Digital and Collaborative Teaching and Learning

This Digital and Collaborative Teaching and Learning (DCTL) microcredential from The Mind Lab will build your knowledge of contemporary education practices and will allow you to evaluate personal teaching environments and integrate relevant technologies and methodologies into classrooms through applied practice.

With the demands of an increasingly digitised world, there is a growing awareness among educators that teaching and learning need to evolve to better prepare teachers and students for this changing world.

Build digital skills and collaborative approaches for a blended learning environment

In 2018, UNESCO pointed out that it is essential that teachers have the competencies to integrate digital technologies effectively in the curriculum to help learners develop the skills required for the 21st century, such as critical thinking, problem-solving, and the ability to collaborate.

On this microcredential, you’ll learn how to integrate contemporary and emergent digital tools into innovative educational practice, with a focus on blended classroom practice, where face to face learning contexts are essential to the pedagogy, working in tandem with online learning. With that in mind, you’ll build your understanding of digital and collaborative learning in educational contexts while reflecting on contemporary pedagogies.

Develop your approach to learning with agile, innovative methodology and critical thinking

As the digital landscape evolves, it’s important to bring your lessons into the 21st century and provide a really innovative and exciting learning experience for your students.

On this microcredential, you’ll be empowered to do just that, without needing any special equipment or technology that you wouldn’t find in the average classroom. To improve how you manage, design, and plan your teaching approach, you’ll learn practical skills such as agile project management and how to innovate in your classroom.

Explore how and why you should integrate games, gamification and coding into learning

With modern technology allowing new forms and mediums for education, students require different teaching approaches in order to engage them in the classroom, both in a virtual and physical environment.

This microcredential will provide you with a whole range of tools and approaches that you can use in your lessons to engage students and embed technology and collaboration into your classroom. You’ll explore the importance of gamification and integrating games into your teaching methods, as well as using animation and coding to facilitate creative, cross-curricular approaches to digital learning.

Learn from the experts at The Mind Lab

The Mind Lab is an award-winning, NZQA-registered education provider. They use a kaupapa Māori approach to ensure that students, facilitators, practitioners, and researchers have the community and their colleagues at the heart of their professional practice, study, and research. Positive relationships between people and places are at the centre of their philosophy and values for teaching and learning.

As an institution, they use organisational kaupapa Māori values to drive their practice:

• Manaaki: that learners are interconnected with The Mind Lab teaching and learning community during their study
• Rangatiratanga: Leadership, accountability, agency, and authority
• Ako: reciprocal teaching and learning
• Pono: truth, honesty, integrity, and transparency

Since 2014, The Mind Lab has equipped over 5,000 NZ educators (across 1,330 schools) with the knowledge and skills to address the needs of contemporary learning environments.

What is blended learning?

Blended learning is a combination of online learning and physical, face-to-face learning. This split doesn’t have to be 50/50, it can be divided in whatever way best suits the learning experience.

How is this microcredential assessed?

There are two competency-based summative assessments, one at week seven and another at week fifteen. These assessments will utilise your digital skills and will help you to reflect on your learning and how you will integrate your new knowledge and skills into your teaching.

When will I receive my grade?

There will be a two-week turnaround for grading. You will receive a notification email when your grades are updated and a certificate of credit achievement will be provided to you digitally within 4-6 weeks.

Is this microcredential accredited?

Yes, this microcredential is endorsed and accredited by the New Zealand Qualifications Authority (NZQA) and aligns to level 8 on the New Zealand Qualifications Framework