When considering your study options, understanding what day-to-day life on campus can be a key factor. We talked to Information Technology Tutors Richa Panjabi and Aristotle Santos about what class life is like in the half-year Certificate in Information Technology Essentials programme.
How are theoretical and practical learning balanced in an Information Technology class?
Students experience a mix of theoretical and practical learning through a general class week. Learners who staircase to higher level programmes will experience the same mix of theoretical and practical learning as well as undertake more classes during a study week.
During the Level 4 Certificate in Information Technology Essentials programme, students can expect to participate in either a two-hour theory lecture or a three-hour practical workshop. Theory lectures are typically delivered online, making it flexible for students to connect into learning.
Our hands-on workshops are delivered on campus and provide opportunities to share ideas and gain feedback, get support from tutors and learn by doing. We have industry level tools and facilities on campus such as networking and hardware labs, and the latest technology and software which students can access before and after class all year round.
How are the study weeks structured?
Classes are delivered four days a week, two days are allocated for theory, and two days focus on practical. We aim to deliver classes over a four-day study week, allowing students to easily balance their academic commitments with personal schedules outside of the classroom.
How does a typical day begin in an Information Technology class?
Each morning begins with a daily check-in to monitor students’ progress and address any questions or concerns they may have. This is usually an open conversation between the tutor and class. We also provide a quick recap of key learnings from the previous lesson, which could include a quiz or an open discussion as a class. We then outline the course content we are learning for the day and dive into the lesson.
What are Information Technology students learning today?
Students enrolled in Trimester 1 of the Level 4 Certificate, are currently starting the first course of the 17-week programme. There are four courses students undertake during the Level 4 Certificate, the Fundamentals of Information Technology Infrastructure, Fundamentals of Information Systems, Fundamentals of Software Development and the Fundamentals of User Experience (UX) and Interface Design (UI).
In the Fundamentals of User Experience (UX) and Interface (UI) Design, students learn about website building, game design and creation. In today's hands-on workshop, students animated a humanoid figure in Unity as part of a 3D game design project. The workshop focused on scripting and controlling animations for actions like running and jumping. Alongside learning design techniques, students learnt technical skills using industry standard tools like Unity - a cross-platform 3D game engine that enables users to create 2D and 3D interactive experiences. The workshop encourages collaboration and enables students to support one another in learning the platform. Students come out of the workshop with a strong foundation of skills enabling them to create their own animation works from start to finish.
What does an afternoon session in an Information Technology class look like?
After the morning session, students break for lunch at 12pm. Tutors typically stay in the classroom during this time, and are always available to discuss project ideas, support with challenging topics or engage with students.
The hub and student commons are popular spaces where students from all programmes gather for lunch, catch up on studies, and socialise with friends. Throughout the year, the student hub hosts a variety of on-campus events and celebrations open to all students.
Following lunch, students continue developing their humanoid figures by building scripts and controls. At the end of the workshop class, students present their completed humanoid figures to the class, explaining their creation process. This is always a fun part of the day as students get the opportunity to test each other's characters and games!
How does class conclude for the day?
At the end of each class, we conclude with a recap of the workshop to reinforce key concepts. We often use a Kahoot quiz to review the material covered during the session. This not only helps students retain what they’ve learned but keeps them engaged throughout the class.
We encourage students to reach out to their tutors for any academic support or guidance they may need. Our tutors are dedicated to helping students succeed and are always available for one-on-one support. As well as academic support, there are a variety of pastoral care and health and wellbeing services available, ensuring that students have access to all the support they need.
Study Information Technology at Whitireia and WelTec
Enter the world of Information Technology and get hands on learning with the support of our experienced tutors and take advantage of our industry level facilities. Already completed the Level 4 qualification? You can study the Level 5 Diploma in Information Systems or Level 7 Bachelor of Information Technology programme at Petone Campus.
