The third cohort of Fiji National University (FNU) staff have successfully completed micro-qualification development and accreditation training, conducted by the Pacific Community (SPC).
SPC’s Educational Quality and Assessment Programme (EQAP) Qualifications Team Leader, Rajendra Prasad, said the university has now supported the training of more than 100 staff to be fully versed with how to develop short courses worthy of being accredited as micro-qualifications.
“We hope that the knowledge you gained in the training is shared with other colleagues, and applied as you develop new micro-qualifications and seek their accreditation with SPC,” he said, addressing 53 staff at a ceremony to recognise their efforts and award their certificates in the development and accreditation of micro-qualifications.
Tetalo Tuivanualevu, Crop Science Lecturer at FNU and one of the award recipients, said that the training was very timely as she was now better equipped to redesign the FNU short course she was working on prior to the training. She explained that the course content was insightful and she was now taking extra care to ensure that assessments were designed in alignment with the learning outcomes.
FNU’s Pro-Vice Chancellor Professor Lisa Harrison said the training was part of the university’s plan to ensure all FNU award programmes meet national and international standards. FNU offers numerous short-courses and is determined to have them all accredited as micro-qualifications. Applications for accreditation are reviewed by independent evaluators and a review committee, all of which are facilitated by SPC.
The recent training is part of an extended three-year partnership agreement between SPC and FNU. The initial partnership, signed in June 2019, was extended for another three years this year. Under the revised partnership agreement, a wider level of collaboration is provided for. The full extent of this will be progressively defined as the university determines its development priorities.
Along with FNU, SPC is presently supporting three other institutions, including The University of the South Pacific (USP), the Oceania National Olympic Committee (ONOC) and the Fiji Meteorological Services, to develop their short courses or training sessions into micro-qualifications.
