Ako Aotearoa Funding Workshops: 2013
Funding change projects in the tertiary education sector
Peter Coolbear and Rhonda Thomson, Ako Aotearoa, National Office
Hosted by Ako Aotearoa’s Regional Hubs
Plan
•
Overview of our funding
•
Examples
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Developing an application
•
Working with us and support available
•
Good Practice Publication Grants
•
Opportunity for one-on-one discussions
• Evaluation
July 2013
Funding overview
Ako Aotearoa funds change projects
• i.e. we fund evidence-based change projects with
a high potential to benefit learners
•
we do not fund research projects per se, although every
project will have a strong research element in it.
July 2013
Funding overview
There is one overarching objective for our funding:
• Enhanced educational outcomes for learners.
Our secondary objectives are that the work:
• Contributes to a coherent knowledge base
• Promotes collaboration
• Builds research capability and capacity.
July 2013
Overarching principles of funding
1. Co-funding model – we fund up to 50% of the total value
of the project
2. The work must be clearly beyond Business as Usual
3. There is an organisational commitment to act on findings
4. Project teams commit to active dissemination
5. All projects will be involved in our Impact Evaluation
Process
July 2013
What we fund
We look to support projects that:
• focus on learner outcomes
• seek to achieve strategic organisational change
for the benefit of learners
• are evidence-based
• are of high quality
• provide value for money
• build capability and capacity
July 2013
What we don’t fund
We do not support projects that:
• focus on business-as-usual activities
• do not have a clear demonstration of
organisational commitment
• are inconsistent with Ako Aotearoa’s strategic
goals, values or principles (e.g. must be focussed
on post-compulsory education)
July 2013
Funding options for 2013
NPF: At least 3 projects up to $300k across 2-3 years
One of which will be focused on Māori learners, one
focused on Pacific learners
2 stage process of application, co-funding model
RHPF: projects normally up to $20k for
implementation / developmental projects
No closing dates, co-funding model
Also GPPG scheme – discussed at the end of this presentation
July 2013
Planning your project
• Start with the end in mind – what legacy will your
project leave?
• Think about the full life-cycle of the project
• Initiation – defining problem and looking for the
solution
• Implementation – conducting the project
• Institutionalisation – adopting and embedding
the work in ways that achieve sustainable
enhancement of practice.
July 2013
Setting yourself up for success - initiation
• Is this an issue of broad significance?
• What should the nature of the project be?
• Does my project involve the key people, with both
project relevant skills and influence?
• What would success look like?
July 2013
Setting yourself up for success – “the elevator
pitch”
Is your proposal a request for funding to do some
work?
or
Is it an exciting, irresistible offer about improving sector
performance?
Does your project have a vision?
July 2013
Exemplar project: Dedicated Education Unit
• Project: Piloted and evaluated 2 DEUs at
Middlemore hospital using action research
• http://akoaotearoa.ac.nz/nursing-deu
• Vision: To improve
the way student
nurses are supported
as they learn
July 2013
Exemplar project: Dedicated education unit
What’s changed?
• DEUs are now business as usual for Manukau
Institute of Technology and Counties Manukau
DHB
• 9 DEUs established (covers ~80% of nursing
students at MIT)
• Exploring possibility of inter-professional unit
• Key features
• Robust design, strong organisational buy-in,
focused on change for learners, broad influence
July 2013
Exemplar project: Tātou Tātou – Success for all
Improving Māori student success
• Project: Investigated Māori student success in
degree-level tertiary education.
• https://akoaotearoa.ac.nz/tatou-tatou
• Vision: To support Māori learners in health
sciences and share the work to enhance
Māori learner success in broader disciplines.
July 2013
Exemplar project: Tātou Tātou
• What’s changed?
• Quality Tertiary Teaching Profile (QTTe)
developed providing specific instructions for
institutions wishing to better support Māori
learners' success.
• Key features
• Improved an exciting initiative, genuine impact on
learner pathway progressions, positive impact on
the team reputation and work, included in
professional development workshops.
July 2013
Cracking the Reading Code
Clare Hazledine and Mary Silvester
July 2013
Exemplar project: RHPFS, central hub
“Cracking the Reading Code: An Audio-Visual Resource for Learners and
Teachers”.
•
Outputs: two DVDs and a tutor resource booklet which show examples
of working with students to improve their academic reading skills.
•
All material on the Whitireia intranet; accessible, widely used and
endorsed by students, teachers and student support staff.
•
1212 page views and 541 downloads of the material from the Ako
Aotearoa website after 6 months.
July 2013
Exemplar project: RHPFS, central hub
Caroline Rawlings and Karaitiana Wilson at the Open
Polytechnic. Completed May 2013
“Ako Tuākana-teina: e-belonging; construction and evaluation of a
cyber-whare for Māori distance students.
• The pilot project instituted an online mentoring system. It included
culturally relevant support and was designed to improve the
success and progression of Māori students.
• Positive responses from mentors and students.
• Evaluation of the work is on-going.
July 2013
Exemplar project: RHPFS, central hub
Sarah Leberman, Massey University; Sally Shaw,
University of Otago.
“Preparing female sport management
students for leadership roles in sport”.
• Resulted in a strengthened Achieving
Career Excellence programme, and
planned 2014 curriculum changes in
the School of Management at
Massey.
• Provided an improved structure for
“work experience” for students at
Otago.
July 2013
Exemplar project: RHPF, northern hub
Engaging First Year University Students in
Discipline-Specific Discourse through
Online Writing Projects
• Project: Using students’ capabilities to engage them in
the academic discourse
• Vision was to assess and use students’ digital literacy in
order to help them to develop discipline-specific literacy
July 2013
Engaging First Year University Students
in Discipline-Specific Discourse through
Online Writing Projects
• What’s changed?
• Collaboration between two Faculties brought
disciplines closer as they address challenges together
• Classroom interaction has improved
• Developing interesting tools to put materials online
• Key features
• Students engaged in collaborative knowledge
construction
July 2013
Exemplar project: RHPF, northern hub
Developing the skills of Māori farm
workers in Te Tai Tokerau
• Project: Test approaches to on-site workplace literacy
assessment/delivery to meet needs of farm employees
in isolated areas
• Vision is to support tertiary educators
and enhance training
July 2013
Developing the skills of Māori farm
workers in Te Tai Tokerau
• What’s changed?
• Approach has been enhanced
• Team meetings have taken on
notion of “ako”
• Key features
• Identified specific barriers for AgITO trainee
progression from L2-3 to L4.
• Looking into partnerships with Landcorp, Dairy NZ
and Primary ITO for future training
July 2013
Exemplar project: Improving teaching of
large classes
• Project: Six School of Law lecturers at the University
of Canterbury sought to identify and implement good
teaching practice in the current methods of teaching
large, compulsory law classes.
• www.akoaotearoa.ac.nz/ako-hub/ako-aotearoa-southernhub/resources/pages/effectiveness-large-class-teaching
• Vision: To improve teaching of large
classes leading to a difference for
learners
July 2013
Exemplar project: Improving teaching of
large classes
• What’s changed?
• Changes to teaching practices in School of Law
• Learners taking a greater responsibility for their own
learning
• Improvements in course completions and grades
• Key feature
• The development of a set of 12 good practice
guidelines for use in law schools, to implement
changes at three levels: Individual; School of Law;
National and International
July 2013
Exemplar project: Māori design and
tertiary education
• Project: Set out to address a gap in documented
research that specifically focuses on or about a
kaupapa Māori design process.
• http://akoaotearoa.ac.nz/ako-hub/ako-aotearoasouthern-hub/resources/pages/maori-design
• Vision: To identify and disseminate
important ideas relating to te Ao Māori
design, principles, practices and processes
to tertiary design educators
July 2013
Exemplar project: Māori design and tertiary
education
• What’s changed?
• Changes to teaching practices.
• A larger cohort than usual of Māori students giving
further impetus to changes in practices.
• Students encouraged to place culture at the centre of
their work
• Key features
• Three key elements for tertiary design teaching based
on principles of traditional Māori learning are reflected
in a model for teaching design with four strategies.
July 2013
What do these projects have in common?
July 2013
Rubric for Māori focused projects
July 2013
Developing your application
• Regardless of the funding stream, selection panels
are looking for:
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•
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•
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An aspiration for sustainable change
a detailed project plan
a comprehensive dissemination plan
organisational buy-in, contribution and gain
impact beyond those directly involved
capability building
measurement of learner benefits
July 2013
Project outcomes
Are likely outcomes from your project well reasoned?
• Be explicit about your logic model for change
• What are your expected outcomes?
How will these outcomes be achieved/measured?
• Is the project designed with change in mind?
• How will you measure/demonstrate change?
July 2013
Invest time in your application
• Communicate clearly
• Write strategically
• Do the basics well
• Share it with others
July 2013
Invest time in your application
For the National Project Fund ….
• Difference between the Expression of Interest (EOI)
and the Full Proposal (FP)
• EOI provides a broad overview, but all the
conceptual thinking is done
• EOI should include a co-funding commitment in
principle that is confirmed in the FP
• FP is a comprehensive account of project
July 2013
Common weaknesses – why panels say “no”
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Can’t understand the application
Application not placed in wider context
Localised impact (BAU)
Proposed interventions not sustainable
Method not well matched to aims/goals
Intended benefit to learners appears negligible
Lack of connection with sector
Budget unreasonable for work
Strong project but poor fit for fund
July 2013
If I am successful in the EOI round of the NPF:
working with us
• If shortlisted
• you will be provided with feedback on your EOI
• Feedback may include recommendations for FP
• If funded
• may include conditions of funding
• enter into contract negotiations
• Partnership model – being more than a funder
• supporter and enabler of change
• connect with you regularly
• case-by-case approach
July 2013
If I get funded: Impact Evaluation Process
• Interested in dissemination activities, outputs and
outcomes after project completion
• Conversations with project teams at 6, 12 and 24
months post project completion. Focusing on:
• outputs
• impact on practice
• impact on learners
• impact on project teams
• Conversations in context of original project goals
July 2013
Support available
• Feedback on draft applications:
• NPF review service
• Hub managers comment on
RHPFS drafts
• Guide to Change Projects
(Alkema, 2012)
• We are happy to discuss
your ideas
July 2013
Key dates
11th July – formal review process opens (review option on
submitted draft EOIs – 5 day turnover)
30th August 2013 – EOIs close
30th September 2013 – applicants notified
15th November 2013 – FPs close
13th December 2013 – shortlisted applicants notified
Open selection process – contact your hub
July 2013
Good Practice Publication Grants Scheme
•
Sharing and promoting good teaching and learning practice
across the sector
• Demonstrated good practice not projects
•
The grants
• up to $5k for multi-media publication
• up to $3k for written publication
• Up to $10k for organisational GPPGs
•
Published in our e-book
July 2013
GPPG Priorities for 2013:
• Good practice that has been shown to benefit Māori
learners, their whānau, hapu, iwi and communities.
• Good practice that has been shown to benefit Pacific
Learners and their communities.
• Good practice that has been shown to benefit
youngers learners in tertiary education.
• This year the scheme is open with no closing dates.
• http://akoaotearoa.ac.nz/good-practice-publicationgrants
July 2013
More information – project funding
• NPF and RFPs:
• http://akoaotearoa.ac.nz/national-project-fund
• r.thomson@massey.ac.nz
• RHPF and GPPG:
• http://akoaotearoa.ac.nz/regional-hub-projectfunding
• ruth.peterson@aut.ac.nz (northern)
• i.rowe@ucol.ac.nz (central)
• bridget.oregan@canterbury.ac.nz (southern)
July 2013