Extramural President's Blog » pressure

Eight Years to Complete Starting 2012

ralph — Wed, 12 Oct 2011 07:59:26 +0000

Today Academic Committee, a committee of the Board, approved the introduction of the ‘eight years to complete’, ‘award a qualification that a student has not enrolled in’, and ‘complete under current years regulations’ regulations.

The eight years to complete regulation states that students have eight years in which to complete their undergraduate qualification. If they are demonstrating good progress, but have not finished, then after eight years they may be allowed to continue and complete by ‘pathway approval’. If their progress is deemed insufficient then they will be awarded a lower qualification where possible. Progressing from such an awarded qualification requires students to apply for a place again and the student’s academic record will be considered as a part of that place offering. If a student is able to continue the time to complete is prorated down according to the number of credits in the awarded qualification. Note also that if you change from one programme to another, the time spent in the first programme is part of the eight years a student has to complete.

Complete under the current regulations is somewhat self-explanatory. Each year Massey makes changes to the structure and content of qualifications. This regulation states that students must fulfill the requirements of the most current offering, rather than the requirements set out when the student enrolled, in order to complete. The difficulty here exists for students who have been enrolled for some time and the paper offerings that make up the qualification have changed. A student may find that additional compulsory papers are required or that some papers already completed are no longer part of that qualification. I have been assured by Massey that the impact will be minimal. I am not so sure. There will be some students who may be significantly disadvantaged by this rule and I hope that the University can arrange adequate transitional arrangements for them.

These regulations will come into force at the beginning of 2012. Calculation of eight years starts from the beginning of 2012.

I have been vocal in my opposition of these changes. Not only do they represent a significant departure from the traditional Massey principles of accessibility and flexibility, they carry the potential for serious disruption of studies. It should also be noted that it is the Government’s Tertiary Education Strategy that is driving these changes. Please be aware that without the voice of a student representative these rules would be significantly more challenging, particularly for part-time students. If you have any concerns about your situation, now or in the future, then give me a call and we will work together to broker as solution.

Massey Moves to Monitor Academic Achievement

ralph — Mon, 05 Jul 2010 23:57:51 +0000

You are not alone. Support is there if you need it.

In line with expectations of Government, Massey is introducing a program of monitoring students academic achievement. This scheme intends to encourage students in their studies and provide guidance and timely support to students who are struggling academically.

There are three key reasons for the introduction of the monitoring scheme. Firstly, it is about improving student study skills and performance, but is also about raising student awareness of access to relevant University support and services, and the establishment of a regular dialogue between the student and the University that specifically addresses study progression issues earlier than previously has been the case.

Students identified as experiencing progression issues will be asked to discuss these with student learning advisors/counsellors, with the aim of directing students to University resources targeted at assisting with getting studies back on track. Students may also be required to participate in an academic review action plan which may then require students to take immediate action in accessing study support and services available at the University.

How Things Have Changed

ralph — Tue, 15 Sep 2009 22:22:42 +0000

Nasty. That’s how it’s looking, nasty. Less jobs, limited pay increases and a higher cost of living are piling the pressure on. I don’t want to live that way but a part of me rises, or is forced to rise, to the challenge. Is it time to up-skill, to add or to gain new qualifications? This is a pathway many New Zealanders will consider over the next year.

The pressure on the system that is making us think like this is also impacting on the government. It is likely that there will be changes in the funding of the Tertiary Education Sector, not only because of the change in government. Will these changes be focused on student support? Will they pay attention to social policy as our Vice Chancellor, Steve Maharey, recently advocated?

Organisations like EXMSS should also be changing – and we are. EXMSS has increased its scholarship fund almost threefold for 2009 and will be introducing travel benefits on all campuses for those who attend contact courses. Our advocacy desk has had additional hours allocated and the Student Assistance Programme is ready to help those students who encounter unforeseen financial barriers to study. As President of EXMSS I will be engaging with the Tertiary Education Commission through the Learners Advisory Committee and contributing to the governance of Massey as a member of the University Council, ensuring they understand the difficulties of being a current tertiary student. I will also be working to ensure the EXMSS Maori voice has the opportunity to be heard as the barriers to education re-define themselves over the next few years. As your student union EXMSS is firmly focused on its members’ wellbeing.

The recent advice from the Treasury to the Finance Minister, dismissing the negative consequences of the Student Loan Scheme, could be seen to be advocating for change that will create further financial barriers for tertiary students. Will the capped funding model, introduced by Labour, compromise the open entry concept we have grown used to? Tertiary institutions are now considering how they may cope with enrolments that exceed their funding limits. If the government has no more money for the sector then this could take the form of enrolment criteria – how will this affect our minority groups? It is certainly looking nasty but we can not presume what National will do. There is certainly potential for the National government to re-evaluate the funding for the sector with a positive outcome for both students and institutions.

Considering that change is in the wind I would suggest that in 2009 we have the calm before the storm. The status quo is maintained regarding funding; enrolments are up but in most cases not exceeding the funding limits. For extramural students, who have a lower overall loan burden, the loan scheme as it exists is not an insurmountable barrier and the welfare system has not yet reacted to the new pressures brought about by the developing recession. Perhaps now is the time to study, not because things are particularly good but because things look like they are going to get worse.