Open Polytechnic and Te Wānanga o Aotearoa receive international recognition
Open Polytechnic and Te Wānanga o Aotearoa’s (TWoA) collaboration for the Te Ara Reo Māori Programme received an
honourable mention at the 2019 International E-Learning Awards, held in Bangkok recently.
The innovative collaboration between the two organisations for Te Ara Reo Māori involved converting Te Wānanga o
Aotearoa’s existing classroom programme for blended delivery on Open Polytechnic’s iQualify online learning platform.
Blending the programme involved digitising the course content for delivery on iQualify, with face-to-face teaching and
learning support provided by TWoA tutors. Along with deploying the iQualify platform, redevelopment work included
creating digital content and audio and video features.
The two organisations received an honourable mention in the ‘Blended Learning – Academic Division’ category of the 2019
International E-Learning Awards which were held as part of the 22nd International Conference on Interactive
Collaborative Learning 2019.
Open Polytechnic Chief Executive, Dr Caroline Seelig, says the recognition highlights what can be achieved when you
combine organisational specialist education technology and digital content creation skills with a high quality Māori
language programme such as Te Ara Reo Māori.
“This award is a recognition of the great work between our organisations and using our strengths to work together on
such an important project,” says Dr Seelig.
Te Taiurungi (chief executive) o Te Wānanga o Aotearoa, Te Ururoa Flavell says the acknowledgement reinforced the
benefits of collaborating with the Open Polytechnic.
“As leaders in mātauranga Māori, Te Wānanga o Aotearoa is always looking for ways to improve the delivery of our
programmes.”
“By working with the Open Polytechnic we are able to combine our technical prowess with mātauranga Māori to create a
groundbreaking product which will benefit our tauira (students) for many years to come.”
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About Open Polytechnic
Open Polytechnic is New Zealand’s specialist provider of open and distance learning, enrolling over 30,000 mainly
part-time students per year. The majority of students are adult learners combining work and study, making the Open
Polytechnic one of New Zealand’s major educators of people in the workforce.
Website: www.openpolytechnic.ac.nz
About Te Wānanga o Aotearoa
Te Wānanga o Aotearoa is one of New Zealand’s largest education providers. We’ve been educating and inspiring New
Zealanders of all cultures for over 30 years. We deliver certificate to master’s degree programmes to 30,000 students
each year, from more than 120 sites around the country as well as in students’ homes. We have one of the highest rates
of student success amongst NZ tertiary providers, and 96% of our students recommend us as their preferred place of
learning. We educate and inspire using Māori values in a way that’s good for everyone.
Website: www.twoa.ac.nz
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