MIT to host Akld hub of tertiary teaching centre

Thursday, 17 August 2006

Manukau Institute of Technology to host Auckland hub of national tertiary teaching centre

Manukau Institute of Technology will host the Auckland regional hub of New Zealand’s first National Centre for Tertiary Teaching Excellence.

MIT is hosting the hub as a member of a collaborative consortium led by Massey University, which was awarded a $20-million government contract this week to establish the centre and run it for five years.

The centre will be based at Massey’s Wellington campus with regional hubs in Auckland, Christchurch and Palmerston North.

The Auckland hub will be based at MIT’s campus in Manukau City and will be operated in partnership with AUT University, another member of the consortium.

“We are extremely excited about hosting the hub. This is a great opportunity for MIT to bring its strong focus on excellence in teaching to the centre and to provide a very supportive backdrop for the activities of the centre,” says MIT Academic director Dr Helen Anderson.

The regional hubs will ensure the centre is highly accessible, responsive and attuned to the variety of teaching and learning that is characteristic of New Zealand’s tertiary sector, says Dr Anderson.

“One of the intents of the centre is to reach as many groups as possible.”

MIT is well positioned to ensure the Tertiary Teaching Excellence centre reaches a variety of education providers from small workplace training organisations to large universities, says Dr Anderson.

“MIT has a strong history of collaboration across the tertiary sector. It has well established relationships with a diverse range of tertiary providers and has carried out very successful projects with multiple institutions in the past.”

One such project is the national Curriculum Alignment project which MIT led across 17 polytechnics.

MIT’s physical location in Counties Manukau, meanwhile, places it in close proximity to a variety of training providers, says Dr Anderson, adding having the Auckland hub in this region will benefit local communities.

“The hub will ensure Counties Manukau students of continued access to high-quality tertiary teaching.”

Dr Anderson is also a member of the establishment group for the centre, which held its first meeting in Wellington this week. This group’s first tasks are to establish a governing board and to appoint a director for the centre.

The Government has committed $4-million a year to the Tertiary Teaching Excellence centre with the goal of promoting and supporting effective teaching and learning across New Zealand’s tertiary sector.

The centre’s functions will include establishing benchmarks to improve teaching practice and supporting the development of subject expertise in tertiary teaching.

It will also research, identify and share effective teaching and learning practices and will explore the need for professional standards including entry requirements to the tertiary teaching profession.

In addition, the centre will administer Tertiary Teaching Excellence awards.

Other members of the consortium include AUT University, the University of Canterbury, Christchurch College of Education and the Universal College of Learning.

ENDS

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