Culture change @ Wintec: Current issues in tertiary education in New Zealand

This presentation focuses on the changing context for tertiary education in New Zealand and the consequential need to equip staff to engage with changing conceptions of teaching and learning. First, the recent global trends which impact on tertiary education are noted: • professionalism and accountability (Laurillard, 1993; Ramsden, 2003) • contribution to the national goal of a high income knowledge based economy (Ministry of Education, no date) • global shift to new ways of creating and using knowledge (Ramsden, 2003; Gilbert, 2005; Boud & Falchikov, 2007) • the “net generation” (Oblinger & Oblinger, 2005) • the transformation of higher education from an elite to mass education (Kvale, 2007) • the extension of learning to lifelong learning (Boud & Falchikov, 2007; Kvale, 2007) Second, we describe Waikato Institute of Technology (Wintec) initiatives designed to engage staff with new technologies, and share good practice, with the aim of achieving better educational outcomes for learners, employers and the community. A case study of attempts to change conceptions of learning and teaching in an applied health programme of study is provided. The presentation concludes with an opportunity to share your experiences of shifting the culture of staff in your current contexts, the highs and lows of introducing new technologies and new understandings of teaching and learning to tertiary teachers