Education Review Postgrad & Research 2015 by NZME. Educational Media

EDUCATION REVIEW series

Part of the

& Postgrad Research 2015 / www.educationreview.co.nz / $10.95

CAMPUS AND COMMERCE: the era of research

NEW ZEALANDâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;S BEST TERTIARY TEACHERS

commercialisation

THE IVY LEAGUE

do kiwis stand a chance?

3mt:

mastering the three minute thesis

RESEARCH AND THE REAL WORLD

THE RISE OF Phd internships Part of the series:

>> NZ Teacher >> Leadership & PD >> Postgrad Education >> ICT & Procurement

Outcomes through Technology iPad It’s a camera. A library. A movie theater. A teacher. A game console. A business partner. A coach. It’s so powerful and easy to use you won’t want to put it down. Yet it’s so thin and light, you won’t have to. A device that fits in a classroom and an enterprise setting equally well – empowered by appropriate apps.

Device Enrolment Program (DEP) DEP simplifies initial setup by automating mobile device management (MDM) enrollment and supervision of devices during setup. Enabling you to configure the devices without touching them. To further simplify the process, you can skip certain Setup Assistant screens so users can start using their devices right out of the box.

Volume Purchasing Program (VPP) Organisations can buy apps, in volume (20+ per app) with a purchase order via Cyclone. Education customers may have access to significant discounts on some apps. Cyclone is able to provide you this procurement capability locally. Mobile Device Management (MDM) MDM is the administrative tool to deal with deploying, securing, monitoring, integrating and managing mobile devices, such as smartphones, tablets and laptops, within your organisation. Cyclone has expertise with both Casper and AirWatch covering all main operating systems. All component parts together, provide a touchless deployment and management solution for your iPads within your organization – the pain goes away! Professional Learning Once deployed… how do you move your users from digital substitution towards transformative digital workflow/learning? Cyclone has a team of professional, experienced, Apple qualified learning consultants to lead you on this journey.

www.cyclone.co.nz

0800 686 686

Academic teaching and learning with digital devices

Go to

www.educationreview.co.nz Education Review’s print edition is just the tip of the iceberg when it comes to in-depth coverage of education in New Zealand. Go to www.educationreview.co.nz for web-exclusive content, including thought-provoking opinion articles from sector leaders.

Ed’s letter PhD realities

I’ve often toyed with the idea of doing a PhD. But the reality of juggling it around work, family and exercise places the prospect firmly in the ‘too hard’ basket. Not to mention the expense. And the time: part-time PhD students typically take around six years to complete their degree. Dr Inger Mewburn – aka the Thesis Whisperer – tells me that most part-timers pull out in their first year. However, those who make it past the first year are often the best completers. She puts this down to the fact that many part-timers tend to be older, working women and therefore typically possess the resilience to meet the demands of such a rigorous academic commitment. Resilience is essential for taking on study at the doctoral level. The emotional and financial stress associated with completing a PhD was seldom talked about in the past, but judging from the huge interest in Mewburn’s MOOC on ‘how to survive the PhD’ it is a topic that deserves some attention. According to an Australian study, one in four PhD candidates drop out before completion. It is thought that mental stress is a contributing factor in many of these cases. Often the problem is that the student loses sight of why they’re doing the PhD and what they’re going to do once they’ve finished. This isn’t helped by the attitudes of many employers who admit to some trepidation when it comes to employing PhD graduates, viewing them as too specialised in their particular field. What they often fail to see is the multitude of transferable skills they bring to the table: research, communication, thought leadership, project management are just some examples. The University of Auckland’s career development and employment services manager Catherine Stephens says universities are increasingly focused on showcasing the value PhDs can add to a business. They are also intent on helping students learn to promote themselves better. The emergence of PhD internship programmes, such as the one Auckland University is currently piloting, will also help with this. In this issue we look at the growth of such initiatives and how they are helping to build stronger connections with industry at the postgrad level. While a PhD is perhaps unachievable for me in the short term, it hasn’t been wiped off the bucket list just yet. By the time I’m in a position to reconsider, who knows what opportunities will emerge? Editor, Jude Barback editor@educationreview.co.nz

EDUCATION REVIEW series

INside: 2

Research and the real world

3MT the rise of the three-minute thesis

In search of (more) excellent tertiary teachers

Make way for the new ICT Graduate Schools

The seismic shift towards research commercialisation

New Zealand’s best interests at the CoRE

#phdlife Social media’s role in surviving a PhD

Ivy League and OxBridge: do Kiwi students stand a chance?

Striving to make a difference

Meet the Metros

Right here right now: the pressure to deliver on-demand learning

Research with wings

Emerging from The Mind Lab

The ICT edge how MBAs can add value

A quiet but noisy revolution in the language classroom

Talking LEGO robot captures imaginations

Aotearoa: how does it rate for international students?

Research funding – spoilt for choice?

Editor Jude Barback production Aaron Morey Advertising & marketing Manager Belle Hanrahan Publisher & general manager Bronwen Wilkins Contributing writeRS Nathan Calvert, Stephen Cox, Rosemary Erlam, Duncan Parsons, Jill Tanner-Lloyd & Jennifer Wright. IMAGES Thinkstock & istock

& Postgrad Research NZME. Educational Media Level 2, NZME. House, 190 Taranaki Street, Wellington 6141, New Zealand PO Box 200, Wellington 6140 Tel: 04 471 1600 © 2015. All rights reserved. No part of this publication may be copied or reproduced, stored in a retrieval system or transmitted in any form or by any means electronic, mechanical, photocopy, recording or otherwise without the prior written permission of the publisher.

ISSN: 1173-8014 Errors and omissions: Whilst the publishers have attempted to ensure the accuracy and completeness of the information, no responsibility can be accepted by the publishers for any errors or omissions. Education Review is distributed to key decision makers in the education sector and its distribution is audited by New Zealand Audit Bureau of Circulation (ABC). Distribution: 6450

Education Review series Publication title 2015

Postgrad internships

Research

and the

real world

Internship programmes for postgraduate students align with New Zealand’s tertiary education strategy as they help connect the dots between postgraduate education and the workplace. Yet where is the funding to support such initiatives? JUDE BARBACK investigates.

lizabeth Hammond’s PhD took on new meaning when an internship gave her research some ’real world’ context. The University of Auckland doctoral student, who is investigating how best to select an embryo for transfer to the uterus so a patient has the best chance of having a baby, was given the opportunity to shadow clinical embryologists and learn about technical IVF procedures in a three-month internship at Fertility Associates. “Being closely related to my PhD, the internship added real-world skills to a solid base of theory and research,” says Hammond. “This practical experience helped me to understand the wider context of my PhD research, exposing new areas of importance.” Hammond’s internship was part of a pilot internship programme run by The University of Auckland, which places PhD students with employers with mutual research interests. It is the first time the university has arranged internships for students at PhD level.

Auckland’s PhD internship pilot

Catherine Stephens, manager of the university’s Career Development and Employment Services (CDES), says the internships are an opportunity for PhD candidates to explore the linkages between their studies and the world of work. “It allows PhD students to develop the soft skills all employers are looking for and showcases the contribution PhD candidates can make to employers,” she says. Stephens believes that no matter what level of study you are at, it is important to think about making a successful transition to the next stage. It was on this premise the university decided to pilot a postgraduate internship programme. The pilot was kept small and manageable with clear parameters. It was geared specifically towards PhD students who had gone straight through school and university and had spent very little time in the workplace. Stephens says they’ve been impressed with the outcomes for the students selected for the pilot. “They learned so much about themselves in the process, and brought back so much to their supervisors.” However, valuable lessons have been learned from the pilot.

Postgrad & Research 2015

Education Review series

Stephens says they now realise the importance of getting supervisors on board, so that they are supportive of the internship, rather than viewing it as a distraction from the student’s studies. They are keen to introduce more flexibility into the internship programme going forward, so they are a rolling and ongoing initiative. Internships would ideally be part of a doctoral skills programme which allows students to participate in an internship at different levels and different times so that it better suited their studies, their lives and the employers. Stephens says they are also keen to encourage internships in areas outside of the specific study area. “Students are focused in terms of what they think they can do. In the UK, students are encouraged to do internships outside of their area of study.” She points to business consulting firms as an example. “They take graduates from a range of disciplines. They are more interested in the skills and capabilities the graduate is bringing to the table.The degree might open the door, but it’s the skills you bring with it that allow you to walk through it.”

A growing trend

The University of Auckland isn’t the only institution introducing programmes that provide opportunities for collaboration. Indeed, the concept is flourishing well internationally, with Australian and British universities leading the way in postgraduate internships. Many New Zealand universities have already incorporated internships into their undergraduate courses and, increasingly, are doing so in postgraduate courses. A handful of Massey University students studying for a Master of International Security degree, for example, have been placed into

internships with government agencies, including the New Zealand Police, Customs, and the Ministry of Foreign Affairs and Trade. Otago Polytechnic’s Graduate Diploma in Tertiary Education (GDTE) is an example of a qualification that fully incorporates internships into the study component. Students with the requisite qualifications and experience teach on one of the polytech’s programmes and complete study through online course work, research, assignments, tutorials and workshops. There are no large-scale lectures at set times, so study times are flexible and negotiated cooperatively between the facilitator, the school and the student. The University of Waikato’s Dr Karsten Zegwaard recently won an award for his efforts in cooperative and work-integrated education. His research focus is in the areas of work placement preparation, student selfefficacy, professional identity development, and professional ethics and workplace values. Zegwaard says work experience opportunities grant students a learning opportunity that can be transformative in their thinking about their study discipline and careers they may choose to pursue. “It’s an exciting time to be involved in work placement programmes, both for students and educators.”

Funding shortfall

Postgrad internship programmes are in line with New Zealand’s Tertiary Education Strategy 2014–2019, in which Priority 1 is ”delivering skills for industry”. The Ministry of Education’s website states that “more explicit cooperation” is needed between industry and TEOs (tertiary education organisations) about the types of skills that are most needed, and how best to develop them. “TEOs need to create opportunities for industry involvement in planning and delivering education,”reads the website.

“The degree might open the door, but it’s the skills you bring with it that allow you to walk through it.” Continued on page 4 >>

Postgrad internships

Education Review series

Postgrad & Research 2015

Postgrad internships However, Stephens says more funding is needed to help create such opportunities. She says there are academic scholarships and grants available in the science, technology, engineering and medicine (STEM) subjects, and points to Callaghan Innovation’s careers grants as a great initiative. “However, if you’re an arts grad, there’s not a lot out there.” Stephens believes there is more funding directed to supporting education-industry transitions at secondary school and sub-degree levels. “There is an awful lot of money invested into this area at the schools level – into vocational pathways, Gateway programmes, trades academies and so on – but a real gap in understanding and resourcing at the tertiary level, and especially the postgraduate level.” Indeed, there are a number of government initiatives aimed at improving the transition from secondary education to the workplace that support Stephens’ stance. The Youth Guarantee initiative, for example, includes trades academies, both school-based and tertiary-based, which provide a transition programme for year 11–13 secondary school students. Similarly, Gateway programmes enable schools to provide senior students (year 11 and above) with opportunities to access structured workplace learning. Vocational pathways have also been introduced to improve learners’ ability to move through education and into jobs. The New Zealand Apprenticeships scheme – which has replaced the Modern Apprenticeship programme – provides a vocational pathway into an occupation, with a dual focus on the theoretical and practical aspects of the job. Tim Fowler, chief executive of the Tertiary Education Commission (TEC) says the TEC is “very supportive” of internships programmes at all levels.

“The TEC encourages universities to offer internships or other working relationships as part of their courses. Typically these are in the STEMrelated subjects – engineering, computer science and so on,” says Fowler. The TEC does not directly fund internships. Instead, universities are required to use the Student Achievement Component (SAC) funding that TEC provides to fund any internship component offered as part of those SAC-funded courses and programmes. There are a few exceptions. For example, some government funding is provided for the new ICT graduate schools to deliver industry-focused education and research that builds connections between tertiary education providers and high-tech firms. “Otherwise, universities are expected to make provision for this within existing funding. Many already do, for example through research and development agreements in which postgraduate and master’s-level students work with companies,” says Fowler. Fowler says discussions with universities about their investment plans give the TEC the opportunity to encourage initiatives like internships. Career development benchmarks have also been provided to TEOs to help them self-review and evaluate their own career programmes and services. However, this doesn’t solve the problem of insufficient funding in this area. Stephens says European universities will typically have huge teams in place to support career services. By contrast, The University of Auckland offers free career services to students for three years after they graduate. “That’s 80,000 students. And we have just 12 staff,” she says.

internship...

Preparing students and educating employers

Stephens says one of the main challenges faced by career service departments is educating employers about the value of postgraduates, particularly those with doctorates. She says employers are often happy to take master’s students but are more cautious when it comes to PhD graduates, possibly due to a perception that they have become very specialised in their field of study. Stephens says that is why they need to showcase the value that PhD grads can add. “More importantly, we need to support the student so they can demonstrate what value they can add.” Director of research training at Australian National University (ANU) Dr Inger Mewburn agrees. “People talk about PhDs being poor communicators. I don’t think they’re poor communicators at all. They have just adapted their communication to the culture of academia and not to the world of business. We have to deprogramme them from the academic cult,” she says wryly. The other area of preparing the student involves equipping them with knowledge about their future chosen industry. The Government has increased information on employment outcomes, to aid students at all levels in making decisions about where, what, and to what level to study. Publications such as Moving on up: What young people earn after their tertiary education and the 2014 Occupation Outlook report have improved information about potential wages and employment opportunities from study. Students can download the Occupational Outlook app to get an overview of job demand, income levels and training requirements for 50 different career options. Students have been able to compare earnings by qualification and field of study at national level on Careers New Zealand’s website since 2013, and from 2017 all universities, wānanga and polytechnics will be required to publish information about the employment status and earnings of their graduates broken down by specific degrees and diplomas. The Government is also introducing Rate My Qualification next year, which will let employers provide direct feedback to tertiary providers, and students about the qualifications that employers value. Such information will certainly help manage students’ expectations of the workplace. However, it is no substitute for postgraduate internship programmes that allow the student a real taste of the industry and allow the industry a chance to gain confidence in a future employee. Such internships programmes will undoubtedly help to address the gap between higher tertiary education and industry – but it seems more funding is needed to match Government’s enthusiasm for these programmes.

Go to 4

Postgrad & Research 2015

Education Review series

www.educationreview.co.nz

Postgrad internships

Which tertiary education providers are preferred by employers? From 2017 students will be able to see which tertiary education providers are preferred by employers when the employment status and earnings of all tertiary graduates are required to be published.

ertiary Education, Skills and Employment Minister Steven Joyce said the new requirement will help provide better information to assist students’ decisions. “We know that students and their families consider many things when deciding what to study, and where. But we know that students expect their tertiary study will get them a job and improve their career prospects. As New Zealand continues to rapidly develop a more highly skilled economy, it is more important than ever for students to consider carefully their tertiary study options and future career options.” Joyce says the provider-level data will allow students to see if employers prefer graduates from particular providers. However Chris Whelan, executive director of Universities New Zealand, says it will be as easy for this exercise to mislead and confuse as it will be for it to guide and inform. “The concept is good but the way it is implemented will make or break this. The Government invests a little over $3 billion a year of taxes into tertiary education and students supplement this with fees and years spent in study and not in employment.”

He says that while it makes sense for students to have access to information on the quality and likely outcomes from this investment in time and money, he is keen to ensure the advice doesn’t just treat all education providers as the same. “For example, most universities, polytechnics and institutes of technology and wānanga offer commerce and management programmes. Some are very vocationally oriented and others are more academic in nature. Some are being delivered in rural communities and others in large cities with different employment paths and earning potential.” Whelan says the new data will focus on employment rates and earnings, but not on aspects like lifestyle or wellbeing. “It can’t account for the different life an accountant or lawyer can look forward to in, say Auckland, Tauranga or Taupo.” This new data requirement builds on the steps this government has already taken to match tertiary education with labour market needs and provide students with more information to help with their study decisions (see main story for details). The employment status and earnings data is from Statistics New Zealand, and is gathered by matching information on a confidential basis from Inland Revenue with tertiary qualifications data. Providers will work with education agencies during 2016 on the details of how the information will be published.

Take your career to the next level We have postgraduate and professional development qualifications in the following areas: • Educational Leadership • e-Learning and Digital Technologies • Māori Bilingual and Immersion Teaching • Literacy • Inclusive and Special Education • Early Intervention

• • • • •

Deaf and Hard of Hearing Learning and Behaviour Health Sciences Counselling Child and Family Psychology • Tertiary Teaching • Teaching Languages

• TESOL • Complex Educational Needs • Computer-assisted Language Learning • Specialist Teaching • Curriculum and Pedagogy • Maths and Science Education

EducaTion

For more information: postgraduate@education.canterbury.ac.nz or 0800 VARSITY (827 748) www.education.canterbury.ac.nz

Education Review series

Postgrad & Research 2015

3MT

THESIS

the rise of the three-minute thesis Education Review looks at the background of the flourishing academic competition that challenges postgraduates to present their research in just three minutes. “Love. My PhD is about love, that we all have, or should have, for maths.” This is Michael Jennings’ opening line of his three-minute thesis (or 3MT) pitch, which earned him a place in the Trans-Tasman 3MT finals. Jennings is from University of Queensland (UQ), the home of the 3MT competition. His research is all about why Australian secondary students don’t take maths to a higher level and he relays this to the audience in a light-hearted, easy-tofollow manner. The brief for 3MT presentations is to condense your thesis to its very essence so that your research can be understood by a “nonspecialist but generally intelligent” audience. Candidates have three minutes to captivate the audience and give them a general understanding of what their research is about, using just one static PowerPoint slide. The idea behind it is that it should cultivate students’ academic, presentation and research communication skills. Each presentation is judged by a mixed panel of academic and non-academic people looking at three areas of judging criteria: comprehension, engagement and communication. The first 3MT competition was held at UQ in 2008 with 160 students competing. In 2009 and 2010 the 3MT competition was promoted to other Australian and New Zealand universities and enthusiasm for the concept grew, and the inaugural Trans-Tasman 3MT competition was held at UQ in 2010. Since 2011 the popularity of the competition has increased and 3MT competitions are now held in more than 200 universities across more than 18 countries worldwide. In November 2013, the first Universitas 21 (U21) 3MT competition was held, with several universities from around the world competing in a virtual competition. New Zealand is well represented in the competition with all its major universities involved. Presenting an 80,000 word thesis in a mere three minutes is no easy task. It’s not supposed to be an exercise in ‘dumbing-down’ the research; rather, it forces students to consolidate their ideas and crystallise their research discoveries. Take, for instance, the research topic of University of Otago’s winning 2015 3MT presentation by PhD candidate Jenny McDowell:

Postgrad & Research 2015

Education Review series

”Time related taphonomic alteration to juvenile skeletal remains in a marine environment: The effect of seawater on bone preservation over time”. To the lay person, this sounds extremely complex – the ability to explain in an engaging way what it is all about in 180 seconds without trivialising the research is no mean feat. McDowell joined the other finalists from all over Australia and New Zealand at the 2015 TransTasman 3MT competition, held at UQ on 2 October. The competition was won by Eamonn Fahy from The University of Melbourne.

“… the ability to explain in an engaging way what it is all about in 180 seconds without trivialising the research is no mean feat.”

Profile of a 3MT winner

nyekachi Raymond emerged as the winner from 10 finalists at the University of Waikato’s 2014 3MT competition last year. Raymond, a PhD chemistry student at Waikato’s Faculty of Science and Engineering, named his presentation “The beauty without the beast: A chemical search for beryllium’s partner”. Raymond’s research looked at finding chemical agents that help remove beryllium – an indispensable but toxic metal used in high-tech devices like smartphones and computers – from these products when they are disposed of. Raymond, from Nigeria, took away $3,000 and secured a spot in the TransTasman 3MT this year in Australia. He also won the People’s Choice Award, based on audience votes, of $500. “I was really excited to win the 3MT and I dedicate the prize to all my friends who gave me feedback on my presentation as I was preparing for the competition,” said Raymond.

Tips for a winning 3MT presentation Dr Inger Mewburn, also known as ‘The Thesis Whisperer’ imparts some advice for 3MT candidates on her blog.

tudents have deemed presentations to be poor for a number of reasons: too technical, too much on the slide, no structure to their talk, reading from notes, unclear speech, nervous speaker, too simple, weird body language, bad choice of font, busy backgrounds. Conversely, a good presentation doesn’t try to say too much, is delivered slowly, has expression (pauses, rises, falls and stresses), includes a story, metaphor or emotional element, gives concrete examples, and tells you things you didn’t expect to hear about the topic. She points to Chip and Dan Heath’s Made to Stick SUCCES formula for making informationrich presentations unforgettable. SUCCES means presentations should be Simple, Unexpected, Concrete, Credible, Emotional, and contain Stories.

Tertiary teaching

In search of ( more )

excellent tertiary teachers

Ako Aotearoa’s JILL TANNER-LLOYD looks at what attributes are shared by the recipients of this year’s top national Tertiary Teaching Excellence Awards (TTEAs) in an effort to define what makes an excellent tertiary teacher.

he August parliamentary dinner, jointly hosted by the Hon Steven Joyce, Minister for Tertiary Education, Skills and Employment, and Dr Jian Yang, Chairperson of the Education and Science Select Committee, set the scene beautifully for the celebration of another 12 world-class tertiary teachers. Some readers may not be surprised to see the competition largely dominated by universities and institutes of technology and polytechnics (ITPs). In recent years there have been some fantastic exemplars representing private training establishments (PTE) – Jean Crane (2009), Mana Elizabeth Hunkin (2012) and Frances Denz (2012) come immediately to mind. Dara Davenport blazed the trail for the adult and community education sector with her award in 2012, but sadly few have followed. Wānanga represent another part of the sector we are keen to see play a more active role in identifying nominees for the Kaupapa Māori category of these awards.

What is preventing organisations from nominating their teaching staff?

While national TTEA recipients undoubtedly deserve to be recognised as world class, we know the attributes that make them successful – as identified in Ako Aotearoa’s Striving for Excellence publications – are found in teachers right across our diverse tertiary sector. But, for a variety of reasons we just aren’t seeing this sector diversity reflected in the nominations we receive. This is disappointing. So, what are these possible barriers for individuals and their organisations? Our staff don’t have the time to develop a portfolio Organisations should think of this as an investment both in their staff and their own reputation. We don’t systematically collect the kind of evidence that is needed in a portfolio This evidence is routinely collected as part of evaluative self-assessment for continuing quality improvement. The TTEA committee likes portfolios to have an academic focus This is a myth. The committee is looking for evidence of sustained teaching excellence at whatever level of study. Our staff don’t work individually – they work as part of a team We encourage the nomination of teaching groups, which recently include: a five-strong culinary teaching team from Otago Polytechnic in 2014, and the eight-person Restaurant, Wine and Bar team in 2012, from Christchurch Polytechnic Institute of Technology. 8,000 words is just too daunting a task Assistance is available via our support networks below. We are not sure what is actually required The criteria and guidelines document is available on the Ako Aotearoa website, and our regional hub managers provide an ideal first point of contact for any questions. If you are an organisational leader who hasn’t nominated one of your teachers for the national TTEAs because of one or a number of the above, we strongly encourage you to reconsider. We invite you to take up the offer for support through the nomination process, which includes guidance for completing the required portfolio.

This support comes from two different but related sources – the Ako Aotearoa Regional Hubs and the Ako Aotearoa Academy of Tertiary Teaching Excellence (the Academy). The Academy consists of all past TTEA recipients joined by a common goal – to foster excellence in tertiary education in Aotearoa, New Zealand. Many of these members are enthusiastic to mentor and guide future awardees, either one-to-one or through the TTEA workshops organised by our regional hubs. And as our director Dr Peter Coolbear said in a message to PTE delegates at the recent Independent Tertiary Education New Zealand Conference, “Nominating staff for the awards and supporting them to develop their portfolio is very cost-effective marketing”. Just as importantly, it is one of the key ways in which excellent tertiary teaching is publically valued at a national level. What better reason to get involved. Nominations for the 2016 round of the TTEAs will open soon. All contact details and awards information at www.akoaotearoa.ac.nz.

Free workshops in 2016 supporting Màori and Pasifika adult learners in literacy and numeracy New professional development for tertiary educators working in foundation education Participants tell us that our new, free PD workshops, Ako, Aro and Whanaungatanga and Teu Le Và, hit the mark when it comes to sharing strategies to support adult Màori and Pasifika learners in upskilling their literacy and numeracy Book in-house for 2016 Contact Ria Tomoana (r.tomoana@massey.ac.nz) to discuss holding these free workshops in-house for your staff or join with other providers in your area (min. 15 participants).

“An eye opener for cultural understanding”

Public scheduled workshops will also be available next year – programme out soon.

(workshop participant)

Go to the Ako Aotearoa website at: www.akoaotearoa.ac.nz/he-taunga-waka

Education Review series

Postgrad & Research 2015

Tertiary teaching Kaupapa Māori Category

General Category

Sustained Excellence in Tertiary Teaching (3)

Sustained Excellence in Tertiary Teaching (9)

 Associate Professor Suzanne Pitama Prime Minister’s Supreme Awardee Associate Dean Māori, Director of the Māori/Indigenous Health Institute, Division of Health Sciences – University of Otago An unstinting dedication to the Māori community and equity in hauora Māori (health). “I began this journey into teaching because I wanted Māori patients to have an opportunity to be validated as both patients and Māori in health settings.”  Dr Elana Taipapaki Curtis Senior Lecturer, Te Kupenga Hauora Māori, Faculty of Medical and Health Sciences – The University of Auckland Making a difference to Māori and showing Māori ability to achieve excellence as normal, valid and legitimate. “As a tertiary educator I believe in aiming for excellence in order to promote the rights of all my learners.”  Professor Angus Hikairo Macfarlane Professor of Māori Research – University of Canterbury A career-long dedication to kaupapa Māori advancement, perspectives, tikanga and reo. “My approach to leadership has at its goal, the advancement of exemplary tertiary education teaching.”

“… it is one of the key ways in which excellent tertiary teaching is publicly valued at a national level.”

Attributes shared by

national Tertiary Teaching Excellence awardees Personal philosophy and vision about teaching Ability to gather and reflect meaningfully on feedback from students Enthusiastic, innovative Humble – open to improvement and change Highly organised and flexible High expectations (but work from premise that students can achieve) Use assessment as a learning tool Deliberately inclusive Love what they do and want to share it Really enjoy their students’ success.

Postgrad & Research 2015

Education Review series

 Professor Dale Carnegie School of Engineering and Computer Science – Victoria University of Wellington Helping transform students to be the best they can. “Caring is at the core of my teaching philosophy. When you care, you prepare your teaching as best you can.”  Dr Herb de Vries Senior Lecturer, College of Business and Law – University of Canterbury Supporting students through their course of study, business projects and careers. “My students are at the centre of my universe.”  Paul Gummer Senior Lecturer, School of Photography, Art & Design – Universal College of Learning Preparing work-ready students that understand the principles of success and are recognised here and internationally through awards. “When people find their passion, I believe doors open for them to achieve excellence.”  Dr Eleanor Hawe Senior Lecturer, School of Learning, Development and Professional Practice – The University of Auckland Developing a learning partnership lies at the core of Eleanor’s teaching philosophy. “Teaching can be demanding and challenging, but the rewards for those involved are far-reaching.”  Clive Humphreys Principal Lecturer, School of Art – Otago Polytechnic With a passion for art that is magnetic, Clive’s teaching captivates his classes with knowledge and humour. “Learning from students is one of the greatest privileges that teaching bestows.”  Dr Roslyn Kemp Senior Lecturer, Department of Microbiology and Immunology – University of Otago Ros designed a pathway of learning for her students to follow towards an exciting career. “I aspire to be a teacher who imparts confidence, creativity and wisdom to the next generation of scientists.”  Marie McEntee Senior Tutor, School of Environment, Faculty of Science – The University of Auckland Combining science with communication, business and innovation. “Effective knowledge communication must not only connect with people’s minds, it must also connect with their hearts.”  Professor Rachel Spronken-Smith Dean, Graduate Research School – University of Otago Leading the way of inquiry-based learning across Aotearoa. “All my teaching is underpinned by passion, sound pedagogical principles, and a desire to promote innovative and engaging practice.”  Lara Tookey Lecturer, Department of Construction – Unitec Lara demonstrates a passionate, unwavering dedication to improving student experience. “All experiences and sources of knowledge are connected and can assist in our self-improvement if we have the wisdom to use them.”

ICT Grads

Make way for the new

ICT Graduate Schools

As the Government’s three new Information and Communications Technology (ICT) Graduate Schools start to take shape, Education Review finds out more about the role they will play in helping to boost New Zealand’s technology industry. The need for ICT grad schools

The Government has committed $28.6 million for the development and delivery of the three ICT Graduate Schools over four years. The successful schools were selected following a competitive procurement process. The schools are a key initiative under the Government’s Business Growth Agenda and will provide innovative, industry-focused ICT education, research and development through collaboration between tertiary providers, industry and stakeholders. The global ICT industry is expected to grow by US$1.3 trillion between 2013 and 2020. Tertiary Education, Skills and Employment Minister Steven Joyce says for New Zealand businesses to make the most of this opportunity, they need “hi-tech professionals” working in their businesses. “Through this collaborative approach we will see ICT graduates with work-relevant, businessfocused skills as well as more direct pathways from education into employment,” says Joyce. Once fully established, the schools are expected to train more than of 350 students annually.

The new schools

The South Island ICT grad school will be hosted by the South Island Tertiary Alliance, which consists of the University of Canterbury, Christchurch Polytechnic and Institute of Technology, Lincoln University, Otago Polytechnic and the University of Otago. It will have a Christchurch campus located in the Christchurch Innovation Precinct and a satellite site in Dunedin. The South Island school will focus on key ICT areas relevant to the regional economies, including agri-tech, health technology, and communications products and services.

The Auckland school will be more focused on developing ICT students with the communication, critical thinking, business, and enterprise skills that employers need. It will be hosted by the Universities of Auckland and Waikato, based in Auckland with satellite locations in Hamilton and Tauranga.

“They will provide a unique opportunity for businesses to connect with students and education providers, and help shape ICT talent and R&D.”

New quals underway

Work has started on developing the Auckland school’s first qualifications. Waikato and Auckland universities will offer a Postgraduate Certificate in Information Technology (PGCertIT) and a Master in IT. Waikato’s Dean of Computing and Mathematical Sciences, Professor Geoff Holmes, says they hope to have the new qualifications fully up and running by early next year. The PGCertIT is a 12-week semesterlong programme directed at people who are graduates from non-IT areas who need IT skills to complement their Bachelor qualification. “As IT is applied in all aspects of life it seems sensible to develop these skills so that they can be

applied. The programme to achieve this follows a studio-style model, based in a lab and running nineto-five for the 12 weeks,” says Holmes. “Students who do well in the PGCertIT will have the opportunity to join with students with an IT background on the one-year Master which will develop their IT skills further and add capability in entrepreneurship, intrepreneurship, communication and the like,”he says. Part of the Master’s degree will be an industryfunded compulsory internship, designed to provide students with an understanding of workplace norms in order to be ‘industry-ready’ when they graduate.

Industry engagement

Minister Joyce says the new ICT Graduate Schools will be a vital link between tertiary education and New Zealand’s fast-moving hi-tech industries to deliver more of the skilled ICT graduates that are needed. “They will provide a unique opportunity for businesses to connect with students and education providers, and help shape ICT talent and R&D.” Tertiary Education Commission (TEC) funding supports a unique level of industry involvement in the delivery of these programmes, together with enhanced, cohort-based, student support and pastoral care. Industry partner engagement will be achieved in a number of ways. Students will have internship opportunities providing them with the chance to work on realworld business problems including funding and co-supervision. Funding and speakers will also be provided for networking events that will help connect students with industry. Guest presenters and workshop facilitators with expertise in areas of technology specialisation or business will attend the grad schools. And an effort will be made to engage with students who are keen to pursue an entrepreneurial path. It is hoped that the breadth and depth of interaction with industry will provide students with a competitive edge in terms of employability as well as the opportunity to develop an early relationship and track record with a prospective employer.

Education Review series

Postgrad & Research 2015

Research

The

seismic shift

towards research commercialisation Tertiary education and research organisations are feeling the ground shift beneath them as funding increasingly favours research with commercial potential. As they adapt to the changing research climate, fears persist that academic and fundamental science research is being sidelined. By JUDE BARBACK.

raditionally the role of a university was to enhance knowledge through education and research. But the University of Otago’s Dr Conor O’Kane says this is changing, thanks to the blurred boundaries between academia, government and industry. “Now policymakers and funders have different expectations of the economic and social potential of research, so we’re seeing the development of the entrepreneurial university, with stronger connections with government, society and industry,” he tells Otago’s research magazine, He Kitenga.

Campus and commerce

O’Kane’s research is focused on how technology transfer offices (TTOs) are helping universities fulfil this entrepreneurial expectation. “TTOs, or commercialisation offices, help with patenting and licensing research. They help academics understand the needs of industry and access critical resources, expertise and support in the commercialisation process.” Indeed, TTOs are cropping up everywhere. The University of Otago’s own TTO, Otago Innovation Limited, is a case in point, aiming to breathe life into innovative research. Each year Otago Innovation runs a $50,000 ‘Proof of Concept’ competition that helps the TTO determine the viability, technical issues and overall direction of an idea. “Whether your idea is for a mobile app, a diagnostic tool, a new therapy, software, medical device or a new method of teaching people, we may be able to help you get that idea out there,” states the website. WaikatoLink is Waikato University’s answer. The university’s research business development and technology commercialisation arm established The Hothouse to address the difficulty of taking technology resulting from research to market. Crucially, the scope of WaikatoLink extends beyond the university to the wider community.

Postgrad & Research 2015

Education Review series

Since 2002, it has completed numerous licensing deals and established more than 12 start-up companies and joint ventures. Spin-out companies from the University of Waikato have collectively created more than 138 full-time equivalent jobs and achieved market capitalisation nearing $200 million. Collaboration is key in the pursuit of research commercialisation – particularly between institutions and industry. The University of Canterbury’s recent collaboration with agricultural technology company CropLogic marks the first time the university has negotiated an ongoing agreement for one of its academics to act as a consultant to a commercial entity. Under the Intellectual Property Transfer Agreement (IPTA), the university will develop analytical systems and processes to enable successful crop health monitoring using aerial images and provide expert advice from associate professor Richard Green to enhance its existing online crop management system for potato growers. The university’s business development manager John Duncan describes the agreement as a “winwin” for all involved. “CropLogic gains access to Professor Green’s technology and advice to improve the service they provide to their customers; UC gains a new income stream and Green sees his research create real world benefits – and he is rewarded financially through our ‘share of benefits’ agreement.” The IPTA was the result of the university’s existing relationships with CropLogic and its cornerstone investor Powerhouse Ventures. “Building industry connections is part of developing a culture of innovation and entrepreneurship at UC,” says Duncan. “It’s about shifting from a sole focus

on getting research published, to helping UC researchers commercialise the intellectual property they create, as well as bring benefits to New Zealand.”

Large-scale collaboration

Universities are now also collaborating with largescale research commercialisation programmes like Callaghan Innovation and KiwiNet Innovation Network. These organisations comprise networks of far-reaching expertise, including universities and polytechnics (usually represented by their TTO), Crown research institutes (CRIs), government agencies, business incubators, venture capitalists, and local and global industry experts. It’s a formula that appears to be working. KiwiNet, for example, was formed just four years ago, and now represents three quarters of New Zealand’s publicly funded science capability. In June this year it received a further three-year funding contract from the Ministry of Business, Innovation and Employment (MBIE) under the Commercialisation Partner Network (CPN). The CPN is a $3 million per annum funding programme that was established by MBIE in 2010 with the aim of aggregating the technology transfer activities of New Zealand’s public research organisations so that a science and innovation ecosystem might be fostered. The network has three partners: KiwiNet, Return on Science, and CDC Innovation. “It’s fantastic to have the Government getting behind research commercialisation in New Zealand,” says Dr Bram Smith, general manager of KiwiNet. “KiwiNet is about bridging the gap between the Government’s substantial investments into research discovery and business innovation. Our vision is to see Kiwi scientists powering business to push the frontiers of high-tech innovation.” Smith views KiwiNet’s key role as empowering the people who commercialise research. It runs workshops, industry engagement events and investor introduction activities, as well as providing commercial mentors. Of course, it also provides the all-important investment to support commercialisation. KiwiNet invests $7.5 million of pre-seed accelerator funding from MBIE into new commercial ventures promoted by 12 research organisations.

Beyond New Zealand

Increasingly, research commercialisation is stretching beyond national borders. Earlier this year KiwiNet and Callaghan Innovation teamed up with the British High Commission in New Zealand to host a workshop on sensor technology. The idea behind the workshop was to encourage collaborative research opportunities between UK sensor developers and New Zealand researchers and businesses. “By highlighting the research capability that exists both here and in the UK to a diverse mix

Research of people we’ll encourage better alignment and collaboration,” said Dr Andrew Dawson, network manager of Sensing Technologies at Callaghan Innovation. The Government is keen to nurture New Zealand’s international research partnerships. Science and Innovation Minister Steven Joyce recently acknowledged the strength of the science collaboration between New Zealand and China by unveiling a plaque at the Chinese Academy of Sciences in Guangzhou. The plaque represents the partnership between the Guangzhou Institutes of Biomedicine and Health and New Zealand’s Maurice Wilkins Centre, which have collectively formed the Joint Centre for Biomedicine. Joyce describes China as “an important science and innovation partner” for New Zealand. “Through the Joint Research Centre, the two institutions have been collaborating on research in biomedicine, notably in the development of secondgeneration anti-cancer drugs.” In addition to the Joint Centre, The University of Auckland and the Guangdong Provincial Science and Technology Department are expected to sign a Memorandum of Understanding to establish new, research-based innovation and commercialisation partnerships between New Zealand and Guangdong. New Zealand’s relationship with China has strengthened under the Strategic Research Alliance Joint Research Programme, which was established in 2010 to leverage science and research investment from both countries for collaborative work programmes.

CRIs are there to serve a commercial purpose. “Crown research institutes are about commercial science, that’s why they’re there,” the Minister told TVNZ recently. “The Act describes the first two principles of operation for CRIs as undertaking research‘for the benefit of New Zealand’ and ‘pursuing excellence’,” said NZAS president Dr Nicola Gaston. Gaston says ‘benefit’ is not narrowly defined in terms of commercial outcomes, but also includes a requirement for ‘social responsibility’. The Minister’s comments come after the announcement that a large number of scientists at CRI AgResearch are facing redundancy. “By discarding scientific expertise that has taken the country decades to build just because it no longer meets short-term needs, the Government is telling young New Zealanders that careers in science are not for them,” said Gaston. “Inflation has been eating away at the CRIs’ core funding for anumber of years now. CRI scientists are being expected to deliver cutting-edge science in support of a growing suite of new government initiatives, but core funding to support salaries and infrastructure has been stagnant for years.” This echoes the NZAS’s earlier dismay at the announcement of redundancies at CRI Landcare Research at the end of June this year as the Government shifted its funding to its new Science Challenge initiative. “Ongoing shifts towards ever more commercially focused research have serious implications for the balance of science that is carried out in New Zealand, and in environmental science this will

have serious consequences for the extent to which we are able to manage and preserve our unique ecosystems and biodiversity.”

New National Science Strategy

However, the recent launch of the inaugural National Statement of Science Investment (NSSI) should help to quell some of the concerns as it recognises the importance of basic research alongside that for commercial gains. Universities New Zealand executive director Chris Whelan says he is delighted to see that the strategy is not just about generating knowledge for business. “The strategy also aims to support the development of new knowledge and ideas, and to develop them in ways that will benefit New Zealand. We are pleased the strategy recognises that most applied commercial research builds upon fundamental pure research.” Tertiary education and research institutions are having to adapt to the shift towards commercialised research, while continuing to defend their roles in academia and fundamental science. It isn’t an easy task, especially with funding finding favour with commercialised research initiatives and networks. Commercialisation of research is a good thing, as long as it doesn’t lose sight of its primary purpose – to advance knowledge, to make new discoveries. The day we cease to carry out research because we can’t perceive any dollar signs at the end is a sad day indeed.

Fears for basic research

The booming world of research commercialisation is not without its darker side, however. Fears persist that in the quest for research to produce a profitable outcome, the thirst for new discoveries – essentially the bread and butter of science and research – is being quashed. This is often felt acutely in universities, which increasingly feel the pressure to produce research that can be commercialised in some way. With 15 per cent of the performance-based research fund (PBRF) based on external research income, tertiary education institutions can’t ignore this component. Dr Conor O’Kane says there can be cultural barriers to commercialisation in universities. “Academics value scientific autonomy, discovery and open dissemination. Scepticism can arise when research is associated with exclusion, market share and economic returns, or if there are threats to the accumulation of public knowledge. There are also fears that moving to shorter-term, more applied goals might be detrimental for novel, creative research.” Such fears are prevalent in research organisations as well. The New Zealand Association of Scientists (NZAS) recently voiced its concern at Minister of Science and Innovation Steven Joyce’s claim that

New master’s degree to test commercial resolve Victoria University of Wellington is launching a new master’s degree aimed at placing students at the coalface of product development and commercialisation. The Master of Innovation and Commercialisation will see students work at transforming actual, real-world innovations into commercial realities. The multidisciplinary, practice-based degree is open to students from a range of disciplines, such as design, science, engineering, IT and business. Programme director Jenny Douché says the primary objective of the degree is to get students to gain experience in the process of developing and commercialising technologically advanced innovations. “This includes analysing the feasibility of new innovations, technology transfer, funding, intellectual property, and manufacturing considerations. “It will require individual resourcefulness, and the need to quickly learn how to work in teams and with industry and research partners.” Most students will work on an innovation project alongside an organisation, but they can also work on their own innovations. Douché says the degree is ideal for students who want to work as product managers, commercialisation specialists, analysts, or start their own business. “Students will come away with invaluable knowledge from having experienced genuine ‘knocks and scrapes’ from the commercial world.” She says many commentators now recommend education that allows for versatility and resourcefulness due to an increasingly sophisticated and uncertain job market, and that the new master’s programme caters to this. “We want students on the programme to develop a robust intellectual toolkit for problemsolving, and a grounding in product development and commercialisation, so they can identify opportunities, get a sense for where things are heading and respond accordingly. “It’s not a programme for the faint-hearted, but the learning and networking opportunities will be great,” says Douché.

Education Review series

Postgrad & Research 2015

Research

New Zealand’s

best interests at the CoRE Education Review discovers a new Centre of Research Excellence tackling some big research issues for the benefit of New Zealand.

e Pūnaha Matatini, a new Centre of Research Excellence (CoRE) was launched earlier this year. Te Pūnaha Matatini means ‘the meeting place of many faces’. It is aptly named, as the new CoRE brings together experts from across New Zealand’s academic research community, industry and government. Funded by the Tertiary Education Commission, Te Pūnaha Matatini is hosted by The University

of Auckland in partnership with the University of Canterbury, Victoria University of Wellington, Motu Economic and Public Policy Research, and Massey University. It is led by physicist Professor Shaun Hendy of The University of Auckland. Hendy believes we live in a “data-rich but knowledge-poor world”. “Te Pūnaha Matatini will develop new tools for understanding large, complex datasets, and transfer these tools to New Zealand’s business and government sectors for increased productivity and insight.” Centres of Research Excellence are required to combine internationally significant research programmes with a commitment to developing New Zealand’s human capital, and ability to succeed. Te Pūnaha Matatini is positioned to do just that. It has assembled a diverse,

Societal inequality and human vulnerability – a social assets approach

PROFESSOR PETER DAVIS shares one of the research topics under scrutiny at Te Pūnaha Matatini. It is widely argued that societal income inequality is causally associated with a wide range of social and health ills; the greater income inequality in a society, the greater and more far-reaching the associated health and social pathologies. Yet New Zealand potentially, and surprisingly, could represent a counter example to this widely accepted hypothesis in the area of infant mortality, since the country has shown a steady trend towards increasing income inequality while at the same time recording a largely unbroken reduction in infant mortality. Given this somewhat paradoxical finding, we want to determine whether there are non-income assets, resources and networks that may help protect vulnerable populations, particularly children, against the effects of gross inequality. In answering this question, we propose to adopt what we call a social assets approach in which income is seen as just one resource among several that individuals can bring to bear in meeting the challenges of life. We envisage resources like income, health, skills, social infrastructure and relationships, and cultural identity; these provide opportunities for people to succeed in life, particularly at key social transitions (birth, infancy, go to school, stay out of trouble, get work, partner up, raise a family, retire). We will use the New Zealand Longitudinal Census, supplemented by linkage to other salient national data including the General Social Survey and the Te Kupenga Social Survey. We will be able to follow 600,000 individuals with linked data over the entire period from 1981 to 2013. This project will be of international interest in providing insights into the role that social assets and policy intervention may be able to play in protecting vulnerable populations against the effects of gross inequality.

Postgrad & Research 2015

Education Review series

multidisciplinary team to collaborate on transdisciplinary problems and questions of importance to New Zealand and the world. So far the new CoRE has launched research projects to study innovation networks and indicators in New Zealand, understand the impact of inequality on childhood outcomes, reconcile economic and biological values of our marine food resources, and optimise health care expenditure. “Just as New Zealand’s economy was transformed by the introduction of the first trans-oceanic shipments of frozen sheep meat in 1882, Te Pūnaha Matatini will look at contemporary supply chain networks, seeking to better understand optimisation of the network infrastructure, essential for New Zealand – a small, export-based economy at the end of the world’s supply chain,” says Hendy. “It’s exciting to see our team’s vision coming to fruition,” says Kate Hannah, the centre’s executive manager. “We’re working to build the kind of New Zealand of which we can all be proud.” Te Pūnaha Matatini is also focused on developing the next generation of researchers. The CoRE says it is training a new type of scientist for the benefit of New Zealand and will offer research projects that develop scientific skills that are relevant to the New Zealand economy, society, and environment. The aim is to equip these students with the business skills and personal networks to enable them to pursue rewarding careers or start their own knowledge-intensive businesses in New Zealand. Te Pūnaha Matatini has also voiced a commitment to working with Māori communities to develop and understand the role of innovation in enhancing the sustainability of regional economies and communities. The CoRE takes its foundational whakataukī from Sir Apirana Ngāta (1874–1950): “E tipu, e rea, mo ngāra o tau ao – grow up and thrive for the days destined you”.

“We’re working to build the kind of New Zealand of which we can all be proud.”

PhD stress

#phdlife

Social media’s role in surviving a PhD JUDE BARBACK talks to Dr Inger Mewburn about how social media has widened support networks for PhD students.

n the PhD world, Dr Inger Mewburn – better known as The Thesis Whisperer – has celebrity status. So I’m thrilled to have the chance to chat with her about her latest MOOC (Massive Open Online Course) on ‘How to survive your PhD’. An impressive 12,500 people have signed up to the MOOC, and nearly halfway through the 10-week course 40 per cent are still participating, which, in MOOC terms, is remarkable. Mewburn says the course nearly didn’t leave the ground due to concerns over the content being too specific. Unsurprisingly, Mewburn, who is director of research training at Australian National University (ANU), feels vindicated at how sticky the MOOC is proving to be; it confirms a real need to talk about how to cope with the emotional and financial stress often experienced by PhD students.

Thesis Whisperer

Thanks to the 50,000 followers on her Thesis Whisperer blog, Mewburn is well aware that there is a thirst for such discussions. One of the most popular blog posts bears the title ‘The Valley of Shit’. “It talks about the sense of hopelessness during the PhD. But it’s a valley, not a hole – there is a way out! People really identified with that post – they sent it to each other, printed it out, put it above their desks,” says Mewburn. Indeed the post has had 223 comments, many of them lengthy accounts of their own experiences in the ‘valley’. It’s clearly a problem for many. Mewburn says the emotional and financial stress placed on PhD students contributes to nearly one in four dropping out in Australia. She says universities are often left unaware of why people withdraw from their PhDs. “Sometimes they simply just leave with no warning or explanation. They leave their books and their half-drunk coffee just sitting there.” As the ‘Valley of Shit’ post suggests, stress can rear its ugly head at any stage of the PhD process.

Imposter syndrome

“People talk about the second-year blues but loneliness or boredom can strike at any time,” says Mewburn. “Some people have imposter syndrome the whole way through – I know I did.” Imposter syndrome refers to a psychological condition where the student feels they are faking it and not really up to the task. “It’s amazingly common. They start feeling that someone’s made a mistake by letting them do a PhD in the first place.” Mewburn says counselling services are generally sought more by PhD students than other students. “One university counselling service told us that there was a four times higher instance of PhD students using the service compared to other students.” She thinks part of the issue is that PhD students are studying at an age where they have higher priorities. “The average age of students starting a PhD in Australia is 32, so these are people with families, mortgages and responsibilities.” “A lot of them take a long time, so they are paying an opportunity cost, not being out there earning money.” Even so, part-time PhD students – those who typically juggle their research with work –aren’t immune from the stress either. Mewburn says many part-time PhD students don’t make it past their first year, but aside from those, part-timers are often the best completers. Mewburn puts this down to part-time PhD students typically being older, female and more resilient.

Coping strategies crucial

The key is learning strategies to understand and cope with the stress when it hits and avoiding the temptation to quit during those periods. Mewburn says self-care is particularly important. She posts weekly tasks on her blog, such as having a cup of tea with someone outside of the research faculty, or asking students to reflect on what motivated them to do the PhD in the first place. She says support networks are important. The discussion forums on her blog are testament to that. “Social media has been an absolute boon – it has opened up a whole new world for PhD students,” says Mewburn. Twitter forums such as #phdchat and #phdlife and Mewburn’s #survivephd15 mean that guidance and support is offered to students far beyond that of their supervisors. “You can really tell the PhD students who are ’plugged in‘ to the social media world.” She says the main challenge with social media and the internet in general is navigating through what information is trustworthy and what is not. However, well-supported forums like Twitter will essentially moderate themselves. In a world of Twitter, MOOCs and blogs, there is no doubting the landscape has changed for today’s PhD student. However, social media doesn’t provide a silver bullet for dealing with the stress that comes with PhD study – resilience must come from within.

“Social media has been an absolute boon – it has opened up a whole new world for PhD students.” Education Review series

Postgrad & Research 2015

studying abroad

Ivy League and OxBridge:

do Kiwi students stand a chance? Jamie Beaton, founder of Crimson Consulting, talks to JUDE BARBACK about removing the roadblocks between New Zealand and the world’s top universities.

arvard, Cambridge, Stanford, Oxford, Princeton – the names of the world’s most prestigious universities will be familiar to most bright young students at New Zealand secondary schools. Yet, such institutions are typically dismissed by Kiwis as they consider their next step after completing year 13. Many students instinctively assume they’re either not clever enough, or talented enough, or rich enough. Even those who look beyond their doubts are often discouraged by the admissions process. There simply isn’t a service that helps students to convert their niggling inner ambitions to placements at the world’s greatest universities. Or at least there wasn’t, until Jamie Beaton established Crimson Consulting, a business that essentially aims to help students achieve their educational and career goals. Beaton spotted an information gap around international university admissions and set up Crimson Consulting to help students in this area. The former King’s College student is something of an expert on the university admissions process. During his secondary school years he became fixated on the idea of attending one of the best universities in the world. He applied for a place at no less than 25 world-class universities around the globe, including the big names like Cambridge, Harvard and Princeton. He was offered a place at every institution. In the end he chose Harvard, where he is now working towards his MSc in applied mathematics. Some light background research on Beaton reveals that he is more than just a bright cookie, and an interview with the fast-talking, fast-thinking, Boston-based Kiwi confirms that he is smarter than the average 20-year-old. However, he is adamant there is more to getting a place in one of the top schools than IQ alone. He stresses the importance of extracurricular activities, leadership skills, and most importantly, the right attitude. Many US universities require an essay as part of the admissions process; this is

essentially a piece of creative writing that gives an indication of the true character of the applicant. In Beaton’s view, getting the essay right is critical to success. The sort of client they’re after already has drive and determination to succeed; Crimson Consulting essentially aims to channel their ambition and help them achieve their goals. He says they will sometimes work with parents to help “tweak the focus in the home”. Often Asian families will be reminded of the importance of building extracurricular activities alongside a student’s study, while European parents will be encouraged to support a stricter approach to academic studies. Crimson Consulting breaks down some of the perceptions about the difficulty of getting into a world-class university. Most institutions aim to admit a large number of international students from all corners of the globe. Harvard, for example, has very little variation in terms of the proportion of international students it accepts year on year. There is much misconception around the costs of attending an elite university. While international student fees can soar to over US$60,000 a year in some instances, many institutions have a large pot of money set aside to financially support students. Harvard, according to Beaton, has around $200 million in financial aid. Sixty per cent of its students are on a financial aid package of some sort. “They want the best talent globally, and they’ll pay for it,” he says. Once a student gets accepted, a rigorous means testing process begins and students will ultimately pay what they can. There are scholarships available, too, particularly sporting scholarships for the US universities. Crimson Consulting also has a whole team dedicated to the area of postgraduate scholarships. They are experienced in helping clients gain Rhodes and Fulbright scholarships and other high-profile awards. But why is there a need for a company like Crimson Consulting? In this globalised, connected

“There are subtle yet crucial differences in the systems and psyche of New Zealand education that prevent a clear path to a top overseas university.” 14

Postgrad & Research 2015

Education Review series

day and age, surely Harvard and Hamilton are not so far apart anymore? However, there are subtle yet crucial differences in the systems and psyche of New Zealand education that prevent a clear path to a top overseas university. Beaton points out that the US high school GPA (grade point average) system spans the whole four years of secondary school. This means that students will typically begin to focus their sights on a university place much earlier than New Zealand students, who tend to leave their run until year 13, where everything hinges on the crucial last year of secondary school assessment. Beaton’s personal opinion is that International Baccalaureate and Cambridge International Examinations assessment systems are more intellectually rigorous and challenging than NCEA. However, he is quick to point out that many students have successfully been admitted to top universities all around the world on the back of their NCEA results. But it’s more than that. It’s an attitude thing. Broadly speaking, New Zealand students don’t take their studies as seriously as they could. The ‘tall poppy syndrome’ prevents high-flyers from flying as high as they might. New Zealand students are ambitious, Beaton believes, but their ambition is kept in check – perhaps in an effort to conform to Kiwi societal expectations. Beaton believes education planning should be a customised, personalised process. An education and career pathway should be tailored to the talents and ambitions of each individual. The fact that a person is born in New Zealand shouldn’t preclude them from taking whatever academic and career route they dream of, given they have the right aptitude and attitude. As such, Crimson Consulting has 400 contractors from high-profile firms (such as Google and Goldman Sachs) that typically recruit from the world’s top universities. These contractors, some of whom were previous Crimson clients, will act as mentors for new clients who have their sights set on ultimately landing a top job at a top company. At this point, Crimson Consulting is focused mainly on the New Zealand and Australian markets; however, Beaton says the company is working on expanding into China and India and capitalising on the enormous potential that exists in those markets. It really does feel like the sky is the limit for Beaton and his Crimson team, which isn’t really surprising given that’s basically their mantra.

studying abroad

Crimson kids From New Zealand to New York: JENNIFER WRIGHT shares her story Growing up in New Zealand, I thought I’d never leave. However, upon graduating from high school, I found myself lost. I realised I was still unsure of what I wanted to do, as well as what, and where to study. So, I did what many Kiwis do: I took a gap year. During my gap year, I signed up with Crimson Consulting. I hoped to improve my prospects of acceptance into highly competitive university programmes abroad, and also grow as an individual. I embarked on an intensive leadership mentoring programme, led by Crimson’s Sharndre Kushor. At high school, I had achieved highly in my academics but I didn’t have any experience with driving my own initiatives. Sharndre and the Crimson team guided me through the process of running my first leadership event – a large-scale charity dinner to raise funds for children overseas. The dinner was attended by 250 guests and raised more than $6,000 for UNICEF New Zealand. The success of this project led to me becoming one of six UNICEF New Zealand Youth Ambassadors. This, in turn, was an integral part of my application to my target university, New York University (NYU). Other factors contributed to this application process, too. I was selected as the head delegate from New Zealand to the Harvard and the Yale Model United Nations. I also worked with a Crimson tutor to reach my goal of scoring in the 85th percentile for the Scholastic Aptitude Test (SAT) Reasoning test, and with a Harvard-based mentor, who helped me understand the university application process. My application to NYU was accepted and I gained entrance to the university’s esteemed economics programme, taught by Nobel Prize winner, Thomas Sargent. After gaining admission into NYU, I was on cloud nine. I was so motivated to keep going and to continue making positive changes to the wider community. I soon started UNICEF Youth For Change, a UNICEF youth club network which originally aimed to connect the existing five clubs. Now, only a few months later, we have over 20 clubs and hundreds of motivated young members. I also helped create UNICEF’s shadow report to the United Nations. I’ve been at NYU for less than a month now. When I first arrived, the extremeness of it all was a shock; the buildings, the people, the workload. However, despite the scale and challenges, I feel ready. I know that this environment will push me to achieve more than I would anywhere else.

DUNCAN PARSONS’ journey to Duke University In April of last year I spent a month mainly on the east coast of the United States playing soccer with my school, Lindisfarne College, and then visiting my American family in NYC, Boston and Chicago. I had an incredible time and I decided that I definitely wanted to return. Once I got home from the soccer trip I eagerly began the application process but very soon its difficulty and the cost of studying here became apparent. I lost interest and Canterbury’s engineering programme looked increasingly appealing. Later in the year as I was studying for my exams I stumbled across a YouTube video about NCEA from Crimson Consulting. I can still vividly remember the exact classroom I was in and what I was working on when I found it. The company intrigued me because I didn’t know that there was any help out there for people like me to do what I wanted to do. It all seemed too good to be true when I received a reply to my email within a couple of hours and was Skyping a senior tutor – now a good friend – within 24 hours. For a kid who had thrown away the dream months ago, it felt wonderfully absurd to be considering having another crack. At this point, it was November and my biggest barrier was that I was way too late. I would have to sign up for SAT exams within the week and sit two new sets of exams within a couple of months. I would have to figure out the Common Application and write the essays, upload my achievements and extracurriculars, get references, financial aid information – the list goes on. For a kid leading what was essentially a run-of-the-mill life and had everything sorted, it was going to be a leap of faith. I committed an hour before the first of many deadlines: signing up for the SAT subject tests. I knew that I couldn’t afford the US$70,000 annual fees of the private schools, so I also made the decision to apply to the very best (and richest) universities in the United States. I took confidence in the fact that I had achieved a lot and that coming from New Zealand gave me a huge advantage in terms of the differentiation I have from other students. From there I was on a whirlwind journey. My decision to apply for university in the United States was a huge undertaking. I can honestly say it was the biggest concentrated learning experience of my life. I was awarded a Robertson Scholarship to study at Duke University, as well as being accepted to Harvard and Stanford. In the end, I chose Duke because of the extensive Robertson network and the rigour of the school’s engineering programme. Since I’ve been here, my decision to come has been validated over and over. Duke University has everything from ground-breaking research to frat parties, a national champion basketball team to Duke math. And that is what makes it so special and so worthwhile. Nowhere else in the world could I do all of those things in one day.

Kia ora! Welcome to Vibe

Teach in London. Play in Europe!

info@vibeteaching.co.uk Education Review series

Postgrad & Research 2015

Student profiles

Education Review discovers some inspirational Māori and Pasifika education students and graduates from around the country.

Striving

to make a difference

Fiona Toloa The University of Auckland (Master of Professional Studies in Education)

iona Toloa may have just graduated with a Master of Professional Studies in Education with First Class Honours (MEd) but she has actually been teaching and inspiring others all her life. As a young girl at Henderson South Primary School she excelled at maths and reading and was often asked by teachers to help her class mates. “I felt really good about helping other people. I guess it started from there. Seeing how their faces just lit up when they understood it.” But it was in her time at Rutherford College that Toloa was inspired by her chemistry teacher, the late Terry Laver, to become a teacher herself. “He was quite strict on me and made sure I got all my work done. He never gave up on me. I was the only brown person in my class and he just kept pushing me and pushing me and I just thought ‘I can actually do this’.” She enrolled in The University of Auckland’s Faculty of Education and became a teacher. Her positive approach inspired hundreds of students at Otahuhu College where she taught science for 15 years. “I saw a lot of students were struggling with reading and writing and literature and in the science area. I just wanted to inspire them to set goals in the field of science.” In 2010 she created a Health Science Academy in the school with the help of the CEO of the Pasifika Medical Association Debbie Sorensen and the previous principal Gil Laurenson. The academy led to 19 of the 23 year 13 students entering top medical science degrees, including dentistry and medicine. Toloa decided to return to study and was awarded a scholarship to complete the MEd. She embarked on a mixed-methods study which examined teacher expectations for Pasifika students learning NCEA Level 1 science in a low decile urban secondary school. She explored three research questions: What are teacher expectations for NCEA Level 1 science students? What are students’ perceptions of teachers’ expectations? and, Is there a relationship between teacher expectations and Pasifika academic achievement? She interviewed four NCEA Level 1 science teachers and had 56 anonymous students answer a six-point student questionnaire on self-belief, family expectation, high and

Postgrad & Research 2015

Education Review series

low self-expectation, teachers’ pedagogy and teacher-student relationships. Results showed teachers expected their students to achieve NCEA Level 1 science depending on their work ethic and behaviour. Students’ perceptions of their science teachers’ expectations were similar to teachers’ expectations. However, teachers believed that for students to achieve, the onus was on the students, whereas students believed the onus was on the teacher. Toloa hopes her research will assist in raising the achievement of Pasifika students in science. She now teaches at Manurewa High School but also plans to return to study for her PhD one day. Toloa says that in addition to her teachers she was also inspired by her supervisor, Professor Christine RubieDavies, and her mother, Dr Meaola Amituanai-Toloa, a former teacher and a senior lecturer at the university. Meaola was also appointed the country’s first associate dean, Pasifika in 2008. Toloa has some wise advice for people wanting to start an education in science. “My advice is, don’t let anybody hold you back. Just make the decision to do it and just do it. Just follow it through. “You just have to set those goals and just do everything in your power to achieve those goals and ask for help when you need it because no man is an island.”

Johnson Taeao Victoria University of Wellington (GDipTchg (Secondary))

ohnson Taeao wanted to share his love and knowledge of music with others. So after completing his music degree, and inspired by family members who teach, he chose the Graduate Diploma of Teaching (Secondary) as a pathway to a career in teaching. Taeao, a New Zealand-born Samoan, chose Victoria because of the great curriculum for studying music in all fields, whether in composition, performance or music studies. He loves the culture of Wellington, and especially appreciates the café culture and music gigs, which fit perfectly with his passion for music. Taeao has enjoyed the challenge of the Graduate Diploma of Teaching with its demanding workload. “I have most enjoyed my time on placement, interacting with the students. I have also met some really awesome people to study and socialise with at the Faculty of Education.” Travel and working as a teacher overseas are part of Taeao’s future plans, but he also wants to further his studies in music and to research the relationships between music and culture in the Pacific Islands.

Student profiles

Dr Melanie Riwai-Couch University of Canterbury (PhD in Education)

r Melanie Riwai-Couch had her research approved just 20 minutes before the February 2011 earthquake hit. She graduated earlier this year from the University of Canterbury with a PhD in education after investigating ways that schools and iwi can work together to better support Māori students’ achievement levels.

Riwai-Couch looked at three case studies, including representatives from the Ministry of Education, schools from the North and South Islands and iwi education spokespeople. “In New Zealand, Māori students are not as successful as their non-Māori peers, but students at Te Kura Kaupapa Māori o Te Whanau Tahi, like many other Māori immersion settings, excel in both Māori and English. “When iwi and schools work together to make decisions about what is taught at school Māori students are more likely to achieve better school marks, as well as be more connected with their cultural identity. “Approaches to achieving education equity, including schools working with iwi and Māori, are important for informing education approaches and strategy. How those approaches are informed, developed and implemented is equally important in achieving models likely to positively affect Māori achievement in education. “This is also important in ensuring that participation expectations of iwi are co-constructed, reasonable and appropriately resourced. A framework for iwi-school communities of practice is proposed, including recommendations for iwi, schools and the Ministry of Education.” Riwai-Couch has five children aged 5 to 14 and is a Christchurch school principal at one of the fastest growing Māori immersion schools in New Zealand, Te Kura Kaupapa Māori o Te Whānau Tahi. She has iwi affiliations with Rangitaneki Wairau, Ngāti Kuia and Ngāti Apaki Te RāTō.

nExt issuE

NZ Teacher

Education nEws at your fingErtips! if you want to know what your colleagues are thinking and doing, join Education review’s Education Review has New Zealand’s education community covered: » Latest news in print and online » Opinion from every corner of the sector » In-depth articles on all facets of the education sector » Recruitment » Social sharing on all articles » Live Twitter updates.

www.educationreview.co.nz/subscribe NZ Teacher

Leadership & PD

Postgrad Education

ICT & Procurement

Education Review series

Postgrad & Research

Postgrad & Research 2015

ITPs

Meet the

Metros

Education Review looks at how collaboration between six of New Zealand’s largest institutes of technology and polytechnics (ITPs) is strengthening tertiary education links with industry and government at the same time as helping growing businesses tap into the group’s collective expertise.

nitec, Manukau Institute of Technology (MIT), Waikato Institute of Technology (Wintec), Wellington Institute of Technology (WelTec), Christchurch Polytechnic (CPIT) and Otago Polytechnic are the Metros. The Metro Group was set up in 2009, initially as a group of like-minded chief executives from five metropolitan ITPs, with Otago Polytechnic joining a few months later. Mark Flowers, chief executive of Wintec, says the group’s goals originally emphasised “lifting our game” in promoting public policies and initiatives that would more effectively and efficiently provide world-class educational programmes for New Zealand and international students. While the group has no constitution or formal structure, it does have a clear vision. Its statement of purpose stresses the contribution the Metros could and should make to building a technologically more advanced economy. It is also focused on promoting greater understanding and recognition of the place of professional and vocational education in contributing to New Zealand’s productivity. It works primarily on a project basis, so that the focus shifts over time as some projects are completed and others are ongoing.

Research vouchers

Earlier this year the group launched a research voucher funding initiative, which allows businesses to tap into the group’s collective expertise as well as their connections with government agencies and Crown research institutes, such as Callaghan Innovation. Research vouchers are essentially research ‘credits’, making funding available to industry

Postgrad & Research 2015

Education Review series

within New Zealand. Ranging in value from $500 to $5,000, a voucher allows businesses to access the services of the Metro group at a discount. The group can help with things like business development, general problem solving, research and development (R&D) and communications. So a voucher could be used in whatever area of expertise that will help the business, be it market research or cyber security support or intellectual property advice. The scheme is focused on small to medium enterprises (SMEs) and not-for-profit groups. The level of funding is variable, dependent on the nature of the applicant and the potential impact the proposed research may have on the applicant. Commercial ventures may receive a subsidy of up to 50 per cent to a maximum of $5,000, while not-for-profit groups may receive a subsidy of up to 100 per cent to a maximum of $5,000. The voucher initiative benefits all parties. The group’s initiative fulfils the government mandate that ITPs work closely with industry and wider society. The Tertiary Education Strategy 2014– 2019 outlines the aim of increasing the tertiary education system’s impact on innovation as a means of lifting economic growth. While external partners receive funding, support and guidance on research projects, the scheme benefits Metro Group members as well, providing opportunities for staff to partner with industry and social enterprise to stay current in their teaching and research. It also helps build networks between employers and graduates who need jobs. It is early days for the research voucher scheme. Flowers says that all Metros report positive interest by employers in the voucher scheme, with many referrals coming from staff contacts, and others from the website and promotional

activities. Some referrals have also come as a result of the group’s recent symposium, which focused on equipping businesses with the tools and relationships to be agile in a rapidly changing world. “Given the amount of negotiation needed to clarify the focus and scope of individual proposals, few have yet reached the stage of a signed contract,” says Flowers. “Even so, the scheme is already having an impact by focusing the attention of staff on the need to work on problems identified by industry rather than on research projects identified by the staff themselves.” Beyond the research voucher initiative, the group has other projects on the boil. At present it is looking to expand the numbers of engineering technology graduates to meet identified needs over the next several years, which means further developing and improving the Metros’ Bachelor of Engineering Technology programme, building more pathways from schools, and exploring new models of delivery. The group is also focused on building its international reputation. It wants to take advantage of the international demand for professional and vocational education and training services both in New Zealand and delivered in other countries. The chief executives of Metros meet regularly to discuss topics, issues and strategies relating to the group, the tertiary education sector, government policies and the economy. Flowers says there is always the possibility the group will expand to include other ITPs, as it did to include Otago Polytechnic. It will certainly be interesting to observe how the group evolves and what it can achieve with its collective clout.

Videoconferencing

Right here right now: the pressure To deliver

on-demand learning

am always a little dubious about videoconference meetings. The instructions to simply connect by clicking the link provided always seem to be fraught with technical problems: the computer wants to restart, security warnings keep popping up, the image inevitably freezes, the audio cuts out, and so on and so on. So it is with some trepidation I join Elaine Shuck via Polycom’s videoconferencing system to chat about what’s happening in the world of higher education and technology. But the process is seamless and within minutes we are face-to-face. She asks me what I think of the system and I admit that I am impressed. Shuck was recently in Australia for the EduTECH 2015 conference, where she presented the initial findings of a survey aimed at gaining a greater understanding of the main drivers of technology needs within education sectors. The survey found that higher education institutions see it as very important to be able to deliver flexible, on-demand course content to their students. Shuck says this is driven by consumer demand.

High student expectations

Higher education providers are increasingly finding that students, particularly those coming in right after high school, are technologically savvy and expect the ICT capabilities to be in place. Accustomed to BYOD and 1:1 tech models from high school, they require on-demand, flexible learning models in higher education. The notion of anytime, anywhere, any device learning is no longer a notion for today’s students – it is an expectation. As such, universities are feeling the pressure not to be left behind. “I wouldn’t send my children to a university that didn’t have videoconferencing capabilities,” says Shuck. Given the expense of higher education, students often juggle their study with a job. “The reality is that a student may need to be able to watch a lecture in their lunch break,” says Shuck.

JUDE BARBACK talks to Polycom’s Elaine Shuck about the pressure tertiary education organisations face to deliver flexible, on-demand learning options to their students. Professional development needed

Interestingly, the survey also revealed that institutions have a need for more professional development on new technologies. This suggests perhaps that universities and other providers are keeping up with technology; they need guidance on how to use it and get the most out of it. Shuck agrees, and gives the example of an Australian university she visited recently that had every bell and whistle imaginable, yet had barely scratched the surface of what they could achieve with their vast array of technology. For this reason, she says it is important to deliver useful professional development to customers. At Polycom, for example, they offer training on everything from basic functionality and how to use the products to engage with students, to integrating with other technologies and how administration uses it. She says there is an emphasis on “training the trainer” to allow knowledge to be passed across staff. There is also much value placed on the role of consumer advocacy, whereby satisfied customers can collaborate with newer customers and share what works for them. This is particularly effective in the higher education sector, says Shuck.

Collaborative purchasing vital

But more important than learning how to use the technology is making the right decision about what technology to purchase in the first place. Shuck says it needs to be a collaborative decision. “Ideally you need to get all the players involved – not just the IT staff, but those involved with the curriculum, the professors, even students.” She says institutions that have buy-in from teaching staff and students are likely to have a much more successful experience with the technology. The survey also revealed that institutions predicted provider collaboration with industry as a future trend. Shuck agreed this was the way education was going. “They’re ultimately preparing students so they are ready for the workforce.” And the workforce is made up increasingly of people who do their jobs from anywhere at any time. As I leave the virtual meeting room, I reflect, as someone who works more than 500km away from the main office, on just how true this is.

“Ideally you need to get all the players involved – not just the IT staff, but those involved with the curriculum, the professors, even students.”

Education Review series

Postgrad & Research 2015

Responsible research

Research with wings Education Review looks at two environmentally responsible New Zealand research projects with an international focus. Airline extends support for Antarctic research

Air New Zealand has announced that it will continue its partnership with Antarctica New Zealand and New Zealand Antarctic Research Institute (NZARI) to support New Zealand Antarctic research initiatives. The airline has confirmed a “further significant investment” over the next three years to support NZARI research programmes. Air New Zealand chief executive officer Christopher Luxon says they are “incredibly proud” to have supported New Zealand scientists over the past three years as they have undertaken important climate change research on the ice. “Our renewed commitment is exciting in that it allows a major, multi-year, scientific research project to get off the ground exploring Antarctic species and the impact climate change has on local ecosystems.” Antarctica New Zealand chief executive officer Peter Beggs says the airline’s support has helped promote their research to a wider audience.

Postgrad & Research 2015

Education Review series

“The strength of our relationship has also enabled a diverse range of outreach opportunities which have grown the public’s understanding of our work on the frozen continent and what this means for New Zealanders.” The new project will see New Zealand scientists study iconic Antarctic species living in the Ross Sea coastline between Scott Base and Cape Adare. These species range from giant sponges and starfish on the sea floor to ice-adapted fish and lichens, mosses and penguin colonies. Current predictions are that anthropogenic climate change will significantly disrupt ecosystems in Antarctica’s Ross Sea region.

The project will focus on how the behaviour of these species can be used as biological indicators, or early warning systems, for future change in global temperatures, sea-ice and ocean circulation conditions.

Photo credits: Melting the sea ice. Photo by Amanda Christophers ©Antarctica New Zealand Pictorial Collection Haggund crossing crack. Photo by Amanda Christophers ©Antarctica New Zealand Pictorial Collection

“Our renewed commitment is exciting in that it allows a major, multi-year, scientific research project to get off the ground exploring Antarctic species and the impact climate change has on local ecosystems.”

Responsible research

Renewable energy in Tonga

PhD student to take to the ice Waikato University doctoral student Gemma Collins is the recipient of the $40,000 Antarctica New Zealand Sir Robin Irvine Scholarship. The scholarship is offered to one PhD student in New Zealand every two years. It covers two trips to Antarctica and a stipend for the first two years of the student’s PhD. Collins – who conducted research in Antarctica for her master’s degree – says her research will focus on the ecology of springtails, small bugs that live in Antarctic soils, and their ability to perform in a changing environment. She hopes her research will provide insights into how biological systems may be affected by climate change. “Climate change is going to affect populations around the globe and because Antarctic organisms live in such a harsh environment, we’d expect any increase in temperature or rainfall to have a big impact on them,” she told Horizons magazine.

Producing biofuel from coconuts was among the approaches taken by five University of Canterbury (UC) electrical engineering students who assisted Tonga’s state-owned electricity company, Tonga Power, with investigating possible options for renewable energy. While the novel coconut approach was technically possible, it was deemed not economically viable for electricity generation. Other options, including wind power, tidal energy and solar power, were modelled for three different island groups: Ha’apai, Vava’u and Tongatapu. The trip allowed the students to present their research findings and project modelling to representatives from Tonga Power. Until recently, all electricity in Tonga was generated from diesel power generators, which proved uneconomical due to the cost of shipping fossil fuels and generator maintenance. The need to diversify energy sources became an even greater priority for Tonga after Cyclone Ian struck the Ha’apai group of islands in January 2014. The cyclone affected more than 80 per cent of the infrastructure, including the power system supplied by two 186 kilowatt diesel generators. Supervisor Dr Andrew Lapthorn from UC’s department of electrical and computer engineering, said adding more renewable generation can help insulate the community from oil price changes. Lapthorn describes the situation in Tonga as vastly different from New Zealand in terms of the resources available.

“People look at renewable energy and they think things like wind and solar and there’s an abundance of that in the Pacific, but there are challenges such as how to store electricity for use when it is not windy or sunny.” The five students looked at various storage options and gauged how much energy each option could produce. One location tested for tidal generation gave good levels of energy, but like the coconut biofuel option, the economics of producing it meant it wasn’t feasible. The most efficient method proved to be solar power, and the UC students were able to help make recommendations about size and location of panels. The students’ research findings will help Tonga further develop an energy road map as part of UC’s continuing relationship with Tonga Power. “Tonga relies heavily on external aid from other countries such as New Zealand and China, so the students’ findings can help inform funding applications to implement chosen power systems,” Lapthorn says. The week-long trip was mainly funded by UC’s College of Engineering as part of the university’s developing reputation for engaging in projects that are useful for businesses, communities and natural environments. The University of Canterbury has led a number projects in Tonga over the past few years, including installing solar systems on six school rooftops to help reduce expensive diesel-fuelled power bills.

Education Review series

Postgrad & Research 2015

Professional Development

Emerging from

The Mind Lab Kristin School teacher, NATHAN CALVERT was among the first 130 teachers to undertake The Mind Lab by Unitec’s Postgraduate Certificate in Applied Practice (Digital and Collaborative Learning). He was named as the winner of the NEXT Foundation Expert Teacher Award. Here, Education Review asks him about the award, the course and the future.

Firstly, congratulations on winning the NEXT Foundation Expert Teacher Award. What do you think gave you the edge over your fellow graduates? A: Thank you. That’s a hard question to answer, as the other teachers nominated for the award were inspirational, exceptional practitioners. In terms of my coursework, I made sure that what I focused on for assignments was directly related to my practice. I aimed to focus my learning on what was relevant to my class, and their increased engagement was reflected in the assignments I submitted. The selection committee carried out a phone interview with each of the teachers nominated for the award as part of the decision-making process. When I heard that I would have a phone interview in which I would talk about my teaching practice, I asked whether it was possible to instead have a Skype interview. I felt that the best way to share my practice is to show examples of it, so I put together a presentation and shared this during my interview. This presentation showed examples of innovative teaching practice. The process of creating the presentation helped me to clarify my thinking on how my practice had been enhanced as a result of The Mind Lab course. Going above and beyond what was asked of me had a direct impact on my selection as the NEXT Foundation Expert Teacher Award winner.

Postgrad & Research 2015

Education Review series

What prompted you to join The Mind Lab course (Postgraduate Certificate in Applied Practice – Digital and Collaborative Learning)? A: I still remember the first time I saw a flyer advertising The Mind Lab. It had a picture of a child and a laptop, with the quote, “I’m not the child you were trained to teach.” Although I was only trained nine years ago, so much has changed since then. Nine years ago there were no iPhones, no iPads, no Chromebooks, no Minecraft. 3D printers and coding were unheard of in schools. Rather than feeling threatened by new and emerging technologies, I wanted to gain a deeper understanding of these technologies and learn how to harness their power to transform student learning. In addition to this, Campbells Bay School, where I was employed when I began The Mind Lab course, was in the process of building a Modern Learning Environment (MLE). As I learned from Mark Osborne at Core Education, a Modern Learning Environment is simply an environment designed to facilitate modern learning. I felt that I needed to gain a better understanding of what modern learning was, and what it actually looked like in practice. As well as the professional development that the staff were undergoing in relation to this, I felt that The Mind Lab course would enhance my understanding of futurefocused learning, and my ability to effectively teach within an MLE.

What did the course entail? A: It is a 32-week blended learning programme split into two stages, each of 16 weeks. The first stage comprises weekly four hour face-to-face sessions at The Mind Lab, combined with online support materials accessed via a multimedia portal. The second stage of the course is primarily online, with occasional face-to-face support sessions. Personally, I found the first 16-week block the most helpful, as knowledge and skills learned were able to be applied to classroom practice straight away, and this application formed the basis of the assessments. The second 16-week block, undertaken via distance learning, was a good introduction to further postgraduate study, but not quite as hands-on as the first block. Assessment allows for video, photography, blogs or visual diaries of applied practice as an alternative to traditional documentation of learning through written essays.

In what ways has the Mind Lab course impacted on your teaching? Has it challenged perceived ideas? Inspired you to take different approaches in the classroom? A: The Mind Lab course has helped me to become more aware of the challenges that my learners will face when they leave school and enter the workforce. Studies predict that almost 50 per cent of the jobs people are currently employed to do won’t exist in 20 years. In 20 years’ time, my current class of year 1 students will be 25. They will be completing their tertiary study and beginning their careers. Digital technology will look totally different from what it looks like today. When I first considered this, my initial response was fear. It made me question whether my job was safe, and secondly whether what I was teaching would help my students thrive in an unknown, ever-changing world. Tony Wagner, an education

Professional Development

expert, talks about the disconnect between the skills employers are looking for in employees, and the skills which schools actually develop in their learners. After researching Tony Wagner’s work, I have made a concerted effort to develop the seven survival skills that Wagner believes are essential for 21st century learners: 1. Critical thinking and problem solving 2. Collaboration across networks and leading by influence 3. Agility and adaptability 4. Initiative and entrepreneurship 5. Effective oral and written communication 6. Accessing and analysing information 7. Curiosity and imagination. As the name suggests, the course is focused on both digital and collaborative learning. While digital literacy is of increasing importance, the ability to collaborate with others is a necessary skill in every workplace. As a result of The Mind Lab course, I have a stronger focus on engaging my students in learning experiences such as group learning challenges that promote critical thinking, collaboration and problem solving. I also aim to develop agility and adaptability in my students, as the rapid rate of change requires students to be able to adapt to life in an unknown world. Rather than giving me a list of apps/ websites/programmes/ideas to implement in my

class, The Mind Lab course created a shift in my mindset that caused me to reconsider and reevaluate the effectiveness of my teaching practice.

Why do you think it is important for teachers to incorporate digital technology into contemporary teaching practice? A: Substituting traditional ways of learning with digital technology doesn’t always enhance learning. Using a digital projector over an OHP, a word processor over a pencil, and an eBook over a physical book can have some benefit to student learning. Incorporating digital technology as a substitution tool has a limited, and sometimes negative, impact on student learning. If I was teaching an art lesson on painting landscapes, I would get my class to paint with a paintbrush, exploring line, texture and shape. I would let them experiment with colours and tones, mixing colours before selecting the perfect fit. I would not teach painting using digital technology such as an iPad app, where children could select the background colour, use auto-fill, then choose objects for their “painting”. The learning that comes through experimenting is of much greater value than the finished product. It is the thoughtful, considered use of digital technology to transform learning that makes a difference. The SAMR model is a helpful way of assessing the effectiveness of using digital

Bring digital and collaborative learning to life, just like Fee…

Postgraduate Certiﬁcate in Applied Practice

NEED MORE REASONS TO ENROL? NZQA

Accredited

Flexible timetable 32 weeks Part-time blended learning

$2000

(Digital and Collaborative Learning) Join us, and build your own knowledge of digital technologies and contemporary education, and learn practical teaching strategies to apply immediately in your own classroom.

Each week you look forward to learning something new then trying it out in the classroom. Miss Fee Holdsworth, Social Media & Technical Advisor, Tauhara College, Taupō

To start your journey, call 0800 MINDLAB (646 3522) or visit themindlab.com *Terms & Conditions apply. For full terms and conditions, please refer to themindlab.com. ©2015 The Mind Lab by Unitec. Information correct as at 05/10/15. Subject to change.

Scholarship *

For registered teachers at public schools

November 2015 intake

ENROL NOW

Locations Auckland | Gisborne | Wellington Christchurch | Rotorua | Whanganui

Education Review series

Postgrad & Research 2015

Professional Development

technology. If a task is not enhanced by the use of digital technology, there is no need to use it. However, if digital technology allows for the creation of new tasks with significant benefit to the learner, then it would be senseless not to take advantage of this. In my own practice, the use of blogs (using the Blogger Jr app) has transformed the way that learning is shared. Physical portfolios, which showed students’ best work and were shared with parents at parent-teacher interviews twice a year, have been replaced with an individual blog page. My year 1 students are emerging writers, so the focus is on sharing learning visually or using video rather than in a written format. Students take photos of the learning process or create video reflections after completing a piece of work, then upload these to their blogs. Blog posts are reflective, ongoing, show the learning process over time, and the work posted is studentselected. Parents have instant access to their child’s learning, which provides the opportunity for rich discussion of learning at home. Student blogs also give the opportunity for overseas family and friends to keep connected to school learning, which was not possible using the portfolio model. There are many other reasons to incorporate digital technology into the classroom, such as: improved relevance to digital natives; seamless home-school learning; enhanced ability to cater to diverse learning needs; preparation for the ‘real world’; enhanced access to information; global learning opportunities (e.g. Skyping children in countries you are learning about); reduced cost of resources (e.g. purchasing an eBook over a physical book). The most important thing is not whether teachers are incorporating digital technology into teaching practice, but whether the incorporation of digital technology enhances and transforms student learning.

Did the course provide an opportunity for networking with other teachers and a chance to bounce ideas off each other? A: My only reservation in accepting the award was that it almost felt unfair to single out one teacher from the amazing cohort that I undertook the course with. The course was based around collaboration – in workshops, in discussions and on the online portal where work was shared. While assessments were completed by the individual, the learning that underpinned these assessments was collaborative. During one workshop we were working with an invention kit called a MaKey MaKey. A MaKey MaKey turns everyday objects into touchpads and, when used in conjunction with a coding program can be used to create music. One of the groups wanted to create the score to the Imperial March. In the group was someone with knowledge of music, someone who worked out how to create a code so that the right notes could be played, and someone who searched for the notes for the Imperial March. The task became rich through the shared use of the group’s abilities.

Postgrad & Research 2015

Education Review series

Would you consider further postgraduate study at some point? A: Absolutely. I am currently looking at options for further study beginning in semester one next year. I’m considering a master’s in either applied practice or educational leadership. Interestingly, two other teachers that I met while doing The Mind Lab course are considering the same options, so we’re hoping to continue our postgraduate study together. My wife and I are expecting our third child in early October, so it’ll just be a matter of balancing study with family and work commitments!

The NEXT big thing The NEXT Foundation has provided 800 tuition scholarships this year to allow primary and secondary teachers to access and undertake The Mind Lab by Unitec’s postgraduate programme in digital and collaborative learning, and build the skills and knowledge they need to prepare young learners for an increasingly digital future. The NEXT Foundation was launched in March 2015 and will invest $100 million over the next 10 years in New Zealand-based education or environmental projects that overcome a specific problem, address a current need, or create a future opportunity. In 2016, the Foundation will provide 1350 tuition scholarships for The Mind Lab’s postgraduate programme. It has also provided a research grant to study the impact of the qualification. Chief executive Bill Kermode says the NEXT Foundation is proud to support The Mind Lab. “The pace of technological change has led to a growing need for teachers and schools to consistently integrate digital literacy into the curriculum, and build an education system that sets our children up for a successful and rewarding future in a technology-enabled world.”

Make way for Mind Lab The Mind Lab’s activities extend beyond professional development for teachers. It recently announced the offering of its postgraduate certificate to Auckland tertiary educators, expanding the opportunity to teachers at Universities, Polytechnics and Private Training Establishments. Frances Valintine, founder and chair of The Mind Lab by Unitec says the extension of the programme will allow tertiary educators from Auckland-based learning institutions to upskill their digital technology skills and knowledge of contemporary teaching practice. “The Mind Lab by Unitec has been working hard to upskill New Zealand teachers at a primary and secondary level with 1000 teachers already gaining deeper understanding of modern education through this postgraduate programme. Making this qualification available to tertiary educators is in recognition of the critical role that digital and collaborative learning plays at all levels, across all industries and in all workplaces,” says Valintine. The Mind Lab by Unitec’s Postgraduate Certificate in Applied Practice (Digital & Collaborative Learning) is a part-time 32-week programme and is redefining professional development for teachers through the offering of a hands-on, progressive and blended qualification. The Mind Lab also teaches school students from year 1–13 who attend education workshops in one of its four locations in Auckland, Gisborne, Wellington and Christchurch. Over the next five years additional new sites are planned with the ultimate goal of teaching 10,000 teachers and over 180,000 school students.

mba

The ICT edge how MBAs can add value

MBA graduates are becoming increasingly proficient in understanding how to leverage technology for the benefit of New Zealand business

nformation technology has transformed the way businesses operate, and those involved in an organisation’s management ideally need to possess an understanding of the strategic role technology plays. Master of Business Administration (MBA) graduates are proving to be increasingly valuable in this area, as MBA courses encourage students to think about information technology strategically. At last year’s Association of MBAs (AMBA) Asia-Pacific Conference held in Auckland in November, Andrew Main Wilson, chief executive of AMBA, spoke about how MBA graduates were sought after for a number of reasons, including their understanding of technology in the strategic business environment. “MBAs are important to New Zealand business because, like the rest of the world, what we need now are people with highly developed problem-

solving skills and good all- round business experience,” said Wilson. “MBA graduates are highly prized for their strategic and financial acumen in particular. Now employers are looking for the graduates who are comfortable and proficient in understanding how to leverage IT systems for optimum short-term and longer-term competitive advantage.”

Specialist IT modules

Wilson said specialist IT modules were particularly advantageous. “While visiting New Zealand I was impressed to see that a number of MBA courses are providing specialist information systems modules to help ensure managers can contribute in a knowledgeable and informed manner to information systems decisions affecting their area.” Victoria University of Wellington’s Business School offers an MBA course with a specialist IT module, designed to improve the students’ understanding of information technology, its role in sustainable organisational

“I believe MBAs will have a positive impact on the technology usage in New Zealand business.”

performance, and the many managerial issues that surround its adoption and use. Victoria Business School’s MBA director, Dr Arun Elias, believes the course content will benefit New Zealand business. “I believe MBAs will have a positive impact on the technology usage in New Zealand business. Courses such as the one at Victoria Business School will encourage senior business managers to implement IT systems in a positive and effective manner. “The questions that must be answered to leverage systems cannot be left solely to IT staff. While IT staff will contribute to the decision process, managers need to be responsible for IT strategic decisions,” said Elias. Dr Paul Leong, a teacher on AUT University’s MBA programme, said an MBA student doesn’t necessarily need to come equipped with a lot of technology knowledge or experience. “We consistently have students from non-IT backgrounds who appreciate the exposure to the significance of technology in the business environment. And even those with an IT background gain an insight into the management of IT from a more strategic standpoint.” Leong said the focus is not so much on understanding the technology itself, but rather understanding what the trends are and where to look for them. He gave the example of an MBA student – the chief executive of a company – who had “no clue” when it came to technology. However, with the benefit of the MBA, the student was able to gain an understanding of the strategic role technology played in his business. Leong said a background in technology isn’t always necessary to be an effective CIO [chief information officer]. It is more about an overall understanding of the systems in place, of how one piece of technology can work with another, and the benefits the technology can bring to an organisation.

Education Review series

Postgrad & Research 2015

Languages

A quiet but noisy

revolution in the language classroom DR ROSEMARY ERLAM discusses the shift in teaching languages to the internationally recognised, task-based language teaching approach and how New Zealand language teachers can use this approach effectively.

ow did you learn another language when you were at school? I was recently out for dinner with a friend of mine. She explained how her 12-yearold son was learning French at the new school he had moved to and described, with an element of mistrust, how different the modern methods of teaching seem to be. Different, that is, from her experience of learning back in the 70s. She spoke with some enthusiasm of the series of books she had back then: one for grammar, one for vocabulary, another for reading and so on. There has indeed been a quiet revolution in the language classroom. Or rather, a very noisy one! Quiet, because it probably has escaped the attention of many, but noisy in terms of what many language classrooms now tend to look like: the benchmark of a successful lesson seems to be one where the students are given freedom to interact with each other and use the language they are learning.

New task-based approach

The change can be largely attributed to a new way of approaching language teaching that was first documented in language classrooms in India in the 1980s by Professor N S Prabhu. It is known as task-based language teaching and it is an approach that is internationally recognised as one that, evidence suggests, best supports effective language learning. The idea is to make sure that learners have opportunities to complete language tasksin the classroom. As described by researchers such as Ellis and Skehan, we need to use a number of criteria to define what a language task looks like. We will identify four of these.

“Students, crucially, become more like language users and less like language learners.”

Postgrad & Research 2015

Education Review series

In a traditional classroom students who have been learning the vocabulary and language to talk about clothes might describe either what they are wearing or pictures they are given. In a task-based classroom, however, students might have a fashion parade at the end of their unit on clothing. In describing what their classmates are wearing as they walk down the runway, their communication will be more meaningful and more related to the way language is used in the real world. Many language learners will identify with the type of activity that requires them to write a dialogue to fit underneath a picture. It requires a simple innovation to this activity to make it a language task. For example, the teacher puts a series of pictures on the wall and students choose one they wish to write about. The rest of the class listens as the dialogues are read out and chooses the right picture. Now there is an information gap, because students have to listen and decide which picture best corresponds to the language they have heard. Teachers typically have controlled the language that learners are exposed to and used in the classroom. I know of one student who gave up language learning because she said that in the language classroom she was never able to talk about the things she wanted to. In a taskbased language classroom learners are given much more autonomy to use their own language. They are, therefore, given the tools to ask for words they might need to know. In French, this might be ‘comment dire… ?’ or in Samoan, ‘o le a le upu mo… ?’ (in English, ‘how do you say…?’). Students who have been learning numbers and months in a language classroom might be told to ask their classmates when their birthdays are. In a task-based classroom this would be extended further and the class could be told that they were going to conduct a survey to find out what is the most popular month for birthdays. Now there is an outcome and a real purpose for students to ask their peers about their birthdays.

A crucial distinction

It should be obvious by now that when they work at language tasks students have the opportunity to interact and use the language collaboratively (both as listeners and speakers) and that the teacher becomes more of a guide. Students, crucially, become more like language users and less like language learners. Of course, considerable skill is required on the part of the teacher to design and implement tasks successfully so that effective learning does take place in the classroom. In my own research with teachers designing language tasks in the New Zealand classroom, I have found that the biggest challenge for teachers is to make sure that students have the language skills they need to be able to complete language tasks. Beginner learners, in particular, need lots of exposure to language before they can be expected to use it meaningfully and independently. What New Zealand language teachers do particularly well, the research shows, is to plan for an outcome in a language task. The outcome might be winning a game, completing a survey or drawing a picture according to a partner’s instructions. As Dornyei points out, the outcome is not so much an end in itself as a means to motivate learners to complete the task. I posit that New Zealand teachers are so good at planning for motivating outcomes in their lesson designs because in New Zealand, sadly, many students are not required to learn a language and choose it only as an option. As a result, language teachers have had to learn to be very good at making their lessons enjoyable and engaging. One word of caution: the new emphasis on using tasks in the classroom does not mean that there is no room for the type of exercises and activities that are prevalent in the more traditional classroom and that my friend identified with successful learning. They still have their place. Students also need to learn the grammar, vocabulary, pronunciation, and so on, of the language they are studying. The task-based classroom accommodates this. What is important for effective language learning is that teachers also create opportunities for learners to complete language tasks and to function as users of the language and not just learners.

Languages Teaching the teachers

So what do I suggest for teachers who would like to learn more about task-based language teaching and about recent understanding of what makes for effective classroom learning? I would recommend the Teacher Professional Development Languages (TPDL) programme. This is a year-long programme catering for teachers of French, Japanese, Mandarin, German, Spanish, Samoan, Tongan, Cook Islands Māori, Tokelauan and Nuiean at all levels. It has three components. The first of these is language study and allows for some teachers to upskill in the language they teach and for others to learn an additional language. The second component is anintroduction to second language pedagogy, offered as a Stage 3 course at The University of Auckland and delivered intensively at different locations. In this course teachers are introduced to Professor Rod Ellis’s ‘Principles of Effective Instructed Language Learning’ and to task-based language teaching. The assessment component of this Stage 3 course requires teachers to design, teach and evaluate a language task in their classroom. The third, and arguably the most crucial, component of the TPDL programme are the four ‘in-school’ visits that teachers receive over the year. During these visits they are given evidencebased feedback that helps them reflect on and evaluate their classroom practice.

One teacher’s journey

In a recent research project I followed one teacher’s journey over the year of her involvement with the TPDL programme and observed in her classroom alongside the in-school support facilitator during her four scheduled visits. I evaluated this teacher’s progress against three key components of the programme.

Firstly, there was a dramatic increase in her use of the target language in the classroom. By the third visit she was using the target language 97 per cent of the time – a big improvement on the 24 per cent of the first visit. Interestingly, she said that it had always been her intention to use the target language in the classroom as much as possible, but that she had learnt that the things she previously thought needed to be said in English could, in fact, be said in the target language. Because the students were exposed to so much more of the language, the data I collected showed that they had made gains over the time in their use of the language in the classroom. This was all the more impressive because these students received only one 50-minute lesson a week. The third component looked at the provision of opportunities for students to interact in the target language in the classroom. The teacher created more opportunities for interaction over the course of the visits, and identified that a key goal moving forward would be to be less teacher-centred and allow the students more control in their use of the target language in the classroom. In this article I have presented just some of the major changes that the language classroom has seen in recent years. I hope it has been enough to give some readers a glimpse of how much more dynamic and exciting a place the language classroom can become. I would like to encourage more teachers to join the ‘noisy’ revolution!

Dr Rosemary Erlam is academic director for the Teacher Professional Development Languages (TPDL) programme.

This programme of in-school support, language and pedagogy study assists both new and experienced teachers of languages to apply strategies that have a lasting positive impact on student learning. Apply now for the 2016 programme. Multiple applications from schools are welcome. For enquiries and applications: tpdl@auckland.ac.nz or www.tpdl.ac.nz

Education Review series

Postgrad & Research 2015

Robotics

Talking

LEGO robot captures imaginations

HIT Lab NZ and Osaka University’s collaborative robotics research project causes quite a stir in Christchurch.

hen young girls and boys meet the talking LEGO robot at Christchurch’s Imagination Station, they are likely to think their dreams have come true. However, what they were witnessing is important field work for a sophisticated robotics research project led by the University of Canterbury’s Human Interface Technology Laboratory New Zealand (HIT Lab NZ) in collaboration with Japan’s Osaka University. Osaka University master’s student Shogo Nishiguchi has been working with HIT Lab NZ and has created The Robot Engine (TRE), a new approach to animating robots and programming their interaction with users. “Enabling experts on human behaviour to design fluent animations and behaviours for advanced robots is problematic, since the tools available for such robots are often in their prototype stage. “We have built TRE based on the Unity 3D Game Engine to control robots. Unity 3D allows non-programmers to use a set of powerful animation and interaction design tools to visually animate robots.”

Chatty Chatbot heralds integration

Nishiguchi says that one of the greatest features of TRE is the conversational function. “You can write the script for a conversation virtually on TRE and the robot will talk accordingly. However, it is almost impossible to write down all the possible questions and answers, as people sometimes give a random question that is out of context to the robot.”

Tips for aspiring robotics researchers Associate professor at the University of Canterbury’s HIT Lab NZ Christoph Bartnek says the obvious choice for students with an interest in pursuing robotics when they leave school is to take subjects like computer science and mechatronics. However, this would cover only the industrial robots. Bartnek says social robotics is a far more interesting field and requires knowledge from psychology and the theatre. He considers subjects around communication, sociology and performance art to be essential for social robotics. “It also does not hurt to read into the philosophy of artificial intelligence.”

Postgrad & Research 2015

Education Review series

Nishiguchi says that to solve the problem they embedded a function, called Chatbot, which is an online database of conversation, and gives proper answers to questions. “The advantage of scripting is that the conversation is heading to a goal set by the user. On the other hand, Chatbot can answer any random questions. TRE makes use of both advantages,” he says. “The robot normally talks along the script with the user but if people ask it something unexpected, it connects to Chatbot to answer it.” The LEGO robot’s conversational functions were put to the test when it was placed next to the donations box at Christchurch’s Imagination Station, a notfor-profit play and education centre and the first LEGO play and learn centre in New Zealand. By engaging them in conversation, dancing for them and even cracking jokes about the amount they had to donate, the robot was able to entice and charm strangers into parting with their cash to keep the Imagination Station – which relies completely on donations – going. “The purpose was to investigate if the robot could naturally convince people to donate through conversation. The robot had to have a natural conversation without irritating people – making them enjoy it,” says Nishiguchi. The team involved believe the unconventional integration of technologies has the potential to bring the expertise of integration designers into the process of advanced human-robot interaction projects. The results of this project will be presented at the 24th IEEE International Symposium on Robot and Human Interactive Communication (RO-MAN2015), in Kobe, Japan in September 2015. HIT Lab NZ is a human-computer interface research centre hosted at the University of Canterbury. It integrates research and education, providing students with a project-based learning environment, and conducts research with new emerging technologies such as human-robot interaction, augmented reality, next-generation video conferencing and immersive visualisation. Interaction design techniques are used to adapt these technologies to the needs of end users and solve real-world problems. Ultimately it strives to improve the user experience with technology.

“The robot normally talks along the script with the user but if people ask it something unexpected, it connects to Chatbot to answer it.”

BE PART OF THE

GENERATION THAT WILL MAKE

A CHANGE

STUDY AT LINCOLN LIN1464

WWW.LUGENERATION.CO.NZ

International students

Aotearoa:

how does it rate for international students?

Two surveys of international students in New Zealand give an insight into what influences their decision-making â&#x20AC;&#x201C; information that can be helpful to tertiary education organisations.

ducation New Zealand expects the value of international students to the New Zealand economy to exceed $5 billion over the next five years. While this sounds an ambitious target, research shows that New Zealand tertiary education organisations tick a lot of boxes for international students. The International Student Barometer Survey has found that 90 per cent of international students studying at a New Zealand university are satisfied with their study experience here. The independent survey, commissioned by Education New Zealand, investigated the expectations, perceptions and experiences of more than 6,000 international students from all eight universities. It is part of a worldwide study that

Postgrad & Research 2015

Education Review series

compares the experience of international students across different countries. The survey found that 93 per cent of international students chose to study in New Zealand because of the reputation of its universities. Other key deciding factors were personal safety, closely followed by research quality. Postgraduate students studying in New Zealand were more likely to see the reputation of an individual academic supervisor or professor as important. Satisfaction with many of the more detailed aspects of the learning experience was high â&#x20AC;&#x201C; 90 per cent or above. Students were most likely to be satisfied with the subject area expertise of lecturers or supervisors (94 per cent), confidence about managing a postgraduate research project

(93 per cent), electronic learning environment (93 per cent), online library (93 per cent) and the physical library (92 per cent). The results of the International Student Barometer Survey echo those of an earlier survey carried out by Hobsons APAC, released late last year. The Hobsons survey took in the responses of 2,119 international students from 134 countries to identify some common reasons why students choose New Zealand over other countries.

Subject, country, institution

The Hobsons research found that the majority of students surveyed said they made their decision based on the subject first, and then the country, and then the institution.

International students

A significant proportion of students – largely students from Asian nations – said they chose the country first before deciding on subject or institution.This reinforces the need for institutions to promote New Zealand as a study destination, rather than focusing solely on marketing themselves. The survey found that once students reached the point of deciding on a country, it usually came down to comparing New Zealand against Australia, the United Kingdom and the United States. The Hobsons report states that institutions must consider the brand value proposition of education in New Zealand and why students should study there over another destination. “How is this articulated through marketing and recruitment channels? Are institutions’ messages consistent, albeit with local differences? Collective agreement on the proposition, ownership and responsibility for communication is crucial.”

Teaching quality, ranking and cost

When it comes to deciding on where to study, students rate teaching quality as the most important factor. The survey established that tuition fees, academic ranking and course ranking are perceived by international students as the overall greatest determinants of teaching quality. While some factors can take years to change, such as academic ranking, ‘credentialising’ your courses can go a long way – even anecdotally or through student experience case studies. “We know that future international students want to hear about the experiences of their peers, so providing this content can be very effective in helping a future student to make their decision,” states the Hobsons report. The report also says it is important for institutions to ensure that course pricing reflects course value. “International students can be cost-conscious and we’ve found that most come from family income brackets of US$25k or less. Being able to justify the cost of an international degree compared to an option in their home country is essential. Future students looking to study abroad are doing so for the international recognition of their degree – getting this across at initial contact with the future student audience is essential to guide them through the conversion funnel.” The survey also hinted at the expectations of international students as they go through the process of applying to an institution. Ultimately students want a quick response to their email enquiries – within 24 hours of their initial enquiry. They expect institutions to be active across social media platforms. The most difficult information for students to find typically relates to cost of living, visa

requirements, and travel and accommodation options.

Take-home message for institutions

Collectively, the results of the two surveys build an interesting picture of what international students are looking for, and what influences their decisionmaking process. Hobsons managing director David Harrington believes the information is potentially useful to New Zealand institutions in attracting international students. “Regardless of the competitive market landscape, we’re firm believers that if you understand your future student audience, and deliver a quality education product and market to that audience across the channels they use, you can guide them towards choosing New Zealand as their study destination.” Chris Whelan, executive director of Universities New Zealand, welcomes the endorsement of New Zealand’s high-quality education. “We know that happy, satisfied international students are more likely to recommend

New Zealand to their friends and relations. This survey shows we are doing well.” He notes that while some aspects, such as cost of living, are beyond universities’ control, New Zealand universities are working hard to further improve student experiences. The effort made by many institutions in trying to increase work experience and placement opportunities for all students is just one example. Whelan says international education, as New Zealand’s fifth largest export earner, is important to New Zealand’s economy. The university sector alone contributed more than $1 billion to the economy last year. “We are a small island nation at the bottom of the world. We need relationships with people from other countries and we need our own students to be capable of working in a global marketplace. The global connections that our students make at university create business and employment opportunities for them when they graduate.”

“The Hobsons report states that institutions must consider the brand value proposition of education in New Zealand and why students should study there over another destination.“

Education Review series

Postgrad & Research 2015

FUNDING

Research funding

– spoilt for choice?

Tertiary sector research manager STEPHEN COX understands the difficulties that universities and institutes of technology face in finding appropriate external research funding opportunities.

he success rates for the major funding rounds in New Zealand can be very daunting, especially for research teams trying to establish themselves. There are, though, a myriad of research funding opportunities out there and it’s important for researchers to be able to sight the whole range of research funding opportunities at one go. Being aware of the variety of research funding and accessing funds that are less competitive and easier to apply for could offer a way forward for researchers eager to get early “runs on the board”. A small amount of funding can provide additional resources to initiate a research programme and gain momentum. It can be difficult to know how to access these funding opportunities. Research funding databases that allow researchers to search through the research funding opportunities available to them are useful. But which to use? From huge international databases to more bespoke sources, researchers need to navigate their way through the possibilities. Pivot is an example of a large global database with access to 32,000 funding opportunities from 89 countries. The funding is worth an estimated 33 billion dollars, although some funding is limited to specific countries or research fields.

Postgrad & Research 2015

Education Review series

However, researchers in New Zealand may find international forums like this rather too vast, particularly if they are on the lookout for more obscure and less obvious research funding opportunities. Recently launched database Research Maximum (www.researchmaximum.com) is a good example of a site that allows researchers to do just this. Specifically designed for New Zealand universities, polytechnics and institutes of technology (ITPs), the site organises over 320 research funding opportunities into six different categories: Fellowships and Awards, Research and Innovation Support, Research and Innovation Grants, Venture Capital, Travel and Conference, and International Research Funds. The site collates a range of information on the available funds, such as an overview of the fund, the fund’s website that gives access to the relevant forms and the closing date. It is updated fortnightly and provides information on newly released research funds as they are announced. Researchers can search for funds by category. For example, a search under ‘Travel and Conference Funding’ reveals over 20 funding opportunities to attend conferences and travel. They can also look for funds in a particular PBRF (Performance-Based Research Fund) Panel. The

Māori Knowledge and Development Panel, for example, comes up with over 25 possible research funding opportunities for researchers wanting to improve their PBRF portfolio by securing external funding for their research. Researchers can also pinpoint a particular funding scheme through an advanced key word search. Research funding in New Zealand has a reputation for being somewhat scarce, however there are ample opportunities out there to support researchers with their work – it is just a case of knowing where to look.

“Being aware of the variety of research funding and accessing funds that are less competitive and easier to apply for could offer a way forward for researchers eager to get early ‘runs on the board’.”

I AM STUDYING POSTGRADUATE EDUCATION I AM AN INSPIRER APPLY NOW If being at the forefront of a brighter educational future excites and motivates you, apply now for the Massey University Postgraduate programme in Education. Youâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;ll gain the professional knowledge and skills required to inspire changes in educational issues, practices and policies.

TRACTA55073-ER

Call 0800 MASSEY or visit massey.ac.nz/pgeducation