Recent relocation to the heart of the library has given the Albany campus Centre for Teaching and Learning greater visibility, making it more accessible to students, says manager Ken Cage.

The centre, one of three run by Massey’s National Centre for Teaching and Learning across its three campuses, moved into the more centrally located second floor of the library, after eight years in the lower level of the Study Centre on the fringes of the campus.

At this month’s official opening, Assistant Vice-Chancellor (Academic and International) Professor Ingrid Day congratulated the Albany team for the quality of service they provide to students and staff, for the value they add to learning and teaching and, ultimately, the positive outcomes.

The centre provides a wide range of learning support services for students, and professional development support and training for academic staff, with workshops tailored to meet the needs of staff regarding new developments in Stream for online, blended and distance learning.

Among innovative support services for students are a highly popular series of YouTube videos based on the Flying Start guide to study. These give tips for study, research and assignment techniques and tools, and have had over a quarter of a million hits since going online three years ago, Mr Cage says.

Services for English for Speakers of Other Languages (ESOL) students include an award-winning podcast with several million followers worldwide, created and managed by Learning Adviser Martin McMorrow. Specialist help for international, postgraduate and Pasifika students is also available.

Associate Professor Andy Martin of the School of Sport and Exercise has been awarded an academic fellowship in applied learning.

Applied learning often refers to a variety of practices including practicum, professional practice, clinical placement, internship and fieldwork.

But through the fellowship and a Special Interest Panel, what applied learning means for Massey students will be explored, with a much broader view of applied learning than others might use.

In the role, Dr Martin will develop a strategy that will ensure Massey produces not just work-ready graduates, but “career-ready, life-able graduates that are responsible and resilient”.

He will work with Student Engagement and Evaluations Unit manager Malcolm Rees, staff from across the academic colleges, and the National Centre for Teaching and Learning.

Dr Martin has been a leading researcher in the area, with research work and publications with Ako Aotearoa, contributions to the New Zealand Association of Cooperative Education, and a long-term role in co-ordinating the sport management practicum.

“These applied learning and networking opportunities, designed throughout a specific programme’s curriculum, often provide a point of difference for students in enhancing graduate employability,” he says.

This year, Massey celebrates 20 years of leading applied learning programmes in sport management.

Professor Tony Vitalis, who initiated the programme in 1992, says it “aimed to train individuals to manage the various sports organisations, which at the time was unique in the New Zealand tertiary sector”.

Recent graduate Hannah Dunn, who completed a Bachelor of Business Studies, says the practicum experience allowed her to increase her confidence and gain experience in the sports industry.

“It helped me create networks among the sports industry and gave me skills which will be transferable to a job,” she says.

For further information on applied learning please contact Associate Professor Andy Martin 06 369 9099 ext 81747.

Four Massey University teachers, in fields as diverse as veterinary medicine, design, microbiology and communications, have won this year’s Vice-Chancellor’s Awards for Teaching Excellence.

Vice-Chancellor Steve Maharey presented the awards for sustained commitment to teaching excellence at a ceremony at the Manawatu campus today.

Dr Elizabeth Gray, Liz Norman, Dr Zoe Jordens and Amanda Yates were recognised as the University’s top teachers for 2012.

Mr Maharey told the ceremony teachers transform lives. “All of us can look back during our lifetime and we meet some teacher at some time who switched the light on and made an impact on our lives.”

This year’s winners made lasting impressions on students but were also leaders in new ways of teaching. There is a shift in learning so students leave University “not only knowing things but how to do things”, Mr Maharey explained.

It was a sentiment shared by Dr Elizabeth Gray who says teaching is about change. “If we are effective teachers, we are teaching to effect change.”

Dr Gray is a senior lecturer in the School of Communication, Journalism and Marketing. She teaches internally and by distance, with students from as far as Tanzania, Dubai and China.

Her teaching is underpinned by her belief the words we use make a difference, whether in business or literary analysis. She says a good teacher has expertise and enthusiasm, loves to teach and loves what they teach. She also makes sure learning is relevant, innovative and when in a lecture theatre talks “to and not at” students.

For Liz Norman, a senior lecturer and director of the Master of Veterinary Medicine (MVM) programme, good teachers know what their students need to know and can help them connect theory and practice in their profession.

She joined Massey in 2001 and has developed the MVM, a distance learning programme for practicing veterinarians worldwide, which has grown from 13 enrolled students in 2004 to 92 this year.

Ms Norman strives to go “beyond the textbook” and has developed innovative strategies to engage with students, including online tools that mimic real steps in case investigation and “replay” exercises and tutorials to provide feedback. “It is one of my great joys to see students gain the confidence and practical insights from teaching that helps them no only to do their work but to enjoy their work more,” she says.

Dr Zoe Jordens is a lecturer at the Institute of Molecular Biosciences and sees her teaching role as facilitator, or “tour guide”. She uses a student-centred, inquiry-led approach to teaching.  

Dr Jordens worked as a researcher in medical microbiology in the United Kingdom before coming to Massey in 2002 and believes students learn by doing.  “By being treated as scientists in an authentic environment, students develop scientific ways of thinking, in addition to learning facts and practical skills.”

As well as having a BSc (Hons) and PhD in microbiology, Dr Jordens gained a postgraduate certificate in tertiary teaching in 2007 and a postgraduate diploma in Education in 2011. She is currently enrolled in a Masters in Education.

Amanda Yates has been at Massey since 2004 and is a senior lecturer at the Institute of Design for Industry and Environment, College of Creative Arts. She has a research-led project-based approach to learning. She believes giving students opportunities to work on “live” projects outside the classroom builds skills, confidence and passion.

To her, design is not just a field of study or a potential job – it is a passion, a way of thinking, and she loves seeing students succeed.

“I get emails from some of those students who were struggling – and they are now doing a Master of Design in New York or working with one of New Zealand’s leading architects. It’s a wonderful feeling to know that I helped them onto their life path.”

Ms Yates will receive her award in Wellington next month.

Associate Professor Andy Martin was also awarded the Assistant Vice-Chancellor Academic Fellowship at the ceremony today. He will work with staff to develop a comprehensive Applied Learning Strategy for the University. 

Rugby World Cup winning coach Sir Graham Henry, Russia-based economist and merchant banker Stephen Jennings and highly regarded New Zealand businesswoman and company director Sue Suckling are among those recognised as distinguished alumni of Massey University at an awards function in Wellington tonight.

Sir Graham Henry, who graduated in 1980 with a Bachelor of Education, won the supreme honour – the Sir Geoffrey Peren Medal – at this year’s Defining Excellence Awards.

The awards recognise achievements by Massey graduates and by staff in research and teaching. Vice-Chancellor Steve Maharey says Massey aims to be New Zealand's defining university through its contribution to the future of the nation. "We do that by taking the best of the new New Zealand to the rest of the world. Of course, it is people who make the actual difference. Massey has outstanding staff and high-achieving alumni located all over the globe. Tonight we recognise their contribution to both the University and to the wider community."

The Sir Geoffrey Peren Medal, named after Massey founding principal, recognises a graduate who has reached the highest level of achievement in business or professional life or who has been of significant service to the University, community or nation.

Sir Graham's award is in recognition of his teaching and rugby coaching. He was a teacher at Auckland Grammar School when he studied by distance learning for his degree over six years and he was headmaster of Kelston Boys' High School for nine years before becoming a professional rugby coach in 1996.

He credits his university and teaching days with giving him the skills to become the nation's premier rugby coach. “I was involved in education for 25 years. I loved it and got a lot of personal satisfaction out of it,” he says.

Mr Jennings was also honoured with the Distinguished Alumni Achievement Award. Mr Jennings has achieved phenomenal success in his chosen field, surviving multiple economic challenges, including several global financial crises, to be one of the top market makers in the Russian merchant-banking sector.

He says his professional life and career really kicked off at Massey “My love and passion formally began during my time at Massey University and my aspiration to go and work for the New Zealand treasury also developed in that time,” he says. “The economics I began to learn during those years, together with having an open kiwi mind-set, has helped me on many occasions to look objectively at opportunities and to persevere with opportunities in countries that many other people at that time were just too scared to tread.”

Other alumni honoured at the ceremony are Sue Suckling (Distinguished Alumni Achievement Award for her contribution to science, innovation and business), Dennis Oliver (Distinguished Alumni Service Award for service to the community and nation) and Luke Di Somma (Distinguished Young Alumni Award for his contribution to music).

Others recognised for their achievements in research and teaching were:

Massey University Research Medals (2011)
Individual – Professor Paul Moughan, Early Career – Dr Lara Shepherd, Supervisor – Professor Michael McManus, Team – Sleep/Wake Research Centre.

Teaching Excellence Awards (2011)
Sustained Commitment to Teaching Excellence Awards – Dr Mark Henrickson, Dr Nigel Parsons and Dr Gina Salapata. Excellence in Teaching First-Year Students – Professor Tony Signal. Excellence in Teaching Support – Neil Ward. The Darrylin O’Dea Award in the Field of e-Learning – Dr Brennon Wood.

A framework to inspire more students to study science and its related fields through to degree level has been developed by Massey University researchers as part of a project funded by Ako Aotearoa, the national centre for tertiary teaching excellence.

The project addressed a trend of declining numbers of students completing tertiary level science, technology, engineering and mathematics, and concern that the numbers of graduates will not meet the demand if New Zealand is to develop as a high-value, innovative, knowledge-led economy, with a strong base of scientific and technical professionals.

The same trend has been detected in many other countries, including in Australia, the United States, Britain and elsewhere in Europe.

The project team, led by Professor Tim Parkinson from Massey's Institute of Veterinary Animal and Biomedical Sciences, explored what motivates and demotivates science learners as they transition from school to university.

It identified that while science learners are attracted to the subject at both compulsory and tertiary levels and see it as relevant and contemporary, it is often the “transmission” method of instruction that results in their disengagement – in other words, they become bored by the way science is taught.  

The research also found evidence of gaps in mutual understanding between tertiary sector educators and their secondary counterparts, in terms of the way learners are being prepared for, and are expected to undertake, tertiary study in the sciences. On one hand, this can result in lecturers underestimating the breadth and depth of the knowledge of their students and pitching teaching at too low a level. But it can also result in such disparity of learning on entry to university that it is impossible to pitch the teaching at a level that satisfies all entrants.

This research indicates that the single most important factor in learner engagement is the interaction between the teacher-lecturer and the learner. The findings also highlight the importance of organisations enhancing their support for teaching and learning practices that optimise learner engagement.   

In response to these findings, the project team has developed a framework for enhancing student engagement across the secondary-tertiary transition as well as identifying key questions for a teacher-lecturer and learner dialogue. It includes the development of closer ties between secondary and tertiary institutions to make sure school leavers are equipped with the knowledge needed to start their degrees. Ensuring teaching content is relevant and rewarding of critical thinking is also pivotal.

Professor Parkinson hopes the results of this study will help both sectors formulate strategies that will create long-term benefits for science education in New Zealand.

College of Sciences Pro-Vice Chancellor Professor Robert Anderson says it is an important research project that stands to have far-reaching impact in shaping future secondary and tertiary educational approaches in science and engineering in New Zealand.

Ako Aotearoa director Dr Peter Coolbear says Ako Aotearoa is pleased to have been the funding partner in this very significant project that aims to improve successful transitions for science learners between secondary and tertiary.

“The work is unique in how it comprehensively unpacks and contrasts the perspectives of staff and students involved in science education across these levels.”

The Vice-Chancellor’s Awards for Teaching Excellence 2011 have been announced. There are three winners of sustained commitment to teaching excellence awards – Dr Mark Henrickson, Dr Nigel Parsons and Dr Gina Salapata – who are the University’s nominees for this year’s National Tertiary Teaching Excellence Awards.

The other award winners are: Professor Tony Signal, for excellence in teaching first-year students, Neil Ward, for excellence in teaching support, and Dr Brennon Wood, the Darrylin O’Dea Award in the field of e-learning.

Dr Mark Henrickson, from the School of Health and Social Services in the College of Humanities and Social Sciences, has a portfolio that documents a commitment to social work education based on 20 years experience as a clinician and manager in health and mental health social work, and a passion to develop students as authentic practitioners.

The awards judging panels says authenticity, integrity and respect are core values for Dr Henrickson, and he models these values in the classroom to inspire his students to achieve and be more than they thought possible. Students recognise Dr Henrickson’s passionate commitment to their learning, welfare, and development. He has been nominated as Albany lecturer of the year every year since 2006, and his students express their deepest admiration for his teaching through formal feedback channels, unsolicited emails, and other recommendations. One student writes: “Your treatment of the subject of change, loss, grief and death was stunning. Stunning in its content, its sensitivity, and most of all in the way you made yourself transparent in your sharing of your personal times of grief.”

Perhaps the most moving testimonies came from international students who describe Dr Henrickson’s support for their learning as a lifeline: “During those darkest periods, it was Mark Henrickson who lit a candle for me to escape…Because of his teaching, I learnt how I could transfer my distressful experiences as an Asian immigrant to use my unique strengths.”

Dr Henrickson’s portfolio demonstrates his use of innovative learning and assessment tools. Moreover, he endeavours to create a safe environment that enables students to bring their own life experience to classroom activities. His colleagues attest to his organisation and efficiency, and his contribution to the programme as a whole, his leadership in pedagogy and curriculum design, and his willingness to go the extra mile for colleagues and students.

It is clear from the students’ comments and those of his colleagues that Dr Henrickson brings a unique presence to the classroom that makes him an exceptional teacher.

Dr Nigel Parsons, from the School of People, Environment and Planning in the College of Humanities and Social Sciences, describes his teaching style as informed by experience, training, “irresistible” course material, and an aspiration to empower his students. His teaching portfolio documents the achievements of a gifted teacher, whose classes are relevant, informative, research-driven, well-conceived and tremendous fun. His students respond with genuine enthusiasm and delight. Voted Massey University Students Association [Manawatu campus] lecturer of the year in 2009, comments about him included: “He’s the best teacher ever” and “This course rocks!”

Dr Parsons aims to equip his students with a conceptual toolkit and an appreciation of local and international politics. He develops interactive classroom activities, such as debates, role play, vocabulary games, quizzes and online activities, and has applied unique classroom activities such as “the board rush” and “backs-to-the-board”. He has shared these activities with his colleagues in different disciplines, who report back with enthusiasm on their impact in their classrooms.

Dr Parsons has taken a leadership role in reconceptualising the politics curriculum. He contributes to the University’s teaching and learning circles, and also supports activities outside the classroom, such as the students’ association politics club.

A senior colleague comments that Dr Parsons is “one of the most brilliant teachers I have encountered” and the awards judging panel concurred, seeing in Dr Parsons an engaging, thoughtful, and inspirational teacher. In presenting the Vice-Chancellor’s award for Sustained Commitment to Teaching Excellence, the panel also has pleasure in nominating Dr Parsons as a Massey nominee for a National Tertiary Teaching Excellence Award.

Dr Gina Salapata, from the School of History, Philosophy and Classics in the College of Humanities and Social Sciences, is described as an innovative and creative teacher who strives to pass on to her students her own delight in the ancient world. She sees classical studies as a subject that opens students' minds to new ways of seeing the world, enabling them to "expand their intellectual horizons and enrich their lives by gleaning new meanings from old materials”.

She uses a variety of strategies to engage students. She has designed unique online tools and humorous cartoons, and uses artefacts, sculpture charades and modelling of ancient dress to convey, in a tactile fashion, the experience of ancient cultures.

Her assessments are equally innovative: in one course, students design "spells", and in another, students have the option of submitting drawings of modern events using the conventions of the Geometric style of painting. Such assessments not only develop students' critical skills, they also engage their creativity and ability to think laterally.

Dr Salapata's commitment to extending understanding of the ancient world goes beyond the university classroom: she has organised classical tours, Greek dancing classes, and has initiated and led Classics Days for Year 13 students.

One of the things Dr Salapata tells her students as she encourages them to sharpen their observation skills is that "looking is not as easy as it looks". Students and colleagues alike are fulsome in their praise of her dedication and skill as a teacher. The panel saw in Dr Salapata a teacher of outstanding stature.

Professor Tony Signal, from the Institute of Fundamental Sciences in the College of Sciences, has a teaching portfolio that documents the development of a careful, thoughtful teacher faced with the difficult task of teaching a challenging subject to a large class of first-year students. Observing that students come into his classes with a range of preparedness and motivation, and often with negative experiences and expectation of what physics involves, Professor Signal eschews traditional teaching methods in favour of interactive classes, activities designed to promote student engagement, and large doses of humour.

His belief that education is about more than just gaining information and technical skills has led Professor Signal to design his courses to engage his students in discussion about the role of science and technology in transforming human society.

He sees demonstrations as an essential method of making concepts more concrete in students’ minds. One example involves using a black belt martial arts expert to throw him over his shoulder during a lecture and the judging panel thought Professor Signal’s comment, that “the sight of this lecturer being flipped over is quite memorable for students, and reinforces the concept of torque in a spectacular fashion”, was probably something of an understatement. Student comments concur: “Great class interaction. Good explanations when asked for help. Awesome demonstrations, especially getting flipped to the floor!” Another student said: “He communicated well, was inspiring, funny, and let us know exactly what was expected of us.”

Professor Signal is thoughtful and creative in his use of technology, especially in his pioneering use of clicker technology to promote student engagement and peer instruction.

Overall, the panel was impressed by Professor Signal’s devotion to student engagement, his commitment and ability to convey his love of his subject to his students, and his thoughtful approach to a challenging but rewarding task.

Neil Ward, from the Institute of Veterinary, Animal and Biomedical Sciences in the College of Sciences, has a portfolio that documents a career of more than 40 years, in which he has provided support to several generations of academic staff in the college.

His initiatives are extensive. He has been involved in developing and improving student practical work for a wide range of courses, and designed and developed new equipment for exercise science practical work. He led a group of technicians, who were early adopters of technology in teaching and research laboratories, and has overseen and managed the development of virtual experiments. He developed an anatomy museum, and has recently initiated the development of a website which shares computer-assisted learning resources with other teaching institutions.

A primary concern for Mr Ward has been the care and welfare of animals in laboratory work, and he has been innovative in the use of new technologies that reduce the number of animals needed for teaching. In 2007, he received an award from the Australia and New Zealand Council for the Care of Animals for the significant contribution he has made to the welfare of animals used in teaching and research.

While Mr Ward always maintains that he works in a team to develop and support teaching, his colleagues’ assessment of his contribution to those teams suggests that he goes well beyond the call of duty. He is described as “the cornerstone for the development and delivery of laboratory-based physiology teaching” and “the glue that holds our labs together”. Another colleague comments: “Without Neil’s continuing enthusiasm, expertise and commitment to teaching and learning, our group would be unable to offer our students the quality of science education that they currently receive.”

The panel, in assessing Mr Ward’s commitment to teaching support, felt that there could not be a more worthy recipient of this award and commended his dedication, his willingness to design innovative teaching solutions to teaching problems, and his support of his colleagues.

Dr Brennon Wood, from the School of People, Environment and Planning in the College of Humanities and Social Sciences, describes his vision of e-learning as one “that respects the autonomy of natural individuals and unlocks the pleasures and powers of this collaboration”.

He has set the standard for how the University’s e-learning platform, Stream, can be used to provide students with a fully integrated online learning experience, and his work has been showcased as exemplary practice in multiple contexts such as the Vice-Chancellor’s Symposia on teaching, the Vice Chancellor’s Roadshow, and Massey University’s professional development programme. Dr Wood’s portfolio demonstrates why his work in e-learning is held in such high regard. He uses Stream to promote collaboration between teachers, to deliver blended learning in innovative ways, and to provide flexible, personalised teaching with multiple pathways.

Using Stream to develop innovative forms of assessment, Dr Wood prefers brief but frequent online assessments over more traditional forms of assessment. Of particular note is his use of a glossary to publish student work and create a resource for the entire class.  He says digital media do not, in themselves, produce quality, but are powerful tools, which create new moments in which teachers and students encounter one another. The judging panel noted that his portfolio demonstrates not only a commitment to e-learning but also a commitment to learning as a social process, with the relationship between teacher and student at the heart of it.

Tertiary Education Minister Steven Joyce today officially launched an international education programme under which the University will train Asian public health specialists and veterinarians in methods of countering the threats of global epidemics such as avian influenza, SARS and Aids.

The World Bank chose Massey as its partner for the $5.2 million programme. The programme is the first of its kind in the Asia-Oceania region and represents one of the few times the Bank has contracted directly with an organisation to deliver a programme. Normally the bank deals only with governments.

The bank manages funding for the training on behalf of the Avian and Human Influenza Facility, a multi-donor trust fund financed mostly by the European Union that supports influenza-related programmes in various countries.

Sixty-seven health professionals from India, Pakistan, Sri Lanka, Bangladesh, Afghanistan and Nepal are currently working towards one of two Massey qualifications specifically developed for the programme – a Master of Veterinary Medicine (Biosecurity) and a Master of Public Health (Biosecurity).

Programme participants are in New Zealand this week for a series of study workshops at Te Papa in Wellington that will continue for two weeks. The teaching programme is made up of online interactive teaching modules supplemented by face-to-face short courses.

Deputy Vice-Chancellor Professor Sir Mason Durie said the partnership is proof of the University’s commitment to being New Zealand’s defining university. “With its leading programmes in veterinary medicine, public health and distance learning, Massey is uniquely placed to offer this qualification,” Sir Mason said. “We are providing a novel solution to a global problem, and our innovative staff from across the University are working together to make a difference.”

He emphasised the integrated approach that was at the heart of the programme. “Staff from across the University are involved in teaching, with the College of Sciences and the College of Humanities and Social Sciences contributing to the two qualifications.”

Sir Mason also paid tribute to Professor Roger Morris, an internationally recognised epidemiologist, whose previous work with world health authorities and the World Bank put Massey in a leading position to be offered the contract.

Professor Morris expressed his appreciation to those who had been involved in establishing the project. “A number of World Bank staff were very constructive in ensuring that it could happen,” he said, identifying Norman Piccioni and Mohinder Mudahar, who "provided the leadership to get the South Asia project established, and made it possible for us all to be here today, with the cooperation and support of Omar Hayat in obtaining the agreement of the European Union, which provided the funding.

“Brian Bedard provided the initial impetus for the project and has been a driving force in getting it established. He is very close to getting a matching project approved for Central Asia, and is in discussions about extending it to other regions of the world.”  

Dr Eric Neumann of the University’s EpiCentre is directing the programme, overseeing the academic schedule that is taught by veterinary and public health staff at Massey with help from international collaborators. “We were excited to be approached by the World Bank to build this innovative training programme,” Dr Neumann says. “Dr Daan Vink has led a large team of developers, across the veterinary and public health disciplines, to build the training modules.

“Through partnerships with Massey’s Centre for Public Health Research and other international collaborators, the students will be exposed to a wide range of epidemiological tools for combating everyday health issues. Through their involvement in this programme, students will build lasting relationships with peers in the region. These outcomes will lead to a sustainable improvement in disease response capacity across the region.”

Health professionals who are part of the current cohort of students also spoke at the launch. Dr Rattan Ichhpujani, from the National Centre for Disease Control in India, spoke of how the programme would lead to lasting relationships that would greatly improve co-operation in the battle against zoonotic diseases.

When he is not teaching leadership and contemporary management at the Albany campus, Dr John Tan spends holidays building wells in poverty-stricken Cambodian villages.
 
The part-time lecturer in the School of Management won the hearts of students for his inspiring lectures on leadership and sustainability and has been voted Lecturer of the Year by the Albany Students' Association.

Dr Tan likes to put his ideas and theories into practice by regularly travelling to Cambodia, where he works with a church-based team building wells to provide clean drinking water for villagers, so they can avoid polluted ponds.

He is going back this week for his 23rd trip since 1996. Each lasts about a fortnight and usually involves travelling with a local doctor and team of workers, distributing medical supplies and setting up sustainable projects. He is currently working on a plan to develop sustainable fish farms in villages near Siem Reap.

An invitation from friend doing voluntary aid work started it all. "I vowed I wouldn't go back, but I saw a need," Dr Tan says of the first visit. "Now, I feel it is privilege to go there, even if to bring about small changes."

Born in Malaysia, Dr Tan has a Bachelor of Science in microbiology from Glasgow University, Scotland, an MBA from the University of Bath, England, a PhD from Massey. His thesis was on leadership succession.

He was surprised at being voted the most popular lecturer from 140 Albany academics nominated by students. "Quite frankly, I can be a bit strict. I demand a fair amount from my students, but I demand even more from myself. I see the students as my friends, as equals. If I can add value to what they are doing, that's what matters most. I always told myself that the day I wake up and don't want to go to class is the day I stop teaching."

Among a host of comments students wrote about Dr Tan was: "He is a lecturer that really can get the class interacting and involved with learning. His humour and real life examples can really keep the class both entertained and interested in the topics being taught, explains things clearly, enjoys a good debate, invites questions from the class, uses relevant examples from his own career."

Other awards went to Associate Professor Mike O'Brien (College of Humanities and Social Sciences), Dr Johan Potgieter (Sciences), Delize Delaney (Education), Associate Professor Erik Champion (Auckland School of Design), Trudy Lile (New Zealand School of Music), and Claire Alison Goode (Professional and Continuing Education).

At the Manawatu campus, students named Dr Angie Farrow overall Lecturer of the Year. Her nomination described her as “an amazing lecturer with a passion for education, friendship and drama" who "gives hope to those who strive for success and pushes for excellence through style and drive”.

Dr Farrow, the College of Humanities and Social Sciences' School of English and Media Studies, is a senior lecturer specialising in performance drama and public speaking.

Other recipients of the Massey University Students' Association Manawatu campus awards were Sam Richardson (College of Business), Rhys Hill (College of Education), Keran Dittmer (College of Sciences).

The lecturer of the year awards started at Albany in 2005 and the Manawatu students also began their own awards last year. The Massey at Wellington Students Association is considering doing awards next year as well.

Māori health and the future of te reo Māori will be the subjects of panel discussions to take place at a symposium to celebrate Māori doctoral achievement at the University on Monday.

Te Rau Whakapüawai, the Māori Doctoral Symposium includes a panel discussion led by graduate and former staff member Dr Rangi Mataamua and the University's Chair of te reo Māori Professor Taiarahia Black. Both have presented extensively on language revitalisation to national and international audiences.

The Māori health discussion presenters come from a variety of perspectives: Dr Maureen Holdaway specialises in nursing, Dr Wiremu Manaia (change management and Māori health development), Dr William Edwards (Māori positive ageing), Dr Heather Gifford (tobacco cessation) and Dr Amohia Boulton (Māori mental health).

Symposium organiser and Māori doctoral coordinator Dr Nathan Matthews says the event marks the milestone achieved earlier this year when the University's 60th Māori doctoral graduate Dr Natasha Tassell received her degree.

The University set a goal a decade ago of having 25 Maori students complete doctoral degrees.

The symposium will also include presentations from Māori doctoral graduates working in key positions within iwi, government, education, health and science. One of Massey’s most distinguished academics, its Deputy Vice-Chancellor and Assistant Vice-Chancellor (Māori and Pasifika) Professor Sir Mason Durie, will deliver the symposium’s closing address focusing on the next 10 years.

Professor Durie, who graduated with a Doctor of Literature from Massey in 2002, says the number of doctoral completions at Massey this decade has more than doubled the target set in 2000. “The aim was to have 25 successful Māori completions by the end of the first decade of the new millennium; that target has been more than achieved.

“Prior to 2000, only 10 Māori had graduated from Massey at doctoral level, ‘ he says. “It was a reflection of national patterns.” It was then that Massey launched a strategy for increasing Māori doctoral students. “The achievements of our doctoral scholars illustrate the success of Māori-focused goals and University-wide strategies in the areas of research and scholarship, teaching and learning and enabling excellence.”

The symposium will be followed by a dinner hosted by Vice-Chancellor Steve Maharey to celebrate the achievements of the Māori doctoral programme and to honour Professor Durie’s knighthood, conferred in the New Year's honours. Guests will include Whānau Ora Minister Tariana Turia, Ngāti Tüwharetoa paramount chief Dr Tumu Te Heuheu and Dr Turoa Royal who have both been conferred with honorary doctorates by the University in recent years.

Raewyne Bary, head teacher at the Massey Child Care Centre on the Manawatu campus, was presented with a NEiTA Foundation Crystal Apple award and a professional development grant worth $2500 at a surprise ceremony in Palmerston North today.

Ms Bary is one of only 10 teachers and childhood centre leaders from throughout New Zealand to receive a national award and Cognition Education Leardership professional development grant, in recognition of her leadership at the centre where she has worked for 16 years.

At the award ceremony, Ms Bary said the award is a testament to the culture of the centre that has embraced research, new ideas and professional growth, and has remained “unafraid of pushing boundaries”.

Ms Bary manages the Hoiho section (infants and toddlers) and leads a teaching team of seven. She is a conference speaker and lectures in the University’s College of Education.

Last year she received a regional leadership award from the National Excellence in Teaching Association and played a significant role in the Ministry of Education's Centre of Innovation research project from 2005-08.

Centre director Faith Martin says Ms Bary has helped develop a highly effective infant and toddler programme and is an inspiration to her team.

The NEiTA Awards promote public recognition of the teaching profession and specifically those teachers and leaders whose inspirational approach stimulates student learning.

The NEiTA Foundation’s National Excellence in Teaching and Leadership Awards are jointly supported by Cognition Education, an independent educational services and consultancy provider, and ASG Education Programs which assists parents to plan for their children’s future education.

The University has signed a partnership agreement with the Law Society to deliver tailor-made mediation training to lawyers.

The agreement was signed by University Vice-Chancellor Steve Maharey and Christine Grice, who chairs the Society’s Continuing Legal Education Board, at a ceremony attended by Principal Family Court Judge Peter Boshier.

The full programme will be launched next year, with lawyers taking part in training to become mediators or to better assist their clients in areas such as family mediation. Courses will initially be run in Auckland, Christchurch and Wellington.

Ms Grice, who presides on the Cook Islands' High Court and Court of Appeal and chairs the board of Radio New Zealand and the mental health research centre Te Pou, has first-hand experience of studying at Massey, having graduated in 2007 with a Master of Business Studies endorsed in dispute resolution.

At the ceremony in Wellington on Thursday, Judge Boshier spoke positively of the relationship between the University and the society and Massey’s willingness to respond to a particular need in the area of family mediation.

Virginia Goldblatt, director of the Dispute Resolution Centre in the College of Business, will lead the programme. She says the partnership reflects Massey’s commitment to professional and executive education.

“We look forward to bringing the values and expertise of Massey University together with those of the Law Society to make a genuine contribution to the New Zealand legal and social environment," Ms Goldblatt said.

“The University is enthusiastic about the prospect of the educational and academic aspects of the course being translated into practice in the community, particularly in the vital area of family law.”

A pilot module will run next month prior to the full programme launch.

A new software programme is providing students with a new and interactive way to learn a traditionally challenging subject.

The software was developed by staff from the Institute of Veterinary, Animal and Biomedical Sciences and the Centre for Academic Development and eLearning, and helps students learn how to check agricultural stock for disease.

Dr Debbie Prattley and Associate Professor Mark Stevenson devised the programme that simulates real life and requires thoughtful decision-making from the user.

“We wanted a stimulating and fun way for students to learn sampling theory,” Dr Stevenson says. "A challenge in undergraduate veterinary programmes throughout the world is that there is simply too much material to cover in too short a time period. To address the same material in a field exercise would take at least two to three days.

Using an Adobe Flash application that loads into a web page, students are presented with a flock of sheep that are infected with a mythical disease. The students are then tasked with finding out how many of those sheep have been affected, so that they can give the farmer appropriate advice.

Dragging and dropping sheep from the paddock to the sampling pen using their computer mouse, students must sample enough sheep to provide the most precise and unbiased estimate of disease prevalence.

“Tools of this type represent a major step forward because, in the space of a standard 60 minute tutorial, we can provide students with first-hand experience of each of the standard sampling methods and their respective strengths and weaknesses,” Dr Stevenson says.

“All of the classic sampling strategies are included – simple random, systematic random, stratified, and one- and two-stage cluster designs,” Dr Prattley says. “For the systematic sampling module, the student can even draft the sheep as they run down the race in a virtual set of yards – a process that would have to be undertaken if this type of sampling was used in real life.”? ?So far the tool has been used in epidemiology short courses taught by EpiCentre staff in Argentina, Bhutan and Indonesia, as well as in both the undergraduate and postgraduate veterinary epidemiology programmes at Massey.

The team plans to extend the capabilities of the software to make it relevant to areas as diverse as plant science and quality control.

The College of Education has bid farewell to 25 Indonesian schoolteachers who have been studying for the past 11 weeks at the Manawatu campus.

The group spent three months attending workshops, lectures and visiting local schools as part of a professional development programme for those planning to become mathematics and science teachers.

College Pro Vice-Chancellor Professor James Chapman, who presented the group with certificates last week, says the short-course programme is proving to be very successful.

Professor Chapman says officials from another Indonesian province visited the students on campus and met staff to assess the programme. “They were very impressed with the quality and content of the programme and we look forward to welcoming more international guests wishing to take advantage of a range of professional development opportunities.”

International short-course manager Brendan Mitchell says the University has a vast amount of knowledge in providing assistance in developing teachers’ skills and improving the school environment. “We have proven experience in providing professional development programmes to a wide range of nationalities. When short-course participants come to New Zealand, we facilitate visits to schools and meetings and discussion sessions with New Zealand teachers.”

 

Six staff this week received Vice-Chancellor’s Awards for Teaching Excellence, recognising their commitment to the development and success of students’ learning across a broad range of disciplines.

Vice-Chancellor Steve Maharey presented the awards at a ceremony on the Manawatu campus on Monday. He highlighted the lasting impression good teachers have on their students. “Each of us leaves university with the memory of the people who have inspired is in what we do." Mr Maharey also congratulated the many who have assisted the award recipients in supporting roles. “Good teaching is a team effort and a process that makes a real difference in the lives of our students.”

Dr Angie Farrow and Dr Neville Honey received awards for sustained commitment to teaching excellence. Dr Farrow, from the School of English and Media Studies, specialises in performance drama, public speaking and creative processes. She is also an established playwright. Dr Honey, from the Institute of Molecular BioSciences, teaches classical and human genetics and adjusts his teaching strategies and curriculum in response to student feedback.

Dr Eva Heinrich and Dr Craig Prichard received the Darrilyn O’Dea Award for e-learning. Dr Heinrich, from the School of Computer Science and Advanced Technology, has incorporated technology tools into her teaching to extend and advance the engagement of her students. Dr Prichard, from the Department of Management, teaches leadership, change and management knowledge courses in the College of Business. He uses modern communications technology to meet the unique challenges of distance learning.

Dr Bevan Catley, from the School of Management, has received the award for excellence in teaching first-year students. Dr Catley uses student evaluation data and comments to review and improve his approach to teaching and learning. He is constantly looking to improve assessment processes, to enhance levels of engagement, and to identify even more effective teaching strategies and approaches. 

For the first time, an award has also been given for academic support. Lois Wilkinson, from the Student Learning Centre, receives the inaugural award for excellence in academic support in recognition of her commitment to the students she has assisted through her role as student learning development consultant.

Assistant Vice-Chancellor (Academic and International) Professor Ingrid Day also congratulated the recipients. "It is rewarding for me today to acknowledge your hard work,” Professor Day said. “Your excellence and innovation with students is at the forefront of what we do – and makes mine and your jobs very worthwhile.”

Dr Farrow and Dr Catley have been nominated for national Tertiary Teaching Excellence Awards to be announced later in the year.

The University has won the Excellence in Education Award for outstanding achievement in enhancing learning and outreach through rich media at the Mediasite user conference in the United States.

Massey uses Mediasite as a tool for webcasting, recording and delivering rich – or interactive multi-media – classroom and conference presentations. These presentations can be viewed as a live stream (webcast) or as an archive (on demand) via the Internet. It can be used to supplement traditional classes and distance learning applications.

Information Technology Services multimedia developer Matt Alexander attended the Unleash 2010 Mediasite user conference in Madison, Wisconsin, on April 14 and gave a presentation on how the University uses Mediasite in a bi-cultural multi-campus environment.

Mr Alexander, who received the award on Massey's behalf, produced a video featuring Massey staff discussing how they use Mediasite and the benefits to staff and students.

Mediasite technology has been used by Massey for high profile initiatives across the University and collaborative projects with other universities, such as Manu Ao, the Massey-led inter-university Maori academy for academic and professional advancement, and for a range of other valuable projects, such as forming links with other organisations in agriculture, education and across industry sectors.

A link to the awards website is here: http://www.sonicfoundry.com/resources/impact-awards/past-winners/