1. Wings Clipped The flight training school that was the focus of a bad IEAA report has closed down. The Wings Flight Training Academy owner said the students were out to get him: “RP Singh is like an innocent-looking rabbit in the forest when you’ve got 10 greyhounds trying to kill him”. I challenge people in trouble to come up with a better quote this year J
2. Glass The Wanganui Glass School’s low enrolments are stirring discussion in the town.
3. New Media Centre Whitireia has moved into a new, much more modern, space after exiting its earthquake prone Wellington Media Centre premises.
4. Treasury BIM The TEU’s Sandra Grey had a post on The Standard last week about Treasury’s BIM – it’s a good opinion piece (here’s a relevant story about mature career changers). Kerre Woodham writes a piece on the same issue claiming that elitism is good – one of her commenters says “university study is a drain on society and serves only to allow communism to find sympathisers”. Hmm.
5. Fake Quals The Commerce Commission is investigating Genesis Eight International College of Security, a security training operator that wasn’t NZQA registered (RNZ). Apparently the operator plagiarised material from Wintec and TSSL (a PTE)
6. Extras: Labour’s David Shearer visited Massey; progress on Otago Uni neurological chair fundraising (plus another story); The Press covers Rod Carr’s salary issues; proposed Christchurch heating system might involve CPIT; visit to Waikato by Chinese university partner; export education links with China; new Pasifika centre at Canterbury; an interesting piece on Asian student experiences in NZ (and a more formal article quoting Auckland’s Manying Ip).

Research & Innovation

1. Kauri Rings Auckland’s Anthony Fowler and colleagues have used kauri rings to deduce how affected we will be by El Nino/ La Nina (SMC, Stuff, NZ Herald, RNZ, AAP, TV3).
2. Storm Petrels Auckland’s Matt Rayner and others have found good evidence of NZ storm petrels breeding in the Hauraki Gulf – they’re only 35g and it’s hard to find them on land (Fairfax, RNZ).
3. Population The population research by Natalie Jackson and a student has generated stories on Waitaki population and Tararua/Waitaki along with earlier stories. It’s a good example of how to generate many stories by providing local angles.
4. Ethics Changes Various Otago and Auckland academics are concerned about changes to government ethics committees.
5. Extras: Otago Uni’s PhD student looking at time banking, Ken Hodge on master’s competitors and Jill Paris on literacy research in Southland; more on Otago Uni’s HIV research (and again and again); Canterbury links with venture capital; Massey hosting finance research conference; Victoria’s Prof Sir Paul Callaghan on clean-tech; Massey’s Steve Corbett on a story about invention; sticK on KiwiNet’s new portal.

Public Issues

1. Public Academics The NZ Herald had a piece traversing the issue of whether there are enough public academics in New Zealand. Personally, having trawled through academics’ public comments for the last two years, I can’t see any great problem at all. Many, many academics are engaged in public debate in New Zealand. In fact, I decided last month to do a monthly recognition of a public academic – first one will be in February.
2. Academic-Bashing? Auckland’s Margaret Mutu has written in Australian academic discussion blog The Conversation about her experiences of “academic-bashing”. Now she overstates it when she says she was nearly “sacked” (Auckland was appropriately supportive of her throughout) but she makes some good points about the public response to her comments about immigration. On the other hand, she did engage in an emotive issue and did not present any particular evidence to support her views (either then or in this latest post), although I imagine the people who emailed her did not present their arguments in as civil a manner as she did.
3. Brothels Otago Uni’s Gillian Abel and Victoria’s Dena Knight comment on brothel regulation.
4. Class Size Massey’s Prof John O’Neill criticises proposals to increase class sizes (Manawatu Standard).
5. Farm Sales AUT’s Rawiri Taonui on farm sales.
6. Extras: Auckland’s Rhema Vaithianathan on NZ businesses; Massey’s Ted Zorn on the Air NZ CEO; WITT’s Margaret Smith on a Waitangi Day panel; Waikato’s Jagdeep Singh-Ladhar on water allocation (Waikato Times); Massey caring for 22 Rena birds; Victoria’s Peter Thompson on public broadcasting; AUT’s Brian Broom diagnoses a columnist; Massey’s Mike Joy on fish quotas.

Students

1. Liquor Ban Dunedin City Council is considering a liquor ban in the main student area of North Dunedin.
2. Olympics Profile of Waiariki Olympic kayakers.
3. Orientation… at Aoraki and Otago Uni.
4. Bullet Problem An Otago Uni student was being held in India after 3 .22 bullets were found in his luggage (Hawke’s Bay Today).
5. High Rents Auckland students are complaining of high rents – the school leaver that is the focus has to weigh up flatting or living with his parents on the North Shore and commuting. And this is a problem how?
6. Extras: Cook Islands student off to AUT, with a recent Otago Uni grad returning; Careers NZ advice to students; Auckland student trialling macular degeneration treatment; Victoria student promoting a jet board while dressed up as a penguin.

Stakeholders

1. Army Friend Auckland won top Territorial employer for their region.
2. Extras: top game at Waikato Game Jam; Otago Uni’s Mike Harte on a local UFB trust; Massey’s museum building in Wellington is being used for a film (again); Canterbury helping with a museum display; UCOL and Massey productions have received theatre award nominations; TWOA teacher in kapa haka competition.

Teaching & Learning

1. Extras: Otago Uni forensic biology summer class; Victoria architecture guest lecture; Massey’s teacher education courses start, along with a new Maori immersion course; AUT hosting a graffiti artist.

1. Flight School Buy Helipro has bought Bay Flight Aviation, a flight school that went into liquidation.
2. Fake Quals Immigrants are being caught out by NZQA for fake (overseas) quals.
3. Extras: Massey and Hawke’s Bay Region Council signed an MOU; chat with Otago Uni Burns Fellow Fiona Farrell.

Research & Innovation

1. Extras: two Otago Uni academics are publishing a book on early NZ photography while Graeme Downes is co-authoring a book on Dunedin sounds; new musical work by Otago Uni’s Prof John Drummond and an opera by Chris Adams.

Public Issues

1. Toi Moko Revival? Waikato’s Prof Pou Temara says that some Maori are thinking about reviving the practice of preserving heads.
2. Clean and Green Mike Joy of Massey had a Dom Post op-ed on our clean and green record.
3. Extras: CPIT’s open day has speakers on Christchurch’s recovery; Victoria’s Brandon Chen on food prices; Auckland’s Duncan Ledwith on validating markets.

Students

1. Fashion Comp Students from various providers are in the 2012 iD Emerging Designer Awards in Dunedin.
2. Extras: school students at Victoria summer school; Massey triathlete; state of student jobs market; Otago Uni anatomy museum visitors; goals of new Canterbury student president; Otago Poly design student.

Stakeholders

1. Extras: glass scholarships causing waves in Wanganui.

Teaching & Learning

1. Teach First Bernadine Vester writes an op-ed in support of Teach First, noting that a six week block course is followed by ongoing education and mentoring.
2. Arts Education Auckland’s Ralph Buck helped to draft a UNESCO arts education agenda.
3. Extras: Otago Uni performance coach.

Destiny Church's Bishop Brian Tamaki. Credit: William Jackson, Wikipedia

Destiny Church is apparently planning a university. I’d seen last week’s story about them securing land for a new headquarters in Auckland but I’d missed the university angle until Labour’s Grant Robertson mentioned it on Facebook, saying:

“Putting aside the somewhat scary nature of this whole idea, Brian Tamaki cannot create a University. They are defined under the Education Act, and it’s far from easy to get a new one created (just ask the folk from Unitec). I am sure he will try to create some kind of Private Training Establishment, but even that will need some close scrutiny. Of course this won’t stop him donning some robes, giving himself an honorary doctorate or two and waving a mace around I suspect.” (I tidied up the original text)

Grant’s quite right that it is tough to become a university in New Zealand and that Brian Tamaki may well get himself a ceremonial mace (although the tertiary sector can hardly poke fun at people for silly costumes J), but I thought readers might enjoy exploring Destiny Church’s options in a bit more depth.

The way I see it, Destiny could fulfil its educational goals by becoming a university in its own right, becoming a PTE or seeking a partnership whereby an offshore university awards a degree to local graduates.

1. Stand Alone University

Becoming a university would be very hard because:

1. the existing universities fight hard to maintain their limited club – experienced readers will remember the opposition from existing universities to AIT’s (now AUT) and Unitec’s (ceased its application) applications;
2. S292 of the Education Act 1989 makes “university” a protected term so that no education organisation can use it without Ministerial approval (coming after a long and costly process) at pain of a $10,000 fine – the approval process is set out in S253C;
3. prospective universities must meet various criteria but the toughest one for Destiny would probably be the requirement under S162(4)(b)(iii) that it have “a wide diversity of teaching and research”, whereas Destiny would probably want a small institution focused on theology and related courses; and
4. lots of people would hate Destiny being a university and would make a lot of noise about it (although that’s probably the smallest barrier of the lot).

2. Simple PTE

Becoming a PTE would be easy enough for Destiny, as long as it hired people with the right expertise and backed them with resources. Hundreds of other organisations have done it and there’s no great barrier other than money and time. Destiny couldn’t call itself a university but it could offer recognised training without any great fuss.

3. PTE with Offshore University Partner

The easiest option to offer university degrees would be to become a PTE and then make a deal with an offshore university to actually confer degrees. Some PTEs did this before they were allowed to offer degrees directly (degree granting was restricted to universities up until 1991). From memory, both Laidlaw College (then Bible College of NZ) and Whitecliffe College of Art and Design had such offshore arrangements up until the early 90s. All the teaching and assessment could take place locally and be moderated by the overseas partner, but you need to be very careful that you’re not claiming to offer a degree yourself. In the same period, some polytechnics had degrees under NZ university auspices.

Some providers still work with offshore providers when it is hard to gain accreditation for a certain level of qualification (due to scale, cost, etc). Laidlaw still offers doctoral options via relationships with AUT, the University of Otago and the Australian College of Theology (Laidlaw offers supervision and support). Manukau Institute of Technology currently has a relationship with Australia’s Southern Cross University to offer masters programmes, even though it has no NZQA accreditation for masters programmes.

Partnering with an offshore university is a good way for an organisation to get a degree for its students, but the final value of the degree depends upon the reputation of the overseas university and the quality of the oversight of the NZ-based study. It’s certainly a lot cheaper and easier than setting up your own university.

Conclusion

I suspect that Destiny isn’t really too fussed about having a “university” but they probably want to carry out advanced training for their theological and community activities. They have some good options available to them and I wish them well. I shall also enjoy the outrage they evoke in otherwise liberal-minded people that is out of proportion to the religious group’s size, importance and threat to the world as we know it. What do you think about Destiny’s tertiary education plans and the options open to them?

You’ll notice a few differences in 2012, including a transition to a new design look for ED Blog and ED Insider. Please excuse some slow site loading and a few design tweaks that will occur over the next two weeks.

Policy, Management & People

1. Destiny University? Destiny Church is planning a new campus (in the broad sense of the word) in Auckland that may incorporate a university (TVNZ, TV3, RNZ). The RNZ article should have a health warning as it has 2 big errors: that a private university would need CUAP approval for programmes and that International Pacific College is a university now. I’ll publish a post at 11am about the options for Destiny.
2. PEI Funding Cuts Practical Education Institute in New Plymouth may have lost up to 80% of its funding due to a poor course completion rate in its main course.
   They are having a staff meeting today to announce next steps – up to 60 jobs could be at risk.
3. Student Bar Canterbury’s student bar has had its foundations laid, despite opposition from parents of the school next door.
4. Extras: Bay of Plenty Poly kaumatua retires; CPIT is staying largely closed until Wed while it checks out buildings after recent quakes.

Research & Innovation

1. Kids’ Playgrounds Otago Uni’s Robin Quigg has found that kids don’t need fancy new playgrounds to stay active.
2. Extras: Victoria student gets dune research award; up and coming writers, several with links to Victoria; Auckland’s Prof Siah Ang on Auckland tourism.

Public Issues

1. Being Positive Fairfax asked 50 Kiwis about what they were optimistic about in 2012 – a few have tertiary links but why not read the lot? If this is your first day back, no-one really expects you to be hard at work J
2. Tolkien’s Nobel Victoria’s Prof Harry Ricketts comments on Tolkien being turned down for a Nobel Prize for Literature in place of Ivo Andric – I actually have books from both in my library, but did find the Andric book hard going (hmm, I may even have tossed it out).
3. Nude Swimmers Auckland’s Darrell Turner on nudists and moral panic in Auckland.
4. ICT Challenges Otago Uni’s Brendan McCane comments on the biggest challenges for ICT in 2012.
5. Extras: Victoria’s Prof Phil Lester on killing Argentine ants; Otago Poly’s Jo Wakelin on stonecrop; more penguins at Massey after Rena spills; Otago Uni’s Brian Cox on breast-screening; Canterbury’s Timothy Rowe on empathy.

Students

1. Ballooning Deaths The young couple who died in the ballooning accident seem to have studied at Massey, with one also studying at Victoria.
2. Extras: Victoria student off on a ship; Massey vet students’ calendar; group of American students here on an NZ experience; AUT student’s water bottle artwork on tour.

1. Agencies Differ Over Pilot School A Palmerston North flying school, Wings Flight Training Academy, seems at high risk of closure after the International Education Appeal Authority found that accommodation and settling in of students were not up to standards. The IEAA has recommended six months suspension for the provider, during which time no students could be enrolled. On the other hand, NZQA’s EER report in June had the following text (you decide who is right – NB NZQA has made a statement in the comments for this post):

   “Students are guided and supported well from the time they arrive in New Zealand to when they leave. They are met at the airport on arrival and introduced to New Zealand culture, which is very different to Indian culture. Most stay in the accommodation provided by WFTA which has separate houses for the male and female students, an arrangement the students’ parents expect and appreciate. As discussed earlier in this report, the chief flying instructor acts as a respected father figure which encourages parents to recommend WFTA to their children and helps students feel safe and secure, as they would at home.

   Students interviewed by the evaluation team commented that they were disciplined and counselled which showed that the academy was concerned for them and believed that they could succeed. They agreed that the accommodation provided, including the separation of the men and women and the bans on smoking and alcohol, were appropriate and helped them to stay focussed on their study and to make the most of their time at the academy.”

   The rating for learner guidance and support area was excellent for performance and self-assessment.

2. Grant’s Back Grant Robertson is back as Labour’s tertiary education spokesperson, while David Shearer keeps science and innovation. Recent Otago Uni hall of residence warden David Clark picks up associate tertiary.
3. Extras: Ag ITO’s AgExcel expands to quad bike tutors.

Research & Innovation

1. Fish Ears An Otago Uni PhD student is doing geochemical analysis of fish ear bones and it has a useful purpose.
2. Smoking Auckland’s Natalie Walker has been trialling some low nicotine cigarettes, which sound promising as part of a smoking cessation programme. This story also cites Otago/Auckland Uni research.
3. Canterbury Treasure A new book on Canterbury’s treasure is being launched in March, profiling the Library’s best holdings.
4. Extras: Otago Uni Maori research report; $100K donation to Otago Uni zebrafish facility.

Public Issues

1. Medication Labels Otago Uni’s David Reith wants medication packaging to focus on active ingredients rather than brands, to reduce the risk of over-medication.
2. Domestic Violence Retiring academic Ruth Busch (Waikato) says domestic violence is not dealt with well due to biases in the legal system.
3. Extras: Robert Patman on Kim Jong-il; Otago Uni’s Jim Mann on sedentary Kiwis (people); Otago Uni HIV figures cited; Victoria’s Dean Knight makes the news in Southland over knighthoods.

Students

1. Hitchhiking A UCOL student hitchhiked from Dannevirke to Palmie four days a week this year.
2. Extras: school maths teacher developing skills at Massey; Auckland law student at Durban climate change conference; Waiariki students raised $4K for a hospice.

Stakeholders

1. Queensland Trouble A jilted sculptor is trying to get Auckland’s Michael Parekowhai to withdraw from his sculpture competition win.
2. League Whitireia is linking up with a local league club.
3. Extras: Victoria mourns passing of Vaclav Havel; the wife of Prof Leon Phillips is spotting bears while he is on a fellowship in Colorado; Auckland-National Library collaboration on map records.

Teaching & Learning

1. Extras: Otago Poly trades academy ready to start in Central Otago in 2012;

1. Lincoln Buildings TV3 had a piece last night on Lincoln’s closed-off buildings.
2. Bond Problems Canterbury could be facing problems with its NZDX bonds (NZ Herald).
3. EER Excitement An Auckland Maori PTE got a good EER report but not a great one but still got a gushing story on RNZ and an even more gushing media release from Pita Sharples. Sheesh, they didn’t even get top marks!
4. Extras: Victoria’s marae gateway; buses to WITT need more passengers; EIT increasing arts and design staff.

Research & Innovation

1. Smoking in Cars People in Wainuiomata are more likely to smoke in cars with children than people in Karori according to Otago Uni’s George Thomson (NewstalkZB, Dom Post, NZN).
2. Energy-Smart Food Massey’s Prof Ralph Sims has just launched a report on for the UN on energy-smart food.
3. Extras: Auckland research on teenagers’ screen time; Massey pill for wild horses.

Public Issues

1. Accents Victoria’s Janet Holmes has an interesting column on accents.
2. DOC Open Letter 107 scientists, almost all from NZ universities, have written an open letter to Conservation Minister Kate Wilkinson (39 from Massey). They argue that budget cuts to DOC should not go ahead (release, NZN, Dom Post, Dom Post, NewstalkZB).
3. Mining The government broke a promise on mining according to Otago Uni’s emeritus Prof Sir Alan Mark. Two visiting US academics at Waikato have also written a paper on mining.
4. Extras: Canterbury’s David Small on the Mana party; Otago Uni alcohol research cited; Massey’s Mike Joy on river quality; Auckland’s Scott Optican on a murder charge (not his!); Otago and Massey academics on smart food for babies; Laidlaw’s Mark McKeown on non-voters.

Students

1. SVA There’s a new president of the Canterbury Student Volunteer Army – I’m guessing he won’t want as busy a year as Sam Johnson.
2. Extras: top students to Canterbury; Canterbury triathlete; AUT grad’s abseil fall survival (Auckland Now): ad win for Media Design School students (plus some cool showreels from other students); NorthTec fashion show.

Stakeholders

1. Training Nice Competenz case study of training in a pie factory.
2. Extras: exhibition at NMIT gallery; Massey’s Roger Buckton conducting a choir; university-ICT links in Wellington.

Teaching & Learning

1. Extras: New UCOL Wairarapa music programme; Unitec congratulates student-chosen top teacher; NMIT’s new mechanical engineering course; Canterbury to offer teaching degree at WITT.

1. Christchurch Rebuild The wave of new students/trainees in construction don’t yet have a job to go to, with rebuilding in Christchurch not yet starting – comments by BCITO’s Ruma Karaitiana and CPIT’s Phil Agnew.
2. Wings Trimmed Southern Wings Aviation College, which is shifting away from being an SIT subcontractor, has had an EFTS cut as TEC introduces a new aviation training cap.
3. Marae Gateway Victoria has a new marae gateway and it looks pretty good. Much better than the simple alleyway that they used to have.
4. Loans Students are borrowing more (interest.co.nz).
5. Canterbury Changes The TEU’s Sandra Grey (ED Blog’s Best Lobbyist Singer of the Year) muses on whether Canterbury will cut whole departments. Meanwhile, Canterbury is to spend $1.6m on an emergency communication system.
6. Extras: release on Tai Poutini’s EER; Otago Poly’s Matt Carter and his management success; HSI and Waiariki board member gets new job; new Chancellor at Canterbury (RNZ); Deborah Hill Cone’s underdeveloped views on university marketing, participation and organisation; TWOA’s Tai Wananga has good demand; car parking changes in Dunedin; Auckland hostel to be extended.

Research & Innovation

1. Women in Newspapers Massey’s Catherine Strong has released some strong findings on newspaper careers for women. I’ll be interested to see how it is covered.
2. Too Much Salt Otago Uni’s Rachael McLean has found that Kiwis eat too much salt (RNZ, The Press, NZN).
3. Old Shoppers Waikato’s Margaret Richardson is trying to make life easier for older shoppers.
4. Baby Deaths Auckland’s Shirley Tonkin and colleagues have found that tongue growth and jaw looseness can contribute to sudden infant deaths. Unlike much of the research in this area, it actually seems science-based and clear – read it now before its gets washed through the Ministry of Health!
5. Solar Car TV3 did a piece on the Waikato solar car, the German uni’s team’s car and a local car. I feel sorry for them given they have no windows and no A/C!
6. Extras: Victoria’s Melanie Johnston-Hollitt working on astronomy software; Massey’s Sitaleki Finau on Pasifika spirituality; Massey’s Kerry Taylor on a museum’s history; research by Otago Uni’s Bernard Venn cited (on potatoes); art making by MIT’s Bill Riley; Otago Uni’s Tony Reeder on sun safety; Victoria’s Elisabeth McDonald on changes to sex-attack justice; nice profile of Massey’s Evelyn Sattlegger; art conference at Vic this week.

Public Issues

1. Breastfeeding on P? Auckland’s Trecia Wouldes notes that there’s not much evidence on the effect of breastfeeding while taking P.
2. Home for Xmas Massey bird saviours hope to be home for Xmas after releasing the last of the oiled birds – also Canterbury’s Prof David Schiel on the cleanup an d Waikato’s Prof Chris Battershill on the environmental recovery.
3. Immigration Alleged comments by AUT’s Prof Charles Crothers are being used by a local Grey Power group to support an inquiry into Auckland’s ethnic makeup (I think they don’t want non-white people).
4. Gift-Giving Waikato’s Carolyn Costley on the psychology of gift-giving – which makes me wonder whether academics can find as many angles on Xmas as they did for the RWC. I spoke too soon – BOPP’s Esta Chappell is commenting on the greenness of real vs fake Xmas trees.
5. Bank Downgrades…attracted comments from Massey’s David Tripe (and again and again).
6. Extras: Victoria’s Maria Bargh on Labour and Maori and Robert Ayson on Iran-Britain relations; Otago Uni seminar on food production; Canterbury’s John Cookson on post-quake Christchurch; Otago Uni’s Dr Blackman on chemistry hero Ernest Solvay; Massey’s Clare Robinson on David Shearer; Otago Uni’s Bryce Edwards on voter turnout and Labour’s list; Massey’s David Deakins on business real estate; AUT’s Elaine Rush on drinking water; Otago Uni’s Andrea Insch on a marketing campaign and Prof Stephen Wing responds to some odd marine theories; more from OIA request of Auckland’s Alex McMillan; Auckland’s Barry Gustafson on coalition deals.

Students

1. NZer of the Year Canterbury’s Sam Johnson (Student Volunteer Army) has been nominated by the NZ Herald as a NZer of the Year finalist.
2. Art Over Panel Beating Here’s a story of a student who chose art at Massey over a panel beating apprenticeship.
3. Listening to Kiwis Bay of Plenty Poly students have put in kiwi listening stations on the Kepler Track near Te Anau (release).
4. Cunliffe Support Auckland’s Young Nats have come out for David Cunliffe, claiming he joined up via a BBQ draw (Homepaddock).
5. Morals An AUT student has a NZ Herald op-ed on media morals.
6. Extras: BOPP grad top regional motor apprentice; Massey eventing rider; Auckland architecture student’s win; Stephen Franks on a Canterbury alumni event; Wintec hospital history; Otago Uni students’ moot win and fair trade coffee research; odd media release about OUSA prez and SJS; Unitec students’ house-building; kea blood tests by an Otago Uni student; Otago Uni runner wins race; Canterbury’s girls software challenge; Otago Poly chef grad profile.

Stakeholders

1. Dental Clinic Otago Uni is opening a new kids’ dental clinic – good idea and good story.
2. Extras: SIT drops racing car sponsorship; Otago Poly staff supporting a Foodbank; cycling race at Canterbury.

Teaching & Learning

1. Facebook German Canterbury’s Vera Leier has got her students working on a class Facebook page, but they must change their settings to German – the language which she is teaching them. It’s a good idea to make language learning seem more everyday.
2. Teacher Awards Students have recognised their top teachers at Massey – congrats to Mike Joy, Sean Phelan, Prof Barrie Macdonald and Gina Salapata.
3. Extras: sustainable skills summer school.

The US Government Accountability Office has been doing a great job for many years in checking out educational rorts. Their latest report is titled For-Profit Schools – Experiences of Undercover Students Enrolled in Online Classes at Selected Colleges. Their students tried to enrol in 15 colleges using fake high school diplomas and got into 12 of them. The students then failed to attend classes, submitted plagiarised assignments and some were still passed for poor or incomplete work. There is some debate in the US about the report’s methodology and the severity of the problems uncovered. I don’t know (or care) enough to check out all the details, but you should be aware of the debate at least.

What I found most interesting was the potential for similar mystery shopper approaches to be used in New Zealand. Some ongoing work around visa and qualification fraud could have some quick returns, especially when combined with NZQA’s new investigative and enforcement powers. There might well be some problems in recruitment of the mystery shoppers in the international student market but it still seems worthwhile checking it out. I can’t see many other ways to find the information when students and providers are currently colluding over soft marking and dodgy qualifications (the NZ Herald covered the issue well last November).

It would also be great if we could generate thematic reports of the GAO’s rigour in NZ on quality assurance issues. NZQA’s focus on individual tertiary education organisations leaves a gap for systemic analysis of specific issues. ERO does do some good thematic reports but even they could learn a bit from the GAO. I first read some GAO reports around 1996 and it’s a pity that they haven’t been reviewed more widely in NZ.

So, what do you think? Are mystery shoppers a good approach to try in tertiary education quality assurance?

Yesterday Radio New Zealand ran a story and I’ve pasted the key details below and audio is here.

Only 43% of students successfully finish their courses, compared with almost twice as many at Te Wananga o Aotearoa (76%), and Te Whare Wananga o Awanuiarangi (89%). Te Wananga o Raukawa’s Chief Executive, Mereana Selby, says the statistics are not good. But she says other wananga tend to select already high achieving students for their programmes. Ms Selby says Raukawa’s philosophy is to accept all those who are willing to learn. She says work has started to improve the low course completion rate, with many tutors undergoing professional development to strengthen students’ understanding of numeracy and literacy.

What amazes me about this story is what a bad rationale Mereana Selby came up with (and I’m relying on RNZ’s translation from the Maori). She says that they have an open enrolment policy compared to the other wananga’s selective policies, but that is unsupportable. TWOA is a mass market provider that relies on large enrolments in open entry programmes – p.6 of its enrolment guide basically says that most programmes are open entry. Awanuiarangi has a mix of entry requirements from open entry to more restrictive for their degree programmes (but most of their enrolments are sub-degree). Besides all that, Raukawa has quality assurance requirements to ensure people who enter have a good chance in the programme and support them in completing it.

It might have been better for Raukawa just to admit that they haven’t prioritised completions that much and now they’re working on literacy and numeracy to improve completions (and good on them for it). That’s a simple and accurate line as opposed to claiming that your peer institutions are creaming off the best students.

1. Ag ITO Excels The Agriculture ITO has had a good EER report with highly confident and excellent findings galore.
2. Taupo Language Here’s a nice profile of Taupo Language, and especially founder Rose Blackley, who I always enjoyed working with when I represented English language schools. Note the dig at compliance costs towards the end – might be worth following up.
3. Student Pub…consent may be appealed by neighbours of Canterbury, with parents upset by a school board of trustees agreeing to the building.
4. Extras: Waiariki’s Kevin Uncles on the impact of LBP regulation (look it up); the ODT gives big coverage to the TEU’s views on proposed Aoraki changes.

Research & Innovation

1. Cancer Research The HRC and MOH have put in $2.7m for 3 cancer projects at Auckland (2) and Massey (APNZ, HRC).
2. Enzymes & Microbes Waikato’s Vic Arcus and Jo Hobbs have been creating billion year old enzymes. Other Waikato educators are checking out archaic microbes in Antarctica, with a National Geographic team in tow (Dom Post). Back to the present, Victoria’s David Ackerly is reengineering microbes like botulism or gangrene to create enzymes that activate cancer prodrugs – it’s an interesting media release.
3. Maori Issues A Massey study apparently showed a low number of stories on Maori issues and the Treaty of Waitangi. I understand the first issue being a concern, but the second hardly seems to be a community news staple.
4. Extras: Massey incubator head Steve Corbett likes new handouts to incubators (Minister); AUT’s Paul Cullen off on a Fulbright; Massey-Singapore-Mapp links; EIT’s Anthony Chiappin has helped develop a DIY knitting kit; Otago Uni’s Steve Dawson checking out a pilot whale; two NZ academics attended a classics dinner at Harvard.

Public Issues

1. Election Dodgy coffee bean poll by Auckland’s Andrew Balemi is a bit of fun and probably good for business and media coverage. Victoria’s Maria Bargh on Te Tai Tokerau. .
2. Extras: review of recent speech by Lincoln’s Paul Dalziel; Unitec’s Jonathan Leaver on gas leak problems/solutions; Victoria’s Stephen Blumenfeld on the Qantas dispute and comparisons to NZ.

Students

1. Cats…is being put on in Ashburton by CPIT’s NASDA students – I heard some sing at NZITP’s conference last week and they were great.
2. Extras: barista off to NMIT: Otago Uni student hit by car; NZUSA election guide; Massey student loses boxing match; WITT student’s struggle with poverty; top Dunedin apprentice; Unitec student’s cool chair; Rhodes Scholar; three Dunedin students won $50,000 scholarships to Auckland.

Stakeholders

1. Business on Education Deloitte and Business NZ have released education elements of a business survey – interesting stuff on graduate readiness, LLN skills and industry training support.
2. Lincoln Liked Fish and Game has welcomed a Future Farming Centre at Lincoln.
3. Extras: construction company funding NMIT scholarships; Waiariki Aria 2011 winner; disability studies conference at Otago Uni; Lincoln’s SI farmer finalists.

Teaching & Learning

1. Adult Learners’ Week Well apparently it’s Adult Learners’ Week – I wish I’d known earlier. The week is really about ACE, as this release about the Methodist Mission shows. The Southland Times has a story on the week.
2. Extras: industry award nominations for BOPP fitness lecturers; award for cool bach designed by Unitec staff and students;