The strategic purpose of this qualification is to provide the tertiary-higher, community and business sectors with specialised work-ready professional level curriculum designers and learning, training, development, capacity, education, academic managers. Recent developments in tertiary-higher education, community and business organisations require professionals who possess the practice and research-based capabilities to effectively improve the knowledge, skills and personal characteristics of those who work for or with them.
This qualification can be justified on the grounds it addresses new developments in quality standards, accreditation, auditing, self-assessment and evaluation nationally and internationally in diverse tertiary-higher, community and business organisations. The qualification is unique in providing capabilities identified by tertiary-higher education, community and business employers as essential for advancing curriculum designers and learning, training, development, capacity, education, academic managers, such as: advanced understandings of learning and development strategies, priorities and progressions, specific governance and learning related planning requirements, programme components, scoping, consultation and stakeholder engagement, current education-academic quality management systems, and specialist tertiary-higher education suited to diverse staff including those highly educated and experienced in their specific fields and disciplines.
The qualification is designed for mature learners with an interest and some experience of the learning-teaching sector who wish to move into a career as a specialised curriculum designer, and/or professional learning, training, development, capacity, education, academic sector manager. This qualification will contribute to the diverse national and international tertiary-higher, community and business sectors by increasing the effectiveness and quality of current learning, tertiary-higher education, community and business sectors by optimising the effectiveness of the learning that can be achieved. The benefactors of this qualification will be the tertiary-higher education and community and business sector organisations and their stakeholders.
Graduates of the programme will achieve a professional curriculum design and learning-academic manager capable of effectively developing and implementing learning programmes for diverse learners and tertiary-higher, community and business organisations to effect continuing improvements in learning outcomes.

Graduates with this qualification will achieve and be able to demonstrate the knowledge and skills to contribute to quality higher education (or other) educational sector curriculum design and developments. Over the duration of the programme learners will develop, design and manage core components in a higher education (or other sector) curriculum or quality assurance system.
Graduate Profile:
Graduates will acquire the following personal, interactive and specific attributes:
Personal
* be flexible
* have a willingness and ability to learn, inquiry and engage in life-long learning
* have a balanced theoretical and practical perspective
* have skills of analysis, and problem solving
* have inquiry, and practical problem solving skills
* be able to practice safely
* have integrity and equity orientation
* have an understanding of the principles of partnership inherent in the Treaty of Waitangi and be able to ensure that their professional practice is reflective of these principles
Interactive
* be able to effectively participate in a team; evaluate and solve problems
* be empathetic and sensitive to gender, ability, age, and ethnicity
* be able to demonstrate effective oral, practical and written skills
* positively and constructively evaluate and critique their own performance
* provide a professional higher education curriculum design or quality assurance system participant
Programme Specific
* have knowledge of the significance and purpose of quality higher education (or other) sector curriculum design and quality assurance components
* have the knowledge, and skills, to plan and design components in a quality assurance system, for a range of settings
* have knowledge of and be able to apply appropriately select and relate facilitation, assessment and moderation approaches for a higher education (or other) educational sector curriculum design
* have knowledge and experience of designing and developing educational quality assurance system components

This qualification leads to the Graduate Diploma in Academic Design and Academic Management (L7) (120 Cr)

Applicants must hold a formal teaching qualification (Certificate in Tertiary Teaching, Teaching Diploma or Degree) or equivalent, and have at least 2 years teaching experience in a higher education or other setting. Applicants for whom English is not their first language will also be required to have achieved Academic IELTS 6 or equivalent with no band score below 5.5 in one test event. All applicants will be required to submit an application form, current curriculum vitae and write a statement about their professional goals and rationale for seeking entry into the programme. All learners wishing to enter the programme will undergo a conversation to discuss their interest in the programme. Applicants without a formal adult teaching qualification may enter this programme post successful completion of a prescribed preliminary paper 100, Adult Learning Theories, Approaches and Practices.