Learning Resources

Abstract: This article presents the outcomes of two areas of research conducted at UNITEC Institute of Technology, New Zealand, that support the development of a new and distinctive “university of technology” within a relatively traditional national higher education system. The first involved a survey of staff opinion on the organizational development aspects of this new kind of institution. The second related to curriculum development and the nature of professional education central to a university of technology. The collective findings of these research projects support an integrated understanding of the various dimensions of professional education and the incorporation of this understanding into an educational institution’s strategic vision. This has created an identity distinctive from those of the existing universities and polytechnics in New Zealand but one that is not yet formally recognized by the New Zealand government.