Contribution to Teaching Excellence

Teaching Collaboration 

Industry Collaboration (Read more about the Capstone Project). 

The Capstone course in our school revolves around industry projects, serving as its core element. Utilising my extensive network, I initiate a project four weeks prior to the start of each semester. Startups, visionary individuals, or potential employers (collectively known as sponsors) are invited to submit their project outlines, objectives, and requirements via an online form. My role involves evaluating these submissions to ensure their alignment with the intended learning outcomes. 

After a thorough review, a designated pitch session is scheduled for the first week of the semester, during which all approved projects are presented. This platform allows students to review project details, watch sponsor presentations, and ask relevant questions before making their project selections. Once this phase concludes, students engage in collaborative endeavours with their chosen sponsors, conducting research and developing projects throughout the semester. Expert supervision from academic staff is provided during this journey. 

Regular interactions between project teams and sponsors, including meetings and other communication channels, are encouraged to ensure continuous progress and alignment. 

Over the past three semesters, we received more than 160 project submissions from various sources, mostly from startups. The following are examples of project presentations.

Embedding Indigenous Values in Teaching

Why:

The main objective of the capstone project is to enhance students' employability and provide them with a simulated work/project environment. I have done a great job so far, securing industrial projects, mentorship and workshop instructors. I have already embedded the Māori research methodology as one of the workshops; however, I believe we can do more and encourage students to apply their New Zealand indigenous knowledge in practice.

I noticed that to apply for any funds, grants, research and promotion in New Zealand; you need to clarify the impact of your activities on the community (Māori/Pacific). So to prepare students well for their future career development, we must encourage them to participate in this practice actively. 

Solution:

Students must prepare a project proposal and a final report to document their activities. I have already modified the existing course requirement by:

1. Adding an "Impact" section in both the proposal and final report, where students need to clarify and justify how will their research/project benefit New Zealand communities, including Māori and Pacific communities.

2. Encourage Māori and Pacific students (in collaboration with Māori and Pacific centres) from other disciplines and schools (preferably from Business School) to join the projects as Cultural/Business Advisors.

Benefits: 

1. Benefits for Māori/Pacific students:

   • Experience in joining a technical project

   • Stakeholder engagement experience: working with other students, supervisors and sponsors

   • Opportunity to promote their values and have an impact on the projects

2.  Benefits for Capstone Students:

   • Having a cultural/business advisor as a part of their team

   • Learning more about Māori/Pacific cultures and values and how to apply them in their work/project

   • Learning how to prepare professional proposals and reports meeting NZ requirements

Expectations:

1. Māori/Pacific students are expected to have a monthly meeting with the project team and provide cultural (and business, if applicable) feedback to them.

2. The project team are expected to welcome their advisors, share their progress with advisors and apply their suggestions to enhance their reports and products.

Student Feedback

Capstone Project is a complicated course, 60 Credits with high expectations from students. Historically, the course ISCG7431 has yielded a relatively diminished rate of satisfaction on the Students' Course Surveys. In response, a series of substantial revisions have been implemented to enhance the learners' experience and quality of delivery. I successfully led students to enhance their overall course rating from 4.5 in Semester 1, 2021, to 9.1 in Semester 1, 2023. Following are a few examples of the remarkable feedback shared by students.

Unitec Official Student Course Survey (2023):

• "Great structure and organizing"

• "Helped me gain project management knowledge."

• "The workshops were immensely helpful."

• "I like that it can be from industry rather than a set scenario that everyone works on."

• "Masoud has all the questions answered and given honest feedback."

• "Nice way of teaching, had amazing workshops. All thanks to Masoud."

• "Self-directed learning, which lets me put to use the skills I gathered over the length of the Bachelor's Degree."

• "I enjoy the weekly presentations; they help me build confidence."

• "The content, structure, assessments, and teaching are very well laid out."

• "Masoud is very supportive and easy to approach."

• "Masoud was always happy to go over any work that I had done and give me feedback."

• "Well-structured and in-depth insight into job future clearly explained."