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Nov 2008 Ako Aotearoa’s mission: Through a focus on enhancing the effectiveness of tertiary teaching and learning practices, the Centre will assist educators and organisations to enable the best possible educational outcomes for all learners.
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Whakakotahi: Communities of PracticeWest Coast Tertiary Providers Conference27 November 2008
Peter Coolbear
Strategising to Improve Teaching and Learning by Supporting Communities of Practice
Nov 2008
Ako Aotearoa: where did it come from?
• Government needs confidence that tertiary teaching and learning is of a high standard and is relevant to the needs of Aotearoa, New Zealand
• Understanding of increasing complexities around tertiary teaching and learning
• Consultation through the Teaching Matters Forum
Nov 2008
Ako Aotearoa’s mission:
Through a focus on enhancing the effectiveness of tertiary teaching and learning practices, the Centre will assist educators and organisations to enable
the best possible educational outcomes for all learners.
Nov 2008
Who are our stakeholders?
Our mandate is across the whole of the post-compulsory sector: organisations, practitioners, learners, employers, the wider community
1,500 on our mailing list
Anyone with an involvement in supporting student learning
Nov 2008
Our target audiences: different levels of communication
• Organisations – develop strategic view• Educators• Learners• Employers
Nov 2008
Our target audiences: different levels of communication
• Organisations• Educators - support to do new things; - assist in developing a more coherent evidence base for improved
practice- develop communities of practice
• Learners• Employers
Nov 2008
Key starting assumptions:
• There is a great deal of good practice out there
…… the problem is it’s not celebrated, shared or debated enough
…… often learner benefit is assumed, not tested…… often it is left to the individual, rather than
driven by the organisation…… and how much impact does it have? – How
much more could it have?
Nov 2008
Also:
• We are working off a highly fragmented knowledge base
…… little coherence…… considerable duplication of effort with no
subsequent synthesis
Nov 2008
Recent and current work
Ongoing Regional Hub Project Fund
May 2008 Whole of organisation strategies to improve teaching and learning
Allocated Oct 2008
Good Practice Publication Grants
Decisions due Dec 2008
National Project Fund
Live late September 2008
Ako Aotearoa web-site development
Published September 2008
Research & Projects Register
Nov 2008
National Project Fund
Nov 2008
There are four funding streams to the NPF
1. Research and Implementation Projects –shortlisted: 52 EoI to 13
2. Māori Initiative Projects – shortlisted: 20 EoI to 6
3. Doctoral Scholarships – awarded 4. Collaboration Funds – applications under
discussion
Fund Structure
Nov 2008
$1.2m $0.5m for Regional Hub Project Funding
How are we going to maximise the benefit to learners?
Getting an impact from our investment
Nov 2008
More than just a funder, also a project partner
Our priority has to be to maximise the dissemination and impact of the work we do.
Ideally build communities of interest around these projects
Fund Operation
Nov 2008
Ako Aotearoa Web site
Five main sections -1. Ako Aotearoa – our organisation, our people, our work
events, news, etc. 2. Resource Centre - resources that support good tertiary
teaching and learning3. Groups – working areas for Projects and Communities of
Practice 4. Te Reo navigation option – Mātauranga Māori
Plus5. ‘National register of implementation projects & research in
tertiary education in New Zealand’
Nov 2008
Ako Aotearoa Web site
Five main sections -1. Ako Aotearoa – our organisation, our people, our work
events, news, etc. 2. Resource Centre - resources that support good tertiary
teaching and learning3. Groups – working areas for Projects and Communities of
Practice 4. Te Reo navigation option – Mātauranga Māori
Plus5. ‘National register of implementation projects & research in
tertiary education in New Zealand’
Nov 2008
Nov 2008
Nov 2008
Features of successful communities of practice
Purpose• Clarity of purpose• Consensus on reach• Clear benefits for individual members (and a mutual
understanding of what these benefits are)
Leadership• Focus – limited number of projects at any one time and each
has a champion• Robust moderation processes
Nov 2008
What can Ako Aotearoa do to help?
• Host the virtual part of the community• Provide collaboration funding to initiate a group
– Support face-to-face meetings?• Support projects undertaken by communities• Support moderators as necessary• Promote the community as necessary
Nov 2008
Use-inspired research – Pasteur’s quadrant
KNOWLEDGE
APPLICATION
Use-inspired research
Applied research
Pure Research
Nov 2008
Debates we plan to lead next year
• Teaching qualifications for practitioners in tertiary education ………… does Ako Aotearoa have a view?
• Professional accreditation? … would it be of value? What would it look like?
• Maximising the opportunity provided by the new QA proposals for self-assessment and review
• Capacity, capability, coherence and quality issues around tertiary education research in NZ
