Members of the Association of Teaching and Learning Advisors of Aotearoa New Zealand (ATLAANZ) were excited to launch their inaugural online biennial national conference held 30 November – 1 December 2022, despite going through one of the most challenging years yet in tertiary education. Participants from tertiary education organisations (TEOs) across Aotearoa and Australia, attended wānanga, workshops, presentations and lightning talks related to the conference theme: Toitū Te Tangata – the Whole Person.
ATLAANZ President Tania Oxenham acknowledged that this year “has been tumultuous for the tertiary environment, and some of our members have been affected by the transition to Te Pūkenga, the new overarching infrastructure for polytechnics. So, to be able to provide an inaugural online conference during these unsettled times focussing on the holistic wellbeing of the person was not only timely, but hugely satisfying.”
An unexpected challenge for the ATLAANZ conference team was the ransomware attack on the organisation’s service provider, which rendered the website unavailable. Fortunately, the team had arranged other avenues of communication which were deployed to share information and resources.
Tania commented “It was delightful to see presenters share their best practices around inclusivity, diversity, equity, and cultural responsiveness. There’s no doubting that learning advisors across the motu (land) have alignment to the contemporaneous needs of their students and the aspirations of the Tertiary Education Commission.”
Canadian keynote Dr Deena Kara Shaffer, of Thriving Innovations and Awakened Learning, and Dr Robbie Francis Watene from the Donald Beasley Institute (also co-founder of The Lucy Foundation), provided delegates with huge inspiration, while the final conference session was reserved for attendees to listen to the real-life stories and perspectives of a panel of tertiary students from diverse backgrounds, on tertiary education and learning support services.
Areas of interest
Over the two days, conference attendees shared tertiary learning support experiences and expertise relating to areas such as student-centredness and wellbeing, neurodiversity, academic writing development, online learning and support for international learners. Special Interest Groups discussed a range of topics towards 2023.
Life memberships
A conference highlight was being able to present five long-standing ATLAANZ members with life membership awards. Recipients Dr Jerry Hoffman – Southland Institute of Technology, Vicky Young – University of Waikato, Barbara Morris – Western Institute of Technology, Frieda Looser – University of Canterbury and Andrea Haines – University of Waikato have between them 150+ years of knowledge, skills and experience. Their life membership awards acknowledged their contributions to the profession of learning advising and to the lives and successes of ākonga (students) over many years.
2023 and beyond
ATLAANZ will be convening in the new year to further discuss their aspirations for building meaningful relationships with learning advisors who work with ākonga in education settings other than universities and polytechnics, and to continue their engagement with affiliated international organisations in Australia, Canada, the UK, and South Africa. Aligned to this is investment back into regional hui (conferences), Māori and Pacific focus groups, sharing of best practice, resource development, and the publication of the latest iteration of the ATLAANZ Journal.
Tania Oxenham,
ATLAANZ President
Website: https://www.atlaanz.org