Stargazing earns NCEA credits

Teenagers and other planets - it's a match made in heaven.

"Many youngsters have an interest in astronomy and the new qualifications system has provided us with the perfect opportunity to foster that interest."

The Carter Observatory, in Wellington, has brought the two together with an online astronomy study programme.

Students from all around the country can be hooked on to the Carter Observatory website, at any time of the day or night, learning about the stars and earning a possible 12 credits towards an NCEA.

Robert Shaw, of the Carter Observatory Board, said it is part of the Board's charter to advance astronomy in New Zealand. The Carter Observatory is New Zealand's National Observatory and was established by Act of Parliament.

The Carter Observatory is now registered as a Private Training Provider with NZQA. In consultation with the Carter Observatory, NZQA has developed three unit standards. The available unit standards are: Unit 20621, Demonstrate knowledge of space exploration, Unit 20622, Demonstrate knowledge of our solar system, and Unit 20623, Demonstrate knowledge of the Milky Way, our galaxy. The Carter Observatory is accredited to deliver learning and assessment against these standards for secondary students, or anyone wanting to study astronomy.

More standards are being developed in cosmology, traditional Pacific navigation, and Māori astronomy.

"The standards we have developed cover the cultural and historical aspects of astronomy as well as the maths and physics elements that you would expect," he said.

While Mr Shaw hopes these standards will appeal to a broad range of students, eventually he hopes to see a full National Certificate in Astronomy offered for students with a specific interest in the subject.

New Zealand is now well ahead of other countries in terms of having astronomy offered as part of the secondary school curriculum.

So far 106 students have completed a four-credit astronomy standard. There are 360 students working in the system and they come from over 70 schools.

"Many science teachers take a very active interest in their students and follow their progress by logging onto our website" Mr Shaw said.

Mr Shaw said the objective this year is for 1000 students from 100 schools to join the study programme.

The Carter teachers have a roster and monitor the website 24/7. "We like to respond to students as soon as it is humanly possible," said Mr Shaw. At least half the students are doing most of the work for the unit standards at home, some like to work late at night.

"Boundaries between school and home and learning and leisure are less defined now because of technology and because the NCEA system allows for a more flexible way of learning," Mr Shaw said.

If you have students interested in studying through the Carter Observatory you can go to the website www.carterobservatory.net