Ngā ara whakaako Teaching for learning

Guides and resources for academic staff on ways they can approach teaching at Victoria University of Wellington.

At the University, we recognise that there is no one ‘right’ way to approach teaching. The approach needs to suit the teaching context. This includes the course, the teaching space—physical or online—and the students.

We encourage staff to try new and creative approaches to teaching, exploring how to adapt and improve teaching to meet the needs of students and the course.

The Centre for Academic Development (CAD) provides advice, whether you are looking to refresh a course, or create new courses and programmes. CAD can provide practical advice and resources to support developing both teaching, and course and programme design. Our team includes academic developers, learning designers, educational media designers, a learning space designer and academic integrity advisor.

Learning and teaching guides

See these practical guides for teachers to further develop your learning and teaching skills.

The guides cover:

  • assessment for learning
  • developing questions
  • group work and assessment
  • peer reviews
  • teaching international students
  • informal feedback.

Inclusive teaching

We encourage you to use inclusive methods in every part of your teaching—from everyday communication with students to designing assessments.

Find out more about inclusive teaching at the University and available resources.

Māori and Pasifika learning and teaching

Learn more about engaging with Māori and Pasifika students and about how to help them succeed at our University.

They include:

  • language guides to help teachers improve communication and pronunciation
  • learning and teaching research with a focus on Māori and Pasifika students
  • guides to socially acceptable behaviour
  • research and innovation by Māori at Te Herenga Waka.

Support for academic use of technology

The Centre for Academic Development can help you select tools and advise on how you use them. We offer a number of ways for you to think about teaching with technology.

Learning and teaching technologies supported by the University

If you're interested in self-directed learning, take a look at the Tools for Teaching and Learning in Nuku course. The list provides an overview of pre-selected digital tools and software supported at the University, guidance on getting started, tutorials, examples and research on how to use them.

Tools include:

Technology support

Support for technology use in learning and teaching is available throughout the University, including from CAD and Digital Solutions.

If you want to discuss changes to your teaching that involve thinking about course design and the implications technology has on student activities, assessment, and outcomes, contact CAD staff.

CAD staff includes learning designers who can work directly with staff to support the use of technology for learning and teaching, and administration. They can also help you identify and work with other staff on more substantial technology initiatives. For more information, contact nuku@vuw.ac.nz.

To requests assistance with issues such as password access or course creation in Nuku, contact Digital Solutions through the Staff Service Centre or email servicedesk@vuw.ac.nz.

For general enquiries, contact CAD-contact@vuw.ac.nz.

Register for a workshop

Nuku training and digital technology workshops and courses are offered by the Centre for Academic Development and Digital Solutions.

Principles of good practice

Successful online teaching depends on aligning digital tools and software with:

  • your personal teaching beliefs and values
  • objectives and desired outcomes of the planned teaching and learning activities
  • subject-specific content, skills and competencies.

The following seven principles of good practice in undergraduate education by Chickering and Gamson (1987) apply to both face-to-face and online learning.

  1. Encourage contact between students and faculty
  2. Develop reciprocity and cooperation among students
  3. Encourage active learning
  4. Give prompt feedback
  5. Emphasise time on task (practice makes perfect)
  6. Communicate high expectations
  7. Respect diverse talents and ways of learning.

Supporting good practice

Teaching and learning innovation is used widely at Te Herenga Waka, as showcased in case studies. These cases profile the use of technology as a vehicle to delivering more effective and efficient teaching. Use them as a springboard to thinking about how technology-mediated teaching can be applied in your courses.

Resources to support this include: