Teaching as a Profession (Level 7)
OP7701
Availability
Our distance learning courses are offered throughout the year to help you fit study around your work and life commitments.
Courses are offered up to 12 times per year depending on demand and availability of academic staff.
Exact start dates are in the course information pages and in our Enrolment dates page:
Cost
- Course costs can be found on all course pages. The fees may increase annually.
- Qualification cost – to give you an idea of how much a qualification may cost in total over the duration of your studies, an approximate cost is provided for many of our qualifications. This is based on the required number of courses to complete the qualification and the average cost of those courses. It does not include annual administration fees, text books and course materials or external exam fees, and is subject to annual course fee increases.
Credits
Courses are assigned credits depending on how much time and effort is needed to complete their learning outcomes. In general, each credit represents approximately 10 hours of study time.
Delivery method
- Online – The course materials for online courses are delivered in an online format and all assignments are submitted online.
- Mixed – These courses are delivered using a mix of online and paper based course materials. This may include receiving paper course materials, submitting assignments online, or being required to participate in online forums and learning activities.
- Print Only - The course will be delivered using paper based courses materials, and assignments may need to be submitted in hard copy rather than online. This will depend on the course.
Whether courses are delivered online, on paper or a mixture of both, there may also be components such as workshops, noho marae, work experience and practicum to participate in. To find out what your course involves check the course information page.
EFTS
EFTS stands for equivalent full-time student. An EFTS is the study time required for each course and is used by the Tertiary Education Commission to decide if a course is part-time or full-time.
One year of full-time study is generally between 0.8 and 1.2 EFTS.
Level
You can tell how hard a course or qualification is by the level it is set at:
- Levels 1-4 are about the same as secondary school and basic trades training.
- Levels 5-7 are the same as university study.
Prerequisites
- Prerequisites are courses that must be completed before another course can be studied.
- Co-requisites are courses that can be studied at the same time as another course.
If a course has a specific prerequisite or co-requisite course, it will be listed on the course page under the title 'Prerequisites'. If no courses are listed, check the entry and other requirements under the qualification you are studying for. Some courses require you to have studied at a particular level prior to enrolling.
Student loans
Not all qualifications or students are eligible for student loans. You will need to meet criteria such as studying a minimum number of credits over a specific study period. It is up to you to apply for a student loan via StudyLink - Open Polytechnic does not do this for you.
Information about student loans and eligibility
Teaching weeks
Teaching weeks is the number of weeks that we teach a course. This differs from the enrolment period, which is based on the course start and end dates.
For example, a 20-week enrolment period will have 16 teaching weeks, followed by four weeks to accommodate marking, any extensions and reassessments, or exams.
Workload
The workload estimate given on a course page is calculated like this:
Number of credits x 10, divided by the number of teaching weeks for the course. The hours will be rounded up to nearest whole number.
Please note, this is a guide only. You may need more or less time for study, and you may also need to do more hours during assessment due dates or exams times.
-
Level7
-
Credits20
-
Cost$900 NZ Domestic
Not including any course materials or external exam fees.
-
Student loan
Not applicable.
OP7701 Teaching as a Profession is the first part of the Teacher Education Refresh (TER) programme.
The TER is for teachers who are required by the Teaching Council of Aotearoa New Zealand to complete the four-course programme before regaining their Practising Certificate. Teaching as a Profession consists of the first two courses in the TER programme:
- EDU701 Teaching in Aotearoa New Zealand
- EDU702 Creating a Culture for Learning
Note:
- You are only able to enrol into one course at a time. The first course is EDU701 and this would need to be completed before you can enrol into EDU702. Both courses meet the requirements for OP7701 Teaching as a Profession. Once these two courses are completed you need to enrol into EDU703 and this would need to be fully completed before you can enrol into EDU704. Both courses meet the requirements for OP7702 Teaching Practice.
- Before enrolling, please make an application for a new practising certificate and confirm with the Teaching Council whether you are required to complete the TER programme.
If you have any general queries regarding TER please email our team at customerservices@openpolytechnic.ac.nz
This programme is currently being offered FEE FREE.
The Ministry of Education is currently paying the student fee for enrolment in OP7701 Teaching as a Profession and OP7702 Teaching Practice. Please read the Fee Free Offer tab for more details.
Maximum Programme Completion Time
To be awarded the qualification, the programme must be completed in no more than 1 year of first enrolment, unless there are exceptional circumstances.
Once you have completed the two courses in OP7701 Teaching as a Profession, you can enrol in OP7702 Teaching Practice. This also contains two courses:
EDU703 Effective Design for Learning
EDU704 Teaching Practicum
About TER
Open Polytechnic is a provider of the Teacher Education Refresh programme for early childhood, primary and secondary teachers. Teachers can complete this course online, at their own pace over a period of up to 12 months.
The TER is aimed at early childhood, primary and secondary teachers who have graduated from an Initial Teacher Education programme but have not achieved a full practicing certificate within a six-year period; are returning to the workforce after a lengthy period; or have trained overseas.
During the lockdown I was unfortunately made redundant from my job as an accountant. I had been working at the company for 15 years and didn’t really have a Plan B. So, I started to think about what I could do next and given I have a background in teaching it seemed a logical next step to investigate what was required to return.
Lyall Davies - Teacher Education Refresh graduate
Completing a TER enables you to be provisionally certified for an additional six years. The Teaching Council of Aotearoa New Zealand expects that you will satisfactorily meet the Standards for the Teaching Profession in this time.
If you are required to complete the TER programme, in order to renew your practising certificate, you may be able to continue to be employed in a teaching position.
If you are employed in the primary or secondary sector your principal can apply for an extension to teach for you provided you have done the following:
- enrolled in the TER programme, and provided this information to the Teaching Council of Aotearoa New Zealand
- lodged with the Council an EC80 application form and paid $220.80 and the Council has obtained a clear police vet
Please note that the Council is unable to issue an extension to teach for early childhood education teachers.
Employment pathways
Graduates of this qualification will have the skills and knowledge necessary so that they can apply for their provisional teacher registration for either ECE, primary or secondary teaching through the Teaching Council of Aotearoa New Zealand.
Once teachers are provisionally registered they are able to re-enter the classroom and apply for teaching positions in New Zealand.
Academic pathways
Graduates of this programme will be able to undertake further study at a postgraduate level.
Availability
Our distance learning courses are offered throughout the year to help you fit study around your work and life commitments.
Courses are offered up to 12 times per year depending on demand and availability of academic staff.
Exact start dates are in the course information pages and in our Enrolment dates page:
Cost
- Course costs can be found on all course pages. The fees may increase annually.
- Qualification cost – to give you an idea of how much a qualification may cost in total over the duration of your studies, an approximate cost is provided for many of our qualifications. This is based on the required number of courses to complete the qualification and the average cost of those courses. It does not include annual administration fees, text books and course materials or external exam fees, and is subject to annual course fee increases.
Credits
Courses are assigned credits depending on how much time and effort is needed to complete their learning outcomes. In general, each credit represents approximately 10 hours of study time.
Delivery method
- Online – The course materials for online courses are delivered in an online format and all assignments are submitted online.
- Mixed – These courses are delivered using a mix of online and paper based course materials. This may include receiving paper course materials, submitting assignments online, or being required to participate in online forums and learning activities.
- Print Only - The course will be delivered using paper based courses materials, and assignments may need to be submitted in hard copy rather than online. This will depend on the course.
Whether courses are delivered online, on paper or a mixture of both, there may also be components such as workshops, noho marae, work experience and practicum to participate in. To find out what your course involves check the course information page.
EFTS
EFTS stands for equivalent full-time student. An EFTS is the study time required for each course and is used by the Tertiary Education Commission to decide if a course is part-time or full-time.
One year of full-time study is generally between 0.8 and 1.2 EFTS.
Level
You can tell how hard a course or qualification is by the level it is set at:
- Levels 1-4 are about the same as secondary school and basic trades training.
- Levels 5-7 are the same as university study.
Prerequisites
- Prerequisites are courses that must be completed before another course can be studied.
- Co-requisites are courses that can be studied at the same time as another course.
If a course has a specific prerequisite or co-requisite course, it will be listed on the course page under the title 'Prerequisites'. If no courses are listed, check the entry and other requirements under the qualification you are studying for. Some courses require you to have studied at a particular level prior to enrolling.
Student loans
Not all qualifications or students are eligible for student loans. You will need to meet criteria such as studying a minimum number of credits over a specific study period. It is up to you to apply for a student loan via StudyLink - Open Polytechnic does not do this for you.
Information about student loans and eligibility
Teaching weeks
Teaching weeks is the number of weeks that we teach a course. This differs from the enrolment period, which is based on the course start and end dates.
For example, a 20-week enrolment period will have 16 teaching weeks, followed by four weeks to accommodate marking, any extensions and reassessments, or exams.
Workload
The workload estimate given on a course page is calculated like this:
Number of credits x 10, divided by the number of teaching weeks for the course. The hours will be rounded up to nearest whole number.
Please note, this is a guide only. You may need more or less time for study, and you may also need to do more hours during assessment due dates or exams times.
-
Level7
-
Credits20
-
Cost$900 NZ Domestic
Not including any course materials or external exam fees.
-
Student loan
Not applicable.
-
Factsheet (PDF) Teacher Education Refresh (TER) (560 KB pdf)
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Teaching as a Profession (Level 7)
OP7701
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