Real-world examples of good practice in tertiary education

A deep dive into ‘Programmes match needs’

The TEI category ‘programmes match needs’ consists of nine indicators, aligned to the key evaluative question: ‘How well do programme design and delivery, including learning and assessment activities, match the needs of students and other relevant stakeholders?’.

The indicators that guide providers to succeed in this category are:

• Programmes maintain relevance to stakeholders and communities.
• Programmes are regularly reviewed and updated to meet existing and emerging needs of students and stakeholders.
• Learning environments are planned and structured for the benefit and needs of students.
• Academic standards and integrity are maintained.
• Learning activities and resources are effective in engaging students.
• Key stakeholders, including students, are clearly identified and engagement is appropriate and ongoing.
• Assessment is fair, valid, consistent, and appropriate.
• Assessment provides students and teachers with useful feedback on progress.
• Learning activities and assessment tasks are purposefully aligned with learning outcomes.

1. Strong, collaborative relationships with industry

Strong, collaborative connections with industry allow providers to gain insight into workplace needs, and to work with industry representatives on content reviews and programme design to ensure that programmes produce work ready graduates. 

Real-world examples: What can this look like in practice?

Master Drive Services Limited hold a “one-on-one annual review meeting with large clients” which allows their key clients to provide direct input into the following year’s programme offerings. Bakels Training Organisation similarly maintains deep connections with key stakeholders and have a practice where industry and other stakeholders conduct reviews of programme content before final iterations of the programme are delivered. 

Leadership at Adventure Works Limited work closely with their sector in the development and design of new outdoor instructor qualifications, which will ultimately mean their new qualifications are fit for purpose and meet the needs of employers and other industry stakeholders. 

The Institute of Professional Legal Studies make use of connections with practising legal practitioners for external moderation, which contributes to course relevance through “ongoing input into the appropriateness of legal fact patterns used in assessment.”

Eastern Institute of Technology (EIT) actively engages with employers and local body and business sector leaders to ensure alignment of programmes with the needs of key industries. EIT is a longstanding member of regional economic development strategy and governance groups, and it has strong collaborative with local businesses who contribute to EIT programmes as guest speakers, support work placements and internships, and employ graduates. 

3. Partnerships with other organisations to improve learner outcomes

Open, collaborative approaches to building partnerships with external organisations helps fill gaps, supports learner achievement and improves learner outcomes. Partnerships can take many forms – they can involve working with another organisation to develop a programme that addresses a need, or they can be connections which help facilitate the learner’s study journey and career progression through working with another provider to offer complementary services.

Real-world examples: What can this look like in practice?

Central Otago Rural Education Activities Programme partner with various agencies to deliver customised programmes to their clients. A recent partnership with the Department of Corrections resulted in additional offerings of Lifeskills courses, which enable Corrections’ clients to complete community service hours.

GET Training have employment partnerships with businesses who support young learners through work placements. GET Training learners, many of whom are eager to enter the workforce, can access viable employment opportunities whilst training, which in some cases lead to ongoing employment for their graduates. Similarly, New Zealand School of Dance have developed strong partnerships with key players in the dance community, which provide valuable access to industry practitioners and real-life opportunities to support performances.

Taranaki Education Training Trust has a memorandum of understanding with the Open Polytechnic of New Zealand to provide learner pathways and study support for their graduates who may wish to enrol in the next level of study, which is not offered by Taranaki Education Training Trust. This pathway is highly valued by learners as it ensures that their needs are met in the immediate and long-term.

5. Staff at all levels and from across the organisation contribute to programme development and review

Prioritising regular interactions between teaching staff, administration staff, academic leadership, and organisational management at different intervals can be beneficial. Through including staff from across the organisation and at all levels in programme development and review and moderation processes, providers benefit from the full breadth of knowledge available to them. This better informs necessary changes and how to implement them to ensure programmes match the needs of stakeholders.

Tutors and teaching staff provide insight into learner voice and on-the-ground updates from current programmes. Academic leadership offer expertise in programme design and educational best practice, and organisational management ensure strategic oversight and relevant decision making.

Learners and other key stakeholders often have relationships with a range of staff at a provider in different roles – teachers/tutors, administration staff, assessors, guest lecturers and management.  Staff connecting with one another ensures that these different perspectives inform programmes in a coherent way. 

Real-world examples: What can this look like in practice?

Besafe Training Limited engage staff at different levels in programme reviews through regular (often weekly or fortnightly) “community of practice” meetings with teaching staff, where teachers are encouraged to provide feedback on programme delivery, learner feedback and teaching materials. WhiteCliffe College takes a staggered and continuous approach to programme review, hosting monthly management-level meetings, and engaging a range of staff in quarterly programme reviews, which ultimately inform the annual programme reviews. 

Target Education hosts full-day moderation events with all staff across their campuses. This brings together the wealth of knowledge held across the organisation and their staff work together to moderate assessments. People Potential Limited engage a range of staff through “peer observation, group and inter-campus moderation,” and Industry Training Solutions Limited has moved towards moderators “working in clusters rather than individually” to help ensure credible achievement rates.

7. Feedback collection includes formal and informal approaches

Most providers collect feedback periodically from their learners and stakeholders to understand how programmes and practices can be improved, but exemplary providers take a more thorough approach. They frequently collect ongoing feedback through a combination of collection methods to gather more nuanced feedback which can be used to ensure that their programmes match needs. 

Real-world examples: What can this look like in practice?

First Aid Consultants Limited has sound systems to gather feedback from trainees and client organisations. They take a systematic approach to gathering feedback through an online surveying platform, and pair this with less formal collection methods, such as asking trainees every day: ‘How is it going?’; ‘Did you understand that?’; ‘Did you enjoy that session?’. This dual approach is useful for both identifying improvement and engaging trainees. 

EIT have similarly enhanced their feedback collection methods through the introduction of targeted focus groups, which can yield richer and more specific information for improvement purposes. They combine the feedback obtained from these groups with that gathered through the more traditional generic feedback-survey approach to inform decision-making.

Horizon Education Limited have introduced monthly lunchtime sessions with the managing director for students to directly provide feedback and suggestions. SAE Institute has implemented an ideas wall, Sues Computer Training Company combines formal end-of-course evaluations with informal feedback through email or forum discussions, and Language Studies International (NZ) Limited have reflective student journals which are completed weekly by students online to express goals or concerns. 

Drawing it all together

In practice, high quality providers ensure that their programmes match needs through implementing a combination of the practices outlined above. The stories below show how two providers have put multiple elements into practice, with both self-assessment and educational performance practices working hand-in-hand in their tales of reflecting upon and responding to their changing contexts and community need.

‘Programmes match needs’ in action: Mining emergency services training provider (Provider A)

Provider A is a private training establishment supporting the mining industry which was established following the Pike River mine disaster.

Provider A works to ensure that everyone working underground meets a minimum set of competencies, and that those entering underground environments have sound knowledge of risks, operating procedures, hazard monitoring and escape and self-rescue processes.

Just three years after their establishment, Provider A were faced with a major challenge: the 2016 closure of the Roaa Mine saw the end of operational underground mining in New Zealand. Thanks to the responsive leadership team, Provider A quickly adapted.

The Mines Act requires that every person working underground is appropriately trained and inducted. Whilst there were no longer any underground mines, there are tunnels – lots of them. Provider A quickly shifted focus from mines to tunnels, and were once again offering programmes that matched industry and learner need.

They have employed a variety of mechanisms to help ensure this, including ongoing contact with clients and trainees, embedding staff, trainee satisfaction surveys, client surveys, end-of-training discussions, and participation in several industry fora. Trainers work with client organisations to develop and continually enhance teaching and learning scenarios contextualised to the workplace. When Provider A contracts to a new client, teaching staff will always visit the site and review operational documentation to familiarise themselves with the site, plant, and work style.  On bigger projects, Provider A staff are “embedded” in the project, meaning they are permanently based on the project site.

Provider A’s client focus is typified in the way the PTE schedules the training around the needs of clients and delivers training where and when it is needed.  Of note was the significant response by Provider A to the needs of clients to continue to operate essential services and critical projects during the various phases of COVID-19 restrictions.

The increasing number and proportion of migrant workers in the industry and on courses has amplified the importance of student support practices. Course material is designed so that it is uncomplicated and easy to understand, and speakers of other languages are occasionally available to assist if required. Provider A requires all assessments to be completed in English as this is the language of the workplace.

Provider A has also raised the bar in terms of supporting learners on short courses. Despite only working with trainees for short periods of time, Provider A staff has identified that being independent often places them in a position to recognise signs of stress or mental health issues in trainees.  Provider A has gone above and beyond expectation by networking with the “Mates In Construction” organisation and several trainers have completed Mates training to assist in recognition of pastoral needs and referral to appropriate support services.

Provider A illustrates how a provider can ensure that programmes match needs, responding quickly to the changing needs of their industry.

‘Programmes match needs’ in action: Emergency response training provider (Provider B)

Provider B provides training to local councils, government departments, private companies, and the public. They work to meet the training needs of civil defence volunteers and managers in the Canterbury region to increase the capacity and capability of the territorial authorities, including their staff and volunteers, to respond to emergencies. Provider B’s short courses include rescue, medical, welfare and core skills. The focus has remained on training delivery in Canterbury, with a limited number of courses delivered in other regions, including Wellington.

Following the 2010 and 2011 earthquakes, and numerous floods, Provider B’s work has been of vital importance to the region. Provider B has focused on building capability in the region to ensure its learners are equipped to respond appropriately to the numerous disasters they have been faced with in recent years. 

Provider B has proven ability in effectively meeting the needs of their stakeholders. They employ trainers who work in the civil defence and emergency response fields, and who have extensive understanding of disaster management and trauma in emergency situations. This helps to ensure that the programme delivery is relevant to the real-world and allows trainers to draw on their personal experiences to contextualise the programme content.

Much of Provider B’s success can be attributed to engagement with key stakeholders. They meet regularly with councils and community leaders to keep abreast of the needs of each region, and to gain an understanding of what training is required of existing and new volunteers. Provider B’s training is customised to ensure that learners have the appropriate tools for an emergency. Programme planning is a collaborative effort between Provider B staff and territorial councils, with a focus on community needs, and Provider B hold debriefing sessions following emergencies which inform course development and review.

Through the frequent engagement with community and council leaders, the organisation has developed new ways of working and new programmes. Their psychological first aid course was developed to address the demand for more support and wellbeing for people in the community.

This dedication to meeting community needs extends across all levels of the organisation, from the trainers to the governance and management levels. They listen, learn, and respond to the voices of the community, which enables a small organisation with limited staff and resources to provide important and impactful services to the region.