
Director
Qualification: DIP (MAKHADO COLLEGE OF EDUCATION), BSC (University of Venda Production), BSCHON (University of Venda Production), MAD (UNIVERSITY OF PRETORIA), DPHIL (UNIVERSITY OF PRETORIA)
Telephone: 0159628765
Email: sannah.mativandlela@univen.ac.za
Office: TOWN PLANNING & POST GRAD Building, Office Number 022
Mr. Nemathaga Peter Aifheli
MIS SPECIALIST
Qualification: BCom IT (University of Free State), BCom Hons Informatics (University of South Africa), Master of Science in Computing (University of South Africa)
Telephone: 015 962 9302
Email: aifheli.nemathaga@univen.ac.za
Office: TOWN PLANNING & POST GRAD Building, Office Number 012
Mrs Mulalo Royal Nelwamondo
Executive Secretary
Qualification: N3 (GREENSIDE DESIGN CENTRE COLLEGE), N4 (GREENSIDE DESIGN CENTRE COLLEGE), DIP (VHEMBE FET COLLEGE), DPOMNT (SOUTHERN BUSINESS SCHOOL), MAD (TSWANE UNIVERSITY OF TECHNOLOGY)
Telephone: 0159628596
Email: mulalo.nelwamondo@univen.ac.za
Office: TOWN PLANNING & POST GRAD Building, Office Number 023
Mr Zolani Fana
Hemis Officer
Qualification: GRD 12 (LOCAL SECONDARY SHOOL), NAT (WALTER SISULU UNIVERSITY)
Telephone: 0159628032
Email: zolani.fana@univen.ac.za
Office: TOWN PLANNING & POST GRAD Building, Office Number 012
Mrs Livhuwani Baloyi
Institutional Planning Officer
Qualification: GRD 12 (University of Venda Production), BCOHON (University of Venda Production), MAD (UNIVERSITY OF LIMPOPO), BECON (University of Venda Production)
Telephone: 0159628748
Email: Livhuwani.Mulelu@univen.ac.za
Office: TOWN PLANNING & POST GRAD Building, Office Number 016
Dr Alugumi Samuel Ndou
Institutional Researcher
Qualification: Dip Man. Practice (Southern Business School), BBA (Southern Business School), PG Dip Info. Science (University of Limpopo), MA Info. Science (University of South Africa), PhD Information Science (University of South Africa)
Telephone: 0159628554
Email: alugumi.ndou@univen.ac.za
Office: TOWN PLANNING & POST GRAD Building, Office Number 021
Mr Lufuno Phillip Netshifhefhe
Head: Quality Assurance
Qualification: GRD 12 (LOCAL SECONDARY SHOOL), HED (RHODES UNIVERSITY), MADMIN (University of Venda Production), BECON (University of Venda Production)
Telephone: 0159628750
Email: lufuno.netshifhefhe@univen.ac.za
Office: TOWN PLANNING & POST GRAD Building, Office Number 018
Mr Shadrack Tebello Mofokeng
Head: Mangt Infor Systems Specialist
Qualification: NAT (CENTRAL UNIVERSITY OF TECHNOLOGY), BTECH (CENTRAL UNIVERSITY OF TECHNOLOGY)
Telephone: 0159629210
Email: Tebello.Mofokeng@univen.ac.za
Office: TOWN PLANNING & POST GRAD Building, Office Number 020
Mr Nkhetheni Gelebe
Head: Institutional Planning
Qualification: BA (UNIVERSITY OF VENDA), MPH (UNIVERSITY OF VENDA)
Telephone: 0159628000
Email: gelebe.nkhetheni@univen.ac.za
Office: TOWN PLANNING & POST GRAD Building, Office Number 017
Mr Mpfariseni Emmanuel Thagwana
Institutional Planning Officer
Qualification: GRD 12 (LOCAL SECONDARY SHOOL), PDIP (UNIVERSITY OF KWAZULU-NATAL), BAGRIC (University of Venda Production)
Telephone: 0159628737
Email: emmanuel.thagwana@univen.ac.za
Office: TOWN PLANNING & POST GRAD Building, Office Number 019
Policies and Documents - MIS Portal
Immediate changes concerning the University of Venda SEPTEMBER GRADUATION.
In Memoriam: Fond Farewell to a Visionary Leader – Former Vice-Chancellor Leaves a Lasting Legacy
Quality Assurance and Self-Evaluation Review workshop in the higher education landscape, ‘Lessons from Stellenbosch University’
Dr Sannah Patience Mativandlela
Designation: Director
Tel: +27 15 962 8515
Fax: +27 15 962 8824
Email: Sannah.Mativandlela@univen.ac.za
Mrs Nelwamondo Mulalo Royal
Office Manager
Tel: +27 15 962 8515
Fax: +27 15 962 8824
Email: mulalon@univen.ac.za, IPQA@univen.ac.za
Directorate of Institutional, Planning and Quality Assurance Staff
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Dr Sannah Patience Nkami Mativandlela – Director, Institutional Planning and Quality Assurance
Dr Sannah Patience Nkami Mativandlela joined the University of Venda (UNIVEN) as the Director: Institutional Planning and Quality Assurance with effect from 01 August 2021. She obtained her Bachelor of Science and Bachelor of Science Honours degrees at UNIVEN. She further obtained her PhD in Plant Sciences from the University of Pretoria, and Management Development certificate from Stellenbosch University. During her post-doctoral tenure, she received the 2009-2010 Department of Science and Technology / National Research Foundation scholarship award to study the in vitro and in vivo drug discovery models at the Department of Chemistry, Emory University, Georgia, United States of America.
She has over 15 years of unique blend of research and development experience. She brings her senior managerial expertise for effective management operating system, strategic administration initiatives, policy research, policy drafts and implementation, quantitative and qualitative research methodologies with an ability to coordinate and manage allocated aspects of organisation’s management programmes, knowledge support, quality systems, design systems and operational solutions.
Before joining UNIVEN, Dr Mativandlela was the Director for Strategic Administration and Initiatives at the University of Johannesburg. She also worked as a Specialist Scientist, Research Team Manager and a Senior Manager at the South African Medical Research Council (SAMRC), Agricultural Research Council (ARC) and the National Health Laboratory Services (NHLS) respectively. She was the secretariat and facilitated the Pathology Research Development (PathReD) biennial conference for the medical scientists, pathologists and public health medical registrars at NHLS.
Her short-term goal is continuous contribution using her ideas and becoming an authority in the educational sector with a long-term goal of taking a bigger leadership role, responsibilities and interacting with multiple-disciplinary sectors globally.
“I regard myself as a leader who focus on goal-oriented objectives, an advisor and committed to the work ethics, good governance by creating relationships based on mutual trust and understanding within a broad team, prioritise delivery of quality programmes, and take up the challenges in fulfilling all my responsibilities”.
Tel: +27 15 962 8515
Fax: +27 15 962 8824
Email: Sannah.Mativandlela@univen.ac.za
