Universities collaborate to teach in wake of earthquake

Waikato and Canterbury university staff members have been collaborating following the Christchurch earthquake to ensure students are still being taught.

University of Waikato senior lecturer Dr Norman Franke was visited by Canterbury University colleague Associate Professor Susanne Ledanff last month after February’s quake. Dr Ledanff used Waikato’s facilities to deliver the German paper jointly taught by her and Dr Franke.

Dr Ledanff, who lost her house in September’s quake, and lost more possessions, including lecture notes and teaching resources, in February’s quake, was about to start teaching an online paper with Dr Franke using Canterbury University’s online platform when the earthquake threw plans into disarray.

“We were supposed to teach the paper partly through video conferencing,” says Dr Franke. “But due to the closure of Canterbury University, we invited Susanne to Waikato so that we could record lectures and load them online.

“This was a bit of an extra challenge – we were planning on using video conferencing to teach substantial portions of the paper, but with the damage done to the Canterbury campus, we found ourselves redesigning the paper before it had even begun.”

While Dr Ledanff was at the University of Waikato she was invited to attend a German Symposia being held by Waikato-Tainui College for Research & Development, and the University’s German Department and Faculty of Education, where she presented a paper.

The University of Waikato has 34 students who have come to Waikato as a result of the quake. Many plan to stay for just one semester before returning to Canterbury University. Waikato has run an additional Orientation for the students and kept them in touch with counselling services.