At 46, a solo Mum with one child, Wendy Polaczuk was nervous she had left it too late to make her dream come true of becoming a nurse. Having worked as a cleaner and in hospitality to make ends meet while her child was young, enrolling in a degree seemed too far a stretch. “It has been a long time since I have done academics!” said Wendy who is one of 10 siblings and went to school in Lower Hutt. But Whitireia offered Wendy free access to Tūāpapa study modules as a way for her to re-enter the world of study with confidence.
Prior to starting year one in the nursing degree at Whitireia, Wendy completed three Tūāpapa modules to prepare her for the year ahead. It worked - Wendy found the modules were a perfect way for her to get started and she has just successfully completed year one of her degree with flying colours.
Whitireia and WelTec introduced the Tūāpapa study modules to help ākonga (students) like Wendy build confidence and get one step ahead before starting their study programmes. The modules are done online in a student’s own time with support from tutors.
Wendy completed modules in academic writing, academic research and a cardiovascular module.
“Having brushed up my writing and research skills, and taking on board some medical knowledge prior to starting my year was a huge help. It also helped me with time management,” said Wendy.
Tūāpapa was launched in 2022 to replace the foundation and bridging qualifications at Whitireia and WelTec enabling ākonga to start on their chosen course of study and fill any gaps beforehand or alongside with dedicated tutors from Tūāpapa. The objective is that ākonga have less debt and can finish faster without the need for a preparatory year of foundational study.
Since launching Tūāpapa, Whitireia has had over 500 ākonga enrol in the online study modules. Content is continually refined and streamlined to directly respond to the learning needs of ākonga. Tūāpapa has been, and continues to be, a journey towards ensuring Whitireia and WelTec respond to the changing needs of ākonga.
Tūāpapa provide free modules and micro-credentials as well as online resources through the Tūāpapa Online Study Hub. From time management to academic writing and AI. The Tūāpapa micro-credentials provide short, engaging, interactive learning. These can be done before beginning a programme of study and will be completed over a 4-6 week period. Up to 3 micro-credentials can be taken at a time and are NZQA approved showing on a record of study.
