Ako Aotearoa

This report investigated the skills and attitudes that are essential for new occupational therapy graduates to be confident and effective evidence-based practitioners.

It has developed a model that identifies five components that inform decision-making to provide a comprehensive guideline for teaching Evidence-Based Practice.

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Considering a new way to foster skills for evidence-based practice (PDF, 1.1Mb)

Background:

Critiquing research is the most studied aspect of learning how to be evidence-based, however therapists do not spend a lot of time looking for and critiquing research.

This 18-month project, completed in 2019 at Otago Polytechnic, aimed to better prepare occupational therapy students to transition from an academic environment to the realities of evidence-based practice.

Research report prepared by Dr Linda Robertson, Helen Jeffrey, Kim Reay and Dr Angela Benfield.

Co-funded by the Ako Aotearoa Regional Hub Project Fund (RHPF)

This report details a pilot study of a flipped classroom approach with a cohort of first year engineering students at the Department of Mechanical Engineering at the University of Canterbury.

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Assessing the effectiveness of a flipped classroom in foundational engineering dynamics (PDF, 1.3Mb)

Background:

A project, completed in 2017 at the University of Canterbury, to investigate engineering students’ impressions of the flipped classroom approach and their ongoing academic achievement in follow-on courses.

Report prepared by Paul Docherty, Wendy Fox-Turnbull and Pinelopi Zaka.

Co-funded by the Ako Aotearoa Regional Hub Project Fund (RHPF)

These resources provide a set of research resources and practical information for teachers working with digital images.

The Teacher’s Resource and the accompanying set of posters can be used to guide students through the decisions that need to be made when using digital images, and provide a set of case studies that include a record of real classroom situations and the decisions that were made regarding the risk of copyright infringement, understandings of appropriate ethical behaviours, and our critical and social contexts in New Zealand Aotearoa.

Part Two: Background Research documents, analyses, evaluates, considers and recommends methods for engaging with digital images whilst paying careful attention to the movements towards open source and creative commons approaches to digital media.

Resource download:

Art at Risk copyright, fair dealing and art in a digital age – Part one Teacher’s Resource (PDF, 4Mb)

Art at Risk: Copyright, fair dealing and art in a digital age – Part two: Background Research (PDF, 2.6Mb)

Posters | Art at Risk: Copyright, fair dealing and art in a digital age  (PDF, 4Mb)

Background:

A project completed in 2011, undertaken by Otago Polytechnic, to investigate the use of the digital image and the associated delivery of software and copyright information in the tertiary classroom.

Resources prepared by Susan Ballard and Pamela McKinley.

Co-funded by the Ako Aotearoa Regional Hub Project Fund (RHPF)

This project aimed to discover students’ ideas of what good teaching and effective learning are in university settings. 

The findings share both attributes and actions that students saw as characterising ‘good teachers’.

This report offers recommendations for university teachers, suggesting some principles that are likely to make teachers more effective when working with students, alongside recommendations for university students to aid them to recognise their role in the teaching-learning partnership.

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The Good Teaching Project (PDF, 2.2Mb)

Background:

A one-year project, completed in 2017 at the University of Otago, to explore high achieving university students’ conceptions of ‘good teaching’ and ‘effective learning’ in university lecture and tutorial settings.

Research report prepared by Vivienne Anderson, Ana Rangi, Esmay Eteuati, Rob Wass, Clinton Golding, and Rafaela Rabello.

Co-funded by the Ako Aotearoa Regional Hub Project Fund (RHPF)

This report shares ten employability capabilities and a range of practical, proven approaches for teachers to prepare learners for the challenges of the workplace.

The Guidelines have been designed for use by teachers of vocation-based programmes, especially those including work experience, work placement or internships.

They are accessible and practical, for teachers to interpret easily and apply in their own context.

Visit the Teaching Employability Skills project website for further tips.

Download the report:

Teaching strategies that build employability skills of vocational education graduates (PDF, 1.4Mb)

Background:

This collaborative project, completed in 2019, involved seven Institutes of Technology and Polytechnics (ITPs) produced a toolkit of ideas and strategies to assist teachers in vocational education in embedding employability skills into their teaching practices.

Report prepared by Gerard Duignan, Scott Casley, Cath Fraser, Carmel Haggerty, Stephen Hannam, John Hitchcock, Agustilia Rodrigues, Kate Ross, Leah Seno, Deb Stewart, Beverley Taylor and Anne Webster.

Co-funded by the Ako Aotearoa Regional Hub Project Fund (RHPF)

This report details the scoping and development of a proactive support strategy and recommendations to sustain and optimise the quality of teaching and learning in engineering degree programmes in New Zealand.

The project identified that there was a community of practice of over 80 engineering academics. The activities and resulting networking stimulated and contributed to a wide range innovative pedagogical interventions and opportunities for inter-institutional collaboration.

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Sustained improvements in teaching and learning in engineering education (PDF, 900Kb)

Background:

An 18-month project, completed in 2013, to bring together engineering education leaders from New Zealand engineering degree-granting institutions to scope and develop a strategy to support sustained improvements in engineering teaching and learning. A collaboration of University of Waikato, University of Auckland, Manukau Institute of Technology and Otago Polytechnic.

Research report prepared by Janis Swan and Elizabeth Godfrey.

Co-funded by the Ako Aotearoa National Project Fund (NPF)

This report identifies factors which contribute to successful learning on practicum, including structures and processes which maximise the learning experiences of student teachers during practicum

It offers recommendations that may be of use to those involved in teacher practicum experiences.

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Teaching Practicum in 21st Century New Zealand (PDF, 1.5Mb)

Background:

A project, completed in 2011, to examine the learning experience of student teachers and their mentors during practicum to enable the development of models for practicum appropriate for 21st century New Zealand teacher education programmes. A collaboration of Victoria University of Wellington and Massey University.

Research report prepared by Louise Starkey and Peter Rawlins.

Co-funded by the Ako Aotearoa Regional Hub Project Fund (RHPF)

This report identifies teaching and learning strategies for successful transfer of numeracy and mathematical skills and knowledge across contexts with potential for use in the sciences.

It includes a good practice guide for effective numeracy transfer from one cognitive domain (e.g. mathematics) to another (e.g. science).

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Teaching for numeracy and mathematics transfer in tertiary science (PDF, 1Mb)

Background:

A project, completed in 2014 by the University of Canterbury, to identify and implement pedagogical strategies designed to facilitate the transfer of numeracy and mathematical skills and knowledge to science disciplines.

Research report prepared by Erik Brogt, Annie Soutter, Sarah Masters, and Wendy Lawson.

Co-funded by the Ako Aotearoa Regional Hub Project Fund (RHPF)

This report surveyed the existing exercise science curriculum content for physical education/teacher education (PETE) students to develop practical recommendations that will assist tertiary institutions and their staff in the development of pedagogies suitable for the enhancement of learning in the exercise sciences.

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Developing Pedagogy for Exercise Science in Tertiary Physical Education Programmes in the Aotearoa New Zealand Context (PDF, 300Kb)

Background:

A project completed in 2010, undertaken by University of Canterbury, to enhance tertiary exercise science pedagogy for physical education teacher education.

Research report prepared by Nick Draper, Ian Culpan and Susannah Stevens.

Co-funded by the Ako Aotearoa Regional Hub Project Fund (RHPF)