Foundation Learning Quality Assurance
Glossary of Terms
Cultural context |
The shared values, beliefs, customs, practices, protocols and world views of a specific people or ethnic group. |
Foundation learning |
Literacy, numeracy and/or language learning |
Foundation learning goals |
The foundation learning skills that the learner wants to achieve within the programme. These goals are specific, attainable, relevant, measurable, and time bound. The foundation learning goals are expressed within the learner’s social, cultural, and/or vocational context/s. |
Foundation learning programme |
A programme with an identifiable focus on literacy, numeracy and language. |
Initial foundation learning assessment |
The first assessment of literacy, numeracy or language skills, strengths and weaknesses of individual learners. |
Formative assessment |
Formative assessment informs teaching and helps both learner and tutor to review progress and is a central part of the learning process. It will take place during a programme or course on a regular basis. It helps learners and their tutors to identify progress in relation to the learning plan and to amend any teaching strategies and activities that may not be achieving their intended purpose. |
Learning context |
The environment that encompasses the specific skills, protocols, culture, values, teaching and learning practices of adult and tertiary education providers and institutions. |
Learning plan |
An evolving record incorporating individual learners’ goals that are specific, relevant, attainable, measurable and time bound. It also identifies the learning strategies and resources required. It may be integrated into a learning plan for a group of learners. |
Quality assurance standards |
In the context of the FLQA, the established quality assurance standards are: the New Zealand Qualifications Authority’s Quality Assurance Standard One for PTEs, GTEs and Wānanga, the New Zealand Qualifications Authority’s adult and community education (ACE) quality assurance arrangements and the ITP New Zealand academic quality standards. |
Quality assurance requirements |
In the context of FLQA, the requirements are the combination of quality processes and systems that allow a provider to demonstrate that its delivery meets agreed quality standards. |
Quality assurance body |
The relevant quality assurance bodies for the FLQA are the New Zealand Qualifications Authority and the Institutes of Technology and Polytechnics Quality (ITPQ). |
Provider |
In this document the term ‘provider’ may refer to the organisation as a whole, or in larger education organisations it may best be interpreted as the department, school, centre or faculty providing the foundation learning programme. |
Provider objectives |
Objectives are the key actions that a provider will take to achieve its goals. Performance indicators are used to measure achievement of objectives. |
Social context |
The shared values, perspectives and protocols that pertain to a particular social grouping in the community. Examples of social groupings include youth/rangatahi, older people, people in certain regional locations, rural or urban social groupings or men/women. |
Stakeholders |
Stakeholders may include iwi/Māori organisations, learners, staff, standard setting bodies, professional bodies, employers, employer groups, community groups, cultural organisations, government agencies and funding bodies, that have an identifiable interest in, or potential benefit from, the goals and objectives of the provider’s programmes. |
Target learner group |
The identified group of people who the foundation learning programme is designed for. The learner group may be identified on a social, cultural, learning and/or vocational basis. |
Vocational context |
The environment that express and encompass the values, protocols, skills, and perspectives within specific workplaces, careers, occupations, jobs, employment, trades, and professions. |
Page updated: 12 February 2007