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Issue 3 | Thursday, 15 August 2019
Education Future Central Focus
The tertiary education issue Vocational education's big shake-up
Fees-free: is it all it's cracked up to be?
Informs. Inspires. Educates. | educationcentral.co.nz/category/futurefocus
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3 | Thursday, 15 August 2019
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Contents Editor’s note
4: From a distance: Learning from afar with the help of technology
5: Mini qualifications help keep education current for employers
I
t has been 15 years since I completed my tertiary education. I have fond memories of my time at university and still draw upon the things I learned. But could the days of the humble degree be numbered? In this edition of Education Central Future Focus we look at how tertiary education is evolving, including changes to how courses are structured and delivered. There has been much talk of moving away from a traditional degree structure to more of a ‘pick and mix’ system that allows people to build their education to suit their specific career or professional needs. What’s more, with the help of digital technology and the advent of MOOCs, micro-credentials and nano-degrees, it has never been easier to learn anywhere at any time. And with the introduction of the government’s fees-free policy, tertiary education is now more accessible than ever. Also undergoing massive change is New Zealand’s vocational education system, with radical changes on the table for our polytechnics and industry training organisations. So what will tertiary and vocational education look like in 15 years? While we can’t answer that just yet, in this issue we look at the evolution of the sector and the direction in which it appears to be going. Jude Barback, Editor
The next issue of EducationCentral FutureFocus will be published September 2019.
6: Tertiary education and the real world
7: Fees-free – is it all it’s cracked up to be?
8: The big vocational education shake-up
9: Apprenticeships: The key to owning your own home
10: Make a difference in the world: Be a change agent; shape great hearts and minds
12: University rankings: How do they work and do they really matter?
14: Spotlight on STEM: New and exciting courses on offer
15: Setting sights on world’s top universities
Editor
Production
Jude Barback judith.barback@nzme.co.nz
Aaron Morey aaron.morey@nzme.co.nz
Education Media Specialist
Commercial Manager
Jill Parker 04 915 9798 jill.parker@nzme.co.nz
Nikki Verbeet nikki.verbeet@nzme.co.nz
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4 | Thursday, 15 August 2019
From a distance: Learning from afar with the help of technology
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ertiary education providers have been using technology for years, but it is now at a stage where it is meeting the needs of a wide range of students. Students no longer have to attend classes or study on campus; they can now study while living overseas, raising families and working full-time. Victoria University of Wellington associate professor Dr Kate Thornton, who is a postgraduate programme director in the Faculty of Education, says one of the most important things about distance learning is its accessibility to students who may not have been able to study in the past. “It opens up university for a wide range of students,” she says. “I think people are expecting more flexibility. It’s the way of the future.” Early versions of distance courses had issues because the technology was not advanced enough for cohesive learning, and students lacked confidence because they did not know others in their classes, she says. However, innovations such as video conferencing, discussion boards and blogs have helped overcome these issues. The university also offers other options, such as blended courses, which include some time on campus as well as allowing some students to complete traditional on-campus courses via distance learning.
Flexibility invaluable Wellington student Cherie Knights, who is in her fifth and final year of a Master of Applied Social Work at Massey University via distance learning, says she loves the flexibility the course has given her. “I like to work late at night so this suits me really well. “In campus you had to work everything around class times, and often it was hard to plan work and other things around because you might not get your timetables until quite late in the piece.” Because she has assignments for each paper and not exams, she can do as much work as is required to complete the assignment whenever she likes. “I wouldn't study every day consistently, but if I have an assignment due, I'd do a bit in the evenings and then usually a big stint on the weekends. “I definitely learn by reading and doing assignments, rather than sitting in lectures, so the distance thing really suits my learning style as well.” It has enabled her to study part-time, which fits into her busy work schedule and allows her to pay her mortgage.
Technology has enabled students to gain higher education in a much more flexible way. Gone are the days when sitting in lectures and studying in the library is a necessity. Ruby Harfield finds out more. Technology has been invaluable as all the students’ communication is done online, and it has allowed her to access resources from home. “To be able to access basically any journal article, book or report online means I can research any time of the day or night. “I don't have to leave my home (or track pants) to go to the library.”
Block courses combat isolation The only drawback for Knights is that because she is not on campus, it is harder to connect with other students. However, she has several contact block courses a year in Palmerston North as a requirement for the Social Workers Registration Board. “We are lucky to have our block courses; I have actually met some great people through those, and we are in touch throughout the year and can bounce ideas off each other,” she says. “I think I'd definitely struggle if I didn't have those block courses, I imagine it would be quite isolating.” Knights has found distance learning so beneficial that she is considering doing a PhD distantly in the future. “I'd recommend it to people who can be disciplined and who would be motivated enough to stay home and study, even when there's other stuff they'd rather be doing. “If you don't enjoy what you're studying, I imagine it would be super hard to motivate yourself, so for anyone thinking about doing it, just make sure you're passionate about what you're studying or you'll end up resenting the time you spend studying.”
Cherie Knights is studying via distance learning at Massey University.
Anywhere, anytime Recent graduate Ben Johnston, who completed a Diploma in Business Studies from Massey University, says distance was his only practical option. “I was living in London at the time and knew I wanted to go into business for myself when I returned to New Zealand after my UK visa expired. So a New Zealand business qualification made the most sense.” Its flexibility allowed Johnston to complete the diploma in five years rather than one year (full-time) as work, travel, getting married, returning to New Zealand, starting a business and then finally buying a stake in another business all slowed down his completion of the qualification. “I enjoyed the mobility that distance learning offered as I completed papers while living in the UK and New Zealand, and also completed a paper during a three-month overland backpacking trip from Morocco to Gallipoli.”
Victoria University of Wellington associate professor Dr Kate Thornton is a postgraduate programme director in the Faculty of Education.
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Mini qualifications
help keep education current for employers
Small qualifications such as micro-credentials and nano-degrees have made their way into mainstream education to meet demand in a changing work landscape. Ruby Harfield investigates.
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he nature of the workplace has changed, with people acquiring skills that often are not recognised outside their employment. To counteract this, education facilities have begun to add in new qualifications such as micro-credentials, massive open online courses (MOOCs) and nano-degrees. Otago Polytechnic director of employability Andy Kilsby, who is in charge of EduBits, said these have not replaced the traditional degree but are shorter, sharper qualifications that meet specific needs. EduBits are digital credentials offered by Otago Polytechnic that can be earned after a student submits evidence of their skills. They validate a person’s expertise without the need to take time off work for study – and they can be gained as and when needed. They are particularly valuable for people who are acquiring their qualifications in the workplace. “The nature of the workplace has changed, we have had to change parts of our education system to meet that need,” says Kilsby. “One thing to note is they are in the very early days. What we want to do is meet a learner need and the needs of the industry and education sector.” These credentials have become invaluable for employers, corporate entities, community groups and employees.
“These people have skills that have limited value outside their institution unless they get a qualification to say they have this particular set of skills. “The feedback has been positive; previously unrecognised skills are being recognised and it’s making them transferable.” Micro-credentials are evidence based and can only be given out after the skills have been proved.
NZQA approved The New Zealand Qualifications Authority (NZQA) introduced micro-credentials into its framework in August last year. NZQA acting chief executive Daryn Bean says micro-credentials were introduced to assist in maintaining the relevance of New Zealand’s regulated education and training system. “As the nature of work continues to change, individuals will need new up-to-date skills across their lifetimes to future-proof their employability. “Sometimes these skills will require a full and formal qualification. “In other cases, employers have indicated that shorter modules of learning packaged as a microcredential would be more appropriate.” In New Zealand, approved micro-credentials are stand-alone education products intended to enable learners to access specific knowledge and skills in a cost-effective and time-efficient way, he says.
Otago Polytechnic director of employability Andy Kilsby.
At five to 40 credits, they are smaller than qualifications and focus on skill development opportunities not currently catered for in the tertiary education system, and for which there is strong evidence of need by industry, employers, iwi and/or community. “Micro-credentials are still in their infancy but are expected to play an important role in the future of education and training in New Zealand.” NZQA has developed a register of 50 approved micro-credentials since their introduction in August 2018 and is receiving a steady number of applications from tertiary education providers and industry training organisations. “The future employment market will be vastly different from today’s and the education system must change if it is to prepare learners for this,” says Bean. “They can be recorded on a learner’s New Zealand Record of Achievement, enabling portability of learning, and support learners to participate in a way that suits their individual needs and circumstances.” Another way the education sector has changed to meet demand is to offer free online courses. In 2014 the University of Auckland partnered with UK social learning company FutureLearn to deliver its first free online courses. MOOCs are growing in popularity around the world and registered students can study from home at their own pace and log in whenever it suits them.
MOOCs, micro-credentials and nano-degrees: A quick guide MOOCs: Massive open online courses are free online courses aimed at unlimited participation and open access via the web. In addition to providing traditional course materials, many MOOCs provide interactive components. Micro-credentials: Micro-credentials are a formal way of recognising the skills and knowledge that employers are looking for in a particular area. Micro-credentials cover a wide range of subjects, from electric vehicle battery diagnosis to kitchen installation.
Micro-credentials have different names, including: y nano-credentials y managed traineeships y brand names, such as EduBits, offered by Otago Polytechnic. Nano-degrees: A nano-degree is a fast-paced online credential that offers students a skill to learn and prove they have learnt in a short amount of time.
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Tertiary education and the real world
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one are the days when just a handful of kids stayed on for ‘seventh form’; today it’s unusual for teens not to go all the way through to the end of
Year 13. But how well are these five years of secondary school setting young people up for the next steps in their learning/career journeys? Is what they’re learning at high school aligned well with tertiary education, industry training and employment? “The simple answer is 'no',” says James Heath, President of the Otago University Students’ Association. “A lot more needs to be done to prepare secondary school students for the transition into employment or tertiary education.” Civics education is a must, he says. “We need to be educating students on the role of government, politics, and gearing them up with the civic tools needed for life. “Students, for example, should be educated on debt before they are expected to take a student loan.” Heath also believes secondary schools should be putting more time into mental health and social education – “preparing students for not just the financial or academic challenges of life but also the more ‘human’ ones”. With nearly two-thirds of young New Zealanders now going on to tertiary education, schools must ensure they are preparing them well for university, industry training “and for any sort of successful postschool career”, says Chris Whelan, chief executive of Universities New Zealand. “The sorts of skills that will be most valuable for students and to employers are the so-called ‘soft’ skills: complex problem solving, critical thinking, creativity, co-ordinating/working with others, negotiation, emotional intelligence etc. Learning how to learn is key among these and will set students up for future success.”
Two-pronged focus
Sara Carbery explores the interface between school, tertiary education and industry.
benefit from exposure to workplaces, “including those whose next stop is full-time degree study”. Several years ago, the Tertiary Education While many schools are doing “amazing Commission (TEC) was given responsibility and innovative things” to expose their students for providing careers advice into the schooling to different post-school possibilities, Williams system. The TEC has yet to announce what says by default the experience of the final three the future careers system will look like, but years of school remains organised and delivered Universities New Zealand’s advice has been that around an academic programme. “I’d like to see they should focus on two things in particular, the overall balance shift to broader and longersays Whelan. term life and work skills.” “First, broaden the focus from ‘careers advice’ He says the five key competencies identified in in schools to ‘pathways advice’ – helping The New Zealand Curriculum forms students understand all the post-school options “a pretty good list” of the skills young people open to them, given their particular interests and need to succeed. These are thinking; using abilities. Help students understand the sort language, symbols and texts; of things they should be studying managing self; relating to in Years 11-13 at school to be others; and participating and best positioned for satisfying, contributing. successful lives and career “We need to “I notice that employers after school. use much plainer “Second, combine the be educating language than educators, pathways advice given students on the role but the key competencies to students at school describe pretty well the and use this to inform of government, politics, things that employers are the subjects and NCEA and gearing them up looking for. So for me, achievement standards while secondary school with the civic tools offered in Years 11-13.” often gets organised This involves ensuring needed for life.” around disciplines and the secondary school subjects, it’s the front half of curriculum is innovative and the curriculum that captures the engaging, but also making core things young people need to sure it forms a strong foundation for succeed, and again, I think some of those success after school, says Whelan. core skills are best demonstrated outside the To prepare students for life after school, classroom context.” Josh Williams, chief executive of the Industry Training Federation, would like to see Williams says while the underpinning skills that more partnering between secondary schools help people secure and sustain employment and local employers, for interface programmes don’t change very quickly, the tools and linked to NCEA and towards industry credentials. techniques that people use to do their jobs are “Importantly I’d like to see this occurring as changing rapidly, thanks to advancements in a normal and mainstream part of every senior digital technologies. student’s experience, rather than via a special “So, on top of the list [of key competencies] scheme or alternative programme,” says is the ability and willingness to keep learning as Williams, who believes all senior students would you go.”
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Fees-free – is it all it’s cracked up to be?
Rebekah Fraser looks at the government’s controversial fees-free policy, which is aimed at making tertiary education more accessible for more people.
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ith the end of the year approaching, thousands of school leavers are planning their next steps. If you’re one of those planning to start tertiary study or training for the first time, you may be eligible to study fees-free. Introduced in 2018, the policy relays the government’s vision for barrier-free access to education. Students can qualify for the equivalent of one year’s fees-free provider-based study, or two years’ industry training. It covers tuition fees, compulsory course costs and student services fees up to $12,000.
Safety net for students Otago University Students’ Association finance officer Bonnie Harrison says students wouldn’t get “money in the pocket” from day one. “Rather, it reduces the amount of debt that a student is saddled with after they leave tertiary education,” she says. The scheme breaks down barriers and reduced the risk for students from low socio-economic backgrounds, she says. “Those students have as much right as anyone else to pursue tertiary education but may not be able to justify the debt when the outcome of study is not certain.” It creates a “safety net” for all students to get a feel for their vocation in life, she says. “It’s also a step towards education, at all levels, being a genuine public good for all – as it should be – and not a privilege for the few.”
Drop in student debt New Zealand Union of Students’ Associations national president James Ranstead says there has been a huge drop in student debt since the scheme started. “Financial pressures directly correlate to student mental health, which is a huge issue too.” Providing free tertiary education “lowered the barriers” for students, he says. “Take Eastern Institute of Technology in Hawke’s Bay, as an example. They have had strong student numbers coming through and the diversity of students is improving. Its retention and success rates are impressive.”
Auckland University of Technology Student Association vice president Kurt Schmidt says while students enjoy the fees-free scheme, the student loan scheme has a bigger effect. “Fees free will be something people look back on in the future and are thankful for, but right now students are hungry, stressed and struggling to find accommodation. Whether their tuition is free or on loan is less of an issue than survival.” However, he says the policy is a step in the right direction. “It hasn’t led to an increase in students or a reduction in financial stress, but it is appreciated. This generation won’t have the first-year debt, and I’m sure that’ll be appreciated.”
Reduced financial stress Universities New Zealand chief executive Chris Whelan says the policy has reduced the stress for some. “It also means there’s less financial worry if you decide that tertiary study isn’t for you.” Whelan says the system for students to check their eligibility is well-designed. “There is a helpline and a website that makes it really easy to know very quickly whether you are eligible for the scheme or not.” However, he warns that some students have been caught out by the nuances of the scheme. “Some students who haven’t got University Entrance have had to do bridging courses. At this stage, those count against you. So it is something to be aware of. Generally though, if you are going straight from secondary school, you’ll be fine.” He says the policy hasn’t made a difference in enrolment numbers. “For those students who are tossing up whether or not to go on to tertiary student, $7,000-odd is not going to change their life plans.”
Study shows positive results So far there has only been one study, by the University of Canterbury, of how the policy is working. The study found that students who are more heavily influenced by cost-reducing incentives could be
more likely to struggle academically and socially during their transition to university and show interest in an early departure from the university within the first few weeks. The study revealed that approximately one in three students were influenced by the policy in their decision, and 5.8 percent stated they would not have enrolled if the policy had not been implemented. However, Harrison argues that while student enrolment has not “shot through the roof”, the policy was never intended to swell the industry. “A year of free education gives young people the chance to try something big, risk-free – that freedom is what is most important, not crude statistics from the degree factory.” She says the government needs to commit to three years of free study. “Obviously it’s a shame that the fees-free policy didn’t apply to the entire time one spends in the tertiary education system, but we understand that it takes a while to turn back public opinion that has been so influenced by the neo-liberal reforms of the 1980s and 1990s.”
Free tertiary education the end goal Ranstead says while there has been some debate about the policy’s effect, overall it is worth it. “A free tertiary education is the end goal. The only complaints we’ve had about the policy is that it is only one year.” Schmidt agrees that for the policy to fully work it needs full commitment. “New Zealand needs to commit to full fees free. Any attempt less than this will give sub-par results, which in my opinion are invalid.” Whelan says while Labour has promised three years of free tertiary education, the Coalition Government has only committed, so far, to one. “Something that the future government will have to think about very carefully when making a decision about further years fees free is, ‘is it a good use of taxpayer money?’”
“It’s a step towards education, at all levels, being a genuine public good for all – as it should be – and not a privilege for the few.”
8 | Thursday, 15 August 2019
The big vocational education
shake-up
Polytechs, industry training organisations (ITO), students, industry bodies and employers get to grips with the sweeping changes to New Zealand’s vocational education sector. By Jude Barback.
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ew Zealand’s eleven ITOs will soon be replaced with up to seven (or as few as four) industrygoverned Workforce Development Councils, thanks to sweeping changes to New Zealand’s vocational education system. Over 2000 people tuned in to Education Minister Chris Hipkins' live Facebook announcement regarding the highly anticipated reforms, following a tense consultation period. The Minister outlined how over the next two to three years, the role of supporting workplace learning will shift out of the hands of industry training organisations and into those of training providers. Another key change was the confirmation of a new Institute – commonly referred to throughout the consultation period as the “mega-polytechnic” – with New Zealand’s 16 institutes of technology and polytechnics to be brought together to operate as a single national campus network. Hipkins has described the new Institute as “a new kind of organisation that provides on-the-job and off-the-job learning”. It will open on 1 April 2020 with its headquarters based in Christchurch. The location of the head office is significant. Hipkins was at pains to confirm that it wouldn’t be in Auckland or Wellington, following initial concerns that centralising the polytechnic sector would be damaging to the regions. To further allay such concerns, the Minister has also established new Regional Skills Leadership Groups to represent regional interests and make sure the system is delivering the right mix of education and training to meet the needs of regional populations. Centres of Vocational Excellence (CoVEs) will also be established at regional campuses to “drive innovation and expertise, and improve linkages between education, industry and research”. UCOL chief executive Dr Amanda Lynn describes the CoVEs as “progressive”. “UCOL looks forward to being a part of a strong national system, focussed on meeting the needs of regional employers and communities.” Andrew Lessels, president of Younited at the Eastern Institute of Technology is also among those pleased to see that the Minister has heeded calls to retain regional autonomy within the new Institute. “Providers such as the Eastern Institute of Technology have a fantastic relationship with their communities which empowers learners and improves their educational outcomes. Having this community buy-in is vital to regional success and the new Institute needs to be established with this in mind.” However, National’s spokesperson for Tertiary Education Dr Shane Reti believes the changes could spell closure for some polytechnics. “Moving apprentices back to polytechnics and creating one mega polytechnic will cost at least 1,300 jobs in industry and probably as much again in polytechnics,” says Reti. Reti is concerned that well performing polytechnics such as the Southern Institute of Technology to Otago Polytechnic will lose the very essence of their successful and innovative local decision making. However, chief executive of Otago Polytechnic Phil Ker says while that remains a risk two years down the track, for now the announcements have opened the path for well performing polytechnics to continue to prove themselves. When the proposed reforms were first announced earlier this year, Ker feared a new system that would see regional polytechnics disestablished. What has eventuated instead,
as a result of the announcement, is that polytechnics will be constituted as a subsidiary as of 1 April 2020. “Two years down the track, the Minister of the day will make a decision about who remains a subsidiary,” says Ker. Ker says while there is a possibility of closure at this point, it also opens the door for polytechs to “earn their autonomy”. “The playing field has been evened out and we’re keen to play on it,” says Ker. However, Ker is disappointed to see an “undertone of blame” still apportioned with regards to sector funding. One of the key changes is the creation of a more unified and simplified funding system to support the integration of on-the-job and off-the-job learning. Ker says that although he is pleased to see the funding model overhauled, he is frustrated not to see any funding increase for the sector signalled in today’s announcements. By Ker’s calculations, it would take an eight percent funding increase to get the polytech sector into surplus. “The truth is if we don’t inject more money into the sector, it will fall over,” says Ker. These concerns are echoed by Ara Institute of Canterbury’s chief executive Tony Gray. “Whilst the Minister has announced that some transition funding has been addressed, there is a significant lack of detail about how the subsidiary institutions will be funded and what the funding model will look like. We have to get this right!” Hipkins says under the new model, industry and employers will be able to influence funding decisions, as well as identify skill sets and approve qualifications. It’s all about giving industry greater control to make the system more responsive to employers’ needs, he says. “The changes will also ensure we do better for learners who haven’t been well-served by the present system,” says Hipkins. However, Industry Training Federation chief executive Josh Williams believes the changes will need to be carefully managed if they are to continue to be as successful as the ITOs. “We need to build on the efficiency and success of the ITO-led training system to ensure that employers continue to have strong confidence in the future training options available,” says Williams. “We need many more of New Zealand’s employers to participate in the vocational system, to address pressing skills shortages and increase the numbers going through our vocational providers. “Our vocational providers need to be made sustainable, but in the end, industry will be the judge of whether the system is successful.” “Changes need Bill Newson, national secretary for union to be made to iron E tū, says the changes are very important for working people and industry. out the issues of the “Providing an industry voice through current model.” Workforce Development Councils is good, as is the transitionary approach to change. However, E tū’s concern is that on the job training is not compromised over time to shore up polytechnic viability. We will be taking the time to assess the changes carefully.” Hipkins is also eager not to rush things. He has allowed three to four years for implementation of the changes. And with costs for the reforms expected to be “significantly higher” than the $197m allocated over four years in this year’s Budget, there is certainly a need to get things right.
Thursday, 15Xxxxxxx August 2019 Xxxxx, XX 201X | 9 | 7
healthcentral.nz/category/futurefocus healthcentral.nz/category/futurefocus Advertorial
Apprenticeships:
The key to owning your own home Few young New Zealanders expect to own their home before they’re 30, let only 20, but for two siblings from Rangiora that’s a reality.
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airdressing apprentice Katie Syme, 20, and mechanical apprentice George Syme, 17, bought their first home last year, with help from their Dad for the deposit. As apprentices, Katie and George have constant income while they study for their qualifications, enabling them to make mortgage payments. Katie is in her third year of her apprenticeship with New Zealand’s Hair and Beauty Industry Training Organisation (HITO) and hopes to graduate next year. She started working part-time in a salon when she was 14 and is now part of the team at Cedar Heights Hair Studio in Rangiora, Canterbury. Working Saturdays and late nights while she was still at school gave her a taste for the job.
“I always wanted a trade, something I could travel with.” Learning on the job appealed to Katie and led her to starting an apprenticeship. “I didn’t really want to be sitting down all day with pen and paper, I’m pretty practical. I love the atmosphere here.” Katie says the best part of her job is working with people. “I love meeting different kinds of people and hearing different stories.” Her team at the salon are very supportive and celebrate her training achievements – even sharing them with clients on the salon’s Facebook page. Over the last year Katie has mastered foil colours and cutting and can now offer these services to clients. When she graduates, Katie is looking forward to seeing more of New Zealand, and the world. She says hairdressing will always be a big part of her life and offers many career options. “I like the look of being a rep, I like sales and enjoy learning about product.” She recommends apprenticeship training to practical people with a strong work ethic. “Go for it, but make sure you know what you’re getting into – it’s hard work, but well worth it.”
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10 | Thursday, 15 August 2019
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Be a change agent; shape great hearts and minds
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row as a leader and in your profession. Become a teacher, social worker or counsellor. Learn from international experts. Study onsite in Tauranga or by distance, from anywhere in New Zealand. Bethlehem Tertiary Institute (BTI) is now in its 26th year of delivering top quality education to people-helping professionals. In the top five for research in the private tertiary sector in New Zealand, BTI is a category one provider; we’re right up there with universities. Our graduates get offered work before they’ve even finished their studies. Employers tell us they’ll take a BTI graduate over any other because our graduates are well-rounded, professional and have excellent all-round preparation for their career. We offer qualifications from certificate to postgraduate. There has never been a better time to shape the futures of New Zealand’s children and become a
teacher. We offer Bachelors of Education for Early Childhood Education and Primary, and a Graduate Diploma of Teaching (Secondary). If you have a heart for social justice, study our Bachelor of Social Work and get the tools you need to do justly, love mercy and walk humbly with New Zealand’s most vulnerable communities. For many people, life is complex and difficult. Being equipped with our Bachelor of Counselling or our Graduate Certificate in Counselling for Couples and Families will give you the skills you need to journey with people through life’s challenges. Our Level 4 New Zealand Certificate in Study and Career Preparation is great for those who want to get into tertiary education for the first time or have English as a second language. The Master of Professional Practice and Postgraduate Diploma of Professional Practice is for mid-career professionals. Our students and graduates have included senior teachers, lawyers,
principals, academics and managers. We empower, encourage and equip our postgraduate students to flourish in their careers, expand their influence and grow as leaders and professionals. You will be taught by experts in leadership, education, counselling, and social work, all with PhDs and internationally recognised publications. BTI offers attractive scholarships for all our courses. With smaller classes and using the best in teaching technology, we are relational and care about our students’ success. There’s also a vibrant student body and whether you’re onsite or distance you’ll feel part of a great community. Our courses encourage students to integrate their Christian faith into their profession. We welcome students from all backgrounds and from anywhere in New Zealand or the world. For more information or to apply, visit www.bti.ac.nz or phone 0800 Bethlehem.
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educationcentral.co.nz/category/futurefocus
University rankings: How do they work and do they really matter?
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round the world, whenever university leaders meet, the shadow of rankings loom. Rankings are important because, as the Ministry of Education points out, people think they are important. Everyone laments the influence of rankings, but no one can opt out – because rankings companies will assess a university whether they like it or not. And no university wants to opt out anyway, in case it affects their ability to recruit students or win research contracts. In New Zealand, pirouetting on the rankings pinhead has become a ritual for leaders of our university system. Whenever a university drops in a ranking, we are told that the rankings are flawed and that our system is actually of high quality and if only they were funded better, our universities would be ranked higher. But when a university goes up in the rankings, this shows what a high-quality system we have and what fine staff the university has, despite the government’s parsimony. So why do these rankings generate so much attention? Are they really as unreliable as their detractors allege? Is there anything that we can learn from the rankings?
Rankings are big business Rankings started in 2003 when the Institute of Higher Education of Shanghai Jiao Tong University developed a system designed to assess the research standing of Chinese universities by rating them against the world’s best research universities. A year later, the British weekly Times Higher Education (THE) engaged a firm called Quacquerelli Symonds (QS) to construct a ranking system that
put proxy measures of universities’ teaching and internationalisation alongside research performance indicators. Then, when the relationship between THE and QS broke down in 2009, they went their separate ways, each producing their own competing (but similar) rankings. Then in 2015, the US News and World Report – which had for years ranked US universities to help prospective American students decide where to study – extended its reach by publishing a global universities ranking. Shanghai, THE, QS, and US News are the most widely read systems. All rely on a basket of indicators and weight those indicators to create a composite score. That’s one of the main criticisms of these rankings systems – change the weightings and you change the overall score. Those weightings are subjective – they are based on the opinions of experts. Choose another expert and the weightings (and therefore, the rankings) would change. The CWTS Leiden ranking, run by the Universiteit Leiden in the Netherlands, solves this problem by not aggregating its measures to create an overall ranking. Rather, there is a ranking for each indicator. As a consequence, the media ignore the Leiden ranking, despite its integrity and robustness. THE, QS and US News also rely on survey data for some of their measures, surveys of academics or employers who are asked to rate 1000-plus universities so that the rankers can construct measures of reputation. Those surveys are highly problematic. They are based on perception, not performance. They are often based on out of date experience. They tend to reinforce the status quo –
MIT, Harvard, Oxford and Cambridge are brands we have all heard of; Waikato, Lincoln and AUT struggle for visibility in a cluttered world-university scene. The Shanghai and Leiden rankings are different. Both are narrowly focused on research. The Shanghai ranking seeks to identify universities that represent the largest clusters of research critical mass. No surveys. None of the flaky proxy measures of teaching quality that THE and QS rely on. Crucially, it looks at the volume of research and the quality of the research produced. So it has a bias towards the larger universities. Only one of its six indicators has a focus on university performance. Leiden calculates a range of research performance measures; for instance, citation scores, and the proportion of papers published in the top one, 10 and 50 percent of the journals in the field. And a set of collaboration measures – for instance, the proportion of papers that involve collaboration with industry-based researchers.
What is the value of the rankings? Despite the flaws, rankings data provides one way we can get an understanding of how our university system measures up. For us, the obvious point of reference is the Australian university system which has much in common with ours. And, like us, Australia is a long way from the centres of influence in the northern hemisphere. What is obvious is that New Zealand doesn’t have an elite, leading university like those in the Australian Group of 8 (G8) universities. All but one of the G8 universities appears in the top 100 in at least one
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Thursday, 15 August 2019 | 13
What are university rankings? How do the various rankings work? And should we pay any attention to them? Roger Smyth answers some common questions around university ranking systems.
ranking. Six of the G8 are ranked in the top 100 in all four of those rankings. On the other hand, New Zealand has all of its universities in the top 500 of QS and the top 800 in THE, and seven of the eight in each of Shanghai and US News. This confirms what we already knew – we have a homogeneous system, without any elite institutions but where each university meets a reasonable standard. Australia has a more stratified university system – a small group of top 100 universities but a number that don’t meet ranking criteria at all. The UK has a lower proportion of its universities in the top 800 than either Australia or New Zealand, but, like Australia and unlike NZ, it has a set of elite universities. Unlike Australia, the top UK universities are really elite: top 10. Some people – especially those working for rankings companies – argue that having at least one elite/top 100 university in each of the major rankings has a benefit to the country’s whole system. If that argument were so, then New Zealand is a long way off. On the other hand, I doubt that AUT would agree that they would be better off if only their neighbours at the University of Auckland were ranked higher (subtext: funded at a higher rate). Any more than Northern Kentucky University gains extra prestige, bigger research grants and extra international students from being in the same country as Harvard and MIT. Author: Roger Smyth has 30 years’ experience working in tertiary education – initially in senior management in a university and later in the Ministry of Education. This article is an abridged version of the full article ‘What can university rankings tell us about our universities?’ which can be found on EducationCentral.co.nz.
Kiwi universities hold their own Five of New Zealand's eight universities have increased their overall rankings in the latest QS world university rankings, but Universities New Zealand says more funding is urgently needed to maintain their performance. New Zealand universities continue to do well in international rankings, with the release of the 2020 QS world rankings showing that all eight universities remain in the world’s top 500. “Every university has seen an improvement in its academic reputation internationally,” says Universities New Zealand chief executive Chris Whelan. “This is a survey of academics who are asked to list which universities outside their home country rate as leading in their particular field of study. “Nearly all universities have seen their employer reputation score improve, where employers are asked to rate the quality of graduates from their nearby universities. “Most New Zealand universities, however, are suffering the effects of a long-term real drop in funding per student, with all but one university showing a drop in staff:student ratios.” Resource issues in other areas are leading to a drop in citation rates per staff member at five universities. “Despite this, the combined scores of all New Zealand universities have risen slightly— showing that New Zealand’s university system remains strong, despite challenges around resourcing,” says Chris Whelan. Five universities have increased their overall ranking this year and three have decreased, but the changes are mostly minor and due as much to variations in how surveys are answered as to long-run resourcing challenges. “The international education environment remains extraordinarily competitive, however, with many overseas governments spending billions of dollars to get flagship universities into the list of top 100 universities,” says Whelan. “Without some real growth in funding and resources, New Zealand runs the risk of being squeezed out of having a place on that list.”
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educationcentral.co.nz/category/futurefocus
Spotlight on STEM:
New and exciting courses on offer With employers crying out for people trained in the fields of science, technology, engineering and maths, tertiary education providers are putting more STEM courses on the table. Sara Carbery takes a look.
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here are few – if any – inventions on Time magazine’s 50 Best Inventions 2018 list that don’t have their roots in the STEM subjects – science, technology, engineering and maths. Think on-demand eyes for the blind, a subscription service enabling users to stream live video of their surroundings to either a smartphone or glasses; sustainable jandals made from the hitherto unused parts of sugarcane; a vibrating bracelet that helps kick bad habits, such as nail biting; roofing that fights smog pollution; or a real-life Iron Man suit that can achieve speeds of 80 kilometres per hour. As the authors put it, these inventions make the world “better, smarter and even a little more fun”. We need only look at the issue of climate change to know that now, more than ever, we need innovators who can think outside the box to solve problems and come up with creative ways of doing things. And engaging kids in STEM subjects from a young age is step one in achieving this. Recognising that STEM jobs are increasingly important for Aotearoa’s future – it’s predicted that almost all jobs in the future will require some STEM knowledge – the government has identified science, technology, engineering and maths as the most important subject areas in The New Zealand Curriculum. Over the past decade the government has been working to increase participation in these subjects at school, maintaining they can lead to better paid, more secure jobs and help fill shortages in related sectors such as IT, engineering and health. Attracting students from a wider range of backgrounds to study STEM subjects and follow careers in the growing number of related occupations was a key action listed in A Nation of Curious Minds: He Whenua Hirihi I te Mahara, a national strategic plan for ‘science in society’ launched five years ago.
The main objective of the plan is to encourage and support all New Zealanders to engage with science and technology by 2024. At the project’s launch, then Science and Innovation Minister Steven Joyce said: “Science, and the knowledge and innovation that flow from it, plays a critical role in creating and defining our future.” The STEM subjects are closely related in school and at tertiary level. For example, maths provides the foundation for studying physics, and physics provides the foundation for studying engineering. Which is why, for example, Engineering New Zealand’s free programme to get school kids interested in STEM subjects (The Wonder Project) has a rocket challenge for Years 5–8. Combining Newton’s laws of motion, rocketry, teamwork and creative thinking, students get to design, build and launch their own water rocket. Physics leading to engineering.
Tertiary STEM options growing Out of school, the range of STEM-related study options at tertiary level is staggering, and to many of us with children in their late teens or early twenties, unheard of when we were leaving school. For example, your young person could join the Human Interface Technology Laboratory (HIT Lab NZ) in the College of Engineering at the University of Canterbury. There they could be part of the Applied Immersive Gaming Initiative, which is using the motivation that online games provide to engage people in tasks such as learning at school, training for trades, carrying out health and safety activities, exercising and curbing addictive behaviours. If they’re interested in taking computer graphics to the next level, they could work with the Computational Media Innovation Centre at Victoria University. Opened two years ago, the centre collaborates with industry experts, including major international media
organisations, to develop new or advance existing virtual reality/augmented reality, film, and gaming technologies. The centre is also an incubation space for digital start-ups, where projects are developed from initial concepts through to market-ready products. If they’re motivated to use their interest in engineering to help others, your young person could sign up for the Auckland Bioengineering Institute at the University of Auckland. A world-leading research institute that aims to improve medical diagnosis and treatment of injury and disease, its current research topics include robots for upper-limb and lower-limb assistance and rehabilitation for stroke patients, devices for diagnosis of shoulder injuries, needle-free drug delivery systems, and fundamental research on motor design. At AUT they could join the Centre for Artificial Intelligence Research creating, developing and commercialising innovative IT products focused on four main areas of research and development: human language technology; speech technology; robotics; and mind theory. Further south, the University of Otago leads the New Zealand Centre for Sustainable Cities, an interdisciplinary research group of social scientists, public health specialists, physicists, geographers, engineers, economists, sociologists and Māori researchers. With 87 percent of New Zealanders now living in urban environments, the aim of the centre is to keep our cities sustainable and the people within them healthy and socially connected. And that’s just the tip of the iceberg. The world is changing rapidly – there are jobs on the horizon we can’t even begin to imagine. We don’t know yet what we will need to know, but a solid grounding in STEM subjects provides young people with the best tools available to navigate the workplace of the future.
healthcentral.nz/category/futurefocus
Setting sights on world’s
top universities Five Māori high school students have been supported by a scholarship programme to gain admission to top global universities.
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he Te Ara a Kupe Beaton was founded by Crimson Education to encourage young Māori to embark on a journey to discover their greatest potential at the world’s most competitive universities. Each student will receive personalised mentoring and education services worth $20,000 to help them apply for and get accepted into their dream university, and to help them make an impact on their communities and the global stage. This year’s winning students hail from all across the country – Christchurch, Wellington, Northland, Tauranga and Auckland. Recipients include: Year 11 student Muriwai Morris from King’s College, Auckland; Year 12 student Charlotte James from Hagley College, Christchurch; Year 13 student Angel Harbers from Kaitaia College in Northland; Year 13 student Akira McTavish-Huriwai from Tauranga Girls’ College; and Year 12 student Andrew Latta from Wellington College. Four of the five finalists are young women aiming to enter the fields of medicine, law, politics and astrophysics. Their higher education goals range from studying at top New Zealand universities to Oxford in the UK and Caltech in the US. The fifth scholarship recipient, Andrew, dreams of attending an Ivy League university. All winners have their sights set on making a difference for the Māori community.
Global outlook Crimson Education CEO and co-founder Jamie Beaton, who founded the scholarship programme in 2017, says this year’s winners displayed a truly global outlook, among qualities of leadership, community-mindedness and resilience. He says, “For three years now this scholarship has shined a light on the incredible contributions young Māori leaders have made in their community and see the Te Ara a Kupe Beaton Scholarship as a launching pad to extend their impact onto the global stage. “The 2019 scholarship winners have overcome adversity, many facing a lack of resources and without a path paved to top-ranked universities, to have stood out as exceptional candidates who will make a lasting difference in fields of medicine, law, tech and physics. “We are also proud to look back at last year’s winners who have taken strides towards medical school, continue to prepare to attend top US colleges and for one incredible winner, Anais Magner, secured a scholarship to attend Mount Holyoke College, the oldest institution in the female equivalent of the Ivy League, the Seven Sisters,” he says. Says Magner of her accomplishment: “Since receiving this scholarship, I have gone on to receive both NCEA Level 2 and 3 with Excellence endorsements and was a part of the Crimson Harvard and Yale MUN delegation held earlier this year. The Te Ara a Kupe Beaton Scholarship has helped me to receive an 80 percent scholarship to Mount Holyoke College.” Fellow panel member Shay Wright, co-founder of Te Whare Hukahuka and Forbes 30 Under 30 listee, was a returning judge this year, as was John Morris, Sharndre Kushor and Jamie Beaton. Wright added that regardless of which field the recipients specialise in, or which university they attend, each of them has demonstrated incredible merit, and that the scholarship comes with an obligation to their Māori communities to help more Māori be successful. Crimson Education believes in the power of personalised education and mentoring. The Te Ara a Kupe Beaton Scholarship programme is designed to support students with expert guidance and resources that enable young New Zealanders to shine. The scholarship was created to honour the adventurous spirit of Kupe, an eponymous Māori ancestor who first discovered New Zealand, and in so doing serves as a reminder to young Māori students of the incredible legacy of pioneering, bravery and innovation that they can embody.
Thursday, 15 August 2019 | 15
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