| Communications and Development |  |
Published by Communications and Development
Ensuring the best educational outcomes for all learners is the prime focus of the newly launched southern hub of Ako Aotearoa, the National Centre for Tertiary Teaching Excellence.
Hosted by the University of Canterbury, Ako Aotearoa’s Southern Hub is based at the College of Education. It was officially launched by Vice-Chancellor Professor Roy Sharp on 29 February.
Ako Aotearoa, established in 2006, is part of a $20 million government initiative to boost the quality of teaching in the tertiary sector. The aim of the centre is to help educators and organisations deliver the best educational outcomes for learners by supporting the development of teaching expertise.
The Southern Hub is one of three regional centres – the others are in Auckland and Palmerston North – with Ako Aotearoa’s national centre based in Wellington.
The centre was established by a consortium of institutions headed by Massey University and includes Canterbury University, Auckland University of Technology, the Universal College of Learning and the Manukau Institute of Technology.
Southern Hub Co-ordinator Bridget O’Regan, who worked in the School of Literacies and Arts in Education and the former School of Professional Development at the College of Education before taking up her current position, said Ako Aotearoa was an exciting development for educators and tertiary institutions.
“What’s unique about Ako Aotearoa, and and is also a challenge, is that it focuses on all tertiary teaching and learning, including universities, polytechnics, private providers and wananga, with the ultimate vision to ensure the best possible educational outcomes for all tertiary learners,” she said.
Each regional hub would work with tertiary education providers, offering support for teaching and learning initiatives, disseminating information on effective practices, and providing incentives to encourage quality teaching.
“Each hub has project funding available for up to $10,000 per project, which can be used for research or new initiatives that will ultimately benefit learners. We encourage projects that are collaborative and where the findings can be disseminated across the tertiary sector. We welcome applications for project funding.”
Ako Aotearoa now also had responsibility for the annual Tertiary Teaching Excellence Awards, which had previously been administered by the New Zealand Qualifications Authority.
Working with Ms O’Regan at the Southern Hub is administrator Pat Robertson. Alison Holmes, Director of the University Centre for Teaching and Learning at UC is the hub Convenor. The hub also has an active regionally-based advisory group which is representative of the tertiary sector to provide advice on the needs of the region.
For further information please contact:
Bridget O'Regan
Coordinator, Southern Hub
University of Canterbury
Ph: +64 3 345 8339
Mob: +64 27 255 9889
bridget.oregan@canterbury.ac.nz