Assessing student performance with the help of tutorials and lectures

Most institutions of higher learning complain about poor pass rates and poor throughput rates. A common intervention is the tutorial system. While research has shown the positive impact of this intervention, yet tutorials alone do not produce the requisite results. This study focused on a university of technology in South Africa in order to determine whether there is a close relationship between attending lectures and tutorials and positive student outcome. A cohort of first year students of Cost and Management Accounting was chosen as the population. Data were collected using class attendance registers, tutorial attendance registers and students' results sheets. The results suggest that lectures are critical to student performance, but more importantly tutorials assisted some students thus supporting the notion that tutorials are a necessary intervention. This research is relevant to teaching and learning as it backs the argument for a structured tutorial program that supports regular classroom engagements.