| In this this post, we look at KEQ #5, the third of four process questions, which asks us to demonstrate how effective governance and management are in supporting educational achievement.
Unitec has a clear organisational purpose and direction set by its Executive Leadership Team and Academic Board, and approved by the Unitec Commissioner, and more recently the Unitec Board. Manaakitia te Rito (Unitec’s Renewal Strategy 2019-2022) is cascaded effectively throughout the organisation. Staff are committed to the organisation’s direction and understand their role and contribution to student success. Unitec has moved from a focus on rebuilding and consolidation, to being a forward-looking organisation that plans for innovation and anticipates and responds effectively to change. Examples of resources to respond to KEQ #5 are outlined below as well as a case study that captures staff engagement and satisfaction, and how the support for organisational direction has continued to strengthen.
KEQ #5: How effective are governance and management in supporting educational achievement?We can use these resources to reflect the effectiveness of processes and systems in place that respond to this KEQ:
Case study: Staff engagement and satisfactionRadical transparency and relentless communication Despite financial pressure and rebuilding, the support of the Unitec community for organisational direction has continued to strengthen. Under the leadership of former Interim Chief Executive Merran Davis, operating with a mantra of “radical transparency and relentless communication’, staff feel valued and staff satisfaction has risen consistently.  ‘Working at Unitec’ statements: Staff Pulse Survey – May 2020 (click for larger view) A key element referred to by the Internal Evaluation & Review (IER) team in May 2020, is the high level of staff under-standing and commitment to Manaakitia te Rito – our renewal strategy. The IER commented repeatedly on the shared strategic direction, evident throughout all teams via a powerful alignment of strategy, takitahi, team action plans and individual staff plans. Between May 2018 and May 2020, results from five Staff Engagement Surveys show that ratings on key cultural aspects have risen significantly. This is a very positive result and shows that staff are highly-engaged. Among these indicators, role clarity has risen from 78% to 89%; commitment to Unitec from 74% to 87%, understanding of strategy from 57% to 85%, and happiness with the level of communication from 54% to 79%. Satisfaction with the performance of the Executive Leadership Team has risen from 37% in 2018 to 79% in 2020. This huge lift reflects the effectiveness of Unitec leadership, and its impact on rising staff engagement across the organisation. That staff engagement, in turn, has a direct impact on student satisfaction and improved educational outcomes.
Other examplesOutlined below are ‘snapshots’ of further examples of how effective our Governance and Management are in supporting educational achievement and includes links to relevant resources: |
What are ‘key evaluation questions’ – KEQs?
The KEQs – key evaluation questions – are the questions that the EER panel are particularly interested in when reviewing institutions and are what we use when evaluating our programmes. There are six KEQs; two are outcome questions and four are process questions. They ask us to talk to student achievement, value of outcomes for students and stakeholders, programme effectiveness in design and delivery, student support and engagement, governance and management, and compliance. It’s important that you are familiar with the KEQs which are not only essential for our EER in October but for the day-to-day analysis of what we do, to ensure our academic quality supports and drives student success.
Getting familar with the KEQs
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- Manaakitia te Rito – the Renewal Strategy 2019-2022: The new business model is sustainable and adapts to the changing needs of the sector and impacts of COVID, and is aligned to the organisation’s educational purpose, and ensures sufficient resources are available to support high quality learning and teaching
- Our Research Strategy is both an applied model with significant benefits for communities, and a successful recipient of major grants and of almost all PBRF income to NZIST subsidiaries: Unitec’s outstanding results – 3 May 2019
- Our COVID response has been swift, decisive, and beneficial to learners: Staff Pulse Survey and Student NPS Score – 27 May 2020
- Power BI and other data resources:
- All governance committees and leadership teams have access to timely data on academic quality and student success
- Regular surveys – Student Net Promoter Scores, staff satisfaction, graduate surveys and student course surveys
- Applications, enrolments and processing – Weekly updates and analysis on programme and course level details to report on demand and growth areas
- Real-time tracking and monitoring of learner engagement, attendance and support needs, ID of at-risk learners and responses
- Waitākere Strategy: The strategy was developed following consultation with local schools, community organisations and industry groups to establish what specific skills employers were looking for. As a result, new alliances have been formed, which will support ‘hands-on’ programmes for students to facilitate their career pathways. The first stage of the Waitākere plan is now underway with the introduction of additional Level 4-6 qualifications giving West Aucklanders a more efficient route to employment – refer to our Annual Report 2019, page 23