Over the past 7 years at academyEX, Hayley has walked alongside with hundreds of learners as they have embarked on a range of projects - from micro-credentials to Masters. The opportunity fulfill her passion for teaching, learning and research in our future-focused learning environment, disrupting the status quo and providing opportunities for all learners to reach their potential and create impact futures for themselves, their whanau and their communities.

In her role as Director of Academic Quality, she is accountable for all academic quality activities including academic leadership, regulation body relationship management and compliance, the Quality Management System, new programme development, auditing and reporting. As a member of the Executive Leadership Team, Hayley collaborates across departments to strategically shape the institution’s academic direction and enhance student experiences.

Graduating from the University of Auckland with a doctorate in geography meant a honing of Hayley’s skills in critical thinking, qualitative and quantitative research analysis and writing – all of which can be applied in a broad range of contexts. The development of new programmes, drawing on academyEX's experiences, is one of the most exciting parts of Hayley's job where she is able to bring creativity and innovation to the design of programmes that are accessible and of value to professionals and practitioners that entrust academyEX to fulfil their learning aspirations. She is also well-versed in the art of teaching large and small groups, facilitating workshops, developing course content and creating e-learning projects – perfect for all that we do here at academyEX.

Hayley’s extensive research projects primarily sit at the intersection of geography and education and understanding relationships between people and place; the role of digital technology in education, and the value of practice based research.

While studying, Hayley gained experience working in tertiary learning institutes through her role as a Tutor at the University of Auckland. The combination of her passion, her experience and her research positions her as the perfect person for academyEX. Her thoughtfulness and deep thinking can be reflected in the historic figures she’d love to meet; Nelson Mandela or William Shakespeare, both of whom would no doubt enjoy a long, in depth conversation with Hayley.

Although her superpowers are countless, including an excellent baking ability which we all get to sample frequently, Hayley is incredible at turning crazy ideas into reality in a very short amount of time. This skill is highly useful at a face-paced organisation like ours, and Hayley is often at the helm of new ideas, new programmes, and new initiatives that all aim to make education in Aotearoa more leading edge, more powerful, and more focused on our learners.

Academic achievements
Doctor of Philosophy (Geography), The University of Auckland, 2018.

Master of Science (Geography, First Class Honours), The University of Auckland, 2012.

Bachelor of Science (Major in Geography, First Class Honours), The University of Auckland, 2011.

Publications
Orcid ID

Dr. Hayley Sparks

Director of Academic Quality