8/10/2019 Unisa the First to Implement Shadowmatch EConnect

1/2

Unisa the first to implement Shadowmatch on full scale

Many educational institutions have very little information available on their students habits and behaviors. This isunfortunate, because factors such as first-year student drop-out rates, average course completion times and

average graduation scores form a critical part of an institutions success. In response to this challenge, Unisa hasjoined a world-wide solution calledShadowmatch.The objective is to support Unisa students, during each step

of their journey, in order to ensure that they fulfil their academic potential and succeed in all courses and

graduate in the shortest possible time. Unisa will be the first South African university to implementShadowmatch on this scale.

Meet the team thats ready to take Shadowmatch to the students: Hanlie Liebenberg (Senior Specialist:Institutional Research), Prof. Les Labuschagne (Executive Director: Research), Yuraisha Chetty (Director:

Institutional Research), Prof. Oupa Mashile (Executive Director: Tuition and Facilitation of Learning), and Dr

Elizabeth Archer (Specialist: Institutional Research).

In 2012/2013, Unisas Directorate of Institutional Research commenced with a pilot assessment to investigate thesuitability of Shadowmatch in measuring non-academic risk in the Unisa context. Shadowmatch creates a

benchmark profile or shadow of the behavioural habits of the top performers in each area of study. Following aseries of consultations and engagements with key stakeholders, the Directorate of Institutional Research will berolling out this tool across the institution by mid-August 2014 after semester 2 registrations have stablised, and

students can participate free of charge.

Assessing non-academic risk and readiness of students

The project aims to assess non-academic risk and readiness of students at Unisa and to provide personalisedinterventions to facilitate student success. The project consists of two phases. The first is the assessment ofstudents who have already graduated and performed well to establish a benchmark, the second is to assess

students still busy with their studies to compare their habit profiles with that of the benchmark. The project hasbeen approved by the Senate Tuition and Learning Committee (STLC) and has the oversight of the Student

Success Framework (SSF).

To achieve successful roll out of the project, the Directorate of Institutional Research is inviting academics toengage with Shadowmatch. It is a sophisticated worksheet that will map students (registered for modules)

behavioural habits to determine their strengths and how they prefer interacting with their environment. Unisa staffcan use this tool at their own convenience in order to help identify students at risk.

Benefits to students without any staff intervention

Ethical clearance has been obtained, providing academic staff with the opportunity to also use data for their ownresearch purposes and publications. Shadowmatch will provide benefits to students without any staff

intervention. Staff who choose to fully utilise the tool will have access to additional data and tools to support their

http://www.shadowmatch.com/http://www.shadowmatch.com/http://www.shadowmatch.com/http://www.shadowmatch.com/

8/10/2019 Unisa the First to Implement Shadowmatch EConnect

2/2

students after a short online training programme. The Directorate of Institutional Research has visited a numberof schools and departments in colleges to provide more detailed information about the Shadowmatch project.These roadshows will also continue during implementation, if colleges express a need for ongoing engagement.

The project will be communicated to students via myUnisa newsand Inspiredand they are encouraged to takefull advantage of the project once rolled out in mid-August. There are no fees involved and students are free to

choose whether or not they wish to participate. Hanlie Liebenberg, Senior Specialist: Institutional Research in the

Directorate of Institutional Research explains that Unisa will be the first South African university to implementShadowmatch on this large scale. We want to encourage all Unisa students to participate in the roll out for freeby mid-August 2014. They will find the reports easy to understand, positively framed and useful for their personal,

graduate and academic development. One of the core benefits is that our students can work independently inorder to improve their chances to succeed in their chosen field of study.

Why Shadowmatch for Unisa?

Shadowmatch originated from academia and was developed as a result of the following question: Why do sometop students from high schools fail at university and why do some succeed? The research delivered some

interesting results. Endorsed by students from all over the world, Shadowmatch has proven to contribute to theknowledge that academic institutions have of their students and provide support to improve student success. Asan integral part of an overall student success framework, Shadowmatch is a unique differentiator for both the

student and the institution.

What attributes does Shadowmatchmeasure?

The Shadowmatch tool measures a number of habits, but also includes 10 conceptual questions tomeasure participants abilities. The attributes measured by Shadowmatch include:

Team and individual

inclination

Simplify (breaking complicated challenges

down/problem solving)

Propensity to hand-

off

Propensity to change Propensity to own Resilience

Frustration handling Responsiveness (tasks) Innovation

Discipline Conflict handling Leadership

Task efficiency Conceptual application Attitude

Self-motivation Routine Problem solving

People positive Altruism Self confidence