shameful, destructive and endangering the future for not just the staff but also the students who attend Unitec in the future who will not get the excellent teaching that I have received.
A
Alistair Browning
12 years ago
wrong thinking!
L
Linda Sew Hoy
12 years ago
I am appalled at what is happening to our tertiary visual arts education. This is another nail in the coffin.
A
Angela Amerigo
12 years ago
Ridiculous!!!
D
Deborah Woodward
12 years ago
As a secondary teacher at a leading school in Auckland, I am absolutely horrified at this decision! I will not be encouraging my year 13 students to attend Unitec DVA in the future!
H
Helen wong
12 years ago
It's not too late to turn back the decision
J
Jessica Gernat
12 years ago
http://www.eboss.co.nz/detailed/adnz/unitec-decision-will-cost-the-sector-in-inspiration-and-experience/ sums it up entirely. Lacklustre education
R
Rachel Alford
12 years ago
There is great freedom to try bold ideas and think big within a classroom environment. In my opinion the Unitec Design School has been providing this wonderfully well to date. The support of trained educators, who can ask the right questions to push out the boundaries of students is absolutely invaluable. I believe the staff structure at Unitec shouldn't be gutted in this way, it's a shocking waste of valuable knowledge and resources.
H
Helena Thompson
12 years ago
Students need teachers
B
Bevan Shaw
12 years ago
I can't believe this is happening today. This decision will torpedo the institutions reputation! Where will the economic gain for the institution be if noone signs up?
K
Kelly Kilgour
12 years ago
This is shocking.
S
Suzanne Blumsky
12 years ago
This decision shows a glaring lack of integrity and your lack of respect for your students, your staff and the standing of NZ arts and artists .
A
Amanda Stewart
12 years ago
I am a student from this school when Unitec was known as Carrington Polytechnic.
I am somewhat perplexed as to why Unitec management think these 50 staff are not close enough to “industry” as they require and why management would remove 50 staff to only hire back 17!; apparently part timers at that! Surely the quality of teaching previously experienced, and PAID for by the students, will no longer exist. That is like saying to someone “well you are going to pay the same price but get less than half the service” WHAT!!!!!!!
Why would you only want to teach what is currently known by those in industry? Surely you would want a balance of theory, historical context and current industry practice? This allows a mix of views and ideas to flourish.
I have been a part time Business School student for many years and have always found Unitec to balance “industry” knowledge and experience with that of the academic world. I study at Unitec for this reason as I do not want to sit in a lecture theatre of 40 or more students to be lectured nothing but theory from a book! Nor do I want to have a lecturer only tell me about their current practice with no academic rigor, teaching capability or historical context. Not to mention a part-time industry “lecturer” not really having the time nor commitment to my broader study.
With the suggestion of aligning MORE to “industry” I fear the scales will be tipped to far.
What has happened to make management decide on such a drastic change in structure? Where is the evidence to prove that students will be better off with this new format?
S
Susannah MacDonald
12 years ago
A shake-up is one thing, but this makes no sense at all. There is nothing to suggest that people in 'the industry' have any teaching abiltity at all. As a former visual arts student, I would find it very disruptive to experience the lack of continuity of support and guidance, which could come from staff on a limited tenure.
L
Lorraine Tyler
12 years ago
If I were a student, I would be angry if my education provider refused to fulfil the promises that had attracted me to them.
J
Jennifer Howarth
12 years ago
This action is the most short sighted and destructive action I have seen at a new Zealand tertiary institution.
G
Graham Rockett
12 years ago
The Unitec student, Maria Vodanovich, describes the killing off all of the current staff and starting from scratch, all the while assuring existing and new students that there will be no change to the courses being delivered, is just madness. This is an understatement. It is, in fact, lunacy of the first order. Maria also refers to the destruction of her expectation of a superb education at Unitec as an enrolled Visual Arts student as "a shame". Once again, a huge understatement. The removal of what all of the student's signed up for opens the door to a direct legal challenge requiring Unitec to 'prove' that their lunacy does not materially effect their student's educational experience and outcomes... I think they would struggle to do this, oooops, another understatement!
J
Jen Crawford
12 years ago
Casualisation is exploitation.
C
Chris O'Connor
12 years ago
shame on you Unitec.Your teaching staff are your best resource!
shameful, destructive and endangering the future for not just the staff but also the students who attend Unitec in the future who will not get the excellent teaching that I have received.
wrong thinking!
I am appalled at what is happening to our tertiary visual arts education. This is another nail in the coffin.
Ridiculous!!!
As a secondary teacher at a leading school in Auckland, I am absolutely horrified at this decision! I will not be encouraging my year 13 students to attend Unitec DVA in the future!
It's not too late to turn back the decision
http://www.eboss.co.nz/detailed/adnz/unitec-decision-will-cost-the-sector-in-inspiration-and-experience/ sums it up entirely. Lacklustre education
There is great freedom to try bold ideas and think big within a classroom environment. In my opinion the Unitec Design School has been providing this wonderfully well to date. The support of trained educators, who can ask the right questions to push out the boundaries of students is absolutely invaluable. I believe the staff structure at Unitec shouldn't be gutted in this way, it's a shocking waste of valuable knowledge and resources.
Students need teachers
I can't believe this is happening today. This decision will torpedo the institutions reputation! Where will the economic gain for the institution be if noone signs up?
This is shocking.
This decision shows a glaring lack of integrity and your lack of respect for your students, your staff and the standing of NZ arts and artists .
I am a student from this school when Unitec was known as Carrington Polytechnic. I am somewhat perplexed as to why Unitec management think these 50 staff are not close enough to “industry” as they require and why management would remove 50 staff to only hire back 17!; apparently part timers at that! Surely the quality of teaching previously experienced, and PAID for by the students, will no longer exist. That is like saying to someone “well you are going to pay the same price but get less than half the service” WHAT!!!!!!! Why would you only want to teach what is currently known by those in industry? Surely you would want a balance of theory, historical context and current industry practice? This allows a mix of views and ideas to flourish. I have been a part time Business School student for many years and have always found Unitec to balance “industry” knowledge and experience with that of the academic world. I study at Unitec for this reason as I do not want to sit in a lecture theatre of 40 or more students to be lectured nothing but theory from a book! Nor do I want to have a lecturer only tell me about their current practice with no academic rigor, teaching capability or historical context. Not to mention a part-time industry “lecturer” not really having the time nor commitment to my broader study. With the suggestion of aligning MORE to “industry” I fear the scales will be tipped to far. What has happened to make management decide on such a drastic change in structure? Where is the evidence to prove that students will be better off with this new format?
A shake-up is one thing, but this makes no sense at all. There is nothing to suggest that people in 'the industry' have any teaching abiltity at all. As a former visual arts student, I would find it very disruptive to experience the lack of continuity of support and guidance, which could come from staff on a limited tenure.
If I were a student, I would be angry if my education provider refused to fulfil the promises that had attracted me to them.
This action is the most short sighted and destructive action I have seen at a new Zealand tertiary institution.
The Unitec student, Maria Vodanovich, describes the killing off all of the current staff and starting from scratch, all the while assuring existing and new students that there will be no change to the courses being delivered, is just madness. This is an understatement. It is, in fact, lunacy of the first order. Maria also refers to the destruction of her expectation of a superb education at Unitec as an enrolled Visual Arts student as "a shame". Once again, a huge understatement. The removal of what all of the student's signed up for opens the door to a direct legal challenge requiring Unitec to 'prove' that their lunacy does not materially effect their student's educational experience and outcomes... I think they would struggle to do this, oooops, another understatement!
Casualisation is exploitation.
shame on you Unitec.Your teaching staff are your best resource!
Maintain quality education