Outward Bound Receives Top Grade in NZQA Review

Outward Bound Receives Top Grade in NZQA Review

The NZQA has awarded Outward Bound the highest rating a tertiary education organisation can receive for its educational performance.

Outward Bound Chief Executive, Trevor Taylor, said the award of ‘highly confident’ by the NZQA was viewed by Outward Bound staff as further recognition of the hard work done by them in providing the highest quality course outcomes for students.

The statement of confidence issued by the NZQA in an external evaluation and review report included a ‘highly confident’ rating for educational performance as well as Outward Bound’s capability in the area of self assessment.

“When it comes to educational performance, we use the Outward Bound Programme Evaluation Questionnaire (PEQ) to measure course success. The PEQ which has been peer reviewed and benchmarked internationally shows that our courses are up to three times more effective in achieving objectives for students’ personal growth, than other comparable outdoor development programmes,” Trevor said.

“Courses are highly effective in supporting students to develop both as individuals and as supportive members of a team.”

Trevor said over the years, the organisation had been building a significant body of evidence that confirmed the positive ongoing and often lifelong benefits enjoyed by Outward Bound students.

“We see it all the time, with students taking up new career paths and reaching what they once thought were impossible goals. Many of our custom-designed courses have also exceeded targets for instilling motivation, self esteem and confidence in participants.”

Aside from investing in the development of the robust self-assessment, Programme Evaluation Questionnaire, Outward Bound also uses a wide range of other processes including: a quality control student survey; course review reports; 360 degree feedback from peers, instructors and managers; daily student discussions and the organisational culture climate survey through unlimited/JRA. In 2005 and 2007, Outward Bound was named the best place to work in New Zealand.

“Wherever possible, we look to achieve excellence within the organisation. That’s why we have so many mechanisms in place to ensure we are providing a high quality learning environment for both students and our staff.

ENDS

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