Signposts revisited: A collaborative national evaluation

Abstract or Summary

In 2008, staff developers from three collaborating New Zealand tertiary organisations received funding from Ako Aotearoa – National Centre for Tertiary Teaching Excellence, to write a resource for new teachers in their first one-to-two months in the role. The resource, known as "Signposts", comprises ten one-page topics, with practical tips and techniques and is available under a Creative Commons licence through Ako Aotearoa’s website, where it has become their most frequently accessed and downloaded resource. In 2009, an expanded research team representing five higher education providers conducted a survey to determine Signposts’ usefulness and current applications, as well as identifying strategies for expansion and improvement. The survey was open to staff developers and teachers from all New Zealand tertiary organisations. Forty responses, while not a large sample size, offered rich and relevant data about the resource in general, and about individual topics. Most respondents found the content of Signposts was useful, pitched at the right level, and met their needs, but there was widespread support for alternative formats to the current print-based presentation. In response to the feedback, additions have been made to a second edition of Signposts including a glossary, further references and links, and a guide for users. Options for future development are outlined, and reflections on inter-institutional collaboration to assist others in similar evaluations are included. This research is significant not just for the direction it offers for future editions of Signposts, but also as it is the first such evaluation of an Ako Aotearoa project.