Zaida Moffat

What I particularly love at this university, the research is so collaborative, and you can work across different disciplines and have access to people from other schools and faculties who are experts in their field, all with a wealth of experience to shar

Participating in a Summer Research Scholarship was a positive experience for student Zaida Moffat.

Last year, when she was in her third-year of her degree, Zaida spent 10 weeks over summer working on a research project, “Evidencing Teacher Development Through Digital Stories” in Te Kura Toi Tangata School of Education.

“I would recommend doing a Summer Research Scholarship to other students because it’s such a valuable opportunity for professional development.”

Based in Whakatāne, the mother of two was able to work remotely, supported by her supervisor, Hazel Woodhouse, an experienced classroom teacher and Education teaching fellow.

“I loved working with Hazel, and I was so grateful for the opportunity,” says Zaida, who recently completed her Bachelor of Arts degree majoring in Psychology and minoring in Digital Learning.

What I particularly love at this university, the research is so collaborative, and you can work across different disciplines and have access to people from other schools and faculties who are experts in their field, all with a wealth of experience to share. It’s so valuable.

Although she was studying Psychology, Zaida had a strong interest in the education sector, and the Summer Research Scholarship was the perfect opportunity to explore digital pedagogy in an educational context and look at how technology is shaping the future of education.

“From a behavioural perspective, digital storytelling is a functional solution with a purpose to connect training teachers with the physical school community and facilitate a transition from a learning to teaching environment.”

Summer Research Scholarships are paid, enabling selected students to receive an income while delving into interesting research projects.

Zaida started her undergraduate degree in 2020 at the Tauranga campus, returning to tertiary study after a 15 year hiatus working in museums and galleries with taonga.

When Covid-19 hit, she moved to remote learning, working from home in Whakatāne, juggling study with raising her two sons.

The University of Waikato set me up well to work from home, and that, combined with my research into digital pedagogy, gave me the tools to achieve my educational goals.