Course Delivery

How will I learn?

This programme fully embraces the concept that learning is co-created. This is closely linked to the Māori concept of Ako, which assumes we are all learners and all teachers. As Facilitators, we respect what you bring to the programme and understand that we have much to learn from you. This means we have the opportunity to make this an individualised experience for you. To make the most of this experience, you will need to be fully engaged in determining and planning your learning. Your learning journey will involve problem-solving challenges, personal reflection, online learning, one-on-one meetings, and collective sharing.

Online learning

We use this Student Handbook to introduce concepts and provide guidance throughout Foundations. GitHub, a software development tool, is where you will find and complete technical challenges and where your facilitator will review your work. We use a variety of online tools including zoom for group check-ins and workshops.

Homegroup meetings

Homegroups are weekly meetings of 5-6 students and two facilitators. These high priority, high-value sessions are a supportive environment to build connections and discuss the current Sprint with your facilitator and other students in the group. It will be a set time each week and will take up to one hour. You'll be contacted during Sprint 1 for date/time availabilities.

Collective sharing

We build our community of practice through encouraging students to work with one another, believing that teaching is a quickfire way to embed and strengthen learning. We borrow from teina/teina and tuakana/teina learning where students assist each other to reach learning objectives. This is an integral learning model in traditional Māori society; a culture of student-teaching-student, where the tuakana (more expert) will help and guide the teina (less expert) in the pair. We also emphasise the importance and value of Ako, meaning the teacher is the learner, and the learner is the teacher - these tuakana/teina roles can reverse at any time! Lean on each other and learn together.

Learning reflection

This programme depends on your motivation and organisation as a learner. As part of the course, you will reflect on your learning to help realise your learning targets and what you expect to do to meet your targets. Reflection is a core part of learning and will help develop your skills of setting and achieving your targets in the future, as well as helping to become more aware of how you work and learn.

Participation

Your success in this programme depends on your commitment to doing what you say you will do. Many tasks and deadlines on this programme are negotiable, whereas some have firm deadlines. The bottom line is: if you say what, when and how you will do something, everyone working with you will expect it delivered as promised. If plans change, negotiate a new deadline in a timely and professional manner with your facilitator so they can alter their expectations.

Model of Education and Flipped learning

For a more in-depth explanation, see the 'Dev Academy Way' primer in the prep curriculum.

Skills over Knowledge: The curriculum prioritises growing skills over knowledge.

Unobtrusive assessment: Assessments take place continuously and unobtrusively during your learning experience.

Flipped classrooms: Self-determination and agency over your learning is key to success. Your facilitators become your peers, who are there to support you to develop your agency and self-determination.

Just in time learning: Instead of delivering a large amount of generic content upfront, we give you just enough to achieve a challenge. This differs from the 'just in case' philosophy of many educators, where students learn many things they will rarely or never use in practice.