Staying the Course

It was only a couple of weeks ago that I was welcoming our new ākonga at Orientation and already we are gearing up for the first round of assessments. This can be an overwhelming time for both new and returning ākonga so if you are feeling stressed, don’t worry, you are not alone.

If you are confused about your course work or are not sure how to prepare for your assessments, don’t be afraid to take your questions to your kaiako (teachers), peer tutors and learning advisor. Cheryl and her team on Level 8 are also on hand if you have doubts about your writing, presentation, paraphrasing and referencing skills or need strategies to help you cope better with all the reading and listening you are doing in English. It is also important to be able to focus fully on your studies, so let us know if there are any medical, family, accommodation or work problems that are becoming a distraction. If our Student Success team can’t help you directly, they will recommend someone who can.

Every block I meet with ākonga who have failed or not completed courses because they did not ask for the help they needed. I also see ākonga who get the wrong kind of help and put themselves at risk by breaching our academic integrity policies. This doesn’t need to happen.

Over the next couple of weeks, we will be talking more about our academic integrity policies in class visits, webinars and articles so that you can fully understand its importance and keep yourself safe. Becoming one of New Zealand’s most employable graduates means so much more than just passing your assessments and getting a piece of paper. It means becoming a life-long learner and a critical thinker who takes responsibility for their own learning. That journey takes time and you can only get there if you do the work yourself. But we are here to help.

Noho ora mai

Sean Bell

Academic & Quality Lead/Te Kaihāpai