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After completing the beautiful two-hour drive from Wellington to Palmerston North I completed two invited presentations at Massey University on the 16th and 17th April. Before completing the first presentation I had a tour of the campus which identified some of the learning spaces the University was considering to redesign. The presentation involved around 35 attendees and the response was positive in relation to the topic on 'Distributed places and spaces in Higher Education'. Both presentations were hosted by Professor Mark Brown from the National Centre for Teaching and Learning and the Distance Education and Learning Futures Alliance. You can view the slides from the presentation below.
On Tuesday morning we took the short flight to Auckland to visit the Albany campus for a repeat of the presentation to 12 attendees. The campus has some leading-edge spaces and the feel of the campus was very different to the Palmerston North campus. These learning pods are an example of the spaces at the Albany campus.
Student study pods, Albany, Massey University
Professor Mike Keppell, Albany Campus, Massey University
Whilst at the campus, Mark Brown was interviewed by a Chinese TV network about distance education. His article in the Dominion Post created interest in the topic.
Professor Mark Brown being interviewed by a Chinese TV Network
On a lighter note I managed to pick-up the 'gift of the century' for my wife who is a rugby fanatic. I couldn't go past this rugby chess set that now has pride of place on our coffee table. Of course the two teams had to be Australia and New Zealand!