Community Blog

The ATLAANZ Southern (South Island) Hui was held at the University of Canterbury, Christchurch on Wednesday, 2 December 2020. The theme Whakawhanaungatanga: Reconnecting with colleagues provided a focus on the importance of collegiality and collaboration in what has been a very challenging year for learning advisors in Aotearoa New Zealand and the students with whom we work.  A highlight of the day was the regional round-up, which was one of many opportunities for sharing practice and engaging in conversations with colleagues and friends. We were reminded that our regional hui (gatherings) are so much more than “professional development opportunities”, providing us with […]

Learning advisors from the Central and Northern regions of Aotearoa New Zealand met on Friday, 13 November 2020 for our first professional development gathering since Covid-19 Lockdown. Our North Island Regional Hui was opened by Te Taku Parai, the Chairman of Ngāti Toa, who led the karakia (opening prayer) and welcomed staff and manuhiri (guests) to the Wikitoria Katene Health Centre at the Whitireia Campus in Porirua in the heart of Ngati Toa whenua (land). CEO of Whitireia and Weltec, Mark Oldershaw, then opened the hui by acknowledging the impacts that both Covid-19 and the recent reforms in the Institutes […]

ALDinHE: Two approaches to the move online In the first instalment of ICALLD’s ‘Symposium-over-time’ for 2020-21, Dr Carina Buckley and Kate Coulson from ALDinHE in the UK were joined over an hour by participants from all five ICALLD nations, based in cities as diverse as Vancouver, Calgary, Hamilton, Wellington, Perth, Glasgow, Leicester and Plymouth. Kate and Carina took a case study approach, presenting their experiences of the last six months and how their institutions have addressed the need to switch to online delivery in two very different ways. Learning and teaching…then Solent’s approach focussed on the VLE. In 2016 they had […]