New partnership creates New Zealand study abroad offering for Elon education students

Elon University has introduced a unique study abroad experience in New Zealand for students in its School of Education through a new partnership announced Oct. 25. 

Elon has partnered with the University of Otago in Dunedin, New Zealand, and Arcadia University in Glenside, Pennsylvania, to launch its newest Center Abroad, the School of Education Center in Dunedin. Beginning in spring 2018, a cohort of Elon students will travel to the University of Otago, with the program initially open to Elon Teaching Fellows and then expanded to become open to all students in the School of Education.

Officials from the University of Otago and Arcadia University joined President Leo M. Lambert on Wednesday for a signing ceremony at Elon to make the new partnership official. Lambert was joined by Vice Chancellor Harlene Hayne and Deputy Vice Chancellor Helen Nicholson from the University of Otago and Lorna Stern, vice president in the College of Global Studies at Arcadia University.

Elon has consistently been recognized for its efforts to make study abroad experiences available to all of its students, and has been consistently ranked as the nation’s No. 1 master’s university for study abroad by the Institute of International Education. Elon’s newest Center Abroad in Dunedin joins other centers in London, Shanghai and Florence, Italy, with Elon students studying together and typically working with an Elon faculty member on site who provides instruction and support.

​“This new partnership provides students with an exciting opportunity to gain knowledge and training that will be essential to their roles as future educators,” Lambert said. “Elon students will gain practical experience in the classroom and a global perspective on education that will serve them well throughout their careers.”

This type of partnership with Elon is a first for the University of Otago, and offers Elon students a unique opportunity to complete a teaching practicum. Elon students will enroll directly at the University of Otago and will live in university flats with other students who will provide valuable information about student life in Dunedin and life in New Zealand in general. Founded in 1869, the University of Otago is New Zealand’s oldest university, with more than 20,000 undergraduate and graduate students. Dunedin is a city of about 125,000 on the southeast coast of the South Island of New Zealand.

Students participating in the program will take courses in education and elective offerings, including “Education in Aotearoa New Zealand,” which will provide a comprehensive introduction to the country’s education system. Along with coursework, student will participate in placements in local schools that will give them the opportunity to engage with the local education system and gain practical experience in comparative education.

“The University of Otago is a perfect site for the Teaching Fellows and the School of Education in general,” said Woody Pelton, Elon’s dean of global education. “This offers the opportunity for them to learn from the excellent faculty at the School of Education at Otago and experience firsthand the innovations within the K-12 system in New Zealand.”

In the future, the new partnership is likely to produce opportunities for collaborative faculty development and joint research between Elon’s School of Education and the College of Education at the University of Otago.