Course: Academic Quality

Topic outline

START HERE
Kia ora - welcome to this introduction to academic quality at Unitec Te Pukenga
Mā te Rangatiratanga, Te Whakaritenga, Te Kaitiakitanga, Te Kotahitanga, me Te Ngākau Māhaki.
Ka tau i raro i te whakaaro kotahi, hei oranga mō tātou katoa. Haumi ē! Hui ē! Taiki ē!
Te Korowai Kahurangi leads academic quality at Unitec Te Pukenga by partnering with you and your School. Te Korowai Kahurangi speaks of the cloak of quality that protects and guides, with excellence.

This Moodle site is a 'go-to' place for Unitec Te Pukenga teaching staff. It is a roadmap for Unitec's academic quality processes, designed as a one-stop shop for you - bookmark this page and come back to it regularly to check in with the requirements associated with your role. The academic quality information is divided into three main sections:
Before (you start teaching)
During (the course)
After (the course has ended)
There is also a glossary of terms we frequently use at Unitec. If you click on any words which are in bold, the glossary definition will pop up or you can go direct to the glossary.
Some links will also take you to further information on Te Aka, the Nest, Unitec's staff intranet.

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Tēnā koutou katoa
Ko Barr Beacon te māunga
Ko Birmingham-Fazely te awa
Ko English te iwi
Nō Sutton Coldfield ahau
Ko Sue Crossan tōku ingoa
I work in Te Korowai Kahurangi and I have developed this academic quality Moodle course.

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The values of Te Noho Kotahitanga are central to Unitec's culture and ways of doing things. Throughout this Moodle site there are examples of ways in which they are demonstrated.

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- WHY IS ACADEMIC QUALITY IMPORTANT?
  Te Korowai Kahurangi (TKK) leads academic quality at Unitec. But why do we do it?
  Good teaching involves a cycle of improvement through planning, delivering, reflecting and evaluating, making improvements, and then going through the cycle again. As we reflect and evaluate, we must base any changes on evidence. We have several processes for doing this at Unitec. This guardianship of our Programmes is an excellent example of kaitiakitanga in practice.
  Academic quality ensures better outcomes for students through continuous improvement at the course and programme level. Robust academic quality processes ensure that our students are getting a good product. By following the processes provided, we keep ourselves and our students safe, as they provide boundaries for us to work in. All teaching staff are responsible for ensuring academic standards for their courses are met. Staff are displaying rangatiratanga (authority and responsibility) by taking academic quality processes that relate to their course seriously.
  At the teacher level, you will record your reflections at the end of the course in the Course Evaluation and Planning (CEP).
  The CEPs act as evidence for the Programme Evaluation and Planning (PEP) by reflecting on the ākonga (student) experience and outcomes in your course.
  Every Programme at Unitec is accountable to a Programme Academic Quality Committee (PAQC) which oversees academic quality at the Programme level.
  It is helpful to remember that the course/s you teach are part of a Programme. How does your course fit into the Programme? All the courses fit together like a jigsaw puzzle, to ensure graduates of the Programme meet the Graduate Outcomes.
  Unitec has an agreement with New Zealand Qualifications Authority (NZQA) and Tertiary Education Commission (TEC) to deliver courses that meet certain standards. We need to check we are meeting those standards constantly, or we could lose the funding to deliver at Unitec. The Programmes we offer at Unitec are awarded wakaritenga (legitimacy) through approvals gained from NZQA and TEC.
  Some programmes have been unified as part of developing nationwide Te Pūkenga qualifications. In this case, Unitec has been approved to teach the unified programme, along with other providers.
  
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- THE CYCLE OF IMPROVEMENT
  1. Plan your course outline and assessments. Decide what order you will teach the topics in (check the Course Descriptor to see what topics have been approved by NZQA).
  2. Moderate the assessment materials
  3. Deliver the course
  4. Take part in check marking moderation & internal post-moderation of all assessment materials & student work
  5. Keep a record of all ākonga feedback
  6. Check course institutional student survey feedback at the end of the semester
  7. Consider any feedback received from industry or other stakeholders
  8. Complete your Course Evaluation and Planning (CEP) which contributes towards the Programme Evaluation and Planning (PEP).
  9. Can you implement any course improvements before the course is taught again? Improvements might be a result of feedback from ākonga or other stakeholders or moderation. Check with your APM or Programme Co-ordinator/Discipline Lead to determine if the changes need consent via either a Type A (minor change) or Type B (major change) application.
  10. Don't forget to 'close the loop' by ensuring ākonga are aware of any changes made due to their feedback. This encourages them to take part in future surveys as they realise their feedback is valued.
  
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- NEED MORE HELP? HAVE ANY QUESTIONS?
  Each programme has a Senior Quality Administrator (SQA) to provide support OR email Sue Crossan scrossan@unitec.ac.nz (Mt Albert building 110, 1st floor). Sue Crossan is also based on Waitakere campus one day a week - usually Tuesdays - with an office on the 4th floor, near the Nursing and Medical Imaging offices. Do introduce yourself and Sue can (try to!) answer any questions.
  
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  Te Korowai Kahurangi team at their 2020 End of Year event
- QUIZ TIME!
- Te Noho Kotahitanga quiz - test yourself here!
  
  What can you remember so far about Unitec's guiding values, known as Te Noho Kotahitanga (TNK)?
- Planning your work Quiz
  
  This quiz will test your understanding of the workflow involved in teaching a course at Unitec.
- What do you understand about academic quality? Quiz
  
  Have a go at this quick quiz to test your knowledge.