Programme Design for an Online Learning Environment: Stories from Designing and Developing the New Zealand Certificate in Early Childhood Education and Care (Level 4) Programme

The New Zealand Certificate in Early Childhood Education and Care (Level 4) programme was designed and developed when a Level 4 early childhood education qualification became mandatory for all educators working with children and families in the New Zealand early childhood education home-based sector. This occurred at a time when Open Polytechnic was undergoing a transformational change programme to ensure ongoing innovation in open distant flexible learning (ODFL). This paper provides insight into the design and development of a fully online, Level 4, early childhood education and care programme. Several "stories" focus on pedagogy that empowers learners in an online flexible distance learning environment, innovative teamwork, and initial feedback from stakeholders. The pedagogy underpinning the development of the programme is informed by the integration of sociocultural and constructivist theories with information communication technology (ICT), as specified by "The Pedagogic Model of Integrating Constructivist and Sociocultural Learning Principles with Information Communication Technology," key educational design principles, and the assessment approach. In the first phase, work focused on designing at a programme level; work in the second phase developed the three courses that met qualification specifications set by the New Zealand Qualifications Framework (NZQF). The desired pedagogy and innovative teamwork resulted in very positive initial feedback from stakeholders. The paper recommends that feedback from stakeholders be formally collected in the new year.