Productivity Commission Inquiry Final

Post on 14-Jan-2017

41 views 4 download

Transcript of Productivity Commission Inquiry Final

3

LEARNERS AND LEADERS: A FOREWORD

EDUCATION, CREATING HEALTHY THINKING AND HEALTHY LEADERS

Iwas recentlydiagnosedwithbreast cancer andunderwent somefairlycomplexsurgery.Afterthesurgery,therewerecomplicationsincluding infection, pneumonia, and pulmonary embolism, whichresulted in me being off work and fully dependent on nurse andhomehelpcareforfivemonths.WhenIraisedmyconcernsaboutthesecomplicationswithoneofthe“lead”doctors,theysaidthatiftheyweretodoitagain,theywouldhavedonenothingdifferently.

Thisstatementhasdisturbedmeverydeeply.WhatIheardatthatmomentwasaspecialistclaimingthattheyhadnothingtolearnornothingthattheycouldhaveimproveduponandthatthisexperiencehadtaughtthemnothingaboutpatientcare.

ThisexperiencehasmademequestionwhatmakesagreatdoctororsurgeonandultimatelywhatmakesagreatNewZealander,agreathumanbeing?Andtoask,wheredowelearnhowtodothisortobecomethis?

I believe our health system is a barometer for our values as asociety...howwe“treat”ourmostvulnerableisadirectindicatorofhowwethink,feelandfunctionasasociety.

So,ismystoryanoutcomeofourcurrenteducationsystem?Ifso,whatismissing,whatwouldourdreameducationsystemlookandfeellike?

In my experience, if there is one thing that unites all the greatthinkers, leaders, humanitarians and creators of our world,regardless of gender, ethnicity, religious persuasion, etc… is theknowledge that we always must keep questioning and that wealwayshavemoretolearn.

I have come to deeply believe that a deep sense of curiosity, apersonal humility and the unwavering human quality to keep onimprovingmustbeattheheartofoureducationsystemifwearetocreate a truly civil society and one where all citizens truly takeresponsibilitynotonlyforthemselvesbutforthosearoundthem.

So, here is the opportunity, here is what “healthy thinking” from“healthyeducation”mightlooklike:

Asapatient,whatifIlearnthowto“lead”myownhealthstoryandexperience.ImagineifIknewhowtospeakupwhenIhadconcerns,if I asked questions when I have doubts, if I could challenge theprocesswhenIseethesystemfailnotonlymebutothersaroundme.

WhatifbeingagreathealthprofessionalmeantIwouldwelcomethisfrommypatientsandthatIfeelaresponsibilitytoquestion,tohavehumility,tolearntolistendeeply,andtochallengetheculturearoundmeifitisnotputtingthecareofpatientsatitsheart.

Andwhatifwrappedaroundthis,healthmanagerscreatedacultureofopenness,generosity,curiosityandlifelonglearningthatsupported,nurturedandrewardedthesevalues?

4

Somehowwemustfindawaytoputtrustandcareattheheartofourpractiseandourleadership.Weallmustlearnhowtobemorecourageous.

SowheredidIlearnaboutleadership?Notatatertiaryinstitution,notatschoolbutthroughlifeexperienceandthroughorganisationslikeBe.Leadership,theSirPeterBlakeTrustandLeadershipNZ,throughleadingthinkersandwriterslikeMegWheatleyandPeterBlock.ThroughobservingpeoplelikeDameTarianaTuriawhoistheembodimentofstrength,courage,humilityandlove,andfinallythroughthedeep,unwaveringcaringIhaveexperiencedoverthelastfewmonthsfromfamilyandfriends.

MydreameducationsystemwouldnurtureandgrowourleadersofNewZealand,whethertheychoosetothenspecialiseinhealth,sport,design,business,politicsormedicine,withafoundationofcuriosity,generosityofspirit,compassion,joyandtrustinourabilitytoalwaysdobetter…Wethenjustmighthavethesocietythatwecanbetrulyproudofaskiwis.

Deepdownweallknowthis,becausethisismanaakitanga,thisiskaitiakitanga,wearehosts,wearetheguardiansnotonlyofthelandbutofoneanother,wearethecaretakerssoletus“learn”howtotakebettercareofoneanother.Thatismydreamforoureducationsystem.

MinnieBaragwanathChiefExecutive

Be.Accessible

LEARNERS AND LEADERS Aspartofengagingwiththecommunityaboutthefutureofhighereducation,weapproachedanumberoflearnersandleaderstosharewithustheirdreamsforoureducationsystem.Minnie’smovingandpersonalstatementisonewhichwethinkmakesanappropriateforeword.Wehaveincludedothersthroughoutoursubmission.

Itisimportanttonotethattheirstatementsstandontheirownandshouldnotbeinterpretedasawholesaleendorsementofeverythingsetoutinthisdocument.

ABOUT ED. COLLECTIVE Ed.Collectiveisasmallnot-for-profitwithbigdreamsforNewZealand’seducationsystem.WebelievethatNewZealandisrichintalentandthatgreatlearningexperiencesandstronglearnercommunitiessitattheheartofaprosperousfutureforthisgreatcountryofours.Webelievethatthevoicesoflearnersshouldbepartofshapingthatfutureandtheeducationsystemthatwillenableit.Ourworkincludesgatheringandsharingtheviewsoflearnersinthehopethat,together,wecanmakeeducationbetter.Waybetter.

LEARNERS AND LEADERS

“HOW we show up in life and to work, is going to be far more critical than WHAT (the

qualification)wehaveachieved.Ithinkapersonwithcreativeliteracy,theskillstonavigatean

increasinglycomplexsocietywithcompassionandsavviness,andwitha“borderless”attitude

(empathetic,inclusiveandgenuinelycuriousaboutothers),hasafarbetterchanceofsuccess.

The challenge for education is to provide the opportunities for learners todiscover this for

themselves!”

QiujingEasterbrook-Wong

Co-founderandCEO,BorderlessProductions

6

EXECUTIVE SUMMARY

Tertiaryeducationplaysakeyroleinenablingourlearnersandyoungpeopletobeeverythingtheycanbe.This,inturn,powersoureconomy,reducesburdensontheStateandmakesthisgreatcountryofoursgenerallyabetterplacetolive.Yes,thesystemanditsinstitutionshaveservedusallwellforalongtime.

However,theworldhaschangedaroundus.Learnersacrossthecountryarefacingmountingdebt,increasedcostofliving,challenginghousingprospects,uncertainemploymentoutcomesandevenlesscertainemploymentfuturesinthefaceoftechnologicaladvancements.Thepaceofchangeisaccelerating–therecentemploymentofthefirstartificiallyintelligentlawyerbeingjustoneexampleofdisruptionthatmayaltertheemploymentlandscapeforaprofessionpreviouslyperceivedasuntouchablebytechnology.

TheProductivityCommission’sinquiryintonewmodelsoftertiaryeducationisnotbeforeitstime.Theproudhistoryofourinstitutions,theirstaffandtheirservicetothenationshouldnotstopusfromaskinghardquestionsaboutthefutureandwhetherwhatwasgreatinthepastisstillgreat,andwhetheritwillremainso.

Ed.CollectivebelievesthatatalentedandconnectedNewZealandisonecharacterisedbyoutstandinglearningexperiencesandstronglearnercommunities.Wealsobelievethatourcommunitiesoflearners(inalltheirdiversity)needtobeengagedinshapingthefutureofhighereducationinthiscountry.Alongwithotherscommittedtolearnervoice,wehavemadeastart.

Aspartofinformingoursubmission,wehavetestedsomeideasforchangebysurveyingnearly2000learnersandinterviewingstudentsandemployers.Thisworkwillcontinueasweseektogatherasmanyviewsaswecan.Theideaswehavetestedinclude:

§ Openingtertiaryinstitutionsyear-round;

§ Integratingaccreditationacrossinstitutions;

§ Recognisingdifferenttypesoflearning;

§ Professionalapprenticeships;and

§ Efficienciesandcollaborativeopportunities.

Wehavefoundlearnersandemployerseagertodiscussideasforchangeandrecommendfurtherworkisdoneonthis.

WehavealsoaddressedmanyofthequestionssetoutbytheCommissionintheIssuesPaperfortheinquiry.Someofwhatwehavetosayandshareisquitecriticalofthestatusquo.Webelievethatalotofthesystemisdesignedforthesystem,ratherthanlearners.

Thisinquiryisanopportunityforthesystemtoembracethechangeanddisruptionoccurringineducationaroundtheworld.Itcaneitherchoosetobepartofthatchangeandhelpshapeit,orwatchithappen.Thatmaysoundalarmist,butthereareorganisationswithproudhistoriesofdominatingmarketsworldwidewhichnolongerexisttodaybecauseofafailuretoevolveandadapttomodernrealities.

Whilesomeofwhatiscontainedinthissubmissionmightcomeacrossasharsh,itissaidoutofrespectandadesiretoseeoureducationsystemhonourandcontinuethatproudlegacyofteaching,achievementandcontributiontosociety.Thewaythingsaregoing,thatisfarfromcertain.Itmaybethatchangingwhatisinplaceistoohardandthatsomethingnewwillneedtobeestablished.Eitherway,wethinkthisisausefulconversationtobehaving.

7

CONTENTS

LEARNERS AND LEADERS: A FOREWORD ........................................................................................................................... 3

LearnersandLeaders.........................................................................................................................4

AboutEd.Collective...........................................................................................................................4

EXECUTIVE SUMMARY ........................................................................................................................................................ 6

INTRODUCTION ................................................................................................................................................................... 8

PURPOSE VS. INTENTION ................................................................................................................................................... 9

IDEAS FOR CHANGE .......................................................................................................................................................... 13

Open,FlexibleLearning....................................................................................................................13

OpenYear-Round.........................................................................................................................13

IntegratedAccreditation..............................................................................................................15

CreditWhereIt’sDue......................................................................................................................17

Pass-Outs.....................................................................................................................................17

RecognitionofPriorLearning......................................................................................................17

AlternativeAccrediTation............................................................................................................18

RecognitionofCurrentLearning..................................................................................................20

Intention-FocusedLearning.............................................................................................................20

ProfessionalApprenticeships.......................................................................................................21

Competencies..............................................................................................................................21

ASmarter,CollaborativeSystem.....................................................................................................22

SharingResources........................................................................................................................22

GlobalResources.........................................................................................................................22

INQUIRY QUESTIONS & ANSWERS .................................................................................................................................... 25

CLOSING STATEMENT ....................................................................................................................................................... 54

ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS ...................................................................................................................................................... 54

FURTHER INFORMATION .................................................................................................................................................. 54

BIBLIOGRAPHY ................................................................................................................................................................. 55

8

INTRODUCTION

1. Ed.CollectivebelievesinatalentedandconnectedNewZealand,madepossiblethroughoutstandinglearningexperiencesandstronglearnercommunities.Webelievebuildingthatfutureshouldplacelearnersatthecentre,honourstudentvoiceinallitsdiversityandappreciatethatthepursuitofhigherlearningtodayismoredifficultthanithaseverbeenbefore.ItwilltakeasharedbeliefthataprosperoussocialandeconomicfutureforNewZealandwillbepoweredbyournation’stalent,andforallsystemstakeholderstoworkinconcertwitheachothertoachievethataim.

2. Whileourtertiaryeducationsystemhasaproudhistory,theworldhaschangedaroundus.Learnersarenotonlygrapplingwithfeesincreasingyearonyear,livingcostsalsocontinuetoclimb.Qualificationsarenotworthmorethantheywereyesterdayand,ifwageincreasesarenotinlinewiththerisingcostofstudying,thefinancialreturnwillcontinuetodropovertime.Itisunreasonabletoexpectlearnerstopaymoreandmoreforeffectivelylessandless.

3. Muchofthediscoursearoundhighereducationconcentratesonthecosts,whoshouldpayandhowmuch.Forsome,theansweristoallowthefreemarkettosetthefeesandthatlearnersshouldbearthefullcostoftheireducation.Forothers,theanswerisforGovernmenttopayforthelot.Othersstillthinktheanswerliessomewhereinthemiddle.However,thecostsaretheproductofthestructuresandoperatingmodelsthatareemployedacrossthesector.Weneedtoaskourselvessomechallengingquestionsaboutwhatwecoulddodifferently.Thisinquiryintonewmodelsoftertiaryeducationisagreatstart.

4. Oursubmissionbeginswiththepurpose(s)ofthetertiaryeducationsystemandnotesadistinctionbetweensystemicpurposeandlearnerintention.Wethendiscussspecificideasforchangethatwebelievewouldmakeadifferencetothelearningexperienceandlearnercommunities.Finally,wehaveansweredanumberofthequestionssetoutintheinquiry’sIssuesPaper.

5. Aspartofinformingthissubmission,Ed.Collectivehassurveyed(inpersonandonline)nearly2000learnersatvariousstagesoftheirjourney–someareatschoolandplanningtostudynextyear,othersareinthemidstofearningtheirqualifications,whileothershavegraduated.Wehavealsointerviewedlearnersandemployers.ThisispartofanongoingeffortbyEd.Collectivetogatherandsharetheviewsoflearners.Thisworkwillcontinue.Wherewehavelearners’viewsonatopic,wehaveincludeditinthetextunderaheadingWhatdolearnersthink?.OurinterpretationofthoseviewshasbeenclearlysetoutunderaseparateheadingOurcomment.Weappreciatethatourswillnotbetheonlypossibleversionandunderstandthatthereadermaydrawdifferentconclusions.

6. Wehavealsobeenfortunatethatallsortsofleadershavebeenwillingtosharewithustheirhopesandaspirationsforthefutureoftertiaryeducation.Whattheyhavesaidcanbefoundthroughoutthisdocument.Theirstatementsshouldbereadasstandalonepersonalexpressionsandshouldnotimplytheirwholesaleendorsementfromthemofeverythingcontainedinthisdocument.

7. NewZealandisacountryrichwithtalent.Anextraordinaryfutureawaitsourpeople,familiesandcommunitiesifwecansupportourlearnerstobeeverythingtheywanttobe.Ed.Collectivebelievesthat,together,wecanallmakeeducationbetter.Waybetter.Wearepleased,therefore,toprovideoursubmissiontothisinquiryandlookforwardtothediscussionsahead.

9

PURPOSE VS. INTENTION

8. TheProductivityCommission’sIssuesPaperpresentedanumberofdifferentperspectivesonthepurposeoftertiaryeducation.TheviewsofTreasury,theTertiaryEducationUnion(TEU)andTeWānangaoRaukawawereprovided,aswasadescriptionofhowthepurposeisindirectlyframedintheEducationAct1989.

9. Itwouldhavebeenusefultoincludeaquestionintheinquiryaboutwhatsubmittersbelievearethefunctionsoftertiaryeducationandtheirrelativeprioritynowandintothefuture.Theworldhaschangedsignificantlyovertheyearsandwhatpeoplebelieveislikelytohaveevolved.Itwouldalsohavebeenusefulforthequestionofpurposetohavecomefirst,toframetherestoftheinquiry.

10. Thatsaid,ratherthanweighinontertiaryeducation’spurposefromasystemperspective,wehaveinsteadfoundithelpfultothinkofthingsinthecontextofalearner’sintention.Wecouldendlesslydebatethesocietalandeconomicpurposesoftertiaryeducationandwhichfunctionsaremoreimportant.Whatlearnerswantoutoftertiaryeducation–howtheyseeitservingthem–isapersonal,individualmatter.ItisnotforGovernmentoritsagencies;thesystemoritsinstitutions;orindeedorganisationslikeourstodictatealearner’sreason-why.It’stheirs.Itbelongstothemalone.

11. Thatsaid,clearlyaresonancewithoralignmentofsystemicpurposeandindividualintentioniscrucialtoasuccessfulexchangebetweenthelearnerandsystem.Thedifficultyisthatlearnersaresorarelyaskedthequestion.Wethinkthisshouldchange.Havingthisinformationforeachoftheirlearnerswouldmeaninstitutionswouldbebetterinformedand,therefore,betterabletoprovidethemwithrelevantguidanceandsupport.Itcouldalsoinformfuturemeasuresofinstitutionalperformance.

Whatdolearnersthink?

12. Aspartofrespondingtothissubmission,weaskedlearnersandintendinglearnerswhattheirreasonswerefordecidingtostudy.Weaskedintwoways.

13. Thefirstallowedthemtorateasetofreasons(inadditiontospecifyingtheirown),indicatingagainsteachalevelofimportancewithaweightingattachedtoit(‘Veryimportant’,‘Somewhatimportant’,‘Don’tknow’and‘Notatallimportant’).

14. Wereceived813responses.Basedonweightedaverages,theorderofreasonswere:

1. Iaminterestedinmysubjectandjustwanttolearn(1.71)2. Ithinkaqualificationwillhelpmegetabetterjob(1.59)3. IamgoodatmysubjectandthinkIcandowell(1.35)4. ThejobIwantrequiresmetohaveaqualification(1.27)5. Myfamilywantsmetostudy(0.43)6. MyfriendsarestudyingandIwanttostudywiththem(-0.37)

SURVEY QUESTION

Peoplemakechoicesforanumberofreasons.Whatwerethereasonsyoudecidedtostudy?Please

ratehowimportantthefollowingreasonsweretoyou.

10

15. Thesecondquestionaskedthemtospecifythemostimportantofthesereasons.

16. Wereceived767responsestothisquestion.Themaindifferencebetweenthetwosetsofresponsesisthat“ThejobIwantrequiresmetohaveaqualification”and“IamgoodatmysubjectandthinkIcandowell”swappedplacesintheorderofimportance(3rdand4th).

17. Theresponses“Iaminterestedinmysubjectandjustwanttolearn”(33%)and“Ithinkaqualificationwillhelpmegetabetterjob”(32%)werethemostpopularresponses.

OurComment

18. Bothquestions,askedofabroadgroupoflearners,confirmthatmanylearnerswanttofollowtheirinterestsand‘just’learn–oftendiscussedas“learningfortheloveoflearning”orsimilar.Bothintermsofweightedimportancefromthefirstquestionanditsproportioninthesecond,thisreasoncameoutontop,ifonlyjust.

19. However,itisimportanttonotethat50%oflearnersidentifiedwork-relatedreasonsasthemostimportantreasonforpursuingstudy–eithertheythinkaqualificationwillhelpthemtogetabetterjob(32%)orthatthejobtheywantrequiresaqualification(18%).Thereasonweprovidedthesetwopossibleresponseswastoenableustodistinguishbetweenthosewhoareheadingintotertiarybelievingitwillhelpthemgetahead,andthosewhosecareeraspirationsrequireaqualification(e.g.doctors,nurses,lawyersetc.).

20. Thefactthatsuchalargeproportionoflearnershavecareer-focusedreasonsisofnosurprise.Tertiaryinstitutionshaveknownthisforyears,withalotoftheirmarketingpromisesanchoredaroundtheideathattheirdegreesgettheirlearnersbetterjobsandfulfillingcareers.

21. Thedifficultyisthatdespitethemillionsspentonmakingthosebrandpromises,thebillionsofdollarsofpublicassetsdeployedtohighereducation,morebillionsinvestedbylearnersandthetaxpayeronthedelivery,wehaveverylittlereliableorusefulinformationonwhether(ortowhatextent)thosepromisesarebeingdelivered.

Recommendation

22. Webelievethatthelearner’sintentionshouldinformhowtertiaryinstitutionsteachandsupportthemandthatthosewhoarestudyingfortheloveofitwillneedtobesupporteddifferentlyfromthosewhowantacareeroutcome,whethergeneralorspecific.

23. Werecommendthatinstitutionsbeginaskinglearnerswhattheywantoutoftheirstudiesaspartoftheenrolmentprocess.

SURVEY QUESTION

Whichwasthemostimportantreasontostudy?

13

IDEAS FOR CHANGE

24. Thisinquiryanditsrecommendationshavethepotentialtohavefar-reachingimpactsonNewZealand’stalentdevelopmentlongintothefuture.Wecouldnotmisstheopportunitytotestsomeideasforchangewithlearners.Thissectioncoversthoseideasandprovidestheresponsesfromthelearnercommunity,wherewehavethem.Wearenotclaimingtobethefirstortheonlygrouptohaveideaslikethosecontainedinthissubmission–indeed,wehavebeenpleasedwithhowmanypeopleandorganisationsshareourbeliefintheirpotentialtochangethelearningexperience.However,wearetakingapurposefulapproachtogatheringtheviewsoflearnersandwehopethatcontributiontothediscussionwillbewelcomed.

25. Theideasthemselvesrangefromthecommon-sensetothosethatarelikelytobemorechallengingforthesystemanditsinstitutions.

OPEN, FLEXIBLE LEARNING 26. Inaworldofincreasingopenness,immediacyandflexibility,thereismuchaboutthetertiary

educationsystemthatremainsclosed,slowandfixed.Theimplicationsofsmallchangestothewayinstitutionsoperatecouldhaveprofoundimpactsonlearners’lives.

27. Itisimportantthat,inasystemassmallasours,weexploiteveryopportunitytomaximisetheinvestmentlearnersandthetaxpayermakeeachyear.Twoideaswehavetoachievethisare:

§ Openpublictertiaryinstitutionsatfull-noise,year-round;and

§ Fullrecognitionoflearners’achievementsacrossthesystem’sinstitutions.

OPEN YEAR-ROUND

28. Traditionally,tertiaryinstitutionsteachinacomprehensivewayforaround22-24weeksperyear.Another4-6weeksisallocatedtostudybreaksandexaminations.AsmallselectionofcoursesisavailableoverSummerSchool,incaseswhereitisoffered.Theresultisthat(notcountingSummerSchool),ineachhalfoftheyear,only11-12weeksisspentteaching.

29. Whatiftertiaryinstitutionswereopenatfull-noise,allyear-round?Forexample,running3fulltrimesterseachyear,amountingto33-36weeksofteaching–theremaining3-4monthsoftheyearbeingspentonstudybreaks,examsandholidays?Whatmightthebenefitsofthatbetolearners?Learnerscould:

§ Completea3-yeardegreein2years;

§ Study3daysaweekandwork2daysaweekandstillcompletein3years(whichshouldbehelpfultothosewhoarevulnerablefinancially);

§ Takeatrimesteroffforworkexperienceopportunitiesthroughouttheyear,ratherthanjustoversummer;and

§ Takeatrimesteroffeachyearwheneveritsuitedthemforaholiday,andstillcompletein3years.

30. Furthermore,itwouldmean:

§ Noteveryonewouldbehittingthegraduateandholidayjobmarketsatthesametime;

§ Noteveryonewouldbeseekingandleavingaccommodationatthesametime;and

§ Thepublicwouldreceiveimprovedvalueoutofthebillionsofdollarsofpublicassetsthatsitun-orunder-usedfor50%oftheyear.

14

31. Thislastpointisimportantfromasystemperspective.Theproperty,plantandequipmentacrossuniversities,polytechnicsandwānangaisvaluedatover$8.5B1.Whenthisinvestmentisconsideredalongsidethefactthatcomprehensiveteachingonlyoccursfor22-24weeksperyear,webelievethereisroomforimprovedreturnthroughincreasedutilisation.

Whatdolearnersthink?

32. Aspartofexploringtheappetiteoflearnersforthischange,weincludedacoupleofquestionsinsurveysthisyear.

33. Wereceived1369responsestothequestionabove,with77%ofrespondentsbeing‘Veryinterested’(41%)or‘Somewhatinterested’(36%).

34. Inprevioussurveysin2014and2015,weasked600BayofPlentyschool-agedlearnersthesamequestionwith‘Yes’or‘No’asthepossibleresponses.60%responded‘Yes’.

35. Beyondthepotentialforincreasedspeedofcompletion,oneofthebenefitsidentifiedistheabilitytostudypart-timeandstillcompleteinthreeyears.Weaskedlearnersthefollowingquestion.

36. From1371responses,74%responded‘Yes’,11%responded‘No’andtheremaining15%were‘Notsure’.

OurComment

37. Clearly,thereisanappetitefromlearnersforthekindofflexibilityandspeedthatwouldcomewithtertiaryinstitutionsbeingopenyear-roundforcomprehensiveteaching.Therewouldstillbe25%-30%oftheyear‘free’forexams,holidaysandrotationformaintenancepurposes.

38. Itshouldbenotedthatinstitutionsalreadyoperateinthisway(orsimilar)foraselectionofprogrammes.Thereistalkfromsomethattheyintendtodomore,whichisfantastic.Weshoulddoitforthemall.

39. Whileimplementationofthisideaacrosstheboardwouldrepresentasubstantialdeparturefromcurrentpractice,itreallyisjustproposingwedomoreofthesame–justmoreefficientlyandinawaythatprovidesmoreflexibilitytothelearner.Asafirststep,though,andonethatwoulddeliversubstantialbenefittolearners,webelieveitwouldbeagreatstart.

Recommendation

40. Werecommendthat:

1. Anyfundingregulatorybarrierstoyear-roundcomprehensiveteachingberemoved;and1ThisfigureisbasedoninformationcontainedinthemostrecentpubliclyavailableAnnualReportsof16tertiaryinstitutionsacrossNewZealand.

SURVEY QUESTION

Howinterestedwouldyoubeinshorteningthelengthofyourstudy(e.g.completea3-yeardegree

in2years)bystudyingoverthesummer?

SURVEY QUESTION

Would you like the option to studypart-time and havemore time towork if you coulddo so

withouthavingtostudyanylonger(e.g.youcouldstillcompleteadegreein3years)?

15

2. Anyregulationsthatmightinhibitstudents’abilitytoenrolyear-round(e.g.loansandallowanceregulations)orworkpart-timewhilestudyingpart-timeshouldalsobemodifiedtoaccommodatethem.

INTEGRATED ACCREDITATION

41. Atthemoment,eachinstitutionsetsouttheregulationsforawardingqualifications,includinghowmany(orhowfew)creditscanbegrantedforstudycompletedatotherNewZealandinstitutions.Theregulationsandproceduresarecomplex,withsomesetattheinstitutionlevelandthosesetforindividualprogrammes.Thepracticalrealityisthatlearnersmovingbetweeninstitutionsarerarelyabletodosowithoutsufferinganacademicpenaltyofsomekind,andhavingtocomplete‘additional’credits.

42. Itisunderstandablethateachinstitutionwouldwishtoprotectits‘brand’(andindeedtherevenue)associatedwithlearnerspursuingaparticularpathofstudyandbeingawardedoneof‘their’degrees.However,acoupleoffundamentalssuggestthatmovinginstitutionsshouldbeeasierandcheaperthanitiscurrently–particularlyintheuniversitysubsector.

1. Universitieshavetheirprogrammesapprovedbythesamebody(CUAP),comprisedofrepresentativesfromalluniversities.

2. Programmesareauditedbythesamequalitybody(AQA),establishedbytheNewZealandVice-Chancellors’Committee/UniversitiesNewZealand.

43. If,ineffect,ouruniversitiessignoffonthequalityofeachother’sprogrammesandcourses,thereisnoquality-basedreasonwhytheyshouldnotgiveequalrecognitiontotheachievementsofeachother’slearners.

44. Learnersmoveinstitutionsforarangeofreasons–oftenunrelatedtostudy.Theprinciplethesystemshouldadoptistomakethingsassimpleandasaffordableaspossibleforlearnertomoveforwardandcompletewhattheystarted.

45. Forexample,ifalearnercommencesadegreeattheUniversityofCanterburybut,duetofamilyreasonshastorelocatetoAuckland,theinstitutionsshouldmakethetransitionaspainlessaspossible.Insuchacase,havingtheaddedpressureofhavingtotakeonmoredebtandspendmoretimetocompletetherequirementsofthesamedegreeatauniversityinAucklandwouldmakethingsthatmuchharder.Giventheinstitutions’roleinvalidatingthequalityofeachother’sdegrees,italsoseemsunnecessaryandunfair.

46. Greaterintegrationacrossourinstitutionscouldalsopromotegreatermobilitymoregenerally,allowingourlearnersandyoungpeopletoseeandexperiencemoreofthecountry.Forexample,whatifstudentscouldcompletetheirfirstyearatanAucklanduniversity,theirsecondatVictoriaUniversityinWellingtonandtheirfinalyearatCanterbury?

LEARNERS AND LEADERS

“IfIcouldchangeonethingabouttertiaryeducationinNZ,it’sthatweraisetheaspirationsof

allNZerstobelievethisisanachievablepathwayopentothem.Therealprizeisnotjustthe

qualification at the end of study, but as a country to raise a generation of strong learners,

thinkersand‘adaptors’capableandreadytonegotiatethecomplexandfast-pacedfuturethat

liesaheadforusall.”

ShelleyCampbell

CEO,SirPeterBlakeTrust

16

47. Weinitiallythoughtthisarrangementmightbeparticularlyappealingtointernationallearnersandmuchlesssotodomesticones,butwedecidedtoaskanumberoflearnerstheirthoughtsonthis–irrespectiveoftheirdomesticorinternationalstatus.Wediscusstheresultsbelow.

Whatdolearnersthink?

48. Weaskedtwoquestionsinrecentsurveysthatrelatetobetterintegrationofaccreditationacrossinstitutions:Thefirstrelatestoacademicpenalty.

49. From1371responses,71%answered‘Yes’,12%responded‘No’andtheremaining17%were‘Notsure’.

50. Thesecondquestionrelatedtomobilitywhilestudying.

51. Wereceived745responsestothisquestion.Theresultswere:

§ Veryinterested(23%)

§ Somewhatinterested(33%)

§ Don’tknow(13%)

§ Notatallinterested(31%)

OurComment

52. Theviewsoflearnersonwhetherornotstudentsshouldbeabletomoveinstitutionswithoutacademicpenaltyisfairlyclear,althoughperhapsnotentirelysurprising.However,33%oflearnerswhostartadegreehavestillnotfinishediteightyearslater(MinistryofEducation,2014).Doingmoretomakethingseasierforthosewhomovecannotbeabadthing.

53. Weweresurprisedatthelevelofinterestincompletingaqualificationindifferentpartsofthecountry,giventhatthemajorityofrespondentswereborninNewZealand(69%).Ifitisapopularideawiththeinternationalstudentmarket,itcouldmakeNewZealandamoreattractivelearningdestination.

Recommendation

54. Webelievethatinstitutionsshouldbesupportedtoaligntheiracademicregulationsfordegreesandmajorstheyshareincommonwitheachother,approachingthechallengewiththeguidingprincipleofmakingitaseasyaspossibleforlearnerstomovebetweeninstitutions.

55. Furthermore,itshouldbepossibleforstudentstospreadtheirstudyloadacrossinstitutionsconcurrently.Forexample,studentsshouldbeabletoenrolinaBachelorofCommerceattheUniversityofAucklandandelecttouseaselectionofcoursesfromAucklandUniversityofTechnologytowardscompletionoftheirdegree.Thisparticularexamplewouldfurtherpromote

SURVEY QUESTION

Doyouthinkstudentsshouldbeabletomoveinstitutionswithoutacademicpenalty?

SURVEY QUESTION

Howinterestedwouldyoubeincompletingyourstudiesindifferentpartsofthecountry?(justfor

example,1yearinAuckland,1yearinWellingtonand1yearinChristchurchorwhereveryoulike).

17

theideaofa‘learningprecinct’acrossthetwouniversities.However,thesecondinstitutioncouldjustaseasilybeaMasseyAlbanyoranextramuralpaper.

56. Systemsforstudentloansandallowancesmaywellneedtobemodifiedtoaccommodatethiskindofapproachtostudy.

57. Therefore,werecommendthat:

1. Thesystemmovetoamodelofaccreditationthatisascommonaspossibleandthatenablesseamlessmobilitybetweeninstitutions.

2. Thestudentloansandallowancessystemsupportsstudentswhowanttospreadtheirstudyacrossmultipleinstitutions.

3. Markettestingiscarriedoutwithprospectiveinternationalstudentsregardingtheabilitytocombinestudywithtravelandcompletetheirqualificationsacrossdifferentinstitutions.

58. Weappreciatethatlargeinstitutionscantakeyearstoshiftpracticeandachievinggreaterintegrationacrossqualificationscouldtakeyears.Inthemeantime(andperhapsasasolutionmoregenerally),Governmentcouldstartawardingqualificationstopeoplewhohavemetrequirementssetatasystemlevel.

59. Forexample,wherealearnerhasachieved120pointsateachoflevels5,6and7,theNZQAcouldawardthemadegree.Clearly,thiswouldnotbeworkableinallcasesorallqualifications,butshouldbefairlystraight-forwardforaproportionofstudypathways.Itisworthlookingat.

60. Thisapproachwouldenablemovementonachievinggreaterintegrationacrossinstitutionsinashortertimeframethatmightotherwisebethecase.

61. Basedonthis,wealsorecommend:

4. TheNZQAinvestigatethefeasibilityoftheorganisationawardingdegrees,diplomasandcertificatesinamodelwherelearnerswouldsubmittheirtranscriptsforconsiderationagainstspecifiedcriteria(orsimilar).

CREDIT WHERE IT’S DUE 62. Thecostofhighereducationforthosepayingforit–thelearnersandthetaxpayer–continuesto

climb.Weshouldbelookingforeveryopportunitytogivelearnerscreditwhereit’sdue,ratherthanlookingforreasonswhytheyneedtostudyforlonger.Threeideasthatwehavecollectedfromothersinourdiscussionsinclude:

§ Givingstudentstheopportunitytobeassessedbeforecommencingacourseand,iftheymeettherequiredstandard,awardingthemthecredit;

§ ProvidingmoreopportunitiesforRecognitionofPriorLearning;and

§ Ensuringthatasfewlearnersaspossibleleaveaninstitutionwithoutsomekindofqualification.

PASS-OUTS

63. A‘Pass-Out’wouldenablelearnersabouttoembarkonadegreetositatestorbeassessedagainstthestandardsforfirst-yearsubjects.Forthosesubjectsthattheypass,theycanbegintheirstudiesat2ndyear.Studentswouldpayafeetocoverthecostsoftheassessment.Thiscouldreducethetimeandmoneystudentshavetospendcompletingtheirqualification.

RECOGNITION OF PRIOR LEARNING

64. Inthiscontext,wearereferringtoRecognitionofPrior(non-formal)Learning–i.e.notrecognitionofformallearningachievements,whichwehaveaddressedunder‘IntegratedAccreditation’above.

18

65. Itisunderstoodthatlearningdoesnotjustoccurinalecturetheatreorintheclassroom.Peoplelearnatremendousamountinthecourseoftheircareersandvolunteeringintheircommunities.Webelievethatthesystemneedstodomoretoenablepeopletogainaccreditationfortheirknowledgeandmasteryofskillsgainedthroughtheirlifeexperience.

66. Wearetoldthatthefutureisgoingtoseemoreandmorepeopleneedingtoretrainasindustriesshiftandevolveinresponsetotechnologicaladvancementsandotherfactors.Inthiscontext,thesystemwouldbenefitfromanimprovedability/willingness/processestoassesslearners’knowledgeandskills–andthenprovideappropriatecredittowardsaqualification.

67. Tertiaryinstitutionsalreadyproviderecognitionofnon-formalpriorlearningandsoclearlywearenotrecommendingitsintroduction.However,itisoftencomplicated,comeswithlimitationsandtherearefewincentivesforinstitutionstoprovidetherecognition–todosomeansthatthelearnerisrequiredtoenrolinandpayforfewercourses.Anecdotally,learnershavesaidthingsoftheprocesslike“itwouldactuallyhavebeeneasierjusttodothecourse”.

68. Inordertoshiftthis,thereareacoupleofpossibilitiesworththinkingabout–changetheincentivesforinstitutionstoprovideRPLtolearnersorenableindependentorganisationstocarryouttheassessmentsandrequireinstitutionstorecognisethem.

ALTERNATIVE ACCREDITATION

69. ThesubjectofRecognitionofPriorLearningandtherationaleforimprovinghowitisawardedoverlapswithanotherideagainingincreasingattention-alternativeaccreditation.

70. Localtertiaryinstitutionsusedtobetheonlyaccessiblerespositoryofknowledge.Thisisnolongerthecase.Thebestmindsandinstitutionsintheworldaremakingtheircontentavailableonlineatlowornocost.Insomecases,accreditationisofferedforafee.Inothers,theysimplyprovidealearningopportunityforthosewhoareinterested.

71. Beyondcontentproducedbytertiaryinstitutionsaroundtheglobe,thereareYoutubelessonsonabroadrangeofsubjects–createdbypeoplewhoaredoingitfortheloveofteachingandconsumedbypeoplewholovelearning.

72. Whatifthesystemwereabletoassesspeoplewhohadbeenthroughalearningexperience–perhapscreatedbyHarvardorStanford,perhapsbyanindustryexpert–andprovidethemwithaccreditationfortheirknowledgeandmasteryofthecontent/subject?Howtodothisinarobustwayisanunansweredquestion,butnotaninsurmountablechallenge.Thesystemanditsinstitutionshaveanopportunitytoleadandshapehowthiscouldwork.

LEARNERS AND LEADERS

“Tertiary education should provide a platform for learners to pursue subjects that they are

passionateaboutashappinesstendstobreedsuccess.Whileengagingthemintheirlearning,it

shouldalsodevelopthemwithaninquisitivemindforextendingtheirperspectivebeyondthe

unacceptablenorms.A foundationforfuturechange-makers, leaders,anddisruptors tohelp

solvetheglobalissuesandleadtoabetterworldforfuturegenerations.”

TristanPang

AcademicProdigy,Producer,Broadcaster

19

Whatdolearnersthink?

73. WeaskedthefollowingquestionsoflearnersthatrelatetoRecognitionofPriorLearningandalternativeaccreditation.

74. Wereceived743responsesforeach.

§ Yes–83%

§ No–4%

§ Notsure–13%

§ Yes–73%

§ No–10%

§ Notsure–17%

§ Yes–57%

§ No–15%

§ Notsure–28%

OurComment

75. Workplace-basedlearningandaccreditationappearstohavethestrongestsupportamongthethreequestions–perhapsbecauseitismostfamiliarormostreadilyimagined.However,theabilitytoassessmoreworkorvolunteerexperienceforlearningcreditalsoappearswellsupportedbylearners.

76. Althoughstillcommandingamajorityinsupport,surveyrespondentsweremuchlesssureofthethirdquestionregardingassessingalearner’sknowledgeandmasteryofcontentproducedbyanotherprovideronline.Withnearly30%notsure,itseemsthatmoreclarityabouthowsuchasystemcouldworkwouldbeneededinordertoobtainaclearerpictureofwhatlearnersthinkaboutit.Wewilllooktoinvestigatethisfurther.

SURVEY QUESTION

Ifyoucouldlearnandbeaccreditedforyourskillsthroughworkinginyourchosenindustry,would

you?

SURVEY QUESTION

Doyouthinkmoreworkorvolunteerexperienceshouldbeabletobeassessedforlearningcredit?

SURVEY QUESTION

Thereareagrowingnumberoffreeandlow-costcoursesbeingmadeavailableonlinebyhigh-

qualityprovidersaroundtheworld.Ifyoucoulddothecourseandsitatestandgetagradelocally

forasmallfee,wouldyouwantto?

20

Recommendation

77. Thecombinationoftheincreasingpaceofindustrychange,theexpectedneedforpeopletoretraininthefuture,apparentshiftsinemployers’attitudesandthefactthatcostoflivingpressuresaremakingfull-timestudymoredifficultmeanthatthesystemshouldbedoingeverythingitcantorecognisetheskillsandknowledgepeopleacquireoutsidetheclassroom–inwork,volunteeringorinalternativelearningexperiences.

78. Webelievethatthesystemshouldconsiderwhatroleitshouldhave(ifany)intheestablishmentanddevelopmentofalternativeaccreditation/micro-credentialsinNewZealand.Institutionswithimmaculateinternationalreputationsaresteppingintothisspace.Whiledetractorswillpointouttheimperfectionsinthisarea,therearechallengeswiththetraditionalapproachtooandtheissuesarelikelytobecomemoremarkedwithtime.

79. Werecommendthat:

1. TheRecognitionofPriorLearningpoliciesandpracticesoftertiaryinstitutionsacrossthesystembereviewedwithaviewtosupportinglearnerstogettherecognitionwhereithasbeenearnt.

2. Governmentconsiderwhetherthesettingsadequatelyincentivise(oratleastdonotundulydiscincentivise)institutionsfromgrantingRecognitionofPriorLearning.

3. Governmentlookatanalternativeaccreditationframeworkthatlooksatwhatthelearnerknowsandwhattheycando–irrespectiveofhow/wheretheycametolearnit.

4. Thesystemlookatthefeasibilityofindependentorganisationsprovidingaccreditationinthisway,withassuredrecognitionfromtertiaryinstitutions.

RECOGNITION OF CURRENT LEARNING

80. Intheory,thisshouldbeaneasyone.Around33%oflearnerswhostartadegreedonotfinishitwithineightyears–read:theydropout(althoughnotnecessarilyfor‘bad’reasons).Approximately52%ofdiplomastudentsdonotcomplete(MinistryofEducation,2014).Asmuchaspossible,weshouldensurethatlearnersleavewithsomething.Webelievethatallmulti-yearqualificationsshouldbeabletobedisaggregatedintosub-qualifications.

81. Forexample,adegree-levelqualificationcouldbecomprisedofaCertificateandDiplomaqualification.Thatway,ifastudentleavesaftertheirfirstyear,theycanbeawardedaCertificate-or,aftertwoyears,theirDiploma.

82. Thisideaisnotnew(indeed,ithasbeenaroundforages)andtherearemanyqualificationsacrossthecountrythatalreadyhavethisarrangement,oftendescribedas‘early-exit’qualifications.

83. Wejustthinkthattheabsenceofthesesub-qualificationsshouldbetheexception,ratherthantherule.

INTENTION-FOCUSED LEARNING 84. Asdiscussedabove,asignificantproportionoflearnersareengagingintertiaryeducationwith

theintentionofachievinganemploymentoutcome.Theybelievethatthequalificationstheyarestudyingwillgetthemabetterjoborthejobtheywantrequiresthemtohaveaparticularqualification.

85. Wewouldliketwoideastobeexploredaspartoftheinquirythatwouldsupporttheselearners:

1. Expanduseoftheapprenticeshipmodelbeyondthetradesandintosomeprofessions;and2. Domoretodevelopthecompetenciessoughtbyemployers.

21

PROFESSIONAL APPRENTICESHIPS

86. Traditionally,theapprenticeshipmodelhasbeen(andcontinuestobe)successfullyemployedinthetrades.Whatifweappliedthisteachingandlearningmodelforsomeoffice-basedprofessions?

87. Forexample,insteadofcompletinga3-yeardegreeinMarketinginpreparationforanentry-levelmarketingrole,whatifalearnercouldworkinafirmwhilecompletinganalliedprogrammeofstudyoverashorteramountoftime?Orperhapssomeonewantstobecomeacomputerprogrammerand,followingashortcourseinprogramming,learnsonthejobwhilecontinuingacompanioncourseofstudy?Couldthesystem,inpartnershipwithindustry,supportlearnerstoacquirerelevantskillsalongwithworkplaceexperienceand,ultimatelymakethemmoreemployable?Couldwedoitmoreaffordablyforlearnersandthesystemwhiledevelopingtalentindemandbyouremployersmorequickly?

88. Afterinterviewinganumberofemployersandhavingreceivedunsolicitedfeedbackfromothers,thereareareaswhereourgraduatesarefallingshortofemployerexpectations.Thisisnotbecausetheyhavenotinvestedenoughmoneyorspentenoughtimeintheirlearningendeavours.Inthosecases,wearejustplaindoingitwrong.Giventhefinancialandlifesignificanceofstudyingtoday,weshouldnotsitbackandacceptthatthisisjusthowitis.

89. Wherethelearner’sintentionistoachieveanemploymentoutcome,weshouldbelookingforeverypracticalopportunitytointegratelearningwiththeworkplace.

Whatdolearnersthink?

90. Weaskedlearnersthefollowingquestionandreceived743responses:

§ Yes–83%

§ No–4%

§ Notsure–13%

Recommendation

91. Wecouldusethemoneypresentlyallocatedbywaysoffees,fundingandloansinconjunctionwithemployercontributionstocreatework-basedlearningexperienceswhicharerelevant,credibleandliveable.Thisisnottoreplacethetraditionalapproach,butasanextensionoftheoptionsavailabletolearners.

92. Atthemoment,astudentstudyingtowardsadegreepaysaround$6000instudentfeesandGovernmentputsinanother$6000orso.Addtothatthelivingcostsloanofaround$7000andthetotalcosttothetaxpayerandlearnercomestoapproximately$20,000.Ifemployersweretomakeacontribution,perhapsthetotalcouldbeallocatedacrossmonitoringoflearningoutcomes,supportfortheemployerandaliveableincomeforthelearner?

COMPETENCIES

93. Employershavenotedforsometimethatgraduatesarefallingshortoftheirexpectations–notjustintermsofcontentoftheirlearningbutalsothe‘softskills’andabilitytoadapttoaprofessionalworkplace(CommitteeforAuckland,2012).Again,noteveryonehasanemploymentoutcomeinmindwhentheyembarkonaparticularcourseofstudy.However,forthosewhodo,

SURVEY QUESTION

Ifyoucouldlearnandbeaccreditedforyourskillsthroughworkinginyourchosenindustry,would

you?

22

thesystemanditsinstitutionsshouldbedoingmoretoensurethatlearnersarereadytomakethetransitiontowork.

A SMARTER, COLLABORATIVE SYSTEM 94. Asdiscussedearlier,therearebillionsofdollarsofpublicassetsthatarereallyonlyfullyutilised

for22-24weeksperyear.Therearethosewhowouldarguethatusageisnotoptimisedeventhen.

95. However,beyondtheobviousthingslikebuildingsandlearning-relatedtechnology,thereareotherresourcesacrossthesystemthatcouldbesharedtodeliverefficienciesandcost-savingstolearnersandthetaxpayer.Furthermore,thereareinternationalresourcesproducedbysomeofthebestmindsandinstitutionsaroundtheworldthatcouldbeputtogoodusebyinstitutionshereinNewZealand.

SHARING RESOURCES

96. Atthemoment,tertiaryinstitutionsemployarangeofstaffanduseavarietyofICTsystemstosupporttheircorporatefunctions–ICT,HR,Finance,Estates,Security,andsoon.Inanefforttocurbtherisingcostsoftertiaryeducationtolearners,thereisanopportunityforinstitutionstoexplorewhatefficienciesmightbeachievedthroughgreatercollaborationintheseareas.

97. Essentially,theideaisthatmultipleinstitutionscouldusecommoninformationsystemsandsharestaffwhosupportnon-learningfunctions.

GLOBAL RESOURCES

98. Earlier,wediscussedalternativeaccreditationmethodsthatwouldenablelearnerstotakeacoursefromaglobalprovideronlineandreceivedomesticaccreditationfortheknowledgeandskillstheyacquired.

99. Whatiflocalprovidersweretousecontentproducedbyhigh-qualityprovidersfromaroundtheworld(insteadofreproducingsimilarcontenthere)withaviewtoreducingcoststothelearner?Forexample,acourseproducedbyHarvardorMITwithvideolecturesandonlinematerials.AlthoughthiswouldnotnecessarilyworkforcontentthatneedstobeheavilycontextualisedorrelatedtotheuniquefactorsaboutNewZealand,itisworthexploringformoreuniversalsubjects.Further,itispossiblethatinternationalcontentcouldbeusedasthebasisoflearningandthenlocalstafffocusonprovidingtheNewZealand-specificinformation.

Whatdolearnersthink?

100. Theseareasweretrickiertoexplorewithlearnersgivenconstraintswehadatthetime.Insteadoflookingforresponsesonwhichtobasespecificrecommendationsforchange,wedecidedtotestthemoodorappetiteforthekindsofchangewehadinmindtoseewhetheritisworthfurtherinvestigation.Wecouldhavefocusgroupsandotherexploratoryexercisesdevotedtotheseareasallontheirown.

23

101. Weaskedthefollowingquestionandreceived743responses.

102. Theresultswere:

Idea GoodIdea NotSure BadIdea

Institutionscould

shareresources(e.g.

staff,ITsystems,

facilities)

53% 34% 14%

Usetechnology(e.g.

videolectures)

63% 22% 15%

Uselecturesand

coursematerials

producedbyother

institutions

55% 34% 11%

OurComment

103. Asstated,ourgoalwastogetaroughideaoflearners’viewsandgetanindicationofwhetheritwouldbeworthwhileconductingamoredetailedinvestigationofwhatideasforcostreductionslearnersthinkwouldworkwell.

104. Onbalance,acomparativelysmallproportionrespondedthatthesewerebadideasforreducingcosts.Wethinkfurtherinvestigationoflearners’viewswouldbehelpful,withaviewtoco-designingwithlearnersmoreefficientwaysofoperatingwhilemaintainingthequalityofthelearningexperience.

LEARNERS AND LEADERS

“Highereducationwillalwaysplayanimportantroleinoursociety.Whatitlookslikeandwhat

it focusesonwill change. Weneedour tertiary sector tobeadaptive, and respondto 21st

century learners’ needs andways of learning. Rather than competing against theworld in

traditionalways,Ihopethatourtertiarysectorhelpsfosteracommunityofcurious,passionate

andbrave thinkerswho can think critically,workwell in teams, are connectedwith global

trendsandactlocallytocreateabetterNewZealand–thatiswhatIhopethetertiarysector

willfoster.”

ShayWright

Co-founder,TeWhareHukahuka

SURVEY QUESTION

Course fees are often a source of complaint. Of the following ways that institutions could

potentiallyreducecosts,whichonesdoyouthinkaregoodideasandwhichonesdoyouthinkare

badideas?Youcanalsogiveusyourownideas.

25

INQUIRY QUESTIONS & ANSWERS

105. WearehappytoprovideourresponsestoquestionsposedbytheCommissionintheIssuesPaper.Thequestionswerethought-provokingandwebelievetheinquiryprocessandsubsequentrecommendationshaverealpotentialtocatalysemeaningfulchangeforlearners.

106. Thatsaid,wenoteourdisappointmentthatmorequestionswerenotdraftedwithlearnersinmindaspotentialrespondents.Weappreciatethatthereareabroadrangeofstakeholdersinthetertiaryeducationsector.However,wewouldarguethatthemostimportantstakeholdersarethelearners,arguablyfollowedbyemployers.Thequestionsthatframethisinquiryeffectivelyexcludethesegroupsfrommeaningfullyparticipatingintheprocess.Meanwhile,thesystem’stertiaryinstitutionsandgovernmentagenciesareveryeffectivelyincluded.Thisimbalancestrikesusunfair,givenwhoisshoulderingmuchoftheburdenforhighereducationandwhomightbedescribedasthebeneficiariesofit.Theresultisaclosedsystemspeakingtoitself.

107. Hereareourresponsestotheinquiry’squestions.Wherewehaverelevantviewscollectedfromlearnersoremployers,wehaveincludedthem.

Q1. Whataretheadvantagesanddisadvantagesofadministeringmultipletypesofpost-compulsory

educationasasinglesystem?

108. Theadvantagesofasinglesystemaccruetothesystemanditsinstitutions.Intermsofefficiency,relativesimplicityofthepolicyandregulatoryframeworksandintheadministrationoffunding,thesystemcanbesaidtoberelativelystraight-forward.

109. Thedisadvantagesofasinglesystemtendtoimpactonlearners.Thereasonisthatthetrade-offforsystemsimplicityisthatweareleftwithalackofflexibilityinasystemthatcannotadaptorinnovatequickly.

110. Forexample,afundingsystemthatworkswithfundamentalreferencetolearninghoursisgroundedinanumberofunhelpfulassumptions.Theseinclude:

§ Alllearnerslearnatthesamepace;

§ Learninghoursrequirethesameamountofresourceforeachoccurrence;and

§ Learningoccursinthesamewayitalwayshas.

111. Italsoincentivisesthecontinuationofcharacteristicsofthetertiaryoperatingmodelthathinderinnovation,including:

§ Learningisscheduledinawaythatisconvenientfortheinstitution,ratherthanthelearner;and

§ Institutionsareincentivisedtocreatealearningprogrammeofaparticularduration,ratherthanadesiredlearningoutcome.

112. Asareal-lifeanecdote,anumberoftechnologycompanieshaveremarkedthatuniversitycomputersciencegraduatesarenotreallyemployableascomputerprogrammersbecausetheyhavebeentaughtusingobsoletetechnology.

113. Oneputitbluntly,“wewouldhiresomeoneoutofEnspiral’sDevAcademybeforewetookaunigrad”.Enspiral’sDevAcademyisacoursethatrunsfor18weeksandcoststhelearneraround$10,000.Internationally,companieshavealsobeenabletotakepeoplefrom‘zero’toemployablecomputerprogrammersin6months.Why,then,dowesendthemessagethataspirantcomputerprogrammersneedtospendafull3yearsgettingacomputersciencedegree?Worsestill,wearenowencouragingthemtospendevenlongerandtakeonevenmoredebtstudyingingraduateICTschools.Onereasonisthatthesystemissetupinsuchawaythat

26

institutionsareincentivisedtomakethelearninglastaslongaspossible.Thejustificationisthatthelongertheystudy,themorepreparedtheyareforwork.Isthatreallytrue?

114. Whatfundinginstitutionsbasedondurationoflearningdoesnotdoiscreatealearningcontextthatisgearedtowardsefficiencyandorientedtowardsthelearner’sgoals–forexample,obtainingemploymentintheirchosenindustryasquicklyaspossible.

115. Infact,manyofthesystemmeasuresintendedtodriveimprovedperformance(suchasqualificationcompletions)actuallycreatedisincentivesforinstitutionstosupporttheirlearnersintoemploymentorbusinesspriortograduationandnoincentivesforthemtosupporttheirlearnersintoworkorbusinessoncetheyhavefinishedstudying.

Q2. Doprospectivestudentshavegoodenoughinformationtoenablethemtomakeinformed

choicesaboutprovidersandcourses?Whatadditionalinformationshouldbeprovided?Who

shouldprovideit?

116. Thechallengeforpolicymakers,educationalistsandemployersistoensuretheinformationavailabletolearnersenablesthemtoreachtheirfullcareerpotentialandtherebycontributefullytosociety(Basham,2011).

117. Ourexperiencewithlearnersisthataproportiondonothaveenoughqualityinformationtoenablethemtomakeinformedchoicesaboutprovidersandcourses.Further,theinformationthatisavailableislargelyproducedbytheinstitutionsandsotheymustfindtheirownwaythroughthevariousmarketingpromisesandattempttomakeadecision–withtensofthousandsofdollarsandyearsoftheirlivesatstake–manyofthemfreshoutofschool.

118. Asmentionedearlier,wehavespentsometimesurveyingpeoplewhowereeitherconsideringhighereducation,wereinenrolled,hadwithdrawnorhadgraduated.Weaskedthisquestion:

119. Wereceived697responses,whichwere:

§ Extremelyeasy(20%)

§ Somewhateasy(53%)

§ Somewhatdifficult(25%)

§ Extremelydifficult(2%)

SURVEY QUESTION

Inmaking your choiceaboutwhat to study andwhere,howeasyordifficultwas it to find the

informationyouneeded?

LEARNERS AND LEADERS

“Mydreamisthrougheffectiveuseoftechnology,highereducationbecomesmoreaccessibleto

allkiwisandwillnolongerbeboundbytheconstraintsoftime,geographyorcost.Wewillalso

embrace the concept of lifelong learning supporting multiple career changes, meaning we’re

continuinghighereducationwellbeyondour20s,wheremostofusendoureducationnow.”

VicCrone

AucklandMayoralCandidate

27

120. Althoughthelargerproportionfoundittobeeitherextremelyorsomewhateasy,themostpopularsourcesofinformationaretheinstitutionsthemselves.Weaskedthefollowingquestion:

121. Inorderofpopularity,theresultsfrom700responseswere:

§ Iresearchedoptionsonorganisations’websites(61%)

§ Ispoketostaffateducationorganisations/attendedopendays(44%)

§ Igotadvicefrommyfamily(38%)

§ IspoketosomeonewhoworksintheindustryIwanttoworkin(36%)

§ Igotadvicefromacareersadvisor(33%)

§ Igotadvicefrommyfriends(28%)

§ Other(9%)

122. Weweresurprisedthatcareersadvisorscamesofardownthelist.Whiletheproportionincreasedforthoseaged20andunder,speakingtocareersadvisorswasstill4th-mostpopular,swappingplaceswithspeakingtosomeonewhoworksintheindustry.

123. Thiswasacuriousresultbecausewealsoasked:

124. Wereceived818responses,75%ofwhichwere‘Yes’.Fromthisitwouldseemthateventhosewhodescribedfindingthedecisionmoreeasythandifficultwouldappreciatesupportintheirdecision-making.

125. Webelievethemostimportantadditionalinformationthatshouldbeprovidedtolearnersisunbiasedcomparativedatawithwhichlearnersareabletomakeinformedchoicesaboutprovidersandcourses,notjustamonguniversities,butencompassingallhighereducationpathways.Suchdataneedstobeprovidedbyanindependentpartythatisaccountabletolearnersandtoalesserextentindustryandbroadersociety.Thisisbecauseitmustnotbeinfluencedtowardsparticularacademicpathwaysorinstitutionsbecauseofitsfundingorotherdependencies.Itappearsthereisademandforthiskindofservice.Forsomereason,useofcareersadvisorsdoesnotappeartolineupwiththisfinding.Otherthananecdotalfeedbackfromlearnersandemployers,wedonotyetunderstandforsurewhythatis.

126. Whiledifferentinitsscope,consistentwiththethemeofindependence,aGreenPaperproducedintheUKlatelastyearhasproposedtheestablishmentofan‘OfficeforStudents’withastatutoryduty“topromotetheinterestsofstudentstoensurethattheOfSconsidersissuesprimarilyfromthepointofviewofstudents,notproviders”(DepartmentforBusiness,InnovationandSkills,2015).TheestablishmentofsomethingsimilarinNewZealandisanoptionthatshouldbeexplored.Provisionofindependentcareeradvicecouldbeworkedintothemix.

SURVEY QUESTION

If therewasan independent service tohelpyoumake adecisiononwhat to studyandwhere,

wouldyouuseit?

SURVEY QUESTION

Inmakingyourchoice,wheredidyougetyourinformation?Tickallthatapply.

28

127. Ed.Collectivealsointerviewedvariousemployersabouttheirexperienceofeducationandemployabilityofgraduates.

128. Athemeinemployers’experiencesisthattheschoolcareersadvisorsareoutoftouchandhavenorealunderstandingofwithwhatisneededbyindustry.Thismaybeharshcriticismandweappreciatethattherewillbeotherviewsonthis,butthisissimplywhattheysaidandunpackingthereasonswhywouldbeaworthwhileexercise.

“Careersadvisorshavenorealexperienceofwhathappensinthefast-pacedrecruitment

market”-Employer

129. Informationneedstobringtogetherthevariousofferingsfromtertiaryproviders–privateandpublic–alongwiththepreferencesofindustryinawaywhichisbothunbiasedandfair.Aservicethatasks“Whodoyouwanttobeandwhatdoyouwanttodowithyourlife?”andthatprovidesadviceontheknowledge,skills,experiencesandconnectionsthatwillhelpmakethathappen.Thismeansthebestwayofprovidingthisinformationwouldbethroughanindependentorganisationwithaccountabilityprimarilytolearners,perhapsanOfficeforStudents,orsimilar.

Q3. IsthebusinessmodelofuniversitiespublishedbyUniversitiesNewZealandagood

characterization?Arethereaspectsofthebusinessmodelofuniversitiesthatitdoesnot

explain?

130. ThebusinessmodelpublishedbyUniversitiesNewZealandisagoodcharacterizationofhowthingsare,includingtheconspicuousabsenceofanyrealemphasisonlearners,theirexperienceorachievementofthelifegoalstheireducationisintendedtosupport.Farmoreemphasisisplacedonsecuringthegoodopinionoftherestoftheacademy,ratherthantheirownlearners.Indeed,asmentionedintheIssuesPaper,studentsatisfactionisalmostdismissivelyviewedasproblematictomeasureandyettheirstudentsaretheoneswithfirst-handexperienceoftheinstitutions.

131. Wewouldarguethattheentirebusinessmodelshouldplacethelearningexperienceandlearnercommunitiesatitscentre.

Q4. WhatisthebusinessmodelofITPs?DothebusinessmodelsofITPsvarysignificantly?Inwhat

ways?

Q5. Whatarethebusinessmodelsofthethreewananga?

Q6. DothebusinessmodelsofPTEshavecommoncharacteristics?

Q7. Whataretheimplicationsofeconomiesofscaleinteaching(andthegovernmentfundingof

studentnumbers)forthedeliveryoftertiaryeducationindifferenttypesofprovidersandfor

differenttypesofcoursesandsubjects?

Q8. Howdoescompetitionforstudentenrolmentsinfluenceproviderbehavior?Overwhat

attributestoproviderscompete?DoNewZealandproviderscompetewithoneanothermore

orlessthaninothercountries?

132. Firstofall,itisimportanttoputtheconceptoftertiarycompetitioninitspropercontextandclarifywhattheyarecompetingfor–notjustintermsofattributesbuttheirreasonforcompeting.Institutionsaremotivatedtogrow.Morestudents,morefunding,morebuildings–moreofeverything.Intheabsenceofprofitsandlosses(atleastinthepublicsystem),thesizeof

29

aninstitutionhasbecomeaproxyforitssuccess.Alargerinstitutionis,bydefinition,moresuccessfulthanasmallerone.Thesameistrueofthevariousdepartmentswithintheinstitutions.Thisdefinitionofsuccessisproblematicanddrivesdecision-makingthatisnotalwaysinthebestinterestsofthelearner.

133. Oneoftheeffectsofthe‘bums-on-seats’modeloftertiaryfundingwasthatitencouragedmoreofacommercialsetofbehavioursfromtertiaryinstitutions.Institutionssoughttodifferentiatethemselvesand,intheory,hadtoprovethemselvestothemarketinordertoattractenrolmentsandsurvive/thrive.

134. However,themodelalsofosteredanumberofotherlessdesirablebehaviours.Therewasaproliferationofcoursesofdubiousqualityandwesawtheriseofinducementsforenrolments.Forexample,theCPITinitiativeCoolITinvolvedhandingoutfuelvoucherstopeoplewho‘enrolled’inacomputingskillscoursedeliveredviaCD-rom.Foreachenrolment,theinstitutionreceivedhundredsofdollars.Ultimately,theywererequiredtopaybackalargesumofmoney.Theywerenotalone–anumberofsimilarschemeswereevidentintheearly2000s.Fromacommercialperspective,theycouldbeviewedasverysensible–evenclever–buttherewasnomeasureforqualityoflearningoroutcomes.

135. Further,institutionsspreadfromtheir‘home’basesandstartedopeningcampuses/operationsindifferentcitiesbothdomesticallyandoverseas–allwiththeintentionofcompetingwithotherprovidersinthesystemandattractingmorestudents.Wehavetoaskhardquestionsaboutthetime,energyandfinancialinvestmentthatgoesintothisdomesticandinternationalspreadofinstitutions.Inthecaseofdomesticspread,whyaren’ttheypartneringwithotherinstitutionsinaparticularlocation?Inthecaseofinternationalspread,whatarethebenefitstotheNewZealandlearnercommunities?

136. ThecappingofEFTSandthenewperformancemonitoringframeworkbroughtintoeffectin2008wasintendedtodiminishthelevelofcompetitionbetweeninstitutions,toencouragethemtofocusontheircorecompetenciesandtherebyreduceduplicationandtofostercollaboration.Eightyearson,asidefromsomesurface-levelpartnerships(oftenmotivatedbyfundingfromgovernmentconditionaloncollaboration),thecompetitionbetweenthesystem’sinstitutionshasnotreducedinanymaterialway.

137. Competitioninfluenceswhatprovidersdeliver,theirreluctancetomeaningfullycollaborate,theirinvestmentsinbuildingsandtheiroverallpriorities.

Q9. Whataretheimplicationsoffixedcapitalcostsforthebusinessoftertiaryeducation?Do

differencesinthecapitalstructureofdifferenttertiaryinstitutionshaveimportantimplications

forthedeliveryoftertiaryeducation?

138. Oneofthemajorissueswiththebillionsofdollarsofbuildingsbuiltwithpublicmoneyisthattheysitun-orunder-usedforaround50%oftheyear.OneVice-Chancellornoted“insideeveryVice-Chancellorisapropertydeveloperjustscreamingtogetout”.Itisdifficulttoseeanythingthatrunscontrarytothis.

139. Thereisnoproblemwithinstitutionsconstructingbuildingsandspacesforlearningandresearch.However,thesearebuildingsconstructedlargelyfromthepublicpurse.Thereshouldbeanexpectationthattheuseofthemisoptimizedforthebenefitofthepublic.

30

Q10. Whataretheimplicationsofthemultipleactivitiesoftertiaryeducationforitsdelivery?What

outputsarebestproducedtogether?Whatoutputsarebestproducedseparately?

Q11. Whatarethebenefitsanddisadvantages,intermsofstudents’learningoutcomes,ofbundling

togetherresearchandteachingatuniversitiesinNewZealand?

140. Thebenefitsofbundlingresearchandteachingatuniversitiesisoftenpositionedasbeneficialtostudents’learningoutcomesbecauseknowledgecreationinformsteaching.

141. Thedifficultywithresearchandteachingisnotsomuchthattheyare‘bundled’atuniversities,itistherelativeinternalpriorityandprestigeattachedtoeacharea.Agoodresearcherisheldinhigherregardthanagoodteacher.Teachingandresearcharetwoverydifferentskillsets.Justbecausesomeoneisagoodresearcher,doesnotmeantheywillbeagoodteacher–andviceversa.

142. However,thesystemdoesnotrewardgoodteachinginthesamewaythatitrewardsgoodresearch.Theeffectofthisisthatalowerrelativepriorityisplacedonstudents’learningoutcomes.

Q12. Whatvalueisattachedtoexcellenceinteachingcomparedtoexcellenceinresearchwhen

universitiesrecruitorpromotestaff?

143. Verylittlevalueisattachedtoexcellenceinteachingcomparedtoexcellenceinresearch.Thisisproblematicastheinterestsofthemajorityoflearners’experiencesareplacedsecondtoresearch–inordertogetahead,lecturersareencouragedtofollowaresearchpathway.Inthatcontext,studentscanbecomeahindrance.

Q13. DoNewZealandTEIscross-subsidiseresearchwithteachingincome?

Q14. Whatotherevidenceisthereaboutwhatmakesforeffectiveteachinginatertiary

environment?Isitdifferentfordifferenttypesoflearningorstudent?Howcanteaching

effectivenessbebestmeasuredandimproved?

144. Thereshouldbesomelinkbetweenmeasuresofteachingeffectivenessandlearners’intentions–whattheyultimatelywantoutoftheirlearningexperience.Formany,itissimplytolearnandenjoytheprocess.Forothers,itisaboutgettingtheirdesiredjob.Inordertomeasurethiseffectiveness,institutionsmustasklearnerswhattheirintentionsareandmeasuresuccessagainstwhethertheirlearnersachievewhattheysetouttoachieve.

Q15. Howdotertiaryprovidersassess,recognizeandrewardteachingqualityinrecruitmentand

careerprogression?Towhatextentdotertiaryproviderssupporttheprofessionallearningof

teachers?

Q16. HowdoNewZealandtertiaryprovidersusestudentevaluations?Howdoesthisinfluence

providerbehaviour?

145. AsstatedintheIssuesPaper,tertiaryprovidersfindstudentevaluationsproblematic.Post-hocevaluationsofstudentsatisfactioncanbeproblematicandthepapersetoutsomeofthechallengesquitewell.However,manyoftheseinstitutionsareexpertsinresearch–exploringeverythingfromcuresforcancer,tonanotechnology,togenderdiscriminationinthehealthsector.Therearewholesectionsoftheacademythatspendtheircareersevaluatingthe

31

effectivenessofahugerangeofinitiativesandinterventions.Thesearethebestmindsinthecountry.Itisdifficulttobelievethatdevelopingaccuratewaystoevaluatestudentsatisfactionisbeyondthem.

146. Bycontrast,muchattentionandinvestmentisspentsecuringthegoodopinionoftheirinternationalpeers(mostofwhomwillhavenofirst-handknowledgeofthelearningexperiencetheyarecreating)intheinternationalrankings–whichisthenusedtosellthatlearningexperience.

147. Weaskedlearnersthefollowingquestion:

148. Wereceived748responses.

§ Veryinterested(43%)

§ Somewhatinterested(41%)

§ Don’tknow(12%)

§ Notatallinterested(4%)

149. Withthetechnologyavailable,itshouldnotbedifficulttoenablestudentstoprovidefeedbackontheirexperiencethroughouttheirstudies.Thiswouldprovideaviewofastudent’ssatisfactionorunderstandingofmaterialthroughoutacourse(perhapsevenduringalecture)andenableinstitutionstomakeadjustmentsasnecessary.Again,howsatisfiedalearnerisgoingtobewilldependontheirexpectations–theyshouldbeaskedupfrontsothatsatisfactioncanbeassessedincontext.

150. Whynotworkwithabroadrangeoflearners(intending,currentandpast)toco-designaneffectivemeasurementframeworkforstudentsatisfaction?

Q17. InwhatwaysandtowhatextentdoemployersinteractwithtertiaryprovidersinNewZealand?

Aretherepracticalwaystoencourageemployerstohavegreaterormoreproductive

involvementinthetertiaryeducationsystem?

151. Itisoftensaidthatacademicprogrammesaredevelopment“inpartnershipwithindustry”.ThisisgenerallybywayofIndustryAdvisoryGroups–acollectionofindustryexpertswhoareconsulted,bothintheinitialconstructionoftheprogrammeandaschangesaremadeovertime.However,itwouldbeworthexaminingthisengagementinmoredetail.

152. Thequestionimpliesthatemployersarereluctanttobeinvolvedinthetertiaryeducationsystem–thattheyneedencouragement.Anecdotally,employerswhohaveparticipatedintheseadvisorygroupshavenotedthattheyare“awasteofmytime”.Relatingstoriesofbeingconvenedinaroom,talkedatforalmostalloftheallottedtimeandgivenverylittleopportunitytohavemeaningfulinput.Admittedly,theseanecdotesarefewinnumber,butthattheyarethereshouldbeofconcern.

153. Employersneedareasontogetinvolved,startingwithensuringthatthetimetheyinvestbeingperceivedasworthwhile.

SURVEY QUESTION

Howinterestedwouldyoubeinbeingabletoprovideregularfeedbackonyourlearningexperience

throughoutyourcourse(ratherthanattheend)?

32

154. Forthisreason,webelievethatfurtherinvestigationintoindustryengagementwiththetertiarysystemneedstobeconducted.Thefactthatinstitutionscanclaimtohavemetwithindustryshouldbeinsufficient.Exactlywhatchangedasaresultoftheirengagement?Whatvaluedotheemployersaddtothedevelopmentofaprogramme?

155. Wealsobelievethatmoreinindustrycouldtakeontheroleofdevelopingmorelearners’skills,iftherewasappropriatesupportinplace.Oneemployerinthecreativesectornotedthattherereallyisnosupportforthosewantingtoengagelearnersandprovidethemwithprofessionalexperience.

Q18. WhatarethesimilaritiesanddifferencesamongITOs,orbetweenITOsandothertertiary

subsectors,inhowtheyoperate?

156. AdefiningfeatureofITOsisthewaytheyconnecteducation,NZQAqualificationsandemployment.Furthermore,theseconnectionsaremulti-dimensional.ITOsmakeconnectionsbetweenthevarioussectors,butalsowithinthem,arrangingthedeliveryofindustrytrainingrightthroughseniorsecondaryeducation,tertiaryeducationcourses,andongoingprofessionaldevelopmentintheworkforce.Intheirroleofsettingnationalskillstandardsandleadingqualificationsdevelopment,connectionwithindustryisparamount.ThesefeaturesarebothsimilaritiesthatITOsshareanddifferencestheyhavewithotherpartsofthetertiarysystem,particularlyuniversities.Perhapsthemostobviousdifferencebetweenthewaythesetwooperateisinacademicresearchandinthetypesofindustrythataretheirfocus.

157. TheIndustryTrainingFederationsumsuptheunderlyingphilosophyofITOswhenitsays,“Weneedtointroduceyoungpeopletoworkplaces,notyetmoreclassrooms”(IndustryTrainingFederation,2016).NewZealand’sindustrytraineesandapprenticespaytaxes,donottakeoutloansandallowances,andattractmuchlowertrainingsubsidiesthaninstitution-basedstudents,however,bothtraineesandemployersdofacecosts(IndustryTrainingFederation,2016).Nevertheless,theITOs,bytheirverynature,areincentivizedtoensuretheirgraduatesareemployableandjob-ready.Becausesomanystudentsgotouniversityspecficiallytogetajob,itiswellworthinvestigatinghowtheITOmodelcanbeextendedfurtherintoindustriesandsectorssuchasmarketing,communications,creativedesign,humanresourcemanagement,recruitment,informationtechnology,financeandmore.

158. WebelievethatanyconcernaboutITO’shavingaconflictofinterestwhenbothsettingstandardsandarrangingtrainingbecomesredundantwhentheissueisviewedthroughthelensofthemostimportantstakeholder–thelearners.Forthem,whenITOsdobothsettingandarrangement,theirexperiencebecomesmorestreamlined,pragmaticandeffective.

Q19. WhatmakesforasuccessfulITOintermsofmeetingtheneedsoffirmsforskilledstaff?

159. ForanITOtosuccessfullymeettheneedsoffirmsforskilledstafftheymustensurethattheskilldevelopmentandtrainingreflectstheskillneedsandcareerpathsoftheindustry.Consequently,thisisbestachievedwiththeco-designofprogrammesandeffectivefeedbackloopsthatsupportperpetualreview,improvementandinnovation.Meaningfulmeasurementisessential.Whilsttheratioofqualificationsgainedtonumberoftraineesemployedintheindustryisimportant,Ed.Collectivepointsoutthattheinputofthelearnerisfundamental.Properlyincludingpotentialandpastlearnersintheco-designandmeasurementprocesseswouldprovideamuchmorecomprehensivepicture,whilstalsoprovidinginsightsonnon-qualification,howthiscanbechangedandtheeffectithasonemployment.

33

Q20. HoweffectiveistheITOmodelinmeetingtheneedsoflearnersandfirms?

160. TheITOmodelisreassuringlytransparentinitsobjectivesandhowtheyalignwiththeintentionsofthelearners.Learnersmostlyengageinpost-compulsoryeducationtogetajob,andITOsarefocusedonthisastheirendresult.Theirsuccessinfindingemploymentprovestheireffectivenessandsoprovidesaclearpointformeasurement.However,itwouldalsobevaluabletocomparethistotheemploymentrateofpeoplewhowithdrawatdifferentpointsalongtheprogramme.

Q21. Whatarrangementsforarrangingworkplacetrainingandapprenticeshipsinothercountries

couldNewZealandusefullylearn?

161. Internationally,threearrangementsforworkplacetrainingandapprenticeshipprovideexamplesforNewZealand.ThesearestrongeruseofDualTraining,broadeningofsectorslinkedstronglywithapprenticeshipsanduniversity-levelapprenticeships.

162. InAustria,Denmark,GermanyandSwitzerland,dualapprenticeshiparethedominantwayofdeliveringtechnicalandvocationaleducationtraining(TVET),meaningthatalargenumberofoccupationscanonlybelearnedthroughapprenticeshipandthereisnoschool-basedalternative(UNESCO-UNEVOC,2015).ItisalsoakeymodelinthePhilippines,wherethecomplementaritybetweenworkplaceandschool-trainingisa70-30%ratio.

163. Broadeningapprenticeshipsandworktrainingbeyondtraditionalsectors(suchasconstructionandmanufacturing)providesmoreopportunityfortrainingtoalignwiththemostinnovativeandattractiveoccupations.Thismaybeinnewindustriesorsectorspreviouslylinkedonlytouniversity.

164. InGermany,companiesseemtobekeenondualtraininginuniversitylevelfieldssuchaseconomics,accountancy,salesandfinancialservices.Suchuniversity-levelapprenticeshipmightbeawaytochannelyoungpeoplewhowanttogotouniversityintosectorsandoccupationswherethereisademandintheeconomywhilstalsoprovidingthemwithskillsthatmorecloselymatchtheneedsofemployers;learnersacquirerelevantworkexperienceduringtheiruniversitystudies(IndustryTrainingFederation,2016).

Q22. Isthecurrentarchitectureagoodfitforatertiaryeducationsystem?Whatareitsadvantages

anddisadvantages?Aretheregoodalternatives?

Q23. HoweffectiveistheTESinstrumentatgivinggovernmenteducationagenciesdirectionabout

prioritizingresourcesandmakingtrade-offsincarryingouttheirroles?Whatarethebenefits

andrisks,intermsoffosteringaninnovativesystem,ofamoreorlessdirectiveTES?

165. Theinstrumentitselfisfine–oritcouldbe.However,theTertiaryEducationStrategyasitstandslacksvisionandlookstomeetcurrentindustryneed(ortheprojectedneedofcurrentindustries)withoutspeakingtothefuture.Inmanyrespects,itreadslikepromotionalmaterialformaintainingthestatusquo.

166. TheTESisbroadenoughthatinstitutionscanshoe-hornjustaboutanythingtheydointoalignmentwithoneofthepriorities.However,despitethisbreadth,thereisverylittleinthestrategythatencouragesinnovationinimprovingthelearnerexperienceorstrengtheninglearnercommunities.

167. IfwearetohaveaTES,thenitshouldbeframedbyanaspirationalvisionforournation’stalentand,inthefirstinstance,setoutwhatnetworkofintermediateoutcomeswewillneedtoachieveinordertomakethatvisionareality.Whileclearlyitisanimportantfactor,thestrategyshould

34

notobsessonlyoverfilling‘skills-gaps’forcurrentindustrycategoriestotheexclusionofallelse.Itshouldalsosetouthowwearegoingtosupportlearnerstobetheverybestversionofthemselvesastheypictureit.Thesearethepeoplewhoaregoingtocreateentirelynewcategories.Ofcourseskills-gapsarepartofthepicture,buttheyshouldnotbethebe-allandend-all.

Q24. Howdootherinstruments(e.g.fundingmechanisms,lettersofexpectation,budgetinitiatives)

influencegovernmentagencies’behaviour?HowdothesealignwiththeTESinstrument?

Q25. WhendotheTEC’sindependentfundingroleanditsCrownmonitoringrolealign,andwhenare

theyintension?

Q26. Whataretheprosandconsofdifferentqualityassurancearrangementsforuniversitiesto

thoseforITPs,wanangaandPTEs?

168. AmajorproofqualityassurancearrangementsforuniversitiesbeingvestedwithbodiescomprisedoforestablishedbyUniversitiesNewZealandisthattherecanbelittleargumentagainstgreaterintegrationbetweeninstitutions’offerings.Forexample,astudentattheUniversityofCantebury’sLawSchoolshouldbeabletomovetotheUniversityofAuckland(andviceversa)withfullrecognitionofwhattheyhaveachievedtodate.Theprogrammesareapprovedandauditedbythesamegroups.Essentially,theyassesseachother–andiftheyarehappywiththequalityofaprogrammethenallachievementswithinitshouldberecognisedrightacrossthesystem’sinstitutions.

169. Asstatedearlier,whenaskediflearnersshouldbeabletomoveinstitutionswithoutacademicpenalty,71%oftheresponseswere‘Yes’,12%responded‘No’andtheremaining17%were‘Notsure’.

Q27. HowdoNewZealand’sgovernmentinstitutionalarrangementsfortertiaryeducationcompare

tothoseinotherjurisdictions?

Q28. Inwhatwaysdoesafocusoneducatinginternationalstudentscomplementorunderminethe

othergoalsoftertiaryeducationproviders?

170. Internationalstudentshaveplayedaveryimportantroleinthesocialandacademicfabricoftertiaryinstitutions.Thepresenceofinternationalstudentsassistsinexpandingtheworldviewsofdomesticstudentsandaddsaspecialqualitytothenatureofstudentlife.Inreturn,theyhaveaNewZealandsocial,employment,touristandlearningexperience.

171. Thereis,ofcourse,alsoafinancialimperative.Internationalstudentfees(andalltheassociatedspending)areamajorsourceofrevenuefortheeconomyandforinstitutions.Itisforthisreasonthatinstitutionsinvestsoheavilyinattractinginternationalstudents.However,whathappenswhenthefactorsthatinstitutionsbelievewillattractinternationalstudentstakepriorityovertheneedsofdomesticstudents?Itisatthisstagethattheprimarypurposeofourtertiarysystemreallyneedstobebroughtbackintofocus–assumingwecanagreethatpurposeisabouteducatinganddevelopingNewZealand’slearners.

172. Forexample,tertiaryinstitutionscaninvestmillionsofdollarsandenormouseffortinordertoobtaininternationalaccreditationofonekindoranotherforaqualification–believingthiswillattractinternationalstudents.Thequestionofwhethertheirattentionandfinancesmightbebetterdirectedattheirdomesticstudentsispertinent–particularlywhensomuchofthe

35

investmentispubliclyfunded.Shouldthetaxpayerbefundingtheinternationalentrepreneurialaspirationsoftertiaryexecutivesorinvestingfirstandforemostinourowndomesticlearners?

173. Ofcourse,it’snotaneither/ordecision,butthesystemwouldbenefitfrommoreguidanceontherelativepriorityofthesetwoareas.Wheninstitutionshavetochoosebetweeninvestingindomesticstudentsandattractinginternationalones,whereshouldtheirprioritieslie?

174. Ideally,thereshouldbesomefinancialbenefittoNewZealandlearnersfrominternationalstudentenrolments.Ifaninstitutionattractsmoreinternationalstudents,intheoryatleast,theyshouldbebetterabletolimitoreliminatefeeincreases.Whydowenotseethishappen?Thiscertainlyshouldbepartofthebusinesscaseforanyforeignexpansioninestablishingcampusesorprogrammedeliveryoff-shore.

Q29. Whatfactorsbestexplainthediscrepancybetweengrowinglevelsoftertiaryeducation

attainmentwithoutasignificantproductivitydividend?

175. ThelowrateofproductivityinNewZealand,evenastertiaryeducationattainmentincreasesisoftenattributedtoenvironmentalfactorssuchNZ’srichnaturalresourceswhichlowersthepressureforinnovation,theageofitspopulationanditsbusinesslandscape(e.g.dominanceofSMEsandfewtrulylargeorganisationswhichmeanslowcapitalintensityandefficiencywages).

176. Weproposethreeadditionalfactorswhich,inourexperiencewithtertiarystudents,betterhelpexplainthecurrentdiscrepancybetweenproductivitydividendsandgrowingtertiaryeducationattainment.Inourview,addressingthisisaprioritytoensureproductivitylevelscanimprove.

177. Thefirstofthesefactorsisthewaythetertiarysystemisfailingtoadapttotheeverincreasingpaceofchangeinsocietyandtechnologyandtheconsequencesofthis.Secondly,tertiaryattainmentisn’tmeetingtheneedsofindustrybecauseofadisconnectbetweenemployers,educatorsandlearners.Finally,institutionsarefailingtoembraceasystemsmind-setandareinsteadactingasmanysingleinstitutions.

178. Anexamplewherethepaceofchangeisnotbeingmetisincomputerprogramminglanguages.Theseareemergingquicklyandthetertiaryeducationsystemtakesalongtimetobuildcourses.Howcoulditbemoreresponsive?

179. Asdescribedearlier,thereistoolittlemeaningfulconnectionbetweenemployers,educatorsandlearners.Studentsneedtobeequippedwithbothskillsthatwillgetthemintowork(wherethatistheirgoal)alongwithlifelonglearningskillsforunpredictablefuturelabourmarkets(Melton,1996).Studentsarethekeyactorsintheirowncareermanagement,butatpresenttheyarerelyingongettingwhattheyneedfromeducatorswhoarelargelyisolatedfromindustry.

“[Tertiaryinstitutions]seemtohavenoideawhatisactuallyneededbyemployerstodayyetit

isdifficulttoworkwiththemtosharethisinformationbecausetheydon’twanttohearfrom

peopleoutsidetheschoolsanduniversities”–Employer

180. Thereisalsoinsularitybetweentheinstitutions.Highereducationinstitutionsactandareincentivisedas“disconnected”individualentities.Instead,theyshouldbeworkingtogetherasasystem.Forthistohappen,institutionsmustbeincentivisedtobewell-connectedamongthemselves.Theymustalsoworkmorecloselywiththecompulsoryeducationsector–andweacknowledgetherearesomegoodexamplesofthisoccurringrightnow.Weneedmoreofthat.

181. Overseas,baccalaureateinstitutionsarebeginningtosharecostsfromadministrativeandoverheadtofacultyandacademicprogrammes(Bibbee,2013).Similarly,whatisbeingofferedatuniversityisbeingofferedatsecondaryschoolorviaMOOCs.Therearenoincentivesforuniversitiestodothisatpresentbecausetheadvantageslieonlywithlearnersandsociety.

36

Q30. Whatarethebestmeasurestodeterminewhetherthetertiaryeducationsystemisworking

well?

182. Weneedtoask“whofor?”.Thereareanumberofperspectivesthatanymeasurementframeworkshouldinclude–learners,employersandGovernmentwillallhaveslightlydifferentviewsonwhatsuccesslookslike.

183. Forthelearner,itmightmeanthattheygetajobinaparticularindustry.Fortheemployer,itmightmeanthatgraduateemployeesaremoreusefulondayoneandbecomeproductiveteammembersmorequickly.ForGovernment,itmightmeanthatindustryasawholehastheskillsitneedsnowandthatthefuturelooksgoodformeetingthedemandsoftomorrow.

184. Webelievethatmoreworkcouldbedonetoco-designwithdifferentstakeholdersasetofmeasuresthat,together,giveagoodpictureofhowthesystemisperformingoverall.

Q31. Whatotherevidenceisthereabouttheinfluenceoftertiaryeducationsystemperformanceon

thegraduateincomepremiainNewZealand?

185. Thisyear,therehavebeensuccessivepressreleasesfromUniversitiesNewZealandcitingtheincomepremiaoftertiaryeducationinNewZealand.However,theinformationwasmadeupofaveragesforverybroadcategoriesandactuallytellsusverylittle.

186. OECDreportshaveshownthatourgraduatesreceiveamongthelowestreturnontheirinvestmentintertiaryeducation-aheadofTurkey,DenmarkandSweden,butsubstantiallybehindcountrieslikeCzechRepublic,Slovenia,Poland,theUSandtheUK.Thougharound50%ofthegapbetweenourreturnandtheOECDaveragecanbeexplainedbythewayitwasmeasured,thefactremainsthatwearewellbehindothereconomies(NewZealandTreasury,2013).

187. WhattheTreasurypaperattributesmostofthegaptoisourlowergrossearningsbenefit(p.8),ratherthantertiarysystemperformance.Givenaround50%oflearnersappeartogointotertiaryeducationwithanemploymentoutcomeinmind,thisisworryingwhenweconsiderthatthecostsassociatedwithstudy(directandindirect)arecontinuingtoclimb.

Q32. Towhatextentaregraduatesmeetingemployers’expectationswithrespecttohardor

technicalskills?Whataboutsoftskillsandcapabilities?

188. “Kidswanteverythingonaplatterthesedays”,oneemployerrecentlyremarkedtous.Thereisageneralsensethatgraduateshaveahighsenseofentitlementandalackofwillingnesstodowhateverisnecessarytogetahead.

189. Whilewesympathisewiththisview,itisimportanttoputthesereportedbehavioursincontext–notasanexcusebutbywayofexplanation.

190. Theissueisthatlearnershavebeensoldthepromiseofaprosperousfuture–alltheyneedtodoisspendtensofthousandsofdollarsandthreeyearsoftheirlivestogetit.Thismessageisrepeatedoverandover–goontostudyandyou’llgetagoodjoborafulfillingcareer.Learnersarespendingandsufferingmorethananyotherpreviousgenerationjusttogettotheemploymentstartinglineandbeginlifewithanever-increasingfinancialhandicap.Theproductofthisandthefacttheyhavebeensoldonthefactthattheywillgetagreatcareerattheotherendmeansthatofcoursetheyfeelentitledtoit.

191. Itisunreasonabletoexpectpeopletospendmorethantheirparents’firstmortgageonaneducation,justtostartwheretheirparentsdid–oftenwithnoqualificationatall–andthenexpectthemtotakeonentry-leveltasksandbehappyaboutit.

37

192. Thisisnotadefenceofbadworkattitudes,butitisanattempttoexplainwheretheymightcomefrom.Weneedtodosomeworktoensurelearnersandyoungpeoplehaverealisticexpectationsfromthebeginning.Learnershaveindicatedthattheywouldlikeanindependentservicetoprovidethemwithadviceontheirlearningchoicesandperhapsthiscouldbepartofthat.

193. Therealityforemployersisthattheyfindthegraduatesinastatewheretheyneedfurthertraining.Anemployernotedthat“Idon’texpecttomakeanymoneyoffagraduateforatleastayear–theyneedtoomuchwork”.Othershaveechoedthisinvariousways.Thecauseofthisisnotforlackoftimeormoney.We’reeitherdoingthewrongthingsordoingthemthewrongway.

Q33. Whatarethesignificanttrendsinemployerdemandfortertiary-educatedemployees,andin

studentdemandfortertiaryeducation?Howisthesystemresponding?

194. Asmentionedearlier,ofthelearnerswhotolduswhattheirreasonswereforstudying,50%studiedwiththeintentionofgettingajob.

195. Theemployersweinterviewedstatedtheyareseekingstudentswhoareflexible,adaptableandquicktolearn.

196. ITOsandtheSTARSgosomewayforthesystemtobettermeetthedemandsofbothlearnersandemployersbutsignificantpartsofthesystemareunchanged.

197. TheTertiaryEducationCommissionrecentlyidentified“Placinglearnersatthecentreofthesystem”asapriority.Weendorsetheimportanceofthisbutemphasisetheneedtoincludelearners’intentionsintheframe.“Accuratelyassessingtheeffectivenessofacourseorprogrammerequiresmeasuringlearners’improvementinknowledge,skills,andcompetencies.”isonethingwecando.However,measuringthedifferenceinthelearners’knowledgebetweentwospecificpointsdoesnotnecessarilyequatetoputtingthematthecentreofthesystem.Ifalearner’sintentionisfortheirtertiaryeducationtogetthemajoborcareer,thesystemshouldincludethisasakeymeasurementofsuccessandseektoassistlearnersinreachingtheirgoal–particularlyincaseswhereindustrycareerprospectsplayacentralroleintheirmarketing.

198. WeagreewiththeTECthat“theInquiryshouldaimtoidentifyhowapackageofsettingscouldbeimplementedacrossgovernmentagencies(includingMOE,MBIEandTEC)toincentivisecollaborationfrombothsides”.ItisalsohearteningtoseethattheTECprioritisebringingeducationandworkclosertogether.

Q34. Whatisbeingdonetodevelop,assessandcertifynon-cognitiveskillsintertiaryeducationin

NewZealand?Doapproachesvaryacrossprovidertypes,orbetweenhigher,vocationaland

foundationeducation?

199. Employershavesaid“wewantpeoplewhocanworkaspartofateam”.Inresponse,institutionsareplacinggreateremphasisongroupwork.However,thereisverylittleinthewayofguidanceandsupportforhowtoworkeffectivelyasateam.Webelievethatmorethinkingandenergyshouldbeinvestedindevelopinglearners’softskills–motivation,resilience,teamwork,negotiationandconflictresolution.

38

Q35. Whataretheimplicationsofnewtechnologiesthatarepredictedtomakemanycurrently

valuableskillsobsolete?Willthischangetheroleofthetertiaryeducationsystem?

200. Theimplicationsofnewtechnologieswillcontinuetoreachfurtherandfurtherintoprofessionsthathavehistoricallybeenseenasuntouchable.

201. AleadinglawfirmintheUnitedStatesrecently‘employed’itsfirstartificiallyintelligentlawyer.

“Ross,“theworld’sfirstartificiallyintelligentattorney”builtonIBM’scognitivecomputer

Watson,wasdesignedtoreadandunderstandlanguage,postulatehypotheseswhenasked

questions,research,andthengenerateresponses(alongwithreferencesandcitations)to

backupitsconclusions.Rossalsolearnsfromexperience,gainingspeedandknowledgethe

moreyouinteractwithit.

“YouaskyourquestionsinplainEnglish,asyouwouldacolleague,andROSSthenreads

throughtheentirebodyoflawandreturnsacitedanswerandtopicalreadingsfrom

legislation,caselawandsecondarysourcestogetyouup-to-speedquickly,”thewebsitesays.

“Inaddition,ROSSmonitorsthelawaroundtheclocktonotifyyouofnewcourtdecisions

thatcanaffectyourcase.”

Rossalsominimizesthetimeittakesbynarrowingdownresultsfromathousandtoonlythe

mosthighlyrelevantanswers,andpresentstheanswersinamorecasual,understandable

language.Italsokeepsup-to-datewithdevelopmentsinthelegalsystem,specificallythose

thatmayaffectyourcases.”(Futurism,2016)

202. Meanwhile,‘Amy’isanartificiallyintelligentpersonalassistantthatiscurrentlybeingrolledoutinBetaaroundtheworld.Userssimplyccamy@x.aiandAmytakesoverallthee-mail‘ping-pong’tosortoutthebesttimeforeveryonetomeetand,onceit’sallagreed,sendstheappointment.

203. Closertohomeintheeducationspace,GeorgiaTechhavecreatedanartificiallyintelligentteachingassistanttohelprespondtothe10,000orsoquestionsreceivedeachtimeacourseinKnowledgeBasedArtificialIntelligenceisoffered.

CollegeofComputingProfessorAshokGoelteachesKnowledgeBasedArtificialIntelligence

(KBAI)everysemester.It’sacorerequirementofGeorgiaTech’sonlinemaster’sofsciencein

computerscienceprogram.Andeverytimeheoffersit,Goelestimates,his300orsostudents

postroughly10,000messagesintheonlineforums—fartoomanyinquiriesforhimandhis

eightteachingassistants(TA)tohandle.

That’swhyGoeladdedaninthTAthissemester.HernameisJillWatson,andshe’sunlikeany

otherTAintheworld.Infact,she’snotevena“she.”Jillisacomputer—avirtualTA—

implemented,inpart,usingtechnologiesfromIBM’sWatsonplatform.

“Theworldisfullofonlineclasses,andthey’replaguedwithlowretentionrates,”Goelsaid.

“Oneofthemainreasonsmanystudentsdropoutisbecausetheydon’treceiveenough

teachingsupport.WecreatedJillasawaytoprovidefasteranswersandfeedback.”(Georgia

Tech,2016)

“Respondingtoquestionsoveremailandpostedonforums,Jillhadacasual,colloquialtone,

andwasabletooffernuancedandaccurateresponseswithinminutes.Herrepliesincluded

'yep!'and'we'dloveto'.Thestudentshadnoideauntiltheyweretold-andmanywere

shocked.ThebotwasnamedJillWatsonaftertheIBMWatsonanalyticssystemthatallher

responsescomefrom-essentiallyherbrain.ShewastrainedbyGeorgiaTechresearchers

beforebeingthrownintothemixwithnineotherTAs.Somestudentsweresuspiciousathow

swiftlysheresponded.Andoncesheusedtheword'design'insteadof'project'.Butnone

actuallysuspectedshewasabot.Infact,somelookedheruponlineandfoundLinkedInand

39

FacebookaccountsthatcouldcorrespondwiththeirpromptTA.Andtheysaidmanyofthe

TAsaresharp,impersonal,andquicktorespondanyway.”(Liberatore,2016)

204. Morethanpossible,itisnowlikelythatartificialintelligenceisgoingtobeemployedforawholerangeoftasksthathavepreviouslyemployedpeople–andlargenumbersofthem.ThisisnottosaythatthelawprofessionwillceasetoexistorthatExecutiveAssistantswillbeentirelyreplaced,butthenatureofthework,andthereforeskillsrequired,willchangesignificantly.Further,thenumberofpeopleneededforparticularprofessionsislikelytodeclinealongsideincreasedneedforpeopleinnewprofessions.

205. Thetertiaryeducationsystemneedstomeetthemoment.Inadditiontopreparinglearnersforaworldwithartificialintelligence,thereisanopportunityforinstitutionstoinvestigatehowtodeployAIthemselvestoseehowcoststothelearnermightbereducedwithoutcompromisingtheirlearningoutcomes.

Q36. Whatchallengesandopportunitiesdodemographicchangespresentforthetertiaryeducation

system?

206. AsnotedintheIssuesPaper,MāoriandPacificpopulationshaveayoungeragestructure.Pacificpeoplesareinfacttheyoungest,fastest-growinggroupinthecountry,withtwooutofthreePacificpeopleresidinginAuckland.SouthAucklandisthelargestMāoriandPacificcommunityinthecountryand,atthesametime,isanareaofhighsocialdeprivation.

207. InorderforNewZealandtobeeverythingwecanbe,Aucklandmustachieveitsfullpotential.InorderforAucklandtodothat,SouthAuckland(includingMāoriandPacificpeoples)mustbebroughtonthatjourneyofsuccess.

208. Intermsoftertiaryeducationprovision,thingshaveimprovedforSouthAucklandinrecentyears.AUTUniversityhasitsSouthCampusinManukauandMIThasitsOtaraandHaymanParkCampuses.

209. However,whatisprovidedandhowitisprovidedremainsthesame.Further,theacademyremainslargely,white,middle-classandmale–certainlyatthemostseniorlevels.Oneofthechallengesforthetertiaryeducationsystemwillbetoinvestinbecomingmorediverse-morereflectiveofthecommunitiesitserves.Itneedstomovemorequicklyonthis.DespitereceivingmoreResearchDegreeCompletionfundingfromthePBRFforPacificandMāoricompletions(evenmoreforthosecompletedinTeReo),theuniversitysubsectorhasdonelittletobuilditsseniorMāoriandPacificacademicsoutsideofMāori-andPacific-relatedsubjects.

210. WeneedtoseemoreMāoriandPacificacademicsdevelopedandappointedtoseniorrolesandseniormainstreamroles–notjustthosewithaMaoriorPacificfocus.

Q37. Whatevidenceisthereontheeffectoftuitionfeesonstudentaccessto,orthedemandfor,

tertiaryeducationinNewZealand?

211. Therereallyhasbeenonlyonegameintownandsotheideathatfeescanincreasewithoutdiminishingdemandfortertiaryeducationstartsfromafalsepremise.Themessagingisrepeatedandvigorous:youneedtogetatertiaryeducationinordertohaveanyprospectofhavingaprosperousfutureandadecentlifeinthisworld.Itisthereforenotsurprisingthatpeoplehavefoundthatinstitutionscouldchargemoreandthestudentswouldstillcome.Whatarethealternatives?

212. Moreinterestingquestionsthan“howmuchmorewillstudentspay?”is“howmuchlesscouldstudentspaywithouttheGovernmenthavingtopaymore?”or“howmightwere-modeltertiaryeducationsothatstudentscouldpayhalfwhattheyarepayingnow?Ornothingatall?”.There

40

havebeenleapsandboundsintechnologythathavereducedthecostsofallsortsofproductsandservicesrightthroughallofourlives.Andyet,theonesectorthatwouldliketoclaimresponsibilityformanyofthediscoveriesassociatedwiththoseefficiencies(withsomejustification,actually)justkeepsgettingmoreandmoreandmoreexpensive–reportedlyat7timestherateofinflation.Wageincreasesoutsidearen’tclimbingasquicklyasthefees.EvenifwetakeUniversityNewZealand’sincomepremiareportatfacevalue(althoughtheOECDhasadifferentview(NewZealandTreasury,2013))howlongwillitbebeforethereturnoninvestmentbecomesdecidedlylessattractivethanwhathasbeenreported?Inanyevent,whatwedoknowisthatifthetrendscontinue,thereturn5yearsfromnowwillbelessthanitistoday.And5yearsafterthat,evenless.Givenweknowthatnow,shouldn’twebedoingsomethingaboutthat?

213. Well,fortunately,alternativesareemerging.Theonlyquestionforthesystemiswhetherornotitwantstowatchthechangehappen,resistthechange,ortobecomepartofitandshapeit.LikeSkyTV5-10yearsago,thetertiaryeducationsystemisatapointwhereitgetsthatchoice.Ithasenjoyedamonopoly.Butthereareindicatorsthatthisisabouttochange.Wewouldlovethesystemanditsinstitutionstostartleadingsomeofthenecessaryshifts,ratherthanspectate.

Q38. Whatarethelikelyimpactsofdomesticstudentfeesincreasingfasterthaninflation?

214. Well,asstated,thereportedreturnoninvestmentfortertiaryeducationwillbeever-diminishing.TheincomepremiapromotedbyUniversitiesNewZealandthisyearwillgetsmallerandsmallerandsmallerwitheachpassingyear.Whilethismightnotimpactondemandintheveryshortterm,asmoreaffordableandmoreflexiblealternativesbecomeavailable,thereisboundtobeashiftinlearnerchoice.Wehaveobservedthesechangesinotherindustriesthathavecomeattheexpenseofdominantmarketplayerswhohavefailedtoadapt.

Q39. Whatimpacthasthepatternofgovernmentspendingontertiaryeducationhadonthetertiary

educationprovided?

Q40. Howhaveproviders’inputcostsandrevenuechangedovertime?Whataretheimplicationsof

thesechanges?

Q41. HowmightBaumol’scostdiseaseorBowen’slaw(discussionofwhichtendstofocuson

providerslikeuniversities)applyinotherpartsofthetertiaryeducationsystem?

Q42. Whatspecifictechnologiesshouldtheinquiryinvestigate?Why?

215. Theopportunityforthisinquiryismuchlargerthanjustwhattechnologiesshouldbeinvestigated.Thequalificationsframework,theroleofthedifferentagenciesandaskingthequestionconstantly“canwedothisbetter?”shouldremainfrontandcentrethroughout.

216. Theinquiryshouldinvestigatesuccessfulonlinelearning–notjustthetechnologies,buttheoperatingmodelsemployed–andhowthesecansitalongside,augmentorreplacecampus-basedstudyandatwhatcost.

217. Coursescouldbedisaggregatedintolectures,tutorialsandassessments.Studentscouldhaveonlineandcampus-basedoptionsandcouldelecttoattendlecturesinperson,streamthemlivefromwherevertheymightbeorwatcharecordedversioncoveringthesamematerial.Iftheywanttoattendinpersonitcostsacertainamountandiftheyconsumethecontentonlineitcostsless.Similarly,iftheyderivevaluefromattendingtutorialsinperson,theycandoso,ortheycanparticipateinonlinediscussionfora–again,atreducedcost.

41

218. Thereasonsforallofthisarenotjustthefeesinvolved,whichcontinuetorise.Therealityisthattheworldinwhichmostofthepolicymakersgrewupandpassedthroughhighereducationiscompletelydifferentfromtherealityforstudentstoday.Andtodaywilllooklikeadreamtothosewhocomethrough20yearsfromnowifnothingisdone.

219. Thecostofliving,particularlyinacentrelikeAuckland,isincrediblyhigh.Rentsarerising–asisthecostofbasicslikefood,electricityandtransport.Withoutfamilyassistance,itisnotpossibletoliveandstudywithoutworkingaswell.Thedaysofsurvivingthroughtheyearwithmoneysavedoverthesummerarewellandtrulybehindus.

220. Whyisthisimportant?Moreandmore,studentswillhavetofitstudyinaroundhowtheyearntheirliving–ratherthantheotherwayaround.Havingmoreonlineoptionswillenablestudentsto‘attend’alectureorlearningmoduleatatimeandplaceconvenienttothem,ratherthanwhenitisconvenientfortheinstitution.Wecanallrememberexamplesofhavingonlyoneclassonaparticulardayoftheweek.InAuckland,assumingthatthestudentislivinginan‘affordable’suburb,thiscouldmean2-3hoursoftravellingforonelecture-valuabletime(andexpense)inwhichtheycouldbeearningmoneyforthisweek’srentorcompletingassignments.

221. Artificialintelligence(suchastheteachingassistantidentifiedinQuestion35)mightalsobeausefultechnologytoinvestigateasawayofenhancingtheonlinelearningexperience.

Q43. Whatpartsofthetertiaryeducationsystemarechallengedbyongoingtechnologicalchange?

Whatpartscanexploittheopportunitiescreated?

222. Thepartsofthetertiaryeducationsystemchallengedbyongoingtechnologicalchangewillbethestaff.Theyhavebeenthelifebloodofourinstitutions,transformingliveseachandeveryyearastheyhaveshared,challengedandguidedtheirlearnersthroughskillsacquisitionandknowledgediscovery.However,theworldhaschangedaroundus.

223. Studentfeeshavecontinuedaninexorableclimb-andthereneedstoberecognitionthatautomaticannualincrementsarepartofthatgivenpersonnelcostsmakeuparound58%ofthecostsor65%ifdepreciationisexcluded(MinistryofEducation,2014).

224. Livingcostsforstudentshavecontinuedtorise.Thefinancialandopportunitycostsassociatedwithtertiaryeducationarehigherthantheyhaveeverbeen.Itisnatural,therefore,forstudentstoincreasinglylookforafinancialreturnontheirinvestment.Andwageshavenotkeptpacewiththeincreaseincosts.

225. Placesoflearninglikeuniversitiesusedtoholdthemonopolyonknowledge.Ifyouwantedtolearnsomething,theyweretheplacetogo.Thatisnotthecaseanymore.Thereare,arguably,higher-quality,morerelevant,moreaffordableandmoreflexiblewaysofacquiringthesameknowledge.Buthowcanweworkwithitandrecogniseourlearners’masteryofit?

226. Thesystemhastheopportunitytoflex,looktoinnovateandhelpshapethefuture–otherwiseitrisksbeingleftbehind.

Q44. HowhasinternationalizationaffectedNewZealand’stertiaryeducationsystem?Whatarethe

ongoingchallengesandopportunitiesfrominternationalizationofthetertiaryeducation

system?

227. WeneedtoaskourselveswhetherNewZealandinstitutionsshouldbeinvestingtime,energyandpublicmoneyinestablishingphysicaloverseasoperationsatall.Whatistheprimaryroleoftheseinstitutions?Surely,itistoeducateanddevelopNewZealand’stalentandthoseinternationalstudentswhochooseaNewZealandlearningexperienceandmakeacontributionasdiscussedinQuestion28.

42

228. Ratherthansupportingandfundingtheentrepreneurialambitionsoftertiaryexecutives,thesystemhasplentytobegettingonwithrighthereinNewZealand.IftheinstitutionhassparecashtoinvestinanewoperationinVietnam,SingaporeorIndia(forexample),itcouldbearguedthattheyhavesparecashtoreducefeesorinvestinjointventureswithindustrytoprovidelearningexperiencestoNewZealandstudentsthatwillmakethemmoreemployable.Itisdifficulttoreconcileinvestmentsinoff-shoreoperationswhileatthesametimeraisingfeesfordomesticlearners.

229. Infact,giventhatstudentsonforeignsoildonotaddtothelearnercommunitieshereinNewZealandtothesameextentasthosewhoareresidenthere,thereshouldbeanexpectationthatsuchventuresproducefeereductionsforlearnershere.

Q45. Isthe“NewZealand”brandanimportantpartofinternationalcompetitionforstudents,staff,

andeducationproductsandservices?Whatshouldprovidersandgovernmentdotomanageor

enhancethisbrand?

230. TheNewZealandbrandisabroadconceptthatcoverseverythingfromoursocialcohesion,ourenvironmentand,yes,thelearningexperienceswecanprovide.Institutionstendtoarguethatitistheirinternationalreputationthatistheprimaryfactorinattractingstudents.Thisviewsupportstheireffortstoinvestmoreinresearch,whichwillimprovetheirinternationalrankings.

231. However,lesswellknownregionalinstitutionshavealsobeenknowntodowellintermsofinternationalstudentrecruitment.ThereisaverystrongattractiontoaNewZealandlifestyleexperience,alliedtopursuingtheireducation.

232. WewouldliketoseefurtherinvestigationintohowaNewZealandlearningandtravelexperiencecouldbeputtogetherthatallowsstudentstocompletetheirstudiesatmultipleinstitutionsacrossthecountry.Asmentionedearlier,oursurveyindicatedmuchstrongersupportthanweexpectedforthisideafromamajoritydomesticstudentsample.

233. Wereceived745responsestothisquestion.Theresultswere:

§ Veryinterested(23%)

§ Somewhatinterested(33%)

§ Don’tknow(13%)

§ Notatallinterested(31%)

SURVEY QUESTION

Howinterestedwouldyoubeincompletingyourstudiesindifferentpartsofthecountry?(justfor

example,1yearinAuckland,1yearinWellingtonand1yearinChristchurchorwhereveryoulike).

43

Q46. Whatothertrendsprovidechallengesandopportunitiesforthetertiaryeducationsystem?

234. Oneofthetrendsthatdemandsaresponsefromthetertiarysectoristhatthedayswhenstudentsspentthebulkoftheirtimeoncampusarealreadybehindus.Learnersarejugglingdemandsofworkingjusttosurvive.Vulnerablecommunitieswithhistoricallylowtertiaryeducationparticipationratesareenrollingingreaternumbers–whichisagoodthing.However,theirresponsibilitiestotheirfamiliesandcommunitiesontopoftheneedtoearnmorearealsopullingthemawayfromwhatusedtobeverystrong,on-campuslearnercommunities.Institutionsaregoingtohavetoadaptandinvestininnovativewaysofconnectingandstrengtheningthesocial/communityaspectofeducationinaworldwherepeoplearenotalwaysphysicallypresent–simplybecausetheycan’taffordtobe.

235. Interestingly,learnersareindicatingthattheyarekeentoconnectwithotherswithsimilarlearninginterestsasthem–eveniftheothersarestudyingthroughdifferentinstitutions.Perhapsthisindicatesanopportunityforgreatercollaborationforinstitutions?Ratherthanfocusingonhowtheycanget‘their’studentstoengagewith‘their’campuses,perhapsit’sgoingtobemoreaboutfosteringtheconditionsandprovidingthetoolsthatfacilitatelearnersconnectingwitheachother–wherevertheymightbe?

236. Inoursurvey,weaskedaquestionalongtheselinesandreceived640responses.

237. Theresultswere:

§ Veryinterested(36%)

§ Somewhatinterested(40%)

§ Haven’tthoughtaboutit(20%)

§ Notatallinterested(4%)

SURVEY QUESTION

Howinterestedwouldyoubeinbeingconnectedtopeoplewithsimilarlearninginterests(but

possiblystudyingatadifferentinstitution)?

LEARNERS AND LEADERS

“Morethaneverbefore,wemustensurethateveryyoungAucklanderandNewZealanderhas

accesstofurthereducationandskilltraining.Intheworldtoday,thatisthefoundationforearning

a good living, participating in society and contributing to our community. For an inclusive

Auckland,weneedtoensurethateveryperson,regardlessoffamilybackgroundorincome,gets

thechancetocontinuelearninganddeveloptheirskills.”

PhilGoffMP

AucklandMayoralCandidate

44

Q47. Whattrendsarelikelytobemostinfluentialforthetertiaryeducationsystemoverthenext20

years?

238. Theincreasingfees,livingcostsandopportunitycostassociatedwithtraditionaltertiaryeducationwillbethemostinfluential.Afailuretomeetthemomentwithincreasedflexibility,moreopennessandeducationcontentanddeliverythatfitswiththerealitiesofcontemporarystudentlifewillmaketraditionalinstitutionslessandlessrelevant.Ifstudentscangetthemselvesemployableusingalternativeeducationmodelsthatareemergingintheprivateeducationspaceandcandosomorequickly,moreaffordablyandmoreflexibly,traditionalinstitutionswillbeseverelyimpacted–it’sjustaquestionofwhen,notif.

239. Assumingastandardundergraduatefeeofapproximately$6000,andastandardincreaseonthatof3%ayear,adegreeforsomeonestartingthisyearwillcostaround$18,500infees.In20years’time,assumingnomajorpolicyshifts,thatsamedegreewillcost$32,500.Basedonrecenthistory,itisfairtoassumethatthewageincreaseswillnotkeeppace.AtleastinAuckland(butincreasinglyinothercentres),itisunlikelythattherewillbemuchreliefintermsofhousingandlivingcosts.Anyincomepremiawillbegraduallyeroded.

240. Weneedtoacceptthat,ifnothingisdone,ifnomeaningfulchangeisintroduced,wearesentencingfuturegenerationstoasystemthatwilldeliverthesameproduct,atever-increasingcostsand(atleastinthefinancialsense)ever-diminishingreturns.It’snotrightandsomethinghastobedone.Therewillbepain,therewillbethoseinthesystemwhoneedtofindotherjobs–butthatistherealityfacingmultipleindustriesandwecannotexpecteitherlearnersorthetaxpayertokeepforkingoutformoreofthesame.

241. Anassociatedconcernisthattherisingcostsofstudywillincreasinglyshapethechoicesthatlearnersmake–chasingjobsthatwillfundrecoveryoftheirinvestment,ratherthanpotentiallyotheressentialjobsthatmakeoursocietyabetterplacebutthatdonotpayaswell.Wecouldallbenefitfromanextensionoftheoptionsavailablethatreducesthecoststoourlearners–bothintermsoffeesandlivingcoststhrougheitheranimprovedabilitytostructuretheirstudiesaroundworkorashorterpathwayintoemployment.

Q48. Arethereotherimportanttypesofnewmodelthatshouldbeincludedwithinthescopeofthis

inquiry?

242. Yes.ModelssuchasthoseemployedbyEnspiral’sDevAcademyandin-housetrainingsystemsbylargeoverseascorporatesthatgetpeopleemployment-ready,ofteninverytechnicalsubjects.Howdotheydoit?WhilewedonothavecorporatesofthescalefoundoverseasandweareprimarilyaSMEemploymentmarket,theremustbewaysourtertiaryinstitutionscanworkmorecloselywithindustrytodeliverthetalenttheyrequireandbetterequipouryoungpeopleandthoseretrainingwiththeskillsneededtogetajob.

243. Weneedtobreakoutbeyondourqualificationsframework.TheBachelor’sDegreeisa900year-oldconstruct.Inthisuser-pays,employment-focusedenvironment,isitstillthebestmodelagainstwhichweshouldbemeasuringmasshighereducation?Perhapsweshouldbereturningtothedayswhenfarfewerpeoplegotouniversityand,forthosewhowantit,moreoptionsaroundemployment-relatedtrainingareprovided?

244. Theapprenticeshipmodelcouldalsobeexpandedbeyondthetradesandintothosejobstraditionallyregardedasoffice-basedprofessions.Marketingandcommunications,forexample–learnandgetaccreditedonthejob.

45

Q49. Whatnewmodelsoftertiaryeducationarebeingimplementedinuniversities,ITPs,PTEsand

wananga?Howsuccessfulhavetheybeen?

245. Unlesstherearenewoptionsbeyondthequalificationsframeworkthatwehave,Idon’tthinktheycanbecallednewmodels.Traditionally,tertiarieswillgoouttoindustryandsay“telluswhatyouwant”…industrydoesthatandthetertiarysectorresponds“havewegotthedegreeforyou”.Whatifadegreeisnotreallythebestmodel?

246. Yes,thestatisticspointtoincomepremiaandothersuccessfactorsassociatedwithpeoplewhohavemoreeducation.However,wehavehadnorealalternativemodelsthathavekeptupwiththechangingworkforcedemands.We’veonlybeenabletomeaningfullycomparethosepeoplewhohavecompletedoneofthequalificationswithinourframeworkwiththosewhohavenot.Weneedentirelynewmodelsinordertomeetthedemandsofthefuture.Withoutthat,we’refosteringafuturethatfeatureshugedebtinreturnforqualificationsthatareunlikelytoprovidethereturntheyhavehistorically.Thenext20yearswilllooklessandlesslikethelast20andevenlesslikethe20beforethat.Weneedasystemthatisflexibleandresponsivesothatitcanadapttotheconditionsastheypresentthemselves.

Q50. Arecurrentqualityassuranceandaccountabilityarrangementsrobustenoughtosupporta

widerangeofnewmodels?

247. Ifanything,theyaretoobureaucratic,inflexibleand‘robust’andthereforeunlikelytosupportanyrangeofnewmodels.Weneedtoexpandtheviewofwhat“quality”meansandlinkittolearnerexpectationsandintentions.

Q51. HowmightnewmodelsoftertiaryeducationaffecttheNewZealandbrandintheinternational

marketfortertiaryeducation,students,educationproductsandservices?

248. Therearetwowaysoflookingatthis.Intermsofpreparingthevastmajorityofourtalentformeaningfulemploymentinwaysthataremoreflexible,affordableandrelevant–wecouldbeworld-leading.Wecouldbeknownforitthroughouttheglobe.

249. Todoso,wewouldneedtostarttorefinehowweview‘internationallyrecognised’qualifications.Rightnow,atthisverymoment,weareputtingpeoplethroughqualificationsthatwewouldseeasbeinginternationallyrecognisedandemployersintheassociatedindustriesaresayingeither“wewon’ttouchthemifwecanhelpit”or“wetakegraduatesonbecausethey’recheap”.Ifpeopleareemployingourgraduatesprincipallybecausethevaluepropositionisthattheyarethecheapestlabourtheycanfind,itdoesn’tdomuchtorecommendthetensofthousandsofdollarsandyearsthatgointoproducingone.

250. TherealityisthatthevastmajorityofourlearnersatleaststarttheircareershereinNewZealand.Theneedforinternationalrecognitionisreallymorepronouncedforthosewhohaveoverseasambitions.Forthosewhodoandwhogooffandchasetheirinternationaldreams,wethenchargetheminterestontheirstudentloans.Ontheonehand,wearefundinginstitutionstodevelop“internationallyrecognised”qualifications–andthenontheotherwearecharginglearnerswhoavailthemselvesofthatrecognition.Itseemsaverystrangemixofbehaviours.

251. Weneedsomecourageousdecisionsaboutthemixofmodelsthatweemployacrossoursystem,providinglearnerswithgreaterchoiceaboutwhat,howandwheretheylearnanddeveloptoachievetheirgoals.

46

Q52. Whatcanbelearntfromthetertiaryeducationsystemsofothercountries?Aretheremodels

thatcouldbeusefullyappliedhere?

Q53. Whatmeasureshavebeensuccessfulinimprovingaccess,participation,achievementand

outcomesforMāori?Whatmeasureshavebeenlesssuccessful?Why?

252. One-on-onesupportandmentoringprogrammesareavailableforPasifikaandMaoristudentsacrossmanytertiaryeducationproviderswiththegeneralpurposeofsupportingPasifikastudents’continuousparticipationandmotivation.ExamplesincludeAUT’sPacificStudentSupport,Victoria’sPasifikaatVic,Unitec’sPacificCentreandFonoFaufautua

253. AccordingtoPasifikaresearcherCherieChu,thepresenceofrolemodelsandawarenessofculturalidentityareimportanttoPasifikastudents’successattertiaryeducation.Leaders“helpotherstoseesolutionsandidentifyapproachestomeetthechallenges”(Chu,2009).CloserelationshipshelpleaderstohelpPasifikastudentstofindsolutions,developtheirstrengths,createanidentityforthemselvesandplanachievablegoals.LeadersandmentorshelpPasifikastudentsfigureouttheirchallengesandobstaclestosuccess,thenencourageandguidethemthroughapathwaytotheirsuccess.

254. BarrierstoPasifikastudents’successesincludepersonalhardshipsuchasfamilypressures,financialdifficulties,healthissues,andhousingissues.TertiaryeducationprovidersneedtofindmoresuitablewaystoaccommodatetoPasifikastudents’needs.TheyneedtosupportPasifikastudentsnotonlyacademicallybutalsoonapersonallevelandinthecontextoffamily.ManyPasifikastudentsintertiaryeducationarethefirstinfamilytostudyatthislevelandsosupport,andinformationneedstobeprovidednotjusttothestudent,buttotheirwhānauinawaythatisalignedtotheirculture,notthatoftheinstitutions.Itislogicalforthistobesustainedthroughouttheirprogrammeofstudytoensurecompletion.

Q54. Whatmeasureshavebeensuccessfulinimprovingaccess,participation,achievementand

outcomesforPasifika?Whatmeasureshavebeenlesssuccessful?Why?

Q55. Whatmeasureshavebeensuccessfulinimprovingaccess,participation,achievementand

outcomesforat-riskyouth?Whatmeasureshavebeenlesssuccessful?Why?

Q56. Whatmeasureshavebeensuccessfulinimprovingaccess,participation,achievementand

outcomesforthosewithlimitedaccesstotraditionalcampus-basedprovision?Whatmeasures

havebeenlesssuccessful?Why?

AccessibilityandParticipation

255. Accessibilityisoneoftheprimaryissuesthatextramuralandparttimestudentscontinuouslyexperience.Accessibilityinfluencesstudents'motivationtocontinuouslyparticipateintheireducation,achievetheirpapersorcoursesandincorporatetheirlearningexperiencesintotheircurrentorfuturecareerandpersonallives.

256. Aspartoflearningonline,extramuralstudentsareprovidedequalaccesstothetertiaryeducationprovider'sonlinelibrary,whichprovidesallstudentswiththerelevantsourcesrequiredfortheircourses.Thisincludesacademicjournals,archivedonlineversionsofmagazinesandnewspapers,andeBooks.Whilethephysicallibraryisalsoavailableforextramuralstudentstovisitanduse,thiscanbealimitationforthosewhodonotlivenearthetertiaryeducationprovider.However,sometertiarycourseproviderssuchasMasseyUniversityandVictoriaUniversityofWellingtonofferalibraryserviceviapost.Withthisservice,extramuralstudentscanrequestlibrarybooksthentheyaremailedthebookstoborrowforacertainperiodoftime.

47

Whilethisisusefultosomeextramuralstudents,thosethathaveothercommitmentsdofindtheideaofhavingtosendthebookbacktothelibraryviathepostshoptobeinconvenient.

257. Themajorityofone-to-onesupportis“deliveredthroughcampus-basedlearningandstudentsupportdepartments”(Hinchcliffeet.al,p.49).Thistypeofqualityinteractionisnoteasyforextramuralorpart-timestudentstoaccess.Hinchcliffeet.al(2007)notethatthiscanaffectsomefulltimestudentstoo,assomeofthemspendmoretimeoutsideofcampuspartakinginresearchorforotherstudy-relatedreasons.Tertiaryeducationprovidersarenowincreasinglyprovidingface-to-faceteachingasanoptionfordistanceandparttimestudents.Thiscanbeeitherthroughliveorrecordedlecturesortutorialsessionswiththeteacherpresentinginaclassroomsetting,orlivetwo-wayaudiovisualinteraction(Kean,2003).

258. One-to-one,face-to-facecommunicationandsupportfromtutorsisbecominglessofabarriertoextramuralstudents'learning,asteleconferencingsuchascontactviaSkypeisavailabletodistanceandparttimestudents.Tutors'phoneandemailcontactsarealsoprovided.Thedownsideofthesetypesofcommunicationisthatthesecontactsessionsareusuallynotonaregularbasis,reducingtheamountoftimesthatextramuralstudentsarecheckedinwiththetutor.Extramuralstudentsaremoreresponsibletoensuretheyareontherighttrackasopposedtotheregularintramurallectureandsessionswherestudentshavetheabilitytoaskthetutorquestionsduringbreaksorafterclass.Intramuralstudentshavethebenefitofbeingcheckedinorremindedbytutorsregardingassignmentsandsuch,whereasthisisnotcommonviadistancelearning.

259. Withthelatesttechnologyandsocialmediaavailable,studentsarealsoabletocontacttheirpeersoutsideoftheironlineclassandforums.Extramuralstudentscanmakecontactwithoneanotherthroughsocialmedia,emailorphoneandorganiseagrouporpartnerstudysession,wheretheymeetinperson,studytogetherandsupportoneanother.Onegreatwaythathashelpedstudentsovercomethebarrierofaccessibilityduringtheircourseisanonlinecommunity.Thisspaceisoutsideoftheclassforumwherestudents’effortsanddiscussionsarenotviewedonastrictlyacademiclevel.MasseyUniversity'sExtramuralCommunityFacebookpageallowsstudentstogetthechancetovirtuallymeetotherstudentswithinboththesameanddifferentcourses,whetherornottheysharesameclasses.NotethatMasseyUniversityistheleadingNewZealandUniversityfordistancelearning.WithinMasseyUniversity'sExtramuralCommunityFacebookpage,manystudentsshareadvice,experiences,complaintsandfeedbackregardingtheirlearningexperiences.Itisacommunitybasewherestudentslookfororprovidepeersupport.Anexamplethisisextremelyusefulandsupportiveforstudentsisextramuralstudentsexperiencingbereavementandseekingadvicefromtheirpeers.Somepostsonthepageshowsthatsomestudentshaveconsideredwithdrawingfromtheirpaperssoclosetotheendofthesemester.Peersupportfromclassmates,otherextramuralstudents,andadvisors(relevantMasseyUniversitystaff)whoadministratethepagehasencouragedmanystudentstopersevereintheircoursesanddothebesttheycan.

260. Blockorcontactcoursesareprovidedtocompensateforlackoftheface-to-faceteachingsessions.Thedownsidewiththisaspectisthatextramuralstudentsareforcedtospendextraontheircourseofstudiesfortravelandaccommodation,addingstresswhileinternalstudentshaveservicesprovidedtothemattheirconvenience.Someextramuralstudentsareunabletoorhavetosacrificetheirtimeandscarcemoneytotraveltothelocationofthecontactcourse.Sometimescontactcoursesclashwithothercommitmentsandstudentsmissoutonthisface-to-faceopportunity.Extramuralstudentsalsotendtousemoreenergyorganisingthingsincludingratherthanstudyingcomparedtointramuralstudents.

261. Withinthetraditionalcampus-basedprovision,learningopportunitiesaredeliveredthroughface-to-facecourses,mentoring,workshopsortutorialsandsometimestheopportunitytodevelopthroughconferencesorganisedoutsideofclasstimes.Sometertiaryinstitutionsprovidethese

48

opportunitiesintheeveningsorduringtheweekendhowevertheseare"largelyextensionsoftheconventional'university-based'modeloflearning"(Hinchcliffeet.al,2007,p.49).

262. Asastartingpointtoimproveaccesstothosewhostudyparttimeorviadistance,afundamentalprincipletofollowthroughoratleastconsider,isthat“anysolutionmustbe‘learning’ratherthan‘technology’driven”(Hinchcliffeet.al,p.50).Thisisparticularlyanissueforthosewholiveinruralareasandlackinreliableinternetservicesletalonethefundstopurchasetherequiredtechnology.Somelearnersdonotlearnbestthroughtechnologyandrequireface-to-faceeducationandsupportespeciallyforthosewhohavelearningdisabilities.

AchievementsandOutcomes

263. Intertiaryeducation,intramuralstudentshaveahighercompletionratethanextramuralstudents.Withe-learningavailabletobothgroups,intramuralstudentstendtocompletetheircoursesatthecompletionrateofjustover70percent.Extramuralstudentshavelesstendencytocompletetheircourseswithacompletionrateofjustover50percent(MinistryofEducation,2013).

264. Despiteextramuralstudents'lowersuccessratesintertiaryeducation,theytendtoalternatebetweenworkingandstudyingandsotheirworkexperiencesarecomplementedwiththeirstudiesthereforetheirpracticalitiesandcomprehensionoftheircoursesaremoresuccessful(Radloff,2011).Extramuraluniversitystudentstendtobemoreindependent,self-motivatedandresponsiblefortheirlearning.Thesesignificantskillsareparticularlyusefulforandprincipallylearnedfromlimitedaccess.Extramuralstudentslearnhowtoputtheirstudiesintopracticalityaswellasputtheirpracticalworkintotheirstudiessuccessfully.InRadloff’s(2011)research,46.2percentofextramuralstudentsreportedhavingoftenorveryoften,exploredhowtoapplythethingstheyhavelearnedintertiaryeducationintotheworkplace(p.72).Comparethisto34.6percentofcampus-basedstudents(p.72).Inadditiontothis,41.3percentofcampus-basedstudentsreportedneverhavingblendedacademiclearningwiththeirworkplaceexperience,ascomparedto24.5percentofextramuralstudents(p.72).Althoughextramuralstudentshavelessaccessandopportunitiestoengagewithpeersandrelevantstaffmembersregardingtheircourses,extramuralstudentsareinfactengagingthemselvesintotheireducationmoresothantheirintramuralpeers(Radloff,2011).

265. Extramuralstudentswhodonotcopewellwithisolationwhenstudyinghaveanincreasedchanceofwithdrawingfromtheircourses(Radloff,2011,p.5).Onemainreasonstudentswithdrawfromtheircoursesisthatittakesalongertimetocompleteduetoothercommitments.Manyextramuralstudentsstudyparttimeextramurallyprimarilyforthereasonofothercommitments.Extramuralstudentsalsofeelisolatedduetolackofface-to-faceinteractionsandsupport.Theseincludeengagementswithpeers,tutors,andotherrelevantsupportservicesthetertiaryinstitutionprovidessuchascounsellingandguidance-asopposedtointramuralstudentswhoreceivetheseservicesconvenientlyoncampus.O’Keefereinforcesthesignificanceofstudentsfeelingasenseofbelongingtotheirretentioninstudiesandoverallachievementsorsuccess.Thosewithotherlifecommitmentsincludingattendingtothefamily,particularlychildren,work,extracurricularactivities,andhealthissuestendtolackasenseofbelongingduetolessattachmentandcommitmenttothetypicaluniversitylifeandstudy(O’Keefe,2013,p.607).

266. Hinchcliffeet.al(2007)hascreateda“modelforstudentaccesstostrandsofe-learningactivity”(p.51).Thismodelincludesfouraspectsofaccessforstudentsamongste-learning.Providingstudentswith...

§ Knowledgeofresearchandgeneralstudyskills

§ Ongoingpeersupport

§ Reflectionsuchasthroughfeedbackformsandsurveys,and

49

§ Advicefromsupervisors,trainersandmentorsthroughtheopportunityofbothopenandclosedcommunication

267. Hinchcliffeet.al(2007)state,“Dynamic,welldesignede-learningopportunitiesshouldbethenorm,nottheexception”(p.51).InNewZealand,accessibilitytoequallearninganddevelopmentopportunitiesisnotconsistentamongsttertiaryinstitutions.Greateraccessandaccommodativesupporttowardsextramuralstudentsandtheirlearningexperiencesinhighereducationwillseeimprovementsinstudents'participation,achievementsandoutcomes.

Q57. Whatmeasureshavebeensuccessfulinimprovingaccess,participation,achievementand

outcomesforpeoplewithdisabilities?Whatmeasureshavebeenlesssuccessful?Why?

268. Interviewswithfourstudentswithdyslexiastudyingattertiarylevelshoweddisplayedwhattheirlecturersdidorcoulddotocreateaneasierlearningjourneyforthem.WilsonandSavery(2013)haveidentifiedfiverelevantmatterstotheirleaningexperiences,whichcouldalsobeappliedtostudentswithotherdisabilities:

§ Resilience.Thelecturers’flexibilityandadaptabilitytostudents’needsandabilitieshelpstudentstostudysuccessfully.

§ Identifyingstudent’sdifferentneedsandabilitiespositivelyisoneofthefirststepsfornotonlystudentswithdyslexiabutalsootherlearningdifficultiesordisabilitiestofeelrecognised.Thelargerthelecturers’awarenessofthestudents’abilitiesthebettertheyareabletocatertotheirstudents’needsandabilities.

§ Creatingself-awareness.Lecturer’sunderstandingofdyslexiaandworkingwithstudents’strengthsandabilitiescanincreaselecturers’acceptanceofstudents’learningdifferencesasindividuals.Lecturersbecomemoreawareoftheirteachingstyleandlearntoaccommodatetostudents’abilitiesorstrengths.Withthisawareness,theyrealisethekindofsupportstudentsneedandencouragethemtopersevereintheircourseofeducation.

§ Withthelecturers’self-awarenesscomestheimplementationofcompensatorystrategies.Forexample,aBachelorofNursingstudenthadseenanincreaseofvisualstrategieswithintheirlearningsuchaskeywords,picturesandvisuals.Thisteachingstylehasaccommodatedtothisstudents’cognitivelearningstrategyandcontributedtotheirsuccessinthecourse.

§ Beingopenaboutone’sdisabilityorlearningdifficultycancreatepositiveconsequences.Theultimatepositiveconsequenceisthatstudentsreceivethesuitableassistancetheyneedfromtheinstitutionandaccessiblesupportwithinthelearningenvironment.Oneexampleofaccommodatingtostudentswithdyslexiaandtheirlearningstyleistheuseoftechnology.Thisincludeslaptops,assistivesoftware,andvoice-recognitionsoftware.Farbeh-Tabrizi(2012)supportsthisidea,statingthattheuseofacomputercanputstudentsinthe"driver'sseat"andgivesthemagoodsenseofselfreliance”(p.4).

269. Tertiaryinstitutionsneedtoworktoprovidemoreapproachableandcomfortableenvironmentsforstudentswithdisabilities.WilsonandSavery(2013)state,“Lecturerunderstandingandawarenessoftheneedsoflearnerswithdyslexiacouldreducestigmatization,therebyenablingtheselearnerstofeelsafetodiscloseanddiscusstheirlearningdifferences”(p.123).Theabilitytobeopenaboutone’sdisabilityorlearningdifficultycanleadtothebestpossibleaccesstorequiredsupport,anincreasedlevelofparticipationamongststudentswithdisabilities,andimprovedachievementsandoutcomes.

270. Thefeedbackfromthestudentswithdyslexiadisplaythattherecouldbeimprovementswithininclusion,suitableteachingpedagogiesandstrategies,flexibleandindividualisedteachingapproaches,andthelevelofavailablepsychologicalsupportforstudentswithdisabilitiesandlearningdifficulties(Wilson&Savery,2013).

50

271. Bevan-BrownandWalker(2013)interviewedtenMaoristudentswithvisualimpairments,fiveofwhichhadstudiedorwerestudyingintertiaryeducationatthetime.Twooftheseparticipantshadstudiedatwānangaandtheotherthreestudiedatmainstreamuniversities.

272. SomedifficultiesthattheMāoristudentswithvisualimpairmentsreportedofincluded:

§ Havingtorelyonaudiotapedmaterialtowriteassignments

§ Joiningindiscussions

§ Gettingextratimeneededtocompletework

§ Costofspecializedequipmentandnotetakers

§ Unreliabilityofnotetakers

§ NotbeinggrantedpermissiontosubmitassignmentsonCDsoraudiotapes

273. ThetwoparticipantswhohadstudiedatwānangareportedofdifficultiesandbarriersrelatingtoboththeMāorisubjectandgeneralmatters(p.389).Theseinclude:

§ LackofaccessibleMāori-relatedandMāorilanguageresourcesatboththewanangaandlocallibraries

§ LackofaMāori-speakingcomputerdictionaryorspellcheck

§ AdditionalcostsrelatedtogetmaterialstranscribedbyaproficientMāorispeaker(thesecosttwiceasmuchasEnglishtranscriptions)

§ Limiteddisabilitysupportservices

§ Limitedequipmenttoaccommodatetostudents’needs

§ Limitedteachers’knowledgeaboutvisualimpairment

§ Tutors’relianceonvisualstoteachtheMāorilanguage

274. Overall,thefiveMāoristudentshadreportedalackofrequiredteacheraidesorsimilarone-to-onesupportandothersuitableresources,equipment,andstudymaterials.Theyhadalsoreportedalackofdiscretionforstudentswithdisabilities,suchasatutoracceptinganadaptedassignmentformatfromdisabledstudents.Mostimportantlyofall,however,isthelackofraisedawarenessandunderstandingoftheirdisability,barriersandchallenges,lackofrelationshipbuilding.Thisisaconcerningissueasthisnotonlyappliestothesestudentsbutmanyothersacrossthenation.

275. The2013Censusshowsthat55percentdisabledstudentshaveachievedapost-secondaryschoolqualificationatlevel1to6astheirhighestqualification.Only12percentdisabledstudents'highestqualificationsinvolveaBachelor’sdegreeorhigher(StatisticsNewZealand,2013,p.10).Itshouldbenotedthatthisdoesnotstatespecificallywhethertheseareachievedattertiaryinstitutionsoratuniversity.

276. Manydisabledstudentsexperiencebarriersandchallenges,especiallywithaccessibilityandthesmallamountofavailableopportunitiesforthem,inachievingtheircareersandaspirations.Theyare“oftenexacerbatedbythelimitedavailabilityofmainstreamopportunities”(Irving,2012,p.1040).

277. Studentswhoexperiencefeelingsofrejectionandlackthefeelingofbelongingintheirlearningenvironmentareconsideredtobeathighriskofnotcompletingtheircourses.O’Keefe(2013)identifiesacademicallydisadvantagedstudentsandstudentswithdisabilitiesinthelistofgroupswhoareconsideredtobeatriskofnon-completion.

278. Almostalltertiaryinstitutionsprovidestudentdisabilityservicestostudentswithdisabilities,impairmentsandlearningdifficulties.However,thelevelofsupportfromeachinstitutionvaries.

51

Thelevelofsupportandaccommodationtowardscertaindisabilitiesalsovary.Forexample,onetertiaryinstitutionmaythriveinprovidingaservicetoDeafstudentswithsignlanguageinterpretersbutfailtomeettherequirementsofanaccessibleareaforstudentswhousewheelchairs.SomeNewZealandtertiaryeducationprovidersmaintainagreatlevelofawarenessandsupporttowardsstudentswithdisabilitiesbutthereisalwaysroomforimprovement,bothatinstitutionsthatdoanddonotprovidestudentswithaccommodativeservicestoasatisfactorystandard.

Q58. Whatmeasureshavebeensuccessfulinimprovingaccess,participation,achievementand

outcomesforadultswithlowlevelsofliteracyornumeracy?Whatmeasureshavebeenless

successful?Why?

Q59. HowinnovativedoyouconsidertheNewZealandtertiaryeducationsystemis?Doyouagree

thatthereis“considerableinertia”inthesystemcomparedtoothercountries?Ifso,inwhat

wayandwhy?

279. Intermsofcomparisonstobedrawnwithothercountries,it’sdifficulttosayforsure.Mostoftheinnovationsinthetertiaryeducationsystemhaveeitherbeencreatedbytheprivatesector,thenot-for-profitsectororpublicinstitutionswithenormousendowmentfunds.Havingsaidthat,yesthereisconsiderableinertiainthesystem.Thepolicyandregulatoryframework,thefundingrulesandoperatingmodelsproducecontentanddeliverythatis‘same-samebutdifferent’.

280. OnthepointraisedintheIssuesPaperregardingtheethicsofexperimentingonstudents–thisisraisedasaspectretodiscourageanyinnovationbythosemotivatedtomaintainthestatusquo.Therealityisthis:thecurrentsystemisfailingstudentsasitis.Weknowthis.Approximately33%ofstudentsdonotcompletetheirdegreeswithin8years(MinistryofEducation,2014).Whatreal,authenticeffortshavebeenmadetounderstandwhyandaddressthebarriers?Notjustintermsofsupportservices(alotofthoughtandvaluableworkhasgoneintothis),butwhatchangestothestructuresandoperatingmodelsinplacemightimpovethings?

281. Ontopofthat,wehaveemployerssayingthatgraduatesarenotreallyreadyforemployment,thattheyhirethembecausethey’recheap,createnovalueforthefirstyearandthattheyhavetotrainthemup.Bythetimedrop-outs,thoseunabletosecureemploymentintheirchosenfieldandthosewhodonotmeetemployerexpectationsareremovedfromthepoolofstudentswhostartstudying,whatproportionareweleftwith?Canwesaythattaxpayersandstudentsaregettingvalueformoney?Itisnot‘experimenting’thatisirresponsible.Itisirresponsibletokeepdoingthesamethingoverandoveragain-despitethefactthatouroperatingenvironmenthaschangedcompletely,despitethefactthattechnologicaladvancesmeanwedon’tneedto,despitethefactthatthefutureofworkisgoingtotransformsomanyindustries.Despiteallofthosethings,thereisariskthatsomewillwanttobeleftalonetodowhatthey’vealwaysdone,butbeabletochargemoreandreceivemoretodoit.

Q60. Whatarethefactorsassociatedwithsuccessfulinnovationinthetertiaryeducationsystem?

282. Onethoughtinresponsetothisquestionis“whatsuccessfulinnovation?”.

283. Allthe‘innovation’isoccurringwithinasystemthatisitselfunchanged.Thereisinnovationinstudentrecruitment–workinginnewwayswithschoolsandengagingwithyoungpeopledifferentlytoincreaseparticipation…inthesamething.Therehasbeenaproliferationofsatellitecampusestoimproveaccessforcommunitiesthatwouldotherwisenothaveaccess…tothesame

52

thing.Onlinecomponentshavebeenintroducedtocoursestoimproveflexibilityandtoreducecosts(totheinstitutions,nottothelearners)–toworktowardsthesamething.

284. Themainfactorappearstobethattheinnovationneedstooccuroutsidethesystem.Sadly,onesuccessfulsocialandcommercialentrepreneurrecentlyadvisedus“that’sfine,goaheadandmakeasubmissiontothisCommission–justrealisethatifyouactuallywantsomethingtohappen,you’llneedtoworkoutsidethesystemandworkouthowtopayforit”.Thisperceptionisasadindictmentontheresponsivenessandpaceofinnovationwithinoursystem.

Q61. Whatarethebenefitstoinnovatorsinthetertiaryeducationsystem?Whatchallengesdothey

faceincapturingthesebenefits?

Q62. Whatarethebarrierstoinnovationinthetertiaryeducationsystem?Whatmighthappenif

thosebarriersarelowered?

285. Oneofthebarrierstoinnovationliesinthetremendouspressuretoavoidpublicfailure–whetherrealorperceived.Theironyisthatisseemstobeperfectlyfinetofailatthesamerate,aslongasyoudon’tchangeanythingandeveryoneelseisfailingwithyou.Thiscreatesanenvironmentisextremelyrisk-averseandreallyonlysupportsincrementalchange,ratherthantransformativeinnovationbasedoncourageousdecision-making.

286. Changeistoughonallinvolvedanditmaybethatitisjusttootoughforexistinginstitutions.Wemayneedtoestablishorfundentirelynewonestoreallydriveinnovationinthesector.

Q63. Howwelldoinnovationsspreadinthetertiaryeducationsystem?Whathelpsorhinderstheir

diffusion?

287. Itdependsonthearea,disciplineandinstitutions.Inthemain,institutionsarenotverygoodatlearningfromeachotherandworkingtogether.Oneexceptionseemstobethelibrarians–theyseemtobethemostdisinclinedtoletinstitutionallinesgetinthewayofdoingwhattheydosowell.Thesystemcouldlearnagreatdealfromhowlibrariansoperateandcooperate.

Q64. HowsuccessfulwastheEncouragingandSupportingInnovationfundinpromotinginnovationin

thetertiarysector?Whatevidencesupportsyourview?

Q65. ArethereexampleswheretheNewZealandGovernmenthasdirectlypurchasedinnovationor

innovativecapacityintertiaryeducation?Ifso,wasitsuccessful?

Q66. HoweasyorhardisitforanewproviderorITOtoaccessTECfunding?

Q67. DoestheprogrammeorqualificationapprovalprocessviaNZQAorCUAPenableorhinder

innovation?Why?

288. Ithindersinnovationbecausethetheunitsoflearningandhowtheyarepackagedaresostandardised.Thisistobeexpectedinaqualityapprovalinstrument.However,thediscussionofqualityneedstobebroadened.

289. Underthepresentsystem,itisquitepossibleforsomeonetospendtensofthousandsofdollarsandyearsoftheirlifecompletingacourseofstudythathasaqualitysealofapprovalfromNZQAorCUAPbutnotleavethemanymoreemployablefortheirdesiredindustry,whenthatisoftentheirgoal.Ifitisthestudent’sintentiontogointoaparticularareaofemploymentandis

53

pursuingthecourseinordertofurtherthataim(oftenbecausethemarketingmaterialtellsthemtheywillgetagreatjob),thensurelytheirsuccessorfailureinthisendeavourand/ortheemployer’sviewontheirreadinessforworkshouldbegivensomeconsiderationinthequalitydiscussion.

Q68. WhatimpacthasPerformance-linkedFundinghadonproviders’incentivestoinnovate?

Q69. HowmuchdoesfundingshiftbetweenPTEsbasedonassessmentsofperformance?Whose

assessmentsarethey,andwhataretheybasedon?

Q70. HowmuchdoesfundingshiftinsideaTEI(e.g.betweencourses,academicsorfaculties)based

onassessmentsofperformance?Whoseassessmentsarethey,andwhataretheybasedon?

Q71. Whatinfluencestertiaryproviderstowardsofferingabroadornarrowrangeofcourse

offerings?Whataretheadvantagesanddisadvantages(forproviders,students,andthesector

asawhole)ofarelativelyhomogenoussystem?

Q72. DoNewZealand’stertiarypolicyandregulatoryframeworksenableorhinderinnovation?

Whatmighthappenifexistingconstraintsareloosened?

Q73. Howdointellectualpropertyprotectionsintertiaryeducationfosterorhinderinnovation?Are

theeffectsdifferentindifferentpartsofthesystemorfordifferentkindsofprovider?

Q74. HowdoestheCrown’sapproachtoitsownershiproleaffectTEIbehavior?Isitconduciveto

innovation?

Q75. Doregulatoryorfundingsettingsencourageordiscourageprovidersfromengaginginjoint

ventures?Ifso,how?

Q76. Howdoregulatoryorfundingsettingsencourageordiscourageprovidersfromseekingexternal

investment?

Q77. Howdotertiaryproviderscreateincentivesforinternalparticipantstoinnovate?Whatkindsof

choicesbyprovidershavethebiggest“downstreameffects”ontheirlevelofinnovation?

Q78. Whatincentivesdogovernmenteducationagencieshavetoinnovateinthewaytheycarryout

theirfunctions,bothwithinandacrossagencies?Whatconstraintsdotheyface?

54

CLOSING STATEMENT

Wearepleasedtohavebeenabletoparticipateinthisinquiryintonewmodelsoftertiaryeducation.WebelieveinatalentedandconnectedNewZealandpoweredbygreatlearningexperiencesandstronglearnercommunities.Webelievethattheinterestsandvoicesoflearnersshouldbeatthecentreofshapingthefutureofhighereducationanditwasouraimtomakeacontributiontothatthroughoursubmission.Wewillcontinuetogatherandsharetheviewsoflearnersandhopethatthiswillbewelcomed.

Asstatedearlier,someofwhatwehaveshared(ourowncommentaryalongwiththeviewsoflearnersandemployers)mayseemharsh.However,wehavepreparedthissubmissionwithahugerespectforoursystemanditsinstitutions.Wejustbelievethatavarietyoffactorscallforaneedforsignificantchange.

Itmaybethatchangeisnotpossible,toohard,tooexpensiveorwilltaketoolongwithinexistingstructures.TheCommissionshouldalsoconsiderthepossibilityofestablishingorsupportingneweducationmodelsoutsideofinstitutionsthatarealreadyinplace.Startingfreshmightindeedbebest.

Eitherway,welookforwardtodiscussinghowthesystemcanbemademoreresponsive,moreflexible,moreopenandmoreaffordableforNewZealand’slearnersoftomorrowandbeyond.

ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS

Ed.Collectivewouldliketothankallthepeoplewhotookthetimetoparticipateinoursurveysandinterviews–whatyousharedwasreallyvaluabletousaswepreparedthissubmission.WearealsogratefultotheleaderswhohaveinspireduswithyouraspirationsforhighereducationinNewZealandandforallowingustoshareyourwordshere.

FURTHER INFORMATION

Forfurtherinformation,pleasecontact:

LucShorterExecutiveDirectorEd.Collectivee: luc.shorter@edcollective.org.nzm: +6421816925

55

BIBLIOGRAPHY

AucklandUniversityofTechnology.(2015).AnnualReport2015.RetrievedMay2016,fromAUTUniversity:http://ednz.co/aut-annual-report-2015

Basham,C.J.(2011).Theroleofcareereducationandguidanceforstudentsinyear13anditsimplicationforstudentscareerdecision-making.UnitecInstituteofTechnology.Auckland:UnitecInstituteofTechnology.

BeyondRecruitmentLtd.(2016,April28).EmployabilityofGraduatesandYoungPeople.(E.Collective,Interviewer)

Bibbee,A.(2013).Improvingschool-to-worktransitionsinNewZealand.OECDEconomics

DepartmentWorkingPapers,1087.

Bowen,H.(1977).InvestmentinLearning:TheIndividualandSocialValueofAmericanHigher

Education.SanFrancisco,CA,USA:Jossey-BassPublishers.

ChristchurchPolytechnicInstituteofTechnology.(2015).2015AnnualReport.RetrievedMay2016,fromhttp://ednz.co/cpit-annual-report-2015

Chu,C.(2009).DevelopingPacificleaderswithinatertiaryeducationsettingthroughappreciativeinquiry:Apersonalperspective.TheNewZealandAnnualReviewofEducation,19.

CommitteeforAuckland.(2012).FuelingOurEconomy:Aucklandworkforceskillsfromthe

employers'perspective.RetrievedMay2016,fromhttp://www.committeeforauckland.co.nz/images/Fuelling_Our_Economy_FULL_REPORT.pdf

DepartmentforBusiness,InnovationandSkills.(2015,November).FulfillingOurPotential:Teachingexcellence,socialmobilityandstudentchoice.RetrievedMay2016,fromTimesHigherEducation:https://www.timeshighereducation.com/sites/default/files/breaking_news_files/green_paper.pdf

Ewell,P.(2005).ApplyingLearningOutcomesConceptstoHigherEducation:AnOverview.HongKing:NationalCenterforHigherEducationManagementSystems(NCHEMS).

Futurism.(2016).ArtificiallyIntelligentLawer"Ross"HasBeenHiredByItsFirstOfficialLawFirm.RetrievedMay2016,fromFuturism:http://futurism.com/artificially-intelligent-lawyer-ross-hired-first-official-law-firm/

GeorgiaTech.(2016).NewsCentre.RetrievedMay2016,fromGeorgiaTech:http://www.news.gatech.edu/2016/05/09/artificial-intelligence-course-creates-ai-teaching-assistant

IndependentTrainingFoundation.(2016).WorkingFutures:We'reoptimistic,butitneedstobewell

targeted.NewZealand:IndependentTrainingFoundation.

IndustryTrainingFederation.(2016).WorkingFutures:We'reoptimistic,butitneedstobewell-

targeted.RetrievedMay2016,fromhttp://www.itf.org.nz/news-and-publications/media-statements/working-futures-were-optimistic-but-it-needs-to-be-well-targeted/

Liberatore,S.(2016).YourAIlawyerwillseeyounow:IBM'sROSSbecomesworld'sfirstartificially

intelligentattorney.RetrievedMay2016,fromDailyMailAustralia:http://www.dailymail.co.uk/sciencetech/article-3589795/Your-AI-lawyer-IBM-s-ROSS-world-s-artificially-intelligent-attorney.html

LincolnUniversity.(2014).AnnualReport2014.RetrievedMay2016,fromhttp://ednz.co/lu-annual-report-2014

56

ManukauInstituteofTechnology.(2015).AnnualReport2015.RetrievedMay2016,fromhttp://ednz.co/mit-annual-report-2015

Marat,D.(2009).WhaiateitiKahurangi:Efficacy,agency,achievementandsuccessinthetertiarysector:FocusonstudentsandparentsfromPasifikacommunities.Report:AcasestudyofanInstituteofTechnology,1-138.

MasseyUniversity.(2015).AnnualReport2015:Tearawhakamua,NewZealand'sdefining

university.RetrievedMay2016,fromhttp://ednz.co/massey-annual-report-2015

Melton,R.(1996).LearningOutcomesforHigherEducation.BritishJournalofEducationalStudies,44(4).

MinistryofEducation.(2014).AttritionRates.RetrievedMay2016,fromEducationCounts:https://www.educationcounts.govt.nz/__data/assets/excel_doc/0009/16299/Attrition-rates.xlsx

MinistryofEducation.(n.d.).E-learningachievement:Trends,patternsandhighlights.RetrievedfromEducationCounts:https://www.educationcounts.govt.nz/__data/assets/pdf_file/0003/108462/E-Learning-Achievement-Report-2013.pdf

MinistryofEducation.(2014).FinancialPerformance.RetrievedMay2016,fromEducationCounts:https://www.educationcounts.govt.nz/__data/assets/excel_doc/0011/16310/Financial-performance-of-tertiary-education-institutions.xlsx

MinistryofEducation.(2013).IndustryTrainingReview.RetrievedMay2016,fromhttp://www.education.govt.nz/assets/Documents/Ministry/consultations/Review-of-industry-training/SummaryOfSubmissionsFinalV2.doc

NewZealandTreasury.(2013).PrivateReturnstoTertiaryEducation-HowdoesNewZealandComparetotheOECD?RetrievedMay2016,fromNewZealandTreasury:http://www.treasury.govt.nz/publications/research-policy/wp/2013/13-10/twp13-10.pdf

O'Keefe.(2013).Asenseofbelonging:Improvingstudentretention.CollegeStudentJournal,47(4),605-613.

OtagoPolytechnic.(2015).OurPathwaytoExcellence-2015AnnualReport.RetrievedMay2016,fromhttp://ednz.co/op-annual-report-2015

RHinchcliffe,T.B.(2007).SkillsTraininginResearchDegreeProgrammes:PoliticsandPractice.Berkshire,England:McGraw-Hill.

Radloff,A.(2011).StudentengagementinNewZealanduniversities.AustralianCouncilforEducationalResearch.

SparkNZ,H.M.(2016,April28).EmployabilityofYoungPeopleandGraduates.(E.Collective,Interviewer)Auckland,NewZealand.

StateServicesCommission.(2015).BetterPublicServices:Boostingskillsandemployment.RetrievedSeptember2015,fromStateServicesCommission:http://www.ssc.govt.nz/bps-boosting-skills-employment

StatisticsNewZealand.(2013).EthnicGroupsandEducation.RetrievedMay2016,fromwww.stats.govt.nz/Census/2013-census/profile-and-summary-reports/ethnic-profiles.aspx?request_value=24707&tabname=Education

StatisticsNewZealand.(2013).QuickStatsabouteducationandtraining.RetrievedMay2016,fromStatisticsNZ:http://www.stats.govt.nz/Census/2013-census/profile-and-summary-reports/qstats-education-training/study-participation.aspx

57

StatisticsNewZealand.(2015).YouthLabourForceandEducationStatusbyTotalRespEthnicGroupbyAgeGroup(Annual-Jun).RetrievedAugust2015,fromInfoshare:http://www.stats.govt.nz/infoshare/ViewTable.aspx?pxID=507d1ae7-0607-4b53-a663-1df989c28b2e

UNESCO-UNEVOC.(2015).DeliveringTVETthroughqualityapprenticeships.RetrievedMay2016,fromSkillsforEmployment:http://www.skillsforemployment.org/KSP/en/Details/?dn=WCMSTEST4_159457

UnitecInstituteofTechnology.(2014).AnnualReport2014.RetrievedMay2016,fromhttp://ednz.co/unitec-annual-report-2014

UniversityofAuckland.(2015).EnablingtheModernNewZealand:AnnualReport2015.RetrievedMay2016,fromhttp://ednz.co/uoa-annual-report-2015

UniversityofCanterbury.(2015).AnnualReport2015.RetrievedMay2016,fromhttp://ednz.co/uc-annual-report-2015

UniversityofOtago.(2015).AnnualReport2015.RetrievedMay2016,fromhttp://ednz.co/uoo-annual-report-2015

UniversityofWaikato.(2015).AnnualReport2015.RetrievedMay2016,fromhttp://ednz.co/uow-annual-report-2015

VictoriaUniversityofWellington.(2015).VictoriaUniversity2015AnnualReport.RetrievedMay2016,fromhttp://ednz.co/vuw-annual-report-2015