News
A Southern Institute of Technology lecturer has taken Southland teaching methods to China, delivering a keynote on education innovation to hundreds of academics and students.
SIT computing programme manager Alex Ewing presented at Hubei University of Education in Wuhan on June 3, sharing practical approaches to teacher development and course design with the institute's long-time Chinese partner.
Ewing introduced a "dual-driven" model combining teacher development with project management tools — using one-page project charters, milestone planning and risk logs to help educators approach course development more strategically.
The session explored four pillars of modern teaching: technical skills, pedagogy, digital literacy and reflective practice. Ewing demonstrated how integrating the Plan-Do-Check-Act cycle could make teaching improvements measurable and consistent.
Participants engaged actively, asking about applying project management in teaching environments and improving collaboration between academic and administrative teams.
Ewing said he found the visit particularly valuable for discussing classroom practices. "It gave me an opportunity to discuss the practice they have there for Classroom, especially given the challenges they face with larger class sizes," he said.
He described the student presentation as helpful for prospective New Zealand students. "It was also interesting ... it allowed me to help them decide if NZ study is the right way for them."
Associate Dean of the School of Computer Science and Artificial Intelligence Deng Fang thanked Ewing for his contribution. "We would like to express our sincere gratitude for Alex's visit and valuable exchanges at Hubei... We greatly appreciate his time and support, and we look forward to continuing our close collaboration and steadily advancing our joint educational programmes and related cooperative initiatives."
SIT chief executive Bharat Guha said the recognition reflected the institute's growing international reputation. "SIT and Hubei have been partner institutes for more than 16 years; we are well placed to support the professional development of teachers and institutions there, which in turn, supports and strengthens our educational connections in China."
International manager Riza Ambadar said the visit highlighted SIT's commitment to global partnerships. "The visit highlights SIT's ongoing commitment to build global partnerships and share New Zealand's applied teaching expertise with international institutions. This demonstrates that a successful model of SIT's collaboration can be replicated by other institutions in China, and by other educational organisations across the globe."