Click on the image to hear Lynley Schofield, MCE’s National Lead talk about the new programme
The Mind Lab by Unitec is now enrolling students for a new masters programme. The Mind Lab and Unitec development team presented the Master of Contemporary Education to the NZQA panel for final approval last month and the feedback was glowing.
Comments from the panellists included:
- “We commend the academic integrity of the proposed MCE, in meeting the transformative needs of communities.”
- “We have been hugely impressed by the fact that you walk your talk, you are a team, there is an equity within the team, but there is also a shared passion and belief in what you are doing.”
- “We recognise [your] role and responsibilities as agents for social change and as promoters of transformative educational experiences, as evidenced in the careful and reflective construction and design of the programme.”
- “We really would like to thank the whole team, and acknowledge the quality and honesty of the conversations we have had.”
National Academic Director at The Mind Lab by Unitec, Craig Hilton said: “I’ve been through this course approval process many times before and I’ve never heard such positive feedback from an NZQA panel.
“It’s great to see that they recognise the work we have done to design this masters to meet the needs of classroom teachers who are coping with new digital tools and constantly evolving work environments. One of the biggest differences this programme offers is that teachers will need to work collaboratively on practice-based projects in place of the more traditional solo dissertation. The principals and teachers that we’ve spoken to so far are really excited about the MCE offering.”
The Master of Contemporary Education is delivered in three parts:
- Part 1: Digital and collaborative learning (the existing 32-week, part-time Postgraduate Certificate in Applied Practice (Digital & Collaborative Learning))
- Part 2: Leadership and collaboration in contemporary education
- Part 3: Practice-based change project
The programme will be delivered through blended learning, so students will be able to complete the MCE from anywhere in New Zealand provided they are able to attend occasional face-to-face sessions at one The Mind Lab bases.
We got the final approval in writing from NZQA this week so students can now start enrolling for a June cohort, with a second 2018 intake planned for September. From 2019, intakes will be in April and September.
You can find out more by watching this video.