Who is the IIE
Throughout this site and all our communication, you will see reference to The Independent Institute of Education (The IIE). So who is The IIE and why are they important?
The Independent Institute of Education is South Africa’s largest registered and accredited private provider of higher education. Varsity College, a brand of The IIE, leads in the provision of these exciting learning initiatives of The IIE. The IIE is registered with the Department of Higher Education and Training as a private higher education provider, has more than 57 qualifications accredited by the Higher Education Quality Committee and is a subsidiary of ADvTECH Ltd, a public company listed on the Johannesburg Stock Exchange. This scale and status assures our leading position in higher education.
Working with the academics and the rest of the team at the brands The IIE’s Central Academic Team assures the quality of the work done by all of the brands and manages the curriculum, its assessment, and all certification. A governance structure which includes a Senate, Teaching and Learning Committee and Faculty Boards oversees the development and implementation of academic policies which enables the exceptional quality of the learning experiences on campus and online.
The quality assurance system includes peer reviews of lecturers and tutors, programme reviews involving academics and people from industry and a range of student success and graduate tracking projects.
British Accreditation Council
The IIE is accredited by the British Accreditation Council (BAC), an internationally recognised quality assurance agency. The BAC is an independent authority in the UK that accredits private education providers globally. ‘The IIE is the only South African private higher education provider which carries the BAC accreditation at this time, and we are very proud of reaching this significant milestone, not just for ourselves but for the sector as a whole. Within the challenging context of higher education in our country, it is important that private higher education providers are able to confidently and competently offer options to matriculants to further their studies at campuses other than public universities,’ says Dr Coughlan. The IIE’s BAC accreditation means that Varsity College students are assured that their IIE learning experience meets international best practice standards.
For more information visit www.the-bac.org
The IIE strives to ensure that all students will:
- Be employable
- Have a broad range of analytical skills, including work readiness skills
- Value diversity
- Have high ethical values
- Become innovative, entrepreneurial and creative
To be employable by the time they have completed their studies is high on the list of priorities for students. The IIE uses an innovative graduate tracking study to monitor the employability of its graduates. This information is used to inform the relevant Senate Committees and shape the way curricula and student support programmes and services – such as the Work Readiness Programme and Career Centres – are developed and structured.
The IIE is responsible for the assessment and certification of students. It is also responsible for developing curricula and overseeing its delivery. Additionally, The IIE ensures that the correct teaching and learning processes are implemented and adhered to by Varsity College.
The IIE Marque is an innovative new developed for instant qualification verification, for graduates of The Independent Institute of Education (The IIE).
Employability is a key focus of the IIE and so is supporting students. That’s why they’ve moved away from the traditional methods of handling graduate information to more effective and easier ways for potential employers when considering IIE graduates as applicants for positions. The IIE Marque allows the student to add their social media platforms, as well as any information that gives verified and relevant resources. The IIE Marque is helpful to both the student our partners as it has made the process simpler and faster.
The Senate of The IIE is the senior decision making body that determines the policies and regulations that govern all things academic at Varsity College. The Senate is chaired by the Director, who is also the Head of The IIE. The Director is assisted by the Registrar, who is the Secretary of Senate. The remaining seats on The Senate are occupied, in the most part, by academics and include representatives from Varsity College. The Senate comprises a number of committees that manage the overseeing of standards, teaching, learning, curricula and assessment for over 60 accredited higher education qualifications. Varsity College is represented on each of these committees. The IIE has four academic faculties: Information and Communications Technology, Commerce, Social Sciences and Humanities. Each of these faculties has its own Faculty Board. By working with Faculty Programme Advisory Committees, the faculties ensure that the curriculum for each programme meets external, industry and academic standards. These committees consist of academics and professional and business people who provide insight from the world of work. This ultimately ensures that what is taught at Varsity College is relevant to and up to date in industry.
The continual monitoring and improvement of quality is of great importance to The IIE. The quality of programmes is maintained through evidence driven reviews, lecturer peer reviews, student success tracking and intervention programmes for students needing assistance.
The ethics hotline is a platform where you can report any activity which you have reasonable suspicion could undermine the safety of the teaching and learning environment or the integrity and reputation of our qualifications. This could then include cheating in assessments or assessment leaks, pressure from anyone to carry out any activity in exchange for a favour including but not limited to succeeding in an assessment or module; sale or trading of illegal substances; intimidation; harassment, dishonesty, theft or fraud.
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Please click here to view the IIE’s terms and conditions