title: Early career academics navigating the ecology of the university: a collaborative autoethnography

authors: Doyle, Andrew

abstract: Early career academics (ECAs) are negatively affected by the neoliberal university which encourages performativity, competition and a ‘publish or perish’ mentality. In this paper a group of four ECAs in the Aotearoa New Zealand context explore and navigate the neoliberal university through a collaborative autoethnography. Collectively, we adopt Barnett’s [2018. The ecological university: A feasible utopia. Routledge, Taylor & Francis Group.] five dimensions of ecologies framework to study our own experiences. Findings suggest that as ECAs, we seek connection to academia, experience workload and power imbalance, and actively learn how to navigate roles. We also describe how our research group created a supportive environment within the competitive space of academia that fostered feelings of belonging and offered support in navigating the university ecology. Furthermore, working in initial teacher education, as a high service discipline, created unique challenges for us such as high service and teaching roles which may negatively impact ECAs. Through this lens of initial teacher education, we in turn make recommendations for universities to better support early career academics.

text: Early career academics navigating the ecology of the university: a collaborative autoethnography Early career academics (ECAs) are negatively affected by the neoliberal university which encourages performativity, competition and a ‘publish or perish’ mentality. In this paper a group of four ECAs in the Aotearoa New Zealand context explore and navigate the neoliberal university through a collaborative autoethnography. Collectively, we adopt Barnett’s [2018. The ecological university: A feasible utopia. Routledge, Taylor & Francis Group.] five dimensions of ecologies framework to study our own experiences. Findings suggest that as ECAs, we seek connection to academia, experience workload and power imbalance, and actively learn how to navigate roles. We also describe how our research group created a supportive environment within the competitive space of academia that fostered feelings of belonging and offered support in navigating the university ecology. Furthermore, working in initial teacher education, as a high service discipline, created unique challenges for us such as high service and teaching roles which may negatively impact ECAs. Through this lens of initial teacher education, we in turn make recommendations for universities to better support early career academics.

year: 2025

title: Legacies of learning: Negotiating guidelines for online discussion

authors: Forbes, Dianne Leslie

subjects: Asynchronous Online Discussion

abstract: This study involves students in constructing a community resource or legacy for future learners to use. In this instance, the resource takes the form of a set of guidelines for Asynchronous Online Discussion (AOD). Working within Moodle, teacher education students negotiated and revised sets of AOD guidelines for use in their own class, and to provide as a legacy for a future class. Data were generated over two semesters by consecutive cohorts of students. The findings highlight some key expectations that students set for peers when learning through AOD, such as a preference for accurate and responsive postings. It is also apparent that students appreciate and value the opportunity to negotiate guidelines. In terms of digital smarts, this study promotes effective use of AOD as an accessible means of engaging students in dialogue and deep learning. It is smart to negotiate guidelines for AOD with students so that expectations are clear, student perspectives are respected and opportunities to contribute to others’ learning are provided.

text: Legacies of learning: Negotiating guidelines for online discussion This study involves students in constructing a community resource or legacy for future learners to use. In this instance, the resource takes the form of a set of guidelines for Asynchronous Online Discussion (AOD). Working within Moodle, teacher education students negotiated and revised sets of AOD guidelines for use in their own class, and to provide as a legacy for a future class. Data were generated over two semesters by consecutive cohorts of students. The findings highlight some key expectations that students set for peers when learning through AOD, such as a preference for accurate and responsive postings. It is also apparent that students appreciate and value the opportunity to negotiate guidelines. In terms of digital smarts, this study promotes effective use of AOD as an accessible means of engaging students in dialogue and deep learning. It is smart to negotiate guidelines for AOD with students so that expectations are clear, student perspectives are respected and opportunities to contribute to others’ learning are provided.

year: 2015

title: "Everything has shaped you": Contributors to young Māori university students' ability to flourish

authors: Major, Darcie Ngahuia

subjects: Maori

abstract: There are many disparities when considering the health and wellbeing of Māori in Aotearoa today, and the education sector is no different, with Māori less likely to leave school with level 2 certificate or higher compared with non-Māori.  In response to the deficit orientated research on Māori and education, my thesis explores those factors contributing to young Māori tertiary students flourishing. My research includes five students from the University of Waikato who were between the ages of 17-24 years. A multi-method qualitative approach was utilised while engaging a Kaupapa Māori research framework. Participants were found to have a range of interconnected factors which contribute to their ability to flourish both inside and outside of the university.  Of particular importance to my participants was relational connectedness or whanaungatanga within and outside of the tertiary environment, landscapes which offered multiple forms of care, and notions of both collective and individual motivation. Some of the challenges experienced by my participants included a sense of socio-cultural isolation, the minimal inclusion of Māori worldviews and perspectives within the general curriculum, and the personal stress of responding to negative stereotypes of Maori as generally unproductive members of society. Flourishing for my participants is therefore multi-layered, and recognises the interconnected nature of health and wellbeing.

text: "Everything has shaped you": Contributors to young Māori university students' ability to flourish There are many disparities when considering the health and wellbeing of Māori in Aotearoa today, and the education sector is no different, with Māori less likely to leave school with level 2 certificate or higher compared with non-Māori.  In response to the deficit orientated research on Māori and education, my thesis explores those factors contributing to young Māori tertiary students flourishing. My research includes five students from the University of Waikato who were between the ages of 17-24 years. A multi-method qualitative approach was utilised while engaging a Kaupapa Māori research framework. Participants were found to have a range of interconnected factors which contribute to their ability to flourish both inside and outside of the university.  Of particular importance to my participants was relational connectedness or whanaungatanga within and outside of the tertiary environment, landscapes which offered multiple forms of care, and notions of both collective and individual motivation. Some of the challenges experienced by my participants included a sense of socio-cultural isolation, the minimal inclusion of Māori worldviews and perspectives within the general curriculum, and the personal stress of responding to negative stereotypes of Maori as generally unproductive members of society. Flourishing for my participants is therefore multi-layered, and recognises the interconnected nature of health and wellbeing.

year: 2017