Earlene Wood

Senior Lecturer

Staff profile

Earlene Wood

Post Graduate Certificate in Higher Education Level 8 (2014), Bachelor of Applied Communication, Diploma in Adult & Tertiary Education.

Position

Senior Lecturer

Teaching areas

Administration and technology (with key teaching in medical administration)

Biography

Earlene Wood has enjoyed a fulfilling teaching career at Manukau Institute of Technology (MIT). In the early stages of her career Earlene was focused on secretarial work. Having the opportunity to teach adults for 6-12 hours a week at Community Education, Edgewater College for over 10 years, Earlene discovered a passion for teaching. She undertook tertiary teaching courses to further her knowledge and was employed by MIT as a part-time lecturer in 1989 and full time in 1995.

Earlene’s key specialist teaching area is medical administration and in this capacity has developed NZQA accredited medical administration courses. She has also organized industry student work experience placement agreements with Middlemore and Greenlane Hospitals. She has enjoyed mutually beneficial relationships with health providers in terms of course design, delivery, assessment, guest speakers, student work placement and assisting with graduate recruitment.

Earlene is passionate about teaching, her subject areas and students. She believes that she is privileged to see students’ faces light up as they succeed in their learning and receive their first job offer and feels a quiet pride when graduates participate in classes as guest speakers and continue to study at a higher level. Sharing in the success of her students’ graduation she concurs with McGee and Fraser “we are grateful for our part in the spell that stirs minds”.1

Why I love MIT

I love MIT because as an educational institute it facilitates students’ learning in order to make a positive difference in people’s lives and in the surrounding community.

Publications

  • 2002 Essay on ‘Hospital Chaplaincy Services under Threat’ published in the New Zealand Healthcare Chaplains’ Association Newsletter Volume 8, Issue 16, June 2002.

Scholarly activities

  • 2014 Post Graduate Certificate in Higher Education Level 8: Critical Reflection on Higher Learning - Topic: Change of practice within a Conceptual Space (Teaching pedagogy – MIT Campus – open spaces).
  • 2006 Led a team of BAC students who presented a report on findings and recommendations on ‘Effectiveness of Casual Ward Clerk Induction and Training at Counties Manukau District Health Board’ to colleagues, fellow students and managers at CMDHB.
  • 2004 Presented my research paper and ran a workshop on ‘Intercultural Communication – Urban Chinese Culture with Application to Educational and Homestay Environments’ to the Business Educators Australasian Conference held in Auckland. I also presented this research to Manukau Institute of Technology lecturers.
  • 1999 Presented my research paper on ‘Conflict within General Practices’ at the New Zealand Practice Managers’ Conference, held in Palmerston North.

Awards and grants

  • 2006 Manukau Institute of Technology’s (MIT) Premier Tertiary Teaching Excellence Award.

1 McGee, C. & Fraser, D. (2001) The professional practice of teaching: Palmerston North: Dunman Press Ltd.

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