Update from Executive Director – Ako, Simon Nash:
EERrrrrrr – Week 1
Watch the mihi whakatau for the EER panel, on Tuesday, and meet the team involved – click the pic to view
Kia ora e te whānau
Week 1 has gone really well (note: you have to get your fun where you can, so we’ve adopted a pirate voice for saying “EERrrrrrrr”). Focus area teams are emerging from their panel sessions looking pleased with themselves, confident they’ve responded fully to questions and have remembered all the important data. It’s a bit like after an exam, where they’ve asked the questions you hoped they’d ask.
Perhaps best of all – our staff feel that the EER evaluators are giving us space to tell our story. This is important because it means the panel want to hear what we have to say, and have come with open minds.
Of course there have been challenges and curly questions. So far the panel have asked for about 35 additional documents. Generally they want evidence to support claims we are making, which is to be expected. There have been tough questions about assessment and moderation; “how do we know that our improving results aren’t because our assessments are too soft?”; and about stakeholder engagement; “Can we prove that we know our graduates are well-prepared?”.
Social Practice team members, alongside Cathy Tyler, part of our ‘EER action team’, underway with their virtual EER panel session
Overall, however, we are confident the EER is on track. Our teams are proud and have great stories to tell, and there’s a sense of relief to finally be able to do so.
The panel have met with over 30 teams so far, including our Student Council, students and stakeholders, ELT, the Unitec Board, Rūnanga and Fono, and with teams from International, Māori and Pacific Success, Bridgepoint, Creative Industries, Business, Computing, Automotive, Construction and Social Practice. Folks – you can now all relax, job well done.
Next week the panel meets with Vet Nursing, Under 25s Success, Trades and Sport. Good luck! We are all wishing you well.ke to learn
There’s also time put aside for any follow-up ‘Zooms’ if they want to see anyone again.
Whānau, this couldn’t happen without our “team of 1,200 staff” plus all our students and stakeholders. Thank you everyone for your contributions and hard work and support for EER.
Ngā mihi nui
Simon
If you’d like to learn more about the type of questions the EER panel asks, take a look at our EER key evaluative questions (KEQ) series that outlines the data and documents we have to support our responses and demonstrate what we do, to ensure our academic quality supports and drives student success:
- EER KEQ 1: How the Learner Outreach Programme responded to KEQ #1 – 13 September 2020
- EER KEQ 2: How UPCs’ partnerships respond to KEQ #2 – 17 September 2020
- EER KEQ 3: Demonstrating how our Āta Kōrero programme responds to KEQ #3 – 30 September 2020
- EER KEQ 4: How our ‘I See Me’ initiative responds to KEQ #4 – 6 October 2020
Fingers crossed ! I am member of the international team based in India. Unitec enjoys a very good position and our agents love Unitec and the range of courses we offer.