Tablets a Winner for Maori Studies

Tablets a Winner for Maori Studies

EIT’s Te Manga Maori students have found using tablets helps them learn about Maori music and musical instruments.

The tablets were trialled as part of a pilot project in developing the Level 5 course Maori Music and Musical Instruments, Te Puoro me nga Taonga Whakatangitangi, for blended delivery in the Bachelor of Arts (Maori) programme.

The course was one of two targeted for EIT’s Blended Learning Project, which is aimed at finding ways to make education accessible to a more widespread target population following the merger of the Hawke’s Bay and Tairawhiti (Gisborne) institutes.

Students enrolled in the paper were loaned tablets to use in class, together with resources prepared for EIT Online. The tablets were small and portable, with wireless connectivity and audio and visual recording and editing software.

They allowed students to record lectures as well as various waiata, haka and Maori instruments they were crafting and playing. They could learn about the history of a particular waiata, for example, and, in watching it performed years ago, were able to observe how the actions, lyrics and stance of performers might change over time.

Head of School Pareputiputi Nuku and lecturer Parekura Rohe-Belmont led the research team evaluating the trial. Students completed two questionnaires and took part in separate focus group interviews on both campuses.

The trial identified a need for staff and student training resources and some issues regarding insurance for the tablets.

“Overall, however, the evaluation found high levels of student satisfaction with the technology and of student engagement in the course material,” says Miss Nuku. “As a reflection of that, we found students’ marks went up by an average nine percent.”

ENDS

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