AUT School of Education · Te Kura Mātauranga – Sonia Online Portal

Kia ora and welcome to the School of Education Practicum Portal for Early Childhood programmes (BEd, MTL, PGDipTL, Study Abroad).

This is your central hub for everything practicum — preparing for placement, viewing your placement details, completing required forms, and tracking your progress.

How to Log In

Student Login

  1. Select Student as your role.
  2. Enter your AUT username and password.
  3. Click Sign in.

Evaluative or Mentor Lecturer Login

  1. Select Evaluative Lecturer as your role.
  2. Enter your Sonia username (em# or AUT username) and password (default = firstinitiallastname).
  3. Click Sign in.

Student Navigation

  • Pre-Practicum Information Form
    Go to: Sonia → Forms
  • View your Practicum Placement
    Go to: Sonia → Practicums → Details
  • Practicum Absence & Special Leave Request (PAF)
    Go to: Sonia → Forms

Practicum Absence & Special Leave Request (PAF)

Use the PAF to report any practicum absence or to request Special Leave. The form must be completed as soon as possible and, where practicable, before your expected arrival time. You must also notify your Associate Teacher or early learning service contact by phone or email before your expected arrival time.

1. First time reporting an absence? Add the form first.

  1. Go to Sonia → Forms.
  2. Select Add.
  3. Choose Practicum Absence & Special Leave Request (PAF).
  4. Complete the required absence details and submit the form.

2. After you return to practicum: edit the same form and complete Section 5.

You must return to the same PAF after your absence. Go to Sonia → Forms → locate your existing PAF → Edit.

Discuss and agree your make-up plan with your Associate Teacher or early learning service, then complete Section 5 – Make-Up Days with the agreed dates.

Do not add a second PAF for the same absence. The original form must be updated so the absence and make-up plan are recorded together.

Special Leave requires approval.

Submitting a PAF does not automatically approve Special Leave. All Special Leave requests must be approved by the Practicum Leader. Complete the PAF and provide any supporting information requested.

Attendance and evidence requirements

  • 100% attendance is expected during practicum and all absence days must be made up.
  • If you are absent for 3 or more consecutive practicum days, you must provide a medical certificate or other required evidence through the PAF.
  • If your evidence is not available when you first submit the form, return to the same PAF later and upload it.
  • If you are absent on a day when an Evaluative Lecturer (EL) or Mentor Lecturer (ML) visit is scheduled, you must notify the lecturer directly as soon as possible. You should also notify them if your Associate Teacher or Mentor Teacher is absent and this affects the planned visit.

Before your absence record is complete

  • Your absence has been reported.
  • Your Associate Teacher or early learning service has been informed.
  • Any required supporting evidence has been uploaded.
  • Your make-up dates have been discussed and agreed.
  • Section 5 – Make-Up Days has been completed in the same PAF.

Evaluative Lecturer Navigation

  • EL student list export for planning
    Go to: Sonia → Students → Export to CSV

For Evaluative Lecturers: Exporting a Student List CSV

A student list CSV may be needed for visit planning or use in a post-allocation planning tool.

  1. Log in to Sonia Online as an Evaluative Lecturer.
  2. Go to Students.
  3. Check that your allocated students are showing in the student list.
  4. Select Export to CSV.
  5. In the blue toolbar, click the small document icon labelled CSV. This icon is near the PDF and Word export icons. Do not use the Excel, PDF or Word icons for the planning tool.
  6. Save the downloaded .csv file and upload that file into the planning tool.

Tip: If the file opens in Excel, close it without changing the file type. The planning tool needs the original CSV export.

Practicum Dates (Semester 2, 2026)

MTL/PGDipTL – Semester 2, 2026

  • ECET803 Practicum 2 (students who started Feb 2026): 24 Aug – 30 Oct 2026 (39 days)
    No practicum: mid-semester break 28 Sep – 9 Oct, Labour Day 26 Oct. Students are completing their final practicum.
  • ECET802 Practicum 1 (students who started Jul 2026): Part A: 27 Jul – 14 Aug 2026 (15 days) • Part B: 14 Sep – 30 Oct 2026 (24 days) → Total 39 days
    No practicum: mid-semester break 28 Sep – 9 Oct, Labour Day 26 Oct. This is the first practicum and both parts are completed at the same early learning service.

Bachelor of Education (ECE) – Semester 2, 2026

  • ECET505 (Year 1, Practicum 2): 24 Aug – 18 Sep 2026 (20 days)
  • ECET608 (Year 2, Practicum 4): 24 Aug – 18 Sep 2026 (20 days)
  • ECET706 (Year 3, Practicum 6): 24 Aug – 25 Sep 2026 (25 days)

BEd ECE Semester 2 practicum dates finish before the AUT mid-semester break. ECET802 and ECET803 continue after the mid-semester break.

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Last updated: 22/09/2026