Zealand Polytechnic Research Articles

STRATEGIES FOR RETENTION AND COMPLETION IN VOCATIONAL EDUCATION: FACULTY PERSPECTIVES

The purpose of this paper is to identify and discuss the strategies for retention and completion in vocational education. We are reporting on one New Zealand polytechnic institution’s experience in improving the retention and completion rate for a one-year diploma in business programme. A review of relevant literature pertaining to retention and completion strategies in tertiary education in general and for vocational education in particular was performed to understand the factors dominant in dropout decisions of tertiary students and to explore retention and completion strategies from a wider body of knowledge. The review focused on strategies influencing institutional and interactive factors to identify this issue. Further, a qualitative study was conducted; data was collected by conducting one-on-one interviews using open-ended questions to survey the faculty teaching on the diploma programme at a New Zealand polytechnic. The findings revealed faculty employed a range of practices for improving interaction with students, identifying at-risk students, and providing them with support, creating a collaborative learning environment, and employing a constructive feedback system to improve retention and completion in the programme. This study is expected to assist educators and tertiary institutions in prioritising retention and completion issues and adopting suitable strategies to address these issues.

Teaching Invitational Theory within the Context of a New Zealand Polytechnic

Relevant examples of practice and case studies are used to clarify andexplicate the theoretical framework and to illustrate the success of InvitationalTheory as one of the theories taught in The Waikato Polytechnic’sDiploma of Adult Learning and Teaching. The paper concludesby pointing out a number of challenges Invitational Theory poses foradult educators in general and New Zealand Polytechnic lecturers inparticular.

The functions, attributes and challenges of academic leadership in New Zealand polytechnics

Purpose– Leadership in educational settings has been established as a key factor that impacts student learning outcomes, consequently it is important to understand how academic leadership is conceptualised and enacted. The paper aims to discuss this issue.Design/methodology/approach– This qualitative study investigated the nature and demands of academic leadership in the New Zealand polytechnic sector by analysing documentary evidence and investigating the perceptions held of the role by 15 academic leaders in four institutions who were interviewed.Findings– Findings of the study highlight the four roles of organisational leadership, curriculum leadership, academic management and academic currency. Participants confirmed that they struggle with ambiguity and tensions. The importance of teams, collaboration and communication are established and the study concludes that an understanding of role complexity to reduce ambiguity and provision of support to perform the role should be key institutional concerns.Originality/value– This is one of very few research studies into conceptualising and researching the enactment of academic leadership in a polytechnic setting. The findings could impact the design of future leadership development.

Images of academic leadership in large New Zealand polytechnics

As accountability stakes continue to be raised in all education sectors, leadership as a factor that can have an impact on improved student outcomes is being studied with heightened interest. This study was conducted from 2011 to 2012 in New Zealand's large urban polytechnics with the aim of investigating the nature and expectations of academic leadership. The conceptualisation of academic leadership in the theory base is fraught with both complexity and paradox and is often presented in contradictory terms. The study identifies images of academic leadership practised by directors of an academic front line, by actors in the front line and supporters on the side line. In relation to polytechnic settings it is concluded that new and varied forms of academic leadership are provided by spreading the role that encompasses both leadership and management.

On the MUVE or in decline: Reflecting on the sustainability of the Virtual Birth Centre developed in Second Life

<span>Pressures in terms of the availability of quality, real-life clinical experiences for students have resulted in increased interest in the use of simulation in a variety of healthcare disciplines. </span><em>Te wahi whanau: The birth place</em><span> is a Virtual Birth Centre (VBC) that was created in </span><em>Second Life</em><span> in 2009 as part of the Second Life Education in New Zealand (SLENZ) initiative. It was introduced to midwifery students at two New Zealand polytechnics, with the aim of exposing the students to a birth centre environment and providing them with an opportunity to practise midwifery through immersion and engagement in a number of clinical scenarios. It has been just over two years since the development of the VBC, yet it is no longer used in the midwifery programs in which it was introduced. Using the VBC as a case study, we recount its development and critically reflect on the factors impacting on its ongoing utilisation. We believe our reflections offer useful insight into issues relating more broadly to the sustainability of MUVE-based teaching and learning projects and initiatives.</span>

Student pathways in a New Zealand polytechnic: Key factors for completion

This study aims to identify factors predicting students’ pathways in a New Zealand polytechnic. Data on 1076 students who enrolled in 2002 in degree programmes in a large polytechnic in the Auckland region were used for this study. A series of regression models were established, the findings suggest that the more papers students take in the first year the more likely they are to complete their Bachelor degree qualifications within three years. Demographic characteristics did not have significant effect on the likelihood for completion. Grade Point Average GPA in the second year was a significant predictor for retention through to the third year but not for the likelihood of completion in the third year. It was suggested that the high level of student engagement with the polytechnic is a possible reason for the high completion rate, particularly among groups of students who are traditionally under-represented in higher education. A significant proportion of tertiary students (30% in 2002) in New Zealand study at polytechnics or institutes of technology (Ministry of Education, 2002a). Hence, a good understanding of student pathways within the polytechnic sector is critical for any intervention aimed at improving educational outcomes within this sector. The current study focuses on students enrolled in degree programmes at a large polytechnic in 2002 and follows their pathways and achievements throughout a period of three years (to the end of 2004). The purpose of this study is to scope the nature and value of data held by a large New Zealand Polytechnic (henceforth: NZP) to assist in evaluating the effectiveness of student pathways and achievements of different groups of students within degree programmes at the NZP. Key words: Undergraduate students, polytechnics, vocational training.

Competing allegiances in ESL curriculum work

The ethnography reported here reports on the findings of a practitioner ethnography conducted in a feminised and casualised workforce over four years (1997–2001) in a New Zealand polytechnic. It examines the competing allegiances of teachers and students in a combined community and workplace English oriented programme, in contexts where intercultural, professional and hegemonic discourses underpin practice on the institutional margins. In all cases, English as a Second Language (ESL) teachers express a desire to retain autonomy to decide the form and nature of curriculum according to workable personal definitions and learner-centredness or needs. However, teacher discourses of learner needs do not always translate directly into the real world of student needs.

Improving Retention and Success: A Case Study Approach for Practical Results

This article reports on efforts to investigate and improve retention and graduation rates at a New Zealand polytechnic. A literature review and Tinto's Longitudinal Model of Institutional Departure provided the theoretical underpinning for the work. A case study methodology was used, whereby a member of the institute's Academic Quality Unit worked with staff involved in the delivery of selected programs. Pre-entry factors, institutional experiences, and students' social and academic integration were examined, and some interventions trialed. An academic mentoring scheme and personal education journal were introduced and these were partially successful. Other matters examined included pre-entry practices, orientation, learning style preferences, program delivery and design, course materials, assessment, and attendance. Efforts in these areas improved retention and success, although the results and contributing factors varied from program to program. Whether students are retained and graduate ultimately rests with the student. However, institutional actions and systems can make a difference.

Moving tales: acculturation experiences of migrant women staff entering a New Zealand polytechnic

The complex acculturation experiences of migrant staff entering the tertiary sector of their host country are seldom voiced. This paper presents some of the ways in which migrant women staff have responded to the demands of living and working in a culture different from their own. It shows how they have developed a ‘double vision’, or an ability to see both their home culture and that of their host country more critically. Their resultant ability to mediate between cultures has become a positive factor in their work in an increasingly multicultural sector. This paper calls for the use of structured interventions in the induction of new migrant staff that affirms and validates their cultural knowledge and experience, while introducing existing institutional practices and approaches. It argues that the ensuing development of intercultural exchange is an essential ingredient of a culturally inclusive sector.

The cost efficiency of New Zealand’s polytechnics

In New Zealand the most important institutions that are responsible for the delivery of vocational education and training programs are the government owned and operated tertiary education institutions known as polytechnics.1 The New Zealand polytechnics deliver programs at the certificate, diploma and degree level. During the course of the 1990s, expansion of participation in vocational education and training was a major priority on the part of the New Zealand Government (OECD 2002). In order to enable this to occur without placing too great a financial burden on the government and taxpayers, the polytechnics have become more dependent upon non-government sources of income (both student fees and other sources) and have been opened up to increasing levels of competition with the view that this will compel them to operate at higher levels of efficiency. As well, it is thought competition will make the polytechnics more responsive to the demands of students and industry.2 At the same time the polytechnics have been given more autonomy such that they have been able to move into the delivery of programs formerly denied to them.The purpose of this paper is to look at some aspects of the cost efficiency of the operation of polytechnics in New Zealand between the years 1995 and 2002. The efficient operation of the polytechnics in New Zealand is important because they need to operate at high levels of cost efficiency if they are to provide the greatest possible contribution to the development of New Zealand’s skill and knowledge base. In particular one issue to consider was whether the creation of larger polytechnic institutions could achieve lower unit costs and therefore educate a greater number of students without significantly increasing costs. In order to achieve these larger institutions, the various polytechnics have attempted to 1) expand enrolments by diversifying into the delivery of degree programs, 2) attract additional students from overseas and 3) arrange (or been forced by circumstances into) mergers in order to create larger scale institutions. In the next section, a background account of the nature of the vocational education sector and the role of the New Zealand polytechnic is given. Following this, a section containing an analysis of the cost efficiency of New Zealand’s polytechnics is provided, and in the final section some conclusions are given.

Where Have They Gone? What Are They Doing?

This paper presents the findings of a survey designed to examine the employment outcomes, perceptions of training and future career/life plans of counsellors who graduated between 1997 and 2002 from a range of counselling programmes in an Aotearoa/New Zealand polytechnic. Their responses describe an enterprising population of new counsellors who find and create employment as well as demonstrating an ongoing commitment to further education. In line with overseas trends, many counsellors appear to be employed in health contexts and in private practice. The survey, however, raises many questions for further investigation. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR] Copyright of New Zealand Journal of Counselling is the property of New Zealand Association of Counsellors and its content may not be copied or emailed to multiple sites or posted to a listserv without the copyright holder's express written permission. However, users may print, download, or email articles for individual use. This abstract may be abridged. No warranty is given about the accuracy of the copy. Users should refer to the original published version of the material for the full abstract. (Copyright applies to all Abstracts.)

Exploring Change and Innovation by ICT Teaching Staff in the New Zealand Polytechnic Sector

Exploring Change and Innovation by ICT Teaching Staff in the New Zealand Polytechnic Sector

From Compliance to Care: stimulating change in a New Zealand polytechnic

UNITEC is attempting to shift from a paradigm that views quality as systems compliance to a paradigm of personal care and individual responsibility where quality is about making a real difference in classrooms. A set of ‘quality principles’ has been developed to replace comprehensive standards and processes specified in the existing quality-management system. Staff are encouraged to develop tailored processes, through controlled pilots, rather than unthinkingly implementing predefined institutional procedures. Experience to date is outlined, focusing on whether a paradigm shift might be achieved through this model or whether the institute is simply moving from one form of compliance to another.

Technical and scale efficiency of vocational education and training institutions: The case of the New Zealand polytechnics

In recent years vocational education and training has been recognised as having a crucial impact on worker productivity, enterprise performance and the overall performance of the New Zealand economy. The importance of vocational education and training gives rise to the issue of the efficient operation of educational institutions. In this paper Data Envelopment Analysis is used to derive estimates of technical and scale efficiency. Comparisons are also made with Victorian TAFE institutes. The results indicate that there is scope to improve efficiency and to take advantage of economies of size in the sector.

The daisy model for collaborative action research: application to educational practice

The Daisy Model is a conceptualisation of the way in which a core group of experienced and novice action researchers may work on a range of related mini-projects that contribute to organisational improvement. This model enables the spread of action research from one or two enthusiasts to others in an organisation. It allows for changes in individual commitment and organisational context as the research progresses. Development of this model has occurred since 1995, during several projects related to educational practice in New Zealand polytechnics. In 1997 the model was applied to the collaborative improvement of policies and procedures for recognition of prior learning at two polytechnics. This article describes the model and its application and examines the roles of the facilitator(s) and the types of activities that occur within the central core group and petal mini-project groups of the Daisy

Designer—a logic diagram design tool

Designer is a software tool that helps the program developer lay out structure diagrams. Structure diagramming is a structured design technique commonly taught in New Zealand polytechnics. Diagrams can be written for overall logic flow or detailed design. Unlike a flow chart, a structure diagram can always be directly translated to the control structures of a structured programming language. The basic diagram symbols are process boxes, decisions, loops, input-output boxes and procedure calls.

Quality‐management Systems and Dramaturgical Compliance

The implementation of quality‐management systems in New Zealand polytechnics is discussed. Although these institutions have sought to define quality in a way appropriate to a tertiary education provider, the introduction of a systems approach to quality has not necessarily led to the institutions meeting their objectives in terms of their quality definitions. Quality‐management is considered as an instrument of governmentality developed to ensure the surveillance of the work of academic staff in an educational institution. It is suggested that this surveillance has not led to an improvement in quality, or to institutional definitions of quality being realised; rather, that a dramaturgical compliance to the system has been achieved.

International Accounting and the Accounting Curriculum: The New Zealand Case

This study explores the teaching of International Accounting on both undergraduate and postgraduate degrees in New Zealand in New Zealand's polytechnic and university sectors. Included in the study is an analysis of course outlines of international accounting courses from business and commerce faculties of the New Zealand tertiary sector. The paper compares the teaching of international accounting in New Zealand with that of the United Kingdom, Australia and the US. Results suggest that even though international accounting issues have been given significant prominence in accounting research as of late, there is a paucity of International Accounting education offered to New Zealand accounting students including in comparison with the UK, Australia and the US. Through our analysis and discussion we seek to engender a more critical review of international accounting education.

External Quality Monitoring in New Zealand Tertiary Education

Within the context of rapid educational reform in New Zealand, external quality monitoring requirements in the 1990s have expanded significantly. The requirements for external quality monitoring can be directly linked to the devolution of ‘control’ from a centralised to a devolved model of educational funding and management, with criteria for demonstrating accountability now the key factor in determining external quality monitoring policy. Key influences on recent external quality monitoring developments are explored, and a brief case study illustrating the impact of external processes on internal quality monitoring and the enhancement of teaching and learning in a New Zealand polytechnic is provided. Despite tensions between the accountability‐led requirements and teaching and learning enhancement, some positive impact of external quality monitoring on teaching programmes is evident.

Measuring Quality in New Zealand Polytechnics

Measuring Quality in New Zealand Polytechnics