Towards the enhancement of flexible assessments, Ako-inspired teaching & learning approach

With the way adult teaching and learning is changing – mainly due to diversity of student population based on age, ethnicity, work experience and learners’ personal responsibilities, tertiary institutes are moving towards learner-centred approaches including comprehensive learning and flexible assessments. This paper presents "Flexible Assessments", an approach inspired by Ako – facilitating positive learning relationships through shared leadership between learners and facilitator, as adapted at the Waikato Institute of Technology (Wintec). Flexible assessment gives learners the flexibility with the type of assessment (how), the timing of assessment (when), and the quantity of assessment (how much) they choose to attempt while ensuring that the assessment integrity is maintained and that the learning outcomes for the course are achieved. This paper discusses the current achievements of flexible supervised assessments from the learners’ perspective and the tutors’ perspective. It also outlines some potential improvements to be made in the approach, based on analysis of quantitative and qualitative feedback from its initial implementations

Comprehensive learning incorporating Ako: A tertiary education approach at Wintec

This article outlines the design and implementation of a scenario-based approach to teaching and learning in tertiary education, inspired from Ako, adopted at the Waikato Institute of Technology (Wintec). This learning approach, titled ‘Comprehensive Learning (CL)’, aligns with the holistic objective of enabling students with an active, flexible, personalised, authentic and practical approach to learning that builds upon students’ interests and experiences. The article explains the motivation and the process used in creating and applying this approach to teach some of the IT and Business modules. The main reason to implement this approach is to encourage/enable critical thinking while learning in a continuous and personalised manner. CL allows students to specialize in a context of their choice, which in turn induces learning. In addition, students are less motivated to plagiarize due to the unique nature of their scenarios, and inherent safeguards present within the approach

Comprehensive learning incorporating Ako: A tertiary education approach at Wintec

This article outlines the design and implementation of a scenario-based approach to teaching and learning in tertiary education, inspired from Ako, adopted at the Waikato Institute of Technology (Wintec). This learning approach, titled ‘Comprehensive Learning (CL)’, aligns with the holistic objective of enabling students with an active, flexible, personalised, authentic and practical approach to learning that builds upon students’ interests and experiences. The article explains the motivation and the process used in creating and applying this approach to teach some of the IT and Business modules. The main reason to implement this approach is to encourage/enable critical thinking while learning in a continuous and personalised manner. CL allows students to specialize in a context of their choice, which in turn induces learning. In addition, students are less motivated to plagiarize due to the unique nature of their scenarios, and inherent safeguards present within the approach

Comprehensive learning incorporating Ako – a tertiary education approach at Wintec

This article outlines the design and implementation of a scenario-based approach to teaching and learning in tertiary education, inspired from Ako, adopted at the Waikato Institute of Technology (Wintec). This learning approach, titled ‘Comprehensive Learning (CL)’, aligns with the holistic objective of enabling students with an active, flexible, personalised, authentic and practical approach to learning that builds upon students’ interests and experiences. The article explains the motivation and the process used in creating and applying this approach to teach some of the IT and Business modules. The main reason to implement this approach is to encourage/enable critical thinking while learning in a continuous and personalised manner. CL allows students to specialize in a context of their choice, which in turn induces learning. In addition, students are less motivated to plagiarize due to the unique nature of their scenarios, and inherent safeguards present within the approach

A unified classification model to insider threats to information security

Prior work on insider threat classification has adopted a range of definitions, constructs, and terminology, making it challenging to compare studies. We address this issue by introducing a unified insider threat classification model built through a comprehensive and systematic review of prior work. An insider threat can be challenging to predict, as insiders may utilise motivation, creativity, and ingenuity. Understanding the different types of threats to information security (and cybersecurity) is crucial as it helps organisations develop the right preventive strategies. This paper presents a thematic analysis of the literature on the types of insider threats to cybersecurity to provide cohesive definitions and consistent terminology of insider threats. We demonstrate that the insider threat exists on a continuum of accidental, negligent, mischievous, and malicious behaviour. The proposed insider threat classification can help organisations to identify, implement, and contribute towards improving their cybersecurity strategies

A case study of work-integrated learning (WIL) within Design Factory New Zealand

Design Factory New Zealand is a centre within the faculty of Waikato Institute of Technology and is a problem solving and learning space which brings together students, industry and community leaders who are facilitated as a team to co-create a solution to a complex challenge. Students working within Design Factory are placed into inter-disciplinary teams which will therefore have a diverse range of study backgrounds (such as Engineering, Business, Information Technology, Media Arts, and Sports Science). Students are able to learn from each other, challenge each other and see the value of co-creating on challenges beyond their own disciplines and thought patterns. Design Factory New Zealand provides students the opportunity to work in new ways; to develop creativity, empathy, and communication; which enables each participant to be more prepared for the workplace of the future. Work-integrated learning (WIL) is the intentional integration of theory and practice to help prepare graduates in securing work within industry. Feedback from approximately 150 students and 10 industry partners has been collected on different aspects of the project journey for each semester since the inception of Design Factory in 2017. This presentation will focus on the deliberate interactions the Design Factory New Zealand has provided between industry and students that have been implemented to benefit both groups. We will share the key findings (anecdotal in some parts) from the parties involved and discuss where our main findings are leading us for next research stages

Transforming the sage on the stage: a student-centred approach to learning mathematics

Presentation and paper describing our experiences in using non-traditional ways of teaching mathematics

Transforming the "sage-on-the-stage": a student-centered approach to learning mathematics

The transition from secondary to tertiary-level mathematics is perhaps the most difficult of all STEM (science, technology, engineering and mathematics) subjects for learners. A main reason for this is the phobia many learners have developed from their previous math-related courses. Other factors include the diversity of student population based on age, ethnicity, work experience, and learners’ personal responsibilities. Tertiary institutes are moving towards approaches to facilitate positive learning experience through shared leadership between learner and facilitator. This presentation will describe the implementation and preliminary findings of our efforts to ease this transition by using this shared leadership approach in two mathematics courses taken by prospective Engineering (Level 3 Certificate) and Information Technology (Level 6 Degree) students. In both our courses, this was done by giving learners the independence to choose on how, when and where learning will occur. Preliminary results suggest a small improvement in class performance but a high level of student satisfaction with this approach. With further refinement of this approach it is hoped to improve retention and completion rates for these courses

Awareness, Knowledge, and Attitude of Saudi Students towards Basic Life Support: A Cross-Sectional Study

Objective: To evaluate the knowledge and attitude in relation to basic life support (BLS) and cardiopulmonary resuscitation (CPR) skills among the dental undergraduates and interns in Sakaka, Saudi Arabia. Material and Methods: This cross-sectional study was undertaken between October 2019 and December 2019 in Sakaka, Saudi Arabia. One hundred and eighty randomly selected dental students aged over 18 years participated in the study. Their knowledge and attitude towards BLS were gathered through a questionnaire. Results: A total of 158 (out of 180) UG students and interns participated in this study, making the responses of 87.8%. The mean age of the participants was 24.6 years. The samples comprised 86 (54.4%) males and 72 (45.6%) females. The assessments showed that overall the participants had average knowledge towards BLS and CPR, with males responding significantly better than the females (p˂0.05). Furthermore, as students climb the academic ladder, their knowledge regarding BLS and CPR tends to rise. Also, their attitude was positive, and they were willing to receive CPR training. Conclusion: Attitude toward acquiring knowledge about CPR was very positive. However, their knowledge about the topic was average. Students should understand the importance of such skills and efficiently involve in these life-saving procedures

Interacting in a culturally diverse classroom: Information Technology students' perceptions

In the past few decades, there has been a steady influx of immigrants into New Zealand, both into the education sector as students, and into the work sector as skilled employees. To prepare our students for future work, we encourage them to actively interact with, learn from, and work with peers, as they would in a real-life workplace situation. With the increasing proportion of students of different cultural backgrounds in tertiary and higher education, educators consider the ability of students to function effectively and respectfully in a culturally diverse classroom. In this paper, we performed a mixed methods study at the Waikato Institute of Technology (Wintec), New Zealand, which involved a survey and interviews of students specialising in Information Technology (IT). The aim was to analyse students’ perceptions on interacting with peers from different cultural backgrounds. We discuss the results of our study and factors that are likely to promote intercultural interaction and make suggestions for future research