On Monday our teaching staff moved to online teaching for the majority of our courses, following some speedy upskilling in the days and weeks beforehand on the platforms and technology needed.
We’re very proud of how our teaching staff have managed this significant change and the work the Te Puna Ako team has done, generating coaching and online workshops at short notice to support this new and necessary approach to keep courses going and our students on track to meet their study goals.
Our ELT has been making contingency plans for the possibility that the Level 4 lockdown might continue beyond the originally planned four weeks. Plans are underway to continue online delivery, if needed, for the five weeks following the mid-semester break, so from Tuesday 28 April through to Friday 29 May. This is obviously contingent on the Government’s review of the country’s Alert Level at the end of the four-week lockdown.
It’s important that we plan ahead to ensure we aren’t again putting teaching and support staff under further pressure. This timing will provide teaching and support staff with the two-week semester break to continue to develop courses for further online delivery.
Just remember that staff do have the option to take approved annual leave or professional development leave over this time. It’s important to take a break and re-group or have some family time away from work, so make sure you get your leave planned and your application submitted as soon as possible.
Te Puna Ako and Te Korowai Kahurangi will continue to liaise with each teaching team to support course planning and implementation. If there are concerns about being able to teach online for that five-week period, this will be managed on a case-by-case basis.
Our key focus is on minimising disruption for our students, and to ensure we continue to build on the momentum and great work done to date.
Your commitment to online teaching delivery has been ‘above and beyond’. We’ve had some very positive feedback from students about their online experiences – some are connecting on Facebook and other channels to share tips and support – so thank you to everyone for your compassion and commitment at this challenging time.
For the latest updates and information on ‘what you need to know’, go to the Nest page COVID-19 – Information and the latest updates»