Polytech term plan criticised

Tertiary Education Union national president Dr Sandra Grey says she "can't see the point" of Otago Polytechnic introducing three teaching terms a year.

The polytechnic has set up a working party to investigate switching from two 16-week teaching semesters to three 14-week trimesters. The academic year would extend from mid-January to about the end of November.

Chief executive Phil Ker said on Tuesday he believed the change would benefit staff, who would teach two trimesters out of three and spend the other trimester on research and other work, and students, who might have the option of completing qualifications more quickly.

However, Dr Grey said yesterday when contacted she could not see any benefits for staff or students, although she accepted a longer academic year was a more efficient use of buildings and other resources.

Academic staff already had the time between the end of one academic year and the start of the next for research and curriculum development, she said.

Her main concern was additional workloads for administration staff who would have three sets of work to do annually instead of two.

"They are the people who set up the courses, do the timetabling, make sure the rooms and reading materials are available and enter the grades.

There will be an extra set of that work to do and someone has to do it.""Rushing through" degrees might seem a good idea for students on the face of it, she said, but she was not sure the quality of learning would be improved.

"Layered learning is not always best."

Condensing degrees would have little impact on student loans because students paid fees per paper, not per year, she said.

"They might save a bit on living costs ... But is that a good enough reason to make such a major change?"

The tertiary sector had seen "years of continual change" and Dr Grey cautioned against the polytechnic "making changes for change's sake".

"I can't see the point of this change, especially when staff are tired from years of change and feel they are constantly under attack."

Staff would definitely want to be part of the consultation, she said.

"There will be a fairly immediate process, I should think. I feel staff will be opposed."

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Student reaction 

Otago Polytechnic has floated the idea of moving from two 16-week teaching semesters a year to three 14-week teaching trimesters. The change would enable students to complete a certificate course by about August rather than October/November and might allow students to complete diploma and degrees more quickly by taking three sets of papers annually rather than two.

Students were approached on the Dunedin campus yesterday and asked:

1.What do think you of the idea?
2.Would you try to complete your qualifications more quickly if you could?

Marama Callan (23)Certificate in IT services student
1. It would be messy to bring in. The transition from the old system to the new would be awkward and courses would have to be completely rewritten. If you finished a certificate course in August and had to wait for another course which started the next year, there would be a giant gap.

2. I probably would.

Linda Batchelor (25)First-year bachelor of nursing student
1. It could be bad or good depending on whether the workload for students increased. My support would depend on what the impact would be.

2. Yes. It would save on my student loan.

Andrew McCormack (19)First-year bachelor of nursing student
1. It might work, as long as there was still enough class contact time. I would like to be in class more now. There is a lot of self-directed and online learning, which is not easy for some students.

2. It would be great. You could get into the workforce more quickly and start earning straight away.

Hamid Aghjehloo (28)Certificate in electrical technology student
1. It could be good or bad, depending on what sort of student you are. We already learn fast now. It is OK for me because I learn quickly, but that is not as easy for some students. The polytechnic would have to make sure the new system was better for the majority of students. I would feel sad if students dropped out because the new system did not work for them.

2. I would. It would mean getting on with my life and getting a job sooner.

Stephanie Knowles (21)Third-year bachelor of occupational therapy student
1. The polytechnic would need to look at this very closely to see how many people it would suit. At the moment, the polytechnic year is very similar to the university year and changing that might not suit some people. The polytechnic would have to survey every student and hear what everyone has to say before making a decision. Finishing in November might make it more difficult for students to find summer work.

2. Our course is already condensed. We don't finish until November and do a four-year degree in three years, so there wouldn't be much advantage for us.

Sarah Johnston (21)Third-year bachelor of occupational therapy student
1. It would be a good idea. I am from the Hawkes Bay and the year can sometimes drag when you can't go home much.

It would be good to have a longer chunk of work and go home for the summer holidays. The polytechnic would have to make sure there is still enough time for students like us to do the work placements which are part of our course requirements.

2. I would. If I am going to a place to study, I might as well study.

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 - allison.rudd@odt.co.nz