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Bachelor of Teaching (BTchg)

Overview
Regulations for the Degree of Bachelor of Teaching (BTchg)
Subject Areas
Professional Standards and Criminal Offences
Further Information

Overview

The Bachelor of Teaching (BTchg) degree is a three-year programme designed to enable graduates to meet the requirements for initial teacher registration in New Zealand. It provides the initial step for teachers on the road of lifelong professional learning.

Students will choose one of three endorsements, preparing them for teaching in a specific setting of the New Zealand education system. Endorsements in Early Childhood Education and Primary Education are offered at both the Dunedin and Invercargill campuses; Primary Bilingual Education (Te Pōkai Mātauranga o Te Ao Rua) is offered at the Invercargill campus only. The papers prescribed will provide the range of specialist knowledge and experience appropriate to the chosen programme.

The BTchg includes an option for students to transfer into the proposed four-year degree/graduate diploma endorsed with an area of specialisation, which will offer an additional year of pre-service teacher preparation with a specialist focus on one curriculum or subject area.

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Regulations for the Degree of Bachelor of Teaching (BTchg)

1 Admission to the Programme

(a) Admission to the programme shall be subject to the approval of the Pro-Vice-Chancellor (Humanities), on the advice of the Associate Dean (Teacher Education), College of Education, who must be satisfied that, in accordance with Section 224 of the Education Act 1989, the applicant satisfies the requirements for admission to a preservice teacher education programme.

(b) In accordance with the New Zealand Teachers Council Standards for Qualifications that Lead to Teacher Registration, applicants whose first language is not English or Māori must provide certified copies of IELTS (International English Language Testing System) results, including a score of 7.0 in the academic module (with no individual band below 7.0), prior to admission.

2 Structure of the Programme

Every programme of study must satisfy the requirements for one of the endorsements listed below.

3 Duration of the Programme

(a) A candidate who has not been granted credit or exemptions from papers on the basis of previous study shall follow a programme of study for not less than three years.

(b) A candidate shall satisfy the requirements for the degree within six years of admission to the programme.

4 Prerequisites, Corequisites and Restrictions

(a) Every programme of study shall satisfy the requirements for prerequisites, corequisites, and restrictions set out in the Prescriptions.

(b) Continuation in the programme shall be subject to a candidate’s achieving the required competency in Literacy, Information and Communication Technologies, and Mathematics, prior to enrolment in specified papers as listed in the Schedule of Education Papers.

5 Credits

The Pro-Vice-Chancellor (Humanities) may grant such credits or exemptions as are deemed appropriate for work previously completed by a candidate.

6 Cross Credits

A candidate who is enrolled for the degree concurrently with another degree, or who has completed one degree and is proceeding with the other, may cross credit 100- and 200-level papers which are common to both degrees up to a maximum of 126 points where the other degree is a three-year degree and up to a maximum of 180 points where the other degree is longer than a three-year degree.

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7 Recognition of Prior Learning

In certain cases it is possible for students to have prior non-credentialled learning (i.e. learning which has not been formally recognised with a qualification or other documented record) recognised for the purposes of admission to or credit towards a course or programme. The process of assessing and recording such learning is called Recognition of Prior Learning (RPL) and any credit granted is termed RPL credit.

Credit for the following papers may be granted to a student on the basis of RPL assessment:

EDSU 106 Te Whiringa o Te Reo
EDSU 107 Tōku Ao, Tōku Tikanga, Tōku Oranga

8 Exclusion from the Programme

A student may be excluded from further study towards the degree by the Associate Dean (Teacher Education), College of Education, if the student:

(a) fails to make satisfactory academic progress (as defined by the Academic Progress Policy);

(b) fails to pass a professional practice paper for a second time:

(i) Early Childhood Education
– EDPR 101, EDPR 201, EDPR 301 or EDPR 302

(ii) Te Pōkai Mātauranga o te Ao Rua (Primary Bilingual Education)
– EDPR 132, EDPR 232, EDPR 332 or EDPR 333

(ii) Primary Education
– EDPR 132, EDPR 232, EDPR 332 or EDPR 333

(c) fails a component of the professional practice programme due to unprofessional or unethical behaviour, under which circumstances the student may be excluded from the professional component of the qualification.

(d) fails to pass any other compulsory paper in three attempts.

9 Examinations

(a) A candidate, who is enrolled for the Primary option or Primary Bilingual option for the degree and who has satisfied the internal assessment requirements for a compulsory curriculum studies paper but who has obtained a D grade in the final examination, may be permitted to sit a special examination for the paper or papers concerned, provided that the candidate has not failed more than half the total points for the year. In this event, the candidate will be required to repeat all the failed papers.

(b) Any candidate who is repeating a paper shall not normally be admitted to a special examination for that paper.

10 Withdrawal from and Readmission to the Programme

(a) A student who withdraws from the programme at any time and wishes to be readmitted to the programme at a later date shall be required to apply to the Associate Dean (Teacher Education), College of Education, for readmission.

(b) The period of temporary withdrawal from the programme shall not normally exceed one year following the year of withdrawal.

(c) Applications for readmission should normally be received by the Associate Dean (Teacher Education), College of Education, no later than 1 November in the year preceding desired readmission.

11 Variations

The Pro-Vice-Chancellor (Humanities) may in exceptional circumstances approve a course of study which does not comply with these regulations.

Note: An application for admission to the programme is required; this is separate from the enrolment process.

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Subject Areas

Every Bachelor of Teaching (BTchg) degree programme must be endorsed in one of the following subjects:

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Professional Standards and Criminal Offences

Students graduating with a preservice teacher education qualification are eligible to apply to the New Zealand Teachers Council for registration as teachers.

In view of the requirements of the New Zealand Teachers Council for the registration of teachers and the entitlement of schools, early childhood centres, and other education services participating in teacher education programmes to have confidence in the character and behaviour of College of Education students:

(a) persons who are applying for enrolment in College of Education teacher education programmes must consent to verification from the New Zealand Police and Department of Courts that the applicant has no undeclared criminal charges or convictions;

(b) depending on the nature and recency of the offending, an applicant for admission to a programme may be declined admission by the Selection Committee concerned on the grounds that the applicant is not of good character and/or has been guilty of misconduct (see Education Act 1989, Section 224(113) (a) and (b));

(c) students who are enrolled in teacher education programmes offered by the College of Education must adhere to the professional standards required during the period of the teacher education programme and also must declare any charges or convictions for criminal offences;

(d) any student charged with or convicted of a criminal offence during the period of a College of Education teacher education programme must inform the Associate Dean (Teacher Education) in writing within seven days of such charge or conviction (in the case of a student who is currently enrolled) or before registering for further study (in the case of a student who is not currently enrolled). A determination about the student’s eligibility to continue to study towards the qualification will be made by the Dean of the College of Education on the recommendation of the Associate Dean (Teacher Education).

Further Information

Further information about the Bachelor of Teaching at the University of Otago College of Education is available from:

Early Childhood Education

Lyn Foote
Tel 03 479 3794
Email lyn.foote@otago.ac.nz

Primary Education and Primary Bilingual Education (Te Pōkai Mātauranga o Te Ao Rua)

Dunedin Campus
Susan Sandretto
Tel 03 479 8820
Email susan.sandretto@otago.ac.nz

Southland Campus
Jill Paris
Tel 03 479 3808
Email jill.paris@otago.ac.nz

Contact the University of Otago on 0800 80 80 98 or email university@otago.ac.nz.

Programme Requirements