International Conference on Engaging Pedagogies

Theme
Engaging pedagogy: research and practices for a new decade

The organising committee welcomes abstract submissions for the International Conference on Engaging Pedagogy (ICEP10) to be held in the National University of Ireland Maynooth on Sep 2nd 2010. The theme of this year’s conference is Engaging pedagogy: research and practices for a new decade.

Relevant topics include but are not limited to:

    * Novel teaching methods
    * Educational technology as a means of engaging students
    * Cultural diversity in the classroom
    * Module and curriculum design for a new decade
    * Assessment techniques
    * Promoting student interest and participation
    * Case studies

Abstracts should be no more than 200 words in length in Microsoft Word or PDF format and should be submitted at info@icep.ie by March 22nd 2010. Intermediate feedback will be available to authors on or before March 29th. Final papers are due May 10th. Notification of acceptance will take place before or on June 14th.

32nd Annual EAIR Forum: Linking Society and Universities: New Missions for Universities

The aim of the 32nd EAIR Forum VALENCIA 2010 is to unite the whole academic community for a new social challenge: motivate higher education researchers and policy makers to promote innovative best practices on academic and R&D & innovation activities and services to society all around Europe. Read more »

Tracks

Track 1 • Reaching out to Society: The way Universities interact with Society
Track 2 • The Experience of Students/Learners
Track 3 • The enhancement of Quality to serve Society
Track 4 • Policies and Funding for University Sustainability
Track 5 • Innovative ways to link University and Society
Track 6 • University Governance & Management

For Track descriptions... Read more »

Call for Papers
The Programme Committee invites you to submit your Paper Proposal for the 32nd Annual EAIR Forum Valencia 2010. You are welcome to send in more than one proposal. However, only 1 proposal per author will be accepted.

Posters
Posters are well suited to give overviews of facts and figures and the conclusions drawn from the research. A poster is meant to grab the viewer's attention and quickly communicate its ideas and relevance.

Deadlines

• Deadline for the submission of your Proposal is Monday 25 January 2010 (Notification of acceptance by e-mail: no later than 30 April 2010)
• Deadline for the submission of a Poster is Saturday 1 May 2010
• Deadline for the submission of an Accepted Paper to be included on the website is Thursday 15 July 2010. For those who want to be included in the competition for the EAIR Best Paper Award, this deadline is Thursday 1 July 2010

More information and registration form... Read more »

Terminology & Knowledge Engineering (TKE) Conference

Presenting terminology and knowledge engineering resources online: models and challenges

Fiontar, Dublin City University, Ireland
12-13 August 2010

The invited talks are 'Cognitive aspects of designing, generating, and using domain ontologies', by Prof Gerhard Budin (University of Vienna), and 'How to build a termbase for 500,000 users (and live to tell the story)' by Michal
Boleslav Mechura and Brian Ó Raghallaigh (DCU).

Workshops(11th & 14th August):

• Can quality be assured in the language industry?
• Accommodating user needs for ISO 704: Towards a new revision of the core international standard on terminology work
• Terminology management business models in localization environments: challenges and change
• ISO/CDB – A model for future integrated and federated content repositories
• Standardizing data categories in ISOcat: Implementing group work for thematic domains
• Establishing and using ontologies as a basis for terminological and knowledge engineering resource

For more information, please contact Edel / Úna at
tke2010@dcu.ie

Telephone: 353 1 700 6577 / 353 1 700 8083

Information and Registration: http://www.dcu.ie/fiontar/conference/home_baile.shtml

Registration: €300
Student Registration: €80
Workshops: €25

Vision 2020: Home Economics, Changing Perspectives in a Changing Environment

The conference will be focused in three areas of Sustainability, Globalisation and Interculturalism.  We are delighted to have high profile speakers in each of these disciplines.

Our keynote speakers include:

    * Dr Martin Caraher, the Associate Dean/Reader in Food and Health Policy in the Centre for Food Policy at City University, London. Dr Caraher has worked extensively on issues related to food poverty, cooking skills, local sustainable food supplies, the role of markets and co-ops in promoting health, farmers markets, food deserts & food access, retail concentration and globalisation.
    * Dr Kate Fletcher is the keynote speaker in the area of fashion and sustainability.  Dr Fletcher has been exploring fashion as a positive force for change towards sustainability for the last fifteen years. She has helped develop the concept of 'slow fashion' and has championed innovative approaches to developing sustainable fashion products and services with clients including high street retailers, small design-led companies and non-profit organizations.  She is the author of the widely acclaimed book, 'Sustainable Fashion and Textiles: Design Journeys'.
    * Dr Dympna Devine is the keynote speaker in the area of Interculturalism and education.  Dr Devine is a senior lecturer in the School of Education, University College Dublin, where she is Director of the Structured PhD programme and Chair of post-graduate studies.  She lectures in the areas of sociology of education, sociology of childhood and qualitative research methods.  Chair of the Egalitarian World Initiative  (EWI) research cluster on Children's Rights, she was awarded a Marie Curie Fellowship to  NOSEB, where she has been appointed as external examiner for research degrees.  She has published nationally and internationally in the areas of Childhood Studies and Children's Welfare; Migration, Ethnicity and Schooling; Gender and Education Management and School Effectiveness and Improvement.  An invited expert peer reviewer for the European Science Foundation (ESF) for the period 2008 - 2009 she is currently involved in a number of international research projects in the areas of  effective teaching and learning and facilitating migrant parents in schools.

A call for submission of papers for oral and poster presentations will be posted in Autumn 2009.  

The IFHE Council 2010 Organising Committee, St Angela's College and IFHE Ireland look forward to welcoming you to this groundbreaking conference in Ireland and in particular to St Angela's College, Sligo in July 2010 and are making every effort to have an exciting, dynamic and fruitful programme of events for all participants.

International Summer School: Implementing Bologna in your institution

Full Summer School schedule (pdf).

Where: University College Cork, Cork, Ireland
When: 5 - 9 July 2010
Cost:  €600
Video: Short video of the summer school themes

Please note: For a full refund, notice of cancellation must be received by the end April 2010 as per the Summer School registration form.

The Bologna process is intended to facilitate the mobility of people, the transparency and recognition of qualifications, quality and the development of a European dimension to higher education. All Bologna countries have agreed to be fully compliant with the Bologna Process by end 2010.

With this deadline fast approaching, now is your opportunity to acquire the strategies and tools to enable the implementation of Bologna in your institution.

Ireland has been very successful in implementing the action lines of the Bologna Process, evidenced by the country’s position at the top of the
Bologna Scorecard in 2007, and its second place in 2009. Ireland is also one of the few European countries that has successfully established and
implemented a National Qualifications framework.

Download Summer School brochure (pdf)
Summer School registration form (pdf)

Travel to Cork this summer and receive comprehensive training by our experienced range of presenters on the following topics:(see short video)

• Quality improvement
• Quality assurance
• University and higher education structures
• Strategic planning
• National qualification frameworks
• Curriculum design
• Implementing ECTS
• Integrating research, teaching and learning
• Writing and using learning outcomes and competences
• Linking learning outcomes, teaching, learning and assessment
• Lifelong learning
• Access and widening participation
• Doctoral Education

Who should attend?
The International Summer School is targeted at policy makers, senior managers, lecturers and educational developers in Bologna countries and countries aligning with Bologna. Please note that it is hoped to provide accreditation in terms of ECTS credits for those who complete this course.

*Please note that there may be a visa requirements for delegates travelling from particular countries. Details of such requirements are available at www.inis.gov.ie.

Venue
The conference will be held on the main campus at University College Cork in Cork city. Click here for map of main University campus and here for map of Cork city.

Getting Here
Cork is a lively university city situated on the south coast of the Republic of Ireland. The University campus is just a short walk from Cork city centre, which is well serviced by rail and road networks. Check details of rail travel and bus travel here.

Cork international airport links Cork directly to Dublin, Belfast, London, and a range of European cities including Amsterdam and Paris. Airlines flying to Cork include Aer Lingus, Ryanair, Aer Arann and BMI Baby. The airport is linked by public transport to the city centre, and is a 10-15 minute taxi ride to the University area.

Parking at University College Cork: Visitor car parking is available at Perrott’s Inch and Perrott Avenue car parks (hourly charge) and at Brookfield Health Science Complex (pay & display).

Accommodation
Take your pick from comfortable modern guesthouses, hotels, and family-run B&Bs - each one unique, and each extending a genuine Cork welcome. Click here to search available options.

Getting around
On foot: With its compact city centre, Cork is an easy city to get around on foot. A lot of the main shopping areas are open to pedestrians only. As well as this, many of the main attractions are within walking distance of each other.

By bus: There are frequent bus services to all the city’s suburbs. The short trip between the city centre and Kent Station is also covered by the buses. One bus to look out for is the 224 between Cork city and Blarney, which is home to the Blarney Stone, one of Ireland's most popular places to visit.

By car: The spectacular countryside surrounding Cork city is well worth a visit and there are a number of cost-effective car rental operators in Cork should you wish to tour around including Enterprise rent-a-car and Irish car rentals.  Click here for a map of Cork county with nearby attractions.

Students: Any students wishing to attend this course should first contact the NAIRTL office to discuss suitability of the course material and potential fee concessions.

More Information
You may find the following websites useful in planning your trip to Cork.

• For accommodation options and other facilities and services see www.ucc.ie/en/VisitorstoUCC/
• For tourist information on Cork City see www.cometocork.ie/ or www.corktourist.com.
• For  a flavour of what’s on in Cork city see www.whazon.com

Additional information on Bologna

• MODERN - the European platform for Higher Education modernisation
• NAIRTL Bologna links

Image Gallery

Click on an image to view a larger version.

IAU 2010: Ethics and Values in Higher Education in the Era of Globalisation: What Role for the Disciplines?

The International Association of Universities (IAU) and Mykolas Romeris University are jointly organizing the 2010 IAU International Conference on Ethics and Values in Higher Education in the Era of Globalisation: What Role for the Disciplines?.  It will be held at and hosted by Mykolas Romeris University (Vilnius, Lithuania), on June 24-26, 2010.

How can disciplinary approaches and experiences enrich each other and contribute to instilling and promoting value-based and ethical higher education?  How do perspectives on these issues differ across cultures? Can the higher education community envisage developing a global code of ethics in higher education? These and other subtopics will be the issues explored by keynote speakers and panellists in parallel workshop sessions.

The PhD and Early Career Research: Pathways to Success

This one day conference will explore the different options available for early career researchers.

Conference programme
9.15	Welcome Dr Maeve Conrick and Dr Fiona Cox
9.30	Opening Professor Grace Neville, Vice-President for Teaching and Learning, Director of NAIRTL, UCC
9.45	Professor Tim Unwin, Ashley Watkins Professor of French, University of Bristol ‘Optimising the Viva’
10.45	Coffee
11.15	Professor Jean Duffy, Chair of French, University of Edinburgh ‘Research Publication Strategies for Early Career Researchers’
12.15	Lunch social Area adjacent to room 2.55
13.30	Dr Norma Ryan, Director, Quality Promotion Unit, UCC ‘The PhD: Organisation and Planning’
14.30	Workshop 1: Dr Nicole Sigl, French and Hispanic Studies ‘Delivering on the PhD: the Student Perspective’
15.30	Workshop 2: Paula Donovan, IRCHSS Scholar, French ‘Developing Techniques for Successful Research Funding’

Organisers:
Dr Maeve Conrick, Dean of Arts, Vice-Head, College of Arts, Celtic Studies and Social Sciences, Head of School of Languages, Literatures and Cultures (m.conrick@ucc.ie)
Dr Fiona Cox, Senior Lecturer, French (fcox@french.ucc.ie)

Funded by:
NAIRTL

Creative Thinking: Re-imagining the University

The 2010 Galway Symposium on Higher Education will take place on June 10th and 11th, 2010. We are currently seeking proposals for papers, short presentations, workshops and posters. The theme of the conference is broad and will encompass submissions spanning a range of topics including:

• novel approaches to curricular design
• constraints and opportunities in developing new curricula and structures
• innovative approaches to teaching and the fostering of active learning
• the role of creativity in teaching, learning and research
• nurturing creativity in students
• imaginative approaches to the student learning experience
• creativity myths and reality

Keynote speakers will address some of these issues and we hope to have plenty of opportunity for discussion and debate. Given the theme of the event we are also open to innovative approaches to presentations and the workshop sessions, provided of course such address relevant topics and are appropriate to the audience/participants. Abstracts and related information (format, contact details, etc) should be submitted online by March 1st 2010.

Student Enterprise Awards

Linking teaching and research at Australian National University

This presentation will reflect on how student learning can be enhanced through integrating teaching and research. Examples will be given from initiatives at the Australian National University (ANU) to enhance the research intensiveness of the undergraduate experience.

Examples will include:

1. initiatives associated with ANU’s membership of the International Alliance of Research Universities – www.iaruni.org/index
2. advanced research intensive undergraduate degrees offered by ANU
3. two interdisciplinary ANU courses that the speaker facilitates – one field based in Vietnam and the other taught at ANU in collaboration with the national government on “Unravelling Complexity”. For detailed course web pages for these two courses including numerous examples of student assessment items – http://fennerschool-people.anu.edu.au/richard_baker/teaching.html

All are welcome!

This event is being organised as part of the National Academy’s objective to promote excellence in undergraduate and postgraduate teaching and to recognise those who are both exemplary teachers and innovative researchers in Higher Education in Ireland.

Speaker Biography Richard Baker is the Deputy Dean of Science at the Australian National University. His research has focused on Aboriginal resource management issues, particularly in the tropical north of Australia, and on cultural heritage and environmental education. He also conducts pedagogic research on improving teaching and learning and has won 3 national teaching awards and was the first person to be awarded the Australian National University prize for teaching excellence twice. More details of his research and teaching can be found at http://fennerschool-people.anu.edu.au/richard_baker/teaching.html

For further details please contact
Jade Barrett
Executive Officer
CAPSL
Trinity College Dublin
3-4 Foster Place
Dublin 2
T: 01 896 3601
E: barretja@tcd.ie

Student Voices: How to get to deeper evaluation of your course

Receiving student feedback at the end of a course, using the standard or slightly modified questionnaires, can sometimes elicit useful information. However, can we enrich this evaluation, and the impact on student learning, by taking a more scholarly approach? Megan Otis, a graduate student at Western Washington University (WWU) is co-editor of the popular book ‘Engaging Student Voices in the Scholarship of Teaching and Learning’ (Stylus, 2010). She will share with us some of her experiences from her 7 years as a student and scholar in WWU's Teaching and Learning Academy. She will also share some general principles and promising practices for partnering with students in researching teaching and learning. Megan asks among other things "What roles can or should students have in the scholarship of teaching and learning? And if students are more than just research subjects, what are the benefits and challenges?”

Presenter: Megan Otis, The Teaching and Learning Academy, Western Washington University, US

Leading and Managing Research Universities: Why We Need Scholars in Charge

Two presentations from Dr. Amanda Goodall, Leverhulme Fellow, Warwick Business School, University of Warwick

“Women Scholars and Research Productivity”
Informal discussion and debate @ 11am – 12.30pm in Tower Room 1 (North Wing, Main Quad)

“Leading and Managing Research Universities: Why We Need Scholars in Charge”
Lunchtime Lecture @ 1pm in the Council Room (North Wing, Main Quad)

Dr Goodall argues in her recently published Socrates in the Boardroom (Princeton University Press, 2009) that scholars make the best university leaders and draws correlations between the excellence of universities and the academic distinction of their leaders. She will argue in her lunchtime lecture at UCC that scholars who are in management positions behave differently from those who are fundamentally managers, because, she believes, they are more likely to create the right conditions for other experts to flourish. Whatever your views are of this current, though timeless, debate, this lunchtime lecture is sure to occasion a lively discussion afterwards!

Amanda Goodall’s website http://www.amandagoodall.com/index.html contains a full bio and CV as well as further information on her most recent publication Socrates in the Boardroom (available in John Smith’s bookstore, UCC). A recent article published in THES gives a flavour of some of Amanda’s arguments: http://www.timeshighereducation.co.uk/story.asp?sectioncode=26&storycode=410392

All welcome to either or both of Dr Goodall’s presentations:

• Tea/coffee available at 10.45am in Tower Room 1 for attendees of the 11am discussion.
• Tea/coffee/sandwiches available in the Council Room from 12.45pm for attendees of the lunchtime lecture.

EdTech 2010: Technology in Action: The Irish Educational Technology User's Conference

Registration is now open for EdTech 2010 (www.ilta.net/) at Athlone Institute of Technology from May 20th - May 21st 2010. This year's event will  showcase innovations and novel experiences from practitioners, researchers and  industry partners - all with the common interest of using technology to  enhance the teaching and learning experience. The conference theme is  'Technology in Action', with over 70 activities and presentations on  topics including:

• Learning technologies for challenging times   
• Informing policy and strategy, industry/work based  learning  
• Sustainable models of innovation  
• Technology-enhanced learning and  society

Keynote speakers include:

• Elliott Masie, Head of the Masie Centre   
• Jane Hart, Founder of the Centre for Learning  & Performance Technologies (C4LPT)  
• James Clay, Editor of eLearning Stuff and ALT  UK Learning Technologist of the Year 2009.

Activities will include:

• Practitioner strand; describing applications or  evaluations of technology-enhanced learning, and their benefit to teaching  and learning.  
• Research strand; describing research on new or  emergent ideas, technology or practice, and the benefits of this research to  teaching and learning.  
• Technology- in -Action sessions; highlighting Irish  higher education collaborations between education and eLearning solution  providers in the areas of online meeting rooms, smartboards, Web 2.0 blog  and wiki technologies, ePortfolio software, and lecture capture systems.   
• Pecha Kucha; short, focused, quick-fire  presentations focused on an idea or a topic  
• Moderated poster  sessions

Registration, programme schedules and  conference updates are available from ilta.net. Don't forget to sign up for  our 20 euro subsidised full Conference Dinner in the beautiful Olive Grove,  situated on the banks of the river Shannon. Special EdTech2010 room rates are  available from the Sheraton Hotel Athlone <www.sheratonathlonehotel.com/>  

Join us on Twitter at www.twapperkeeper.com/hashtag/edtech10  (#edtech10)

All information about this event is available  from ilta.net

Repositioning Learner Assessment in Higher Education

HETAC & SIF 2 ERA Symposium
Speakers include:

• Professor Sally Brown, Leeds Metropolitan University  
• Professor David Nicol, University of Strathclyde  
• Dr Chris Rust, Oxford Brookes University  
• Professor Liz McDowell, University of Northumbria  
• Professor Kay Sambell, University of Northumbria  

Programme and registration details to follow

For further details please contact
Claire MacCabe
T: 01-6441518
E: symposium@hetac.ie

Bologna meets the University of Tromsø

Ionad Bairre, in conjunction with NAIRTL, invites you to a lunch-time Seminar by Marit Allern, Associate Professor at the University of Tromsø, Norway, on Tuesday, 27th April entitled "Bologna meets the University of Tromsø”.
 
As higher education institutions in Norway attempt to align with Bologna and subsequent directives, the effect on student learning is being investigated. There are direct parallels with the process here in Ireland. This talk will focus on what has been done so far. The title points at the changes on a structural level which have affected teaching and student learning. This includes changes initiated both by the Government and by local initiatives. The study at the University of Tromsø focuses on the challenges of assessment and how revision of curricula can result in unpredictable changes in teaching and assessment.
 
All are welcome

Doctoral Supervision in the 21 century Workshop

This workshop which is conducted by Dr Stan Taylor of the University of Durham (author of a handbook for Doctoral supervisors, Rouledge, 2005) will present the latest developments and thinking in the supervision of doctoral students. The morning section of the workshop is a generic one and is also suitable for masters supervisors.

Learning by Developing – New ways to learn

Competence and expertise capital needed for societies to survive, develop and succeed are created by networks involving higher education institutions. In order to educate the future experts as key 'building blocks' of our societies, higher education institutions need to continuously develop their operations to match the requirements of the working life, industries and society. Therefore it is of great importance to foresight the future in order to be able to define the competencies needed in the future working life.

From these perspectives and expectations challenges arise for the curricula, teaching and learning methods, R&D&I activities and developing networked expertise. How should we develop students' competencies and expertise in higher education, and how to define and measure the learning outcomes?

The Learning by Developing - New Ways to Learn 2010 conference aims to present, discuss, benchmark and develop future expertise in higher education. The conference has four paper tracks: Competence Development, Assessing Learning Outcomes, Multicultural Expertise and Student-Centric R&D&I.

Researchers, developers, leaders, lecturers, students and other representatives of cooperation partners from higher education institutions, private and public sector are warmly welcomed to participate.

Using Positive Psychology in Teaching

Workshop Title	Using Positive Psychology in Teaching
Facilitator	Prof Alan Mortiboys
Date	15th April 2010
Time	13.30 – 16.30
Venue	MC2005, Millstream Courtyard, University of Limerick
To register	Mary.Fitzpatrick@ul.ie

Positive psychology is the ‘scientific study of optimal human functioning that aims to discover and promote the factors that allow individuals and communities to thrive’. This workshop invites participants to explore if and how some concepts from positive psychology might be helpful for learners and teachers in higher education. These include:

• Learned optimism and how it can help you deal with setbacks
• Strengths based psychology – how to build on your strengths and manage your weaknesses
• Flow - a state described as a ‘magnet for learning’

Alan Mortiboys has extensive experience working in education and staff development, both in the UK and abroad. For the past 20 years he has worked in Educational Development in Higher Education. At Birmingham City University he is Professor of Educational Development and also leader of the Postgraduate Certificate in Education programme for academic staff. In addition he works independently providing staff and educational development for professionals in education, healthcare and other public sectors. Alan is a Fellow of the Royal Society of Arts. His publications include Teaching with Emotional Intelligence (Routledge 2005).

Developing Student Motivation through Feedback

Workshop Title	Developing Student Motivation through Feedback
Facilitator	Prof Alan Mortiboys
Date	15th April 2010
Time	09.30 – 12.30
Venue	MC2005, Millstream Courtyard, University of Limerick
To register	Mary.Fitzpatrick@ul.ie

Whenever a student receives feedback on their progress or on their completed assessment tasks that feedback has the potential to have an impact on the student’s motivation. This impact can depend on factors such as the timing, the content and even the tone of feedback. This session explores the alternative ways in which feedback can be given to students and invites participants to critically review their current practice in this area.

This session provides participants with the opportunity to:

• Review the likely impact on student motivation of their current approach to giving feedback
• Plan to adapt their practice of giving feedback in order to improve student motivation

Problem Based Learning in Practice

Workshop Title: Problem Based Learning in Practice

Facilitators: Yvonne Delaney & Dr Declan Phillips

Date: 15th - 22nd April 2010
Time: 09.30 – 16.30
Venue: The Absolute Hotel

To register email: Mary.Fitzpatrick@ul.ie

This is a two-day interactive workshop that introduces the participants to the fundamentals of Problem Based Learning (PBL). It draws on the experiences of practitioners from a range of disciplines and follows their experiences while developing PBL programmes in Higher Level Institutions. It allows the participants to experience what it is like being a member of a PBL team/tutorial working on a PBL trigger. Finally an international educational expert will give an overview of the state-of-the-art educational practices at leading American Universities with particular emphasis on PBL.

NDLR Fest 2010: Showcase of National digital learning resources

We would like to invite you to attend the Annual NDLR Fest 2010 that will be held in the Science Gallery, Trinity College Dublin on Wednesday April 14th 2010.

This event will be a national showcase of a wide array of digital teaching and learning resources that have been developed across all subject disciplines and Higher Education Institutions in Ireland. The event will be attended by individual academics, groups of academics who have been working collaboratively through various NDLR initiatives and key stakeholders in the Irish HE sector.

At this year's event, staff from NDLR partners will gather to

• Present, exhibit and share learning resources (LRs)
• Forge new links for developing innovations in teaching and learning
• Exchange know-how and exemplars of sharing and collaboration across subject disciplines and institutions
• Demonstrate impact and use of LRs across subject disciplines in student programmes

The showcase will reflect an evolutionary pathway for supporting NDLR Users, as well as demonstrating the new NDLR platform, portal and NDLR services in action. A call for National funding for Learning Innovation Community Support Projects (LINCs) will also be announced in the coming weeks. There will be an information session about this call for funding at the event.

Further information and registration details on the NDLR Fest 2010 are available on our website http://www.ndlr.ie. Please email info@ndlr.ie with any queries you may have.

We would really appreciate if you could forward this email to colleagues who may be interested in attending.
Looking forward to seeing you there!

NDLR Team
info@ndlr.ie

Inter-changes: Craft and Context Symposium and Exhibitions

On the 13th and 14th April, a symposium and two exhibition openings will be held in Dublin, entitled Inter-changes: Craft and Context, hosted by NCAD, the Crafts Council of Ireland, and the Fulbright Commission. 

SYMPOSIUM - Inter-changes: Craft and Context

Venue: 100 Thomas Street, Dublin 8
Date: 13th - 14th April
Time: 9:00am - 5:00 pm  

The formation of a critical context for craft is the subject of a rich international debate within which, over the last ten years, many disciplines have found a voice. Irish makers, as they understand and articulate their practice through the new and evolving language of craft, have begun to take their place among this intellectual community.

This programme of events are conceived and negotiated by Fulbright scholar Mary B. White, and nineteen co-researchers who participated in the NCAD ‘Landscape of Aesthetics and Design’ seminar series since October 2009: twelve contemporary Irish makers, Aoife Ludlow, Liz Nilsson, Renata Pekowska, Deirdre Rogers, Clare Turley, Brigitta Vardi, and Suzannah Vaughan, alongside seven NCAD MA students, Karina Abdulbaneeva, Julie Conellan, Lesley Kelly, Kristy Mc Ghie, Richard Quin, Suzanne Rodgers and Eleanor Swan.

Events are open to the public and also include two exhibitions, and an evening lecture series. http://craftandcontext.blogspot.com

The "Interchanges: Craft and Context" Symposium takes place in NCAD, April 13-14. This public event is sure to be a stimulating and engaging experience that will provoke ongoing conversations about the critical and theoretical context of craft. The programme of this unique symposium will enable contemporary craft makers to build alliances to sustain creativity, create new avenues of interest and help ensure future development of this sector.

Symposium Keynote presentations will be made by Glenn Adamson - Head of Graduate Studies in the Research Department at the Victoria and Albert Museum, London and Arline Fisch, who has played a central role in the revitalization of jewellery as a contemporary art form and was Professor of Art (Emerita) - San Diego State University from 1961 – 2000.

Contributing international professionals include: Robert Brady (US), Frances Chapin (US), Vanessa Cutler (UK), Geoffrey Mann (UK), Lesley Millar (UK), Robert Milnes (US), Alex Robins (US), Sandy Simon (US), and Wayne Strattman (US).

Professionals from Ireland include: Stanislava Antonijevic-Elliott, Nicola Gordon Bowe, Marie Brett, Mary Cahill, Mark Elliott, Sandy Fitzgerald, Michael Flannery, Eleanor Flegg, Olivier Gaillot, Ed Kuczaj, Anna Moran, Cearbhall E. O’Meadhra, Gana Roberts, Georgie Thompson, and Dr Audrey Whitty.

The programme is sponsored by the Crafts Council of Ireland, Fulbright Commission, Mason, Hayes & Curran and the National College of Art and Design and is co-directed by Louise Allen, Education & Awareness Manager, CCoI, Colleen Dube, Executive Director, Fulbright, Caroline Madden, Glass Lecturer, NCAD and Mary B. White, US Fulbright Scholar.

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EXHIBITION - Inter-changes: Craft and Context
Runing from April 14th to May 4th 2010, this exhibition will be open to the public 4 - 6 pm: 14th, 15th, 20th, 27th April and 4th May 2010. To arrange to see the exhibition outside of these hours please contact Colleen Dube.

Venue: Mason Hayes & Curran, South Bank House, Barrow Street, Dublin 4
Date: April 14th - May 4th
T: +353 1 660 7670
E: colleen.dube @fulbright.ie
Admission Free

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EVENING LECTURES
A series of evening lectures will accompany Inter-changes: Craft and Context

Venue: Mason Hayes & Curran, South Bank House, Barrow Street, Dublin 4.
Time: 6 – 8pm

Dates & Speakers:
April 20th   Mary White, Muriel Beckett and Eva Kelly
April 27th   Dr Audrey Whitty, Assistant Keeper, National Museum of Ireland, Geraldine Grubb and Karina Abdulbaneeva
May 4th   Caroline Madden, Deirdre Rodgers and Kristy Mc Ghie

T: +353 1 660 7670
E: colleen.dube @fulbright.ie
Admission Free

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EXHIBITION - Craft and Context: Influx

Venue: Irish Museum Of Contemporary Art. Plane/Site Gallery, Lad Lane (Old OPW), Off Baggot Street, Dublin 2
Dates: April 9th - 22nd 2010.

Viewing: Monday - Sunday 12pm - 5pm.
Opening. 6:00pm - 8:00pm, April 14th.

Contact: Aoife Ludlow E: aoife@aoifestuff.com or Suzanne Vaughan T: +353 (0) 872912130 suzannahvaughan@hotmail.com
Admission Free

Engaging Undergraduate Students in Book Research

This is a one-day conference with poster presentations by undergrduates in the School of English, UCC, who have participated in this Ionad Bairre/NAIRTL funded scheme. We also have several postgraduate speakers, a staff panel, and a keynote lecture delivered by Dr Peter McDonald, St Hugh's College Oxford. Information and programme from: carrie.griffin@ucc.ie

PBL Day in UL

The NDLR CSCoP in association with the UL Centre for Teaching and Learning are hosting a PBL Day in Limerick.  This is an opportunity to hear how others accross a variety of disciplines are applying PBL techniques to their teaching as well as discuss opportunities for the advancement of PBL.  This is a free event and we welcome attendance from around the country.  For those unfamiliar with the UL campus, the venue is located in building reference 28 on the campus map and parking places are available on request. To register please email aisling.dundon@ul.ie.

Looking forward to seeing you on the day!

Conversations around innovative PBL
Friday 26th March, University of Limerick
09.15 - 15.30 KB117

09.15	Welcome Ms Aisling Dundon, NDLR
09.30 -10.30	Problem Based Learning in a Management Development Programme for Front Line Managers: A Case Study Ms Yvonne Delaney
	Process before Content: Learning from Defeat in Siege Warfare Professor Tom Cosgrove
10.30 - 11.00	Coffee Break
11.00 - 13.00	PBL for an Engineering Laboratory Professor Tim Hall
	Water Water Everywhere …an Albatross or an opportunity to learn Dr Declan Phillips
	Using PBL to integrate environment related learning outcomes in established engineering courses Dr Colin Fitzpatrick
	Whose learning is it anyway? PBL and Language Learning Materials Development Dr Feda Mishan
	Software Quality: From Theory to Practice Dr Ita Richardson
13.00 - 14.00	Lunch
14.00 - 15.30	Round Table Discussion Yvonne Delaney, Chair

Aisling Dundon
NDLR CSCoP Coordinator
University of Limerick
Limerick
Ph: 061 202547
email: aisling.dundon@ul.ie

Political Reform in Ireland

This one day conference will mark the launch of the Department of Government's undergraduate journal, Government and Politics Review. The 2010 theme for the journal is political reform and the conference will provide a public forum for students, academics and politicians to communicate their research on the them. A poster exhibition will accompany the conference. The journal launch will be conducted by Minister for Froeign Affairs, Micheal Martin. All are welcome and there is no admission charge.

ESAI Annual Conference 2010

The 35th annual conference of the Educational Studies Association of Ireland will take place in Dundalk from March 25-27.

In keeping with ESAI’s mission of fostering research within and across education sectors, this year’s theme focuses on how boundaries and identities present challenges for all sectors of education (pre-school, primary, secondary, tertiary, adult and further education etc). With its broad theme, we hope that the conference can bring together educational professionals from a range of sectors and roles (ie. researchers, policymakers, teachers, leaders…etc.) from North and South in Ireland to discuss these important educational questions.

The digitised version of the Irish Educational Documents Volumes I-III will be launched at the conference on the evening of the 25th. This publication was sponsored by SCoTENS, the Standing Committee on Teacher Education North and South and CDs can be ordered from the National Academy website at www.nairtl.ie/Resources

 

 

Launch: Heal-Train Research Training Programme

This launch will showcase the material developed through HEAL-TRAIN (a commercial training package in research methods developed for health professionals) along with interactive demonstrations of the supporting e-learning platform. It promises to be a dazzling event where the project partners along with some of the HEAL-TRAIN products’ users will be able to introduce and share their experience on the project’s work. In addition, all participants will have the opportunity to use and familiarise themselves with the platform and materials, through the dedicated desks that will be available within the conference room.

The event will take place from 9.30 - 5.00. Registration is free, and refreshments and a full lunch are included.

HEAL - TRAIN is a funded EU project which, over the past 2 years, has developed a Vocational Education Training (VET) programme for professional researchers (e.g., market research agencies, private and public health- and food-related research institutes) whose research assesses the needs of consumers with specific medical conditions, such as cardiac disease and diabetes for innovative new food products and services for purchase.

The programme consists of training seminars in research methods, ethics, and guidelines for research practice, and is supported through an e-learning platform which contains accessible teaching material, assessment facilities, discussion fora, and online tutoring support. A training kit is also provided for tutors.

Applications of the Programme:

• The training package would be of great benefit to professionals working in market and consumer research, and in the health sector, who are interested in improving their research skills. Regular courses will be held across the country.
• Experienced tutors are available to provide day-long training sessions to interested company employees.
• There are also opportunities for training companies to purchase the training package for their own commercial use.

Full registration and accommodation details, along with the draft programme can be found at www.healtrain.eu

Please note: Deadline for registration is Thursday 11th March 2010.

Looking forward to seeing you there,
The HEAL-TRAIN Team.

Undergraduate Awards of Ireland & Northern Ireland

The Undergraduate Awards of Ireland was established on 20^th October 2008 to recognise and reward Ireland's most innovative young knowledge creators, to catalyse the development of the brightest undergraduates, and to inspire all undergraduates to achieve. The awards are open to undergraduates across the island of Ireland’s nine Universities. Submissions are drawn from the outstanding papers, papers and dissertations produced as a normal part of course work during each academic year. Our values of impartiality, inclusiveness and active facilitation guide our operations and strategic direction.The initiative aims to enhance Ireland's prospects of becoming a leading global knowledge economy by creating an entirely new and unique set of incentives and rewards for undergraduates, through academic and corporate recognition, monetary bursaries and internship and employment opportunities.

The ‘IR Model’: A Schema for Pedagogic Design and Development in International Relations Distance Learning (DL) Programmes

The VP for Teaching and Learning & Ionad Bairre, UCC's Teaching and Learning Centre, invite you toa lunchtime lecture on March 12th on:
The ‘IR Model’: A Schema for Pedagogic Design and Development in International Relations Distance Learning (DL) Programmes

Speaker: Dr J. Simon Rofe, Director of Distance Learning and Lecturer in International Relations, University of Leicester.
Where: NW Council Room, UCC
When:  Friday 12th March at 1pm

Dr Rofe will be speaking on the strategy employed by the University of Leicester in developing and deploying a suite of Distance Learning (DL) programmes and the pedagogic context in which they were conceived.  These programmes have effectively integrated a variety of innovative teaching and learning practices, supported where relevant by appropriate learning technologies, into the experience of student learning in International Relations (IR).

The IR Model brings together best-practice in learning design and appreciation of e-learning in producing a distance learning programme delivered 100% on-line via a Virtual Learning Environment (Blackboard).

FACiliTATE: Applying Technologies in the Context of Problem-Based Learning

This workshop will explore the scope and application of technology within problem-based learning, particularly for the application of analytical, creative and critical thinking skills, (as well as for research, production of materials, presentations and collaboration). It will provide an introduction to those who have begun or are considering integrating technology to assist their problem-based learning practices. It is suitable for lecturers and academic support staff such as educational developers, curriculum developers and teaching assistants involved in supporting problem-based learning initiatives.

Workshop facilitators: Dr. Roisin Donnelly and Muireann O’Keeffe, Learning, Teaching and Technology Centre, Dublin Institute of Technology.

Cost: Early bird registration €50 until February 12th, 2010. €75 to close of registration on February, 26th, 2010.

NB Places are limited to 45 so early booking advisable.

For further details contact Deirdre Connolly at 01 896-3216 or email deirdre.connolly@tcd.ie.

New Initiatives to Enhance Assessment and Feedback Practices

Presented by Dr Anne Crook and Dr Julian Parkes, Centre for the Development of Teaching and Learning, University of Reading, UK. 

Anne and Julian will outline the current challenges of assessment and feedback for staff and students, and showcase two new resources developed at the University of Reading.

They say “Designing effective assessments and ensuring students receive quality feedback in a timely manner often present a considerable challenge to staff in terms of both time and resource. In the UK the National Student Survey data have consistently revealed the area of assessment and feedback to be one of the lowest scoring categories with students expressing particular dissatisfaction with the quality and timeliness of feed back on their work. As a result, many institutions are investing in different ways to tackle this issue. This presentation will discuss some of the ideas and initiatives currently being piloted at the University of Reading; these include the use of video media for feedback provision and the development of new, interactive feedback and assessment resources for staff.”

This presentation is part of the Ionad Bairre Support for Teaching and Learning Seminar series for 2010.

Arts Research: Publics and Purposes

The conference addresses the state of development of contemporary research in and through cultural practice. It makes particular reference to questions of the public interest, and of the broad purposes, that arts research may serve.

This five day major international programme of discussion, exchange and presentation builds upon the hugely successful ‘Art Research: The State of Play’ that took place previously in Dublin in 2008.

This conference will be of interest for anyone concerned with the current state of development in contemporary arts research. It will be of special interest to anyone concerned with the relationship between the development of creative research and the possibility of public culture - and indeed questions as to what 'public(s)' might now be possible in the contemporary world.

At the heart of this timely international exchange of perspectives are the questions:

• what are the emerging priorities within the various fields of arts research?
• for whom is this research being developed?
• what motivates art researchers both in general and with respect to specific research projects?
• In simple terms, this conference opens a dialogue among arts researchers, practitioners, critics, curators, performers and educators in order to ask: 'who for? what for?'

This unique event comprises a week-long series of symposia, workshops, presentations, performances and exhibitions in Dublin for the week 15-19 February 2010. Participants and contributors are invited to join us for the entire week or to select those elements in our programme that are most relevant to their interests.

The conference is organised in collaboration with the European Art Research Network and associated partners including: Academy of Fine Arts Vienna (AU); Academy Sint-Lucas Brussels (BE); KUVA Helsinki (FI); UAIV Venice (IT); MaKHU Utrecht (NE); University of Lisbon (P); Malmö Art Academy (SW); University of Gothenburg (SW); Slade UCL (UK); and Leeds (UK).

The conference takes place at Dublin City Council’s new “wood quay venue” just beside Christ Church Cathedral in the center of Dublin. See www.gradcam.ie to book your place. More information online at www.gradcam.ie/art_research_public.php.

Computers in Education Society of Ireland's Annual Conference

CESI National Conference 2010

Creative Technology in Challenging Times”
12th and 13th February 2010

At the 2010 Computers in Education Society of Ireland’s (CESI) Annual Conference, we plan to highlight the varied and creative ways teachers are using ICT to enhance teaching and learning at primary and post primary level. In that spirit, the theme for this year’s conference is “Creative Technology in Challenging Times”. Attendance at the conference is open to all teachers whether experienced or not in the use of ICT.

CESI welcomes presenters for the conference from primary, post primary and third level education. Presentations should be 30 minutes in length. Workshops should be 60 minutes in length. A full list of last year’s presentations and workshops can be viewed at www.cesi.ie/conference.

If you are interested in presenting at the conference, please email your proposal consisting of the following:

• Presentation or workshop title
• A brief description of the presentation / workshop, including target audience
• Any special equipment that might be needed for the presentation / workshop
• Complete contact information
• Brief biography

Critical Social Thinking Conference

Friday 29th January, 2010
Brookfield Health Sciences Complex, Room G02
9.15am-12.45pm

This inaugural Critical Social Thinking Student Conference aims to showcase undergraduate and postgraduate research in the School of Applied Social Studies. In the current climate where economic policy dominates to the detriment of social considerations, this conference aims to foreground social issues in ways which are currently absent from political and media debate. Conference themes will address contemporary social issues within the three main School fields of Social Policy, Social Work and Youth and Community Work. We hope that these papers will motivate and stimulate undergraduate and postgraduate research interest in the social sciences. This conference is part-funded by NAIRTL for ‘Engaging Undergraduate Students in Research’ and extends the promotion of student research through the Critical Social Thinking Student Journal initiative.

Please find the conference programme attached (pdf)
This conference is open to all including any interested undergraduate or postgraduate students.

Critical Social Thinking Conference Committee
Eileen Hogan
Eluska Fernandez
Cynthia Martin
Jacqui O’Riordan
Eleanor Bantry-White

School of Applied Social Studies
University College Cork

Education for Health

2nd Symposium on Assessment: the big questions, some answers 

Convened by School of Medicine, UCC. 
Funded by the National Academy for the Integration of Research in Teaching and Learning (NAIRTL). 

Venue: G06 Brookfield Health Sciences Complex

Please note: The NAIRTL Symposium on Assessment (January 22nd) has been approved for 6 credits for Continuing Medical Education (CME) by the Royal College of Physicians of Ireland

Programme

08.00    Welcome and Registration

08.45    Opening address
CHAIR: Dr. Siun O’Flynn, Head of Medical Education, UCC

09:00    Professor John Spencer, University of Newcastle upon Tyne, UK
            Assessment Strategies in Medical Education

10.00    Dr. John Sweeney, Ms Nuala Walsh, Ms Angela Flynn, Ms Irene Hartigan, Ms Siobhan Murphy, Ms Agnes Phelan School of Nursing & Midwifery, UCC
Assessment Strategies in Nursing and Midwifery Education

10.40   Dr. Martina Kelly, School of Medicine, UCC
Assessment in Portfolio

11.10    Coffee (G11)

CHAIR: Dr. Pat Henn, School of Medicine, UCC

11.30    Dr. John Patterson, University of London
Setting standards

12.30    The student voice

13.00    Lunch (G11)
   
14.00    Prof. Peter Cantillon, NUI Galway
    The challenges of assessing learner performance in the workplace

15.00    Dr. Catherine Pettigrew, School of Clinical Therapies, UCC
    Assessment in PBL
 
15.30    Panel discussion
16.30    Conclusion

All are welcome

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National Awards for Excellence in Teaching

President McAleese honours outstanding teachers at National Awards ceremony


From left to right (front) Helena Lenihan (UL), Marian McCarthy (UCC), President McAleese, Susan Bergin (NUI Maynooth), and Bettie Higgs (UCC); (back) Sarah Rawe (DIT), Aisling McCluskey (NUI Galway), Michael Seery (DIT), Amanda Gibney (UCD), Claire McDonnell (DIT), and Christine O’Connor (DIT)

Dublin Castle hosted the National Excellence in Teaching Awards where the President of Ireland, Mary McAleese, presented five Awards on behalf of the National Academy for the Integration of Research, Teaching and Learning. To read the President's speech click here.

This is the first year that all 38 Higher Education Institutions were invited to participate in the awards programme. More than one hundred guests attended the ceremony on 18th November including Higher Education Authority representatives, senior management of many higher education institutes as well as family and friends of the award winners.

Winners of the five Awards were nominated by senior managers within their institutions and selected by a committee which included international representatives as well as representatives of the Irish University Association, the Institutes of Technology Ireland and the Union of Students in Ireland.

Awards were presented to Helena Lenihan, University of Limerick; Aisling McCluskey, NUI Galway; Amanda Gibney, University College Dublin; Susan Bergin NUI, Maynooth; and a team from the Dublin Institute of Technology - Michael Seery, Claire McDonnell, Christine O’Connor and Sarah Rawe. Bettie Higgs and Marian McCarthy from University College Cork received a Special Commendation.

Dr Helena Lenihan, Department of Economics, Kemmy Business School, University of Limerick
Dr Helena Lenihan is a Senior Lecturer in Economics at the Kemmy Business School, University of Limerick (UL). She teaches Microeconomics, Small Business Economics and Industrial/Enterprise Policy. She is twice winner of the UL ‘Excellence in Teaching Award'. Dr Lenihan has held visiting appointments at the University of Warwick and was a Visiting Fellow at the University of Cambridge. She has published extensively in the areas of Business Economics and Enterprise/Industrial Policy and Evaluation. Dr Lenihan has been invited to present research papers at conferences in countries such as Ireland, UK, Italy, Spain, Belgium, Denmark, Macedonia and Poland.

Dr Aisling McCluskey, School of Mathematics, Statistics and Applied Maths, National University of Ireland, Galway
Dr. Aisling McCluskey has long held a deep-seated interest in the teaching and learning of mathematics. She has been teaching—and learning—since appointment at NUI Galway in 1992 and her fervent desire to promote critical and independent mathematical thinking with attendant deep understanding continues unabated. Her ongoing pursuit of traditional research in pure mathematics has played an integral role in deepening that interest and crucially in informing her reflection on practice. Her passion for mathematics has provided significant rationale and stimulus for the direction and diversification of her scholarly interest in and contribution to mathematics education in Ireland.

Dr Amanda Gibney, School of Architecture, Landscape and Civil Engineering, University College Dublin
Following her undergraduate degree, at UCD, Amanda took up employment as a structural design engineer in London where she worked with Arup and subsequently Skidmore Owings & Merrill. In London Amanda had the great fortune to work on projects such as the Lloyds Headquarters, Lords Cricket Ground, the Grand Louvre, Hong Kong Park Aviary, Bari Football Stadium and Canary Wharf, also undertaking a part-time MSc at City University. Amanda returned to work in Dublin before subsequently returning to academia, joining UCD as a College Lecturer. Amanda is keenly interested in encouraging student creativity and innovation through integrated active learning opportunities across the curriculum, developing lifelong learning skills. Amanda is also very interested and involved in the development of design and testing of road pavement materials, an area in which she completed her PhD studies.

Team Award, Dublin Institute of Technology
The Chemical Education Research Team (CERT) was established in 2005 in the School of Chemical and Pharmaceutical Sciences, DIT. Its members are Claire Mc Donnell, Christine O’Connor, Sarah Rawe and Michael Seery. They have each obtained qualifications from the Learning, Teaching and Technology Centre, DIT and share an interest in incorporating best practices in education research into their day-to-day teaching. This has involved integrating best principles of laboratory teaching, community based learning, supporting learning with virtual learning environments and using e-learning to enhance the in-class experience. The team have obtained several grants, presented at many national and international conferences and published a number of articles and book chapters. (For further information, see www.dit.ie/chempharm-cert).

Dr Claire McDonnell lectures in organic chemistry at DIT. She completed her PhD in physical organic chemistry at UCD and worked in the pharmaceutical sector before joining DIT. Her research interests include synthesis and mechanistic studies on chiral building blocks and she currently supervises one postgraduate student. She has a Postgraduate Diploma in Third Level Teaching and Learning and is interested in strategies to support the learning of undergraduate chemistry students, including eLearning methods, project-based learning and community learning. She has several educational research publications, has presented at many national and international conferences and received a ‘DIT President’s Commendation for Excellence in Teaching’ (2005) and an RSC Higher Education Teaching Award (2009).

Dr Christine O’Connor lectures in physical and inorganic chemistry at DIT. She completed her PhD in inorganic synthesis and photophysical characterisation in DCU. While lecturing at DIT, she graduated with a Postgraduate Certificate in Third Level Teaching and Learning and was awarded the ‘DIT President’s Commendation for Excellence in Teaching’ (2005). Her research interest is synthesis of therapeutic compounds and she currently has two postgraduate students. Her pedagogic interests include catering for learning diversity in curriculum design, innovative methods for teaching in laboratories and the development of virtual learning environments to support chemistry learning. She has written and presented several papers on these topics nationally and internationally and led two successful proposals to develop project-based learning laboratories.

Dr Sarah Rawe completed her PhD at the University of Liverpool on the synthesis and biological evaluation of novel endoperoxide-containing antimalarials. She then worked as a postdoctoral fellow in the Centre for Synthesis and Chemical Biology in UCD investigating carbohydrate-derived inhibitors of angiogenesis before being appointed to her current position as a lecturer in organic and medicinal chemistry at DIT. She currently supervises five postgraduate students with projects in the areas of antimicrobial glycoconjugates and anticancer hybrid drugs. Her pedagogic interests are the integration of research and embedding of research skills in undergraduate education.

Dr Michael Seery lectures in physical chemistry. Pedagogic interests include innovative methods for teaching in laboratories and the development of online resources to support chemistry teaching at all levels. The former has involved development of problem-based learning style laboratory practicals. He is currently developing an open access resource, photochemistry.wordpress.com, which aims to link fundamental theory in photochemistry with applied research, with special consideration of Irish research. He has completed his MA in Third Level Teaching and Learning and was awarded a Faculty Teaching Award in 2009. He has an active research interest in the area of semi-conductor photocatalysis, with four postgraduate students working in this field.

Dr Susan Bergin, National University of Ireland, Maynooth
Dr Susan Bergin is a lecturer in the Department of Computer Science, NUI Maynooth. She is a member of the SFI-funded Centre for Telecommunications Value-Chain Research and the Institute of Microelectronic Wireless System. Dr. Bergin pursues a holistic, student-centered approach to teaching Computer Science (CS) motivated largely by her continuing research in CS Education. She is deeply committed to teaching the subject effectively, to inspiring research interest in the area, and to fostering the overall intellectual and personal development of her students. Her approach involves, inter alia, building student confidence and self-esteem through collaborative tutoring and peer review, inspiring interest with innovative learning tools and real-world projects, and nurturing her students’ personal development through collaborative work and community interaction.

Special Team Commendation, University College Cork
Dr Bettie Higgs is a lecturer in the Department of Geology. Her areas of interest include plate tectonics and the use of geophysics to investigate the subsurface. Bettie is Academic Co-ordinate of Ionad Bairre, the centre for teaching and learning in University College Cork. She is interested in the nature of learning, and the public understanding of science. Since 2002 she has also coordinated activities designed to support staff in their teaching and learning role. She was a 2005 Carnegie Scholar, at the Carnegie Foundation for the Advancement of Teaching and completed an MA in Teaching and Learning in Higher Education in 2007. She is also an associate lecturer for the Open University, and she tutors geology to students in the Centre for Adult and Continuing Education, UCC.

Marian McCarthy was seconded full time from her post as lecturer in the Education Department, University College Cork to work in Ionad Bairre, which she co-founded in 2006. Marian has been teaching since 1977, having worked at second level for many years. She is co-ordinator of the Certificate, Diploma and Masters in Teaching and Learning in Higher Education. Marian’s doctoral research is in the area of Teaching for Understanding and of approaches that facilitate the development of a Scholarship of Teaching and Learning within the university. She is particularly interested in the synergies between the work of Project Zero at the Harvard Graduate School of Education, with its focus on the student-centred approaches of Multiple Intelligences and Teaching for Understanding, and those of the Carnegie Foundation for the Advancement of Teaching, with its focus on teaching as an integral part of scholarship and research.

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NAIRTL 3rd Annual Conference

Free registration.
Location: Hamilton Building, Trinity College Dublin.
Date: 11-12 November 2009. 

The theme of this year's conference is “Research-Teaching Linkages: Practice & Policy” and we aim to uncover best practice in the development of research-teaching links and to identify potential policy supports to help shape these links.

The programme will feature keynote talks, invited papers, a panel discussion, workshops, and a poster session. Registration for the conference is free. Download conference programme.

Confirmed speakers:
	Dr Anne Lee, Academic Development Adviser, Centre for Learning Development, University of Surrey. "Developments in postgraduate education and their implications for research supervision".
	Professor Carolin Kreber, Professor of Teaching and Learning in Higher Education, and Director of the Centre for Teaching, Learning and Assessment, University of Edinburgh. "Enhancing the student experience through the scholarship of teaching and learning?"
	Mr Bradley Wuetherick is the Manager of Undergraduate Student Services in the Faculty of Agricultural, Life and Environmental Sciences, Alberta University, Canada. "Moving Forward with Research-Enhanced Teaching and Learning: Undergraduate Student and Academic Staff Perceptions of Research in the Undergraduate Learning Environment".

Panel Discussion: chaired by Dr John Bowman
“The role of research funding organisations in shaping teaching and learning in higher education”, featuring Dr Eucharia Meehan, HEA, Dr Mairéad O’Driscoll, HRB, Ms Dipti Pandya, IRCHSS, Mr Martin Hynes, IRCSET, Prof. Nicholas Canny, RIA, and Prof. Frank Gannon, SFI.

Conference themes:
Research-enhanced teaching and learning
Scholarship of Teaching and learning
Graduate Education*

*The Graduate Education theme of the NAIRTL conference will coincide with the second day of the IUA 4th Level Network conference "The Evolving Landscape of Irish Graduate Education" and features joint sessions between the two conferences under this theme.

Conference Dinner:
The conference dinner will be held in the Old Jameson Distillery in Smithfield and will include a guided tour of the Distillery. The meal will be followed by an evening of entertainment with the Jameson Players and the Claddagh Dancers. The cost for the dinner is €60.

Accommodation: List of hotels near Trinity College Dublin

Getting there: Full directions on how to reach the University by train, plane and automobile are available here.

Venue: The Hamilton Building is located towards the far end of the college close to the intersection of Westland row and Pearse Street. The easiest access point is to walk along Pearse street and take the tunnel after the Science Gallery. Map of the campus

LIN 2nd Annual Conference

The Learning Innovation Network is pleased to announce its second
annual LIN conference, being held on Thursday, October 15th, in the
Sheraton Hotel, Athlone.

 The theme for LIN 2009 is ‘Motivating Learners through Creative
Approaches to Assessment’.

 LIN is pleased to welcome Professor John Biggs as our main keynote
speaker.  Professor Biggs developed the SOLO taxonomy for assessing the
quality of learning outcomes, and also developed the model of
constructive alignment for designing teaching and assessment.

As the key feature of LIN 2009 is the provision of assessment strategies
and tools that can be immediately shared and implemented by participants
in their own teaching practice, LIN 2009 will have the following themes;

    * Theme 1 : Integrating Formative Assessment in Course Design
    * Theme 2 : Assessment and the 1st Year Curriculum
    * Theme 3 : Project Based Assessment

The call for abstracts is now open until Monday May 18th.
For more information on the conference themes, please go to :
http://www.lin-ireland.com/index.php?title=LIN_Conference

3rd National Conference on Education: Guwahati, India

A conference for school principals of India took place in Guwahati, India in early October. The conference ran from Thursday, 1st to Saturday, October 3rd with three keynote speakers from Ireland being sponsored to attend by Cornmarket Group Financial Services Ltd. 

Jennifer Murphy, Project Manager of the National Academy for Integration of Research, Teaching and Learning (NAIRTL), was invited to address the conference delegates. This conference was a wonderful opportunity for the National Academy to further their collaborative work and is testament to the impact to date of this initiative nationally and internationally. See presentation here.

Pauric O'Grady who is recently retired from the position of Managing Director of Johnson & Johnson Medical - Ireland, delivered a keynote address at the conference. Pauric is actively involved as a board member with a number of community projects and initiatives and is currently Chairman of the Steering Committee for BITCI's (Business in the Community Ireland) Schools' Business Partnership initiative. See presentation here.

The third sponsored speaker, Mr Reg Chapman, an educational consultant since 2004, has worked in education since 1970. He was principal of one of the largest colleges in England, Blackpool and the Fylde College, which has a reputation for combining excellence with equality and inclusiveness. In 2000 Mr. Chapman was awarded an OBE for Services to Further Education by the Queen. See presentation here.

Cornmarket are sponsors of the Global Schoolroom initiative which is dedicated to sharing educational experience between communities worldwide to help eradicate poverty, promote economic development and support sustainable communities.

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Bologna Symposium - Integrating generic competences in the curriculum

Location: Aula Max, University College Cork.
Date: September 30th.

Opened by Minister for Lifelong Learning, Deputy Seán Haughey, the Bologna Symposium "Integrating generic competences in the curriculum"  focussed on examining national and international examples of how generic competences could be integrated, taught and assessed in Higher Education Institutes in Ireland. The proceedings of NAIRTL’s 4th Bologna Symposium will contribute to the formation of a more robust definition of generic competences suitable to the Irish Higher Education sector.

Presentations:

Dr Gillian Armstrong, University of Ulster: Embedding competences in MSc curricula – Case Insights from Business Development and Marketing Course Provision

Dr Peter Jordan, Waterford Institute of Technology: Tuning the Undergraduate Programme in Art Education

Dr Fiona Smyth, Higher Education and Training Awards Council (HETAC): Assessing the impact of higher education and training on learners – pilot research introduction and overview

Pamela Devins, NUI Galway: Integrating transferable skills into the Bachelor of Commerce Degree

Dr Kay MacKeogh, DCU: Research competence and skills: techniques for improving the quality of the undergraduate dissertation

Dr Tom O'Mahony, Cork Institute of Technology: Designing project-oriented learning experiences

Professor George Francis, University of Bergen, Norway: Designing ”Coursework” for Third Cycle (postgraduate) Degrees

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12th Annual Conference of the Irish Academy of Management

The 12th Annual Conference of the Irish Academy of Management will be held at the Galway-Mayo Institute of Technology between the 2nd and the 4th of September 2009. 

There will be presentations by two NAIRTL award holders:

Daniel Blackshields of the Department of Economics, UCC, will present his paper "The Game is Afoot: The Pedagogical Case of Teaching for Understanding, Sherlock Holmes and Scientific Problem-solving in Economics" at the conference.

Abstract (doc)

Dr Margaret Healy of the Department of Accounting and Finance, UCC, will present a paper "The potential for using technology to enhance the student learning experience)". Authors include: Margaret Healy, Maeve McCutchheon, Claire O'Sullivan-Rochford and Michelle Carr. 

 

QUB: Living Knowledge Conference 2009

Engaged Communities, Engaged Universities: Developing policy and practice in participatory research

This 4^th Living Knowledge Conference marks the tenth anniversary of the Living Knowledge Network Science Shops.  Over time, this network has grown to include a diverse range of community-based researchers, practitioners, international and non-government organisations from across Europe, Canada and North America and has growing membership from the Asia-Pacific region.  The 4th Living Knowledge Conference is organised by the Programme Committee  who have extensive experience in the area of Science Shops and community based research.   It will build on the work of previous conferences in Leuven, Seville and Paris.

The conference is hosted by The Science Shop at Queen’s University Belfast.  Queen’s is a founding member of the International Science Shop Network.

Aims

• To influence international research policies and establish priorities for community based research
• To critically reflect on partnership working
• To examine current practice and future developments in Science Shops  

Themes  

• Engaging students in community based research
• Planning for demographic change
• Science Shops, sustainable development and climate change
• Knowledge exchange, transfer or exploitation?
• Sustaining CBR practice through arts and cultural forms
• Critical reflections on community engagement in the natural sciences, technology and innovation

Outcomes

• Influencing international research policies and priorities
• Bringing Science Shops to the policy agenda in UK and ROI
• Evaluating strategies for embedding community engaged research in universities
• Offering examples of practice and training for new and emerging Science Shops
• Providing opportunities to discuss future collaborations
• Securing the future of the Living Knowledge Network

 

 

Workshop on Learning and Assessment Practices in Economics

Call for Abstracts - Deadline June 15th 2009

One day workshop on Learning and Assessment Practices in Economics

We invite people researching in this area to submit abstracts or full papers for consideration for inclusion in the programme.

The workshop will feature the results of research being conducted in the Department of Economics at NUI Galway that compares computer-based assignments with traditional paper based assignments. The research at NUI Galway also analyses the learning strategies that students choose to prepare for examinations. The conference organizers are particularly interested in submissions in related areas. Priority will be given to empirical papers and both qualitative and quantitative methodologies are welcome.

The deadline for submission is June 15th. Please email abstracts or full papers to Brendan Kennelly at NUI Galway (brendan.kennelly@nuigalway.ie).

The workshop is being funded by a grant from the National Academy for the Integration of Research, Teaching & Learning (NAIRTL)

 

Asperger Syndrome: A Practical Guide for Parents, Teachers, Young People and Other Professionals (DVD Launch)

On behalf of the School of Education in Trinity College, and in partnership with Aspire - the Asperger Syndrome Association of Ireland, this event will feature the launch of a two hour educational DVD on Asperger Syndrome.

The title of the DVD is 'Asperger Syndrome: A Practical Guide for Parents, Young People, Teachers and Other Professionals', and it will be launched by the Minister for Education and Science, Batt O’Keeffe, TD and the Provost of Trinity College, Dr. John Hegarty.

Date: Wednesday, 8th July 2009
Time: 9:30am
Venue: The Atrium, Front Square, Trinity College Dublin, Dublin 2.

Unfortunately, there are no parking facilities available on campus.

The Department of Education and Science and the Special Education Support Service is supporting the initiative by distributing a copy of the DVD to schools across the country. Copies of the DVD will be available at the launch.

Please RSVP your attendance to Shane O’Halloran at development@aspire-irl.org by Friday the 3rd July, stating any special requirements needed.

Crime Genre Conference

Con(tra)vention: Crime and the Boundaries of Genre
The third Interdisciplinary Conference of the Atlantic Alliance of Universities Crime Genre Research Group, which will be held at University College Cork, 26-27 June 2009.

NAIRTL grant winner, Daniel Blackshields from the Economics Department, UCC, will give a paper entitled "The Game Is Afoot!’: Sherlock Holmes And The Investigative Narrative In Economics".

Abstract (doc)

DIT eLearning Summer School 2009

Interested in eLearning? Interested in strategies which will help you and your staff to make the most of current thinking and technologies? Then consider attending the 7th DIT eLearning Summer School, running this year from Monday 22nd to Friday 26th June in DIT Aungier Street.

Plans for this year's event are almost finalised and an outline programme for the week is now available at http://ltt.dit.ie/lttc/workshops-events/elearningsummerschool/pdf/2009_programme.pdf

The focus this year is “Get Flexible: Moving to an Online Environment” and it's expected that participants will complete the week with the basic elements of an online module in place.

Booking is available at  http://ltt.dit.ie/lttc/forms/form_registration_training.html or call 4027866 for further information. A charge of 395euros applies for non-DIT staff.
 
Important! This year's Summer School is primarily lab-based and so numbers are strictly limited to 25. Please book now to ensure your place!

Workshop on Curriculum Development

Integrating program-level learning outcomes and institutional teaching development plans: the scholarship of curriculum and pedagogical practice in higher education

Visiting scholar Professor Harry Hubball from the University of British Columbia, Canada, will deliver a Workshop on Curriculum Development

June 15th 12.30pm – 2.30pm
Seminar Room, Boole Library
A light lunch will be available from 12.15pm

Harry is a winner of the prestigious 3M National Teaching Fellowship in Canada. His research and practice focus on educational development and the scholarship of curriculum and pedagogical practice in higher education.

There is growing recognition of the complexity of academic work and the need for scholarly approaches to curricula and pedagogical practices in higher education. Many universities in North America, Australia, UK and Europe, for example, have recently developed learning-centred curricula that focus on explicit student learning outcomes and assessment practices. However, linking student learning and achievement with properly aligned teaching development plans within institutions, however, is critical for successful implementation.

This seminar/workshop examines the scholarship of teaching and learning (SoTL) in higher education by highlighting successful case study examples from Universities in the Provinces of Ontario and British Columbia, Canada. Data suggest that context-specific and integrated frameworks for implementing program-level learning outcomes and teaching development initiatives is critical to enhancing student learning in university settings. Guiding principles and educational development strategies will be provided, informed by critical lessons learned in various university contexts.

Harry coordinates the Multi-national Teaching Fellows (MNTF) and Institutional Teaching Award (ITA) Winners Research Group on behalf of the International Society for Scholarship of Teaching and Learning (ISSOTL). This workshop will touch upon collaborative research opportunities with colleagues from around the world, and diverse methodological approaches and considerations for conducting the scholarship of teaching and learning (SoTL).

Related publications
Hubball, H.T. and Burt, H. (2006) The Scholarship of Teaching and Learning: Theory-Practice Integration in a Faculty Certificate Program. Innovative Higher Education. Download pdf.

Hubball, H. and Burt, H. (2007) Learning Outcomes and Program-level Evaluation in a Four-year Undergraduate Pharmacy Curriculum. American Journal of Pharmaceutical Education, 71 (5). Download pdf.

Hubball, H. and Gold, N. (2007) The Scholarship of Curriculum Practice and Undergraduate Program Reform: Itegrating Theory into Practice. New Directions for Teaching and Learning, 112. Download pdf.

Hubball, H., Gold, N., Mighty, J. and Britnell, J. (2007) Supporting the Implementation of Externally Generated Learning Outcomes and Learning-Centred Curriculum Development: An Integrated Framework. New Directions for Teaching and Learning, 112. Download pdf.

Integrating program-level learning outcomes and institutional teaching development plans

Ionad Bairre, The Teaching and Learning Centre, UCC

Support for Teaching and Learning Seminars 2009
In association with The National Academy for the Integration of Research, Teaching and Learning (NAIRTL)

Monday 15th June 12.30pm-2.30pm   
Venue: Seminar Room, Boole Library (ground floor)

“Integrating program-level learning outcomes and institutional teaching development plans - the scholarship of curriculum and pedagogical practice in higher education"

A seminar and workshop presented by Prof. Harry Hubball,
University of British Columbia, Canada

Harry is a winner of the prestigious 3M National Teaching Fellowship in Canada. His research and practice focus on educational development and the scholarship of curriculum and pedagogical practice in higher education.

There is growing recognition of the complexity of academic work and the need for scholarly approaches to curricula and pedagogical practices in higher education.

This seminar/workshop examines the scholarship of teaching and learning (SoTL) in higher education by highlighting successful case study examples from Universities in the Provinces of Ontario and British Columbia, Canada. Data suggest that context-specific and integrated frameworks for implementing program-level learning outcomes and teaching development initiatives is critical to enhancing student learning in university settings. Guiding principles and educational development strategies will be provided, informed by critical lessons learned in various university contexts.

Harry coordinates the Multi-national Teaching Fellows (MNTF) and Institutional Teaching Award (ITA) Winners Research Group on behalf of the International Society for Scholarship of Teaching and Learning (ISSOTL). This workshop will touch upon collaborative research opportunities with colleagues from around the world, and diverse methodological approaches and considerations for conducting the scholarship of teaching and learning (SoTL).

A light lunch will be available from 12.15pm.

All are welcome. For more information on seminars visit http://www.ucc.ie/en/teachingandlearning/Seminars/

Design for Learning: Curriculum & Assessment in Higher Education

Thanks to all who expressed an interest in the NAIRTL workshops. We have posted some of the workshop presentations below and invite you to visit the NAIRTL forum to post your comments on or contribute to a discussion about Graduate Competences. 

The 7th Annual Symposium on Higher Education by the Centre for Excellence in Learning and Teaching, NUI Galway was held in Galway on the 11th and 12th of June 2009.

Keynote speakers included:

• Prof. Kathy Isaacs, University of Pisa (History Dept)
• Prof. Liz McDowell, head of the CETL for "Assessment for Learning", University of Northumbria, Newcastle
• Prof. Ferdinand Von Prondzynski, President of Dublin City University
• Dr Kelly Coate, co-author of "Engaging the Curriculum in Higher Education", NUI Galway
• Dr Janet Parker, Senior Research Fellow at the Open University, Editor in Chief of Arts and Humanities in Higher Education and Executive Editor of Teaching in Higher Education.
• Prof. Phil Race, Higher Educational Consultant, Leeds Met University.

The NAIRTL Bologna Working group organised the following workshops at this conference

Workshop 1: Knowledge Transfer – Tuning in to Generic Competences
Chaired by Dr Mary Holden, WIT, this session featured presentations from Prof. Paul Ryan (NUI Galway) and Dr Alan Hegarty (UL) of the EU project "Tuning Educational Structures in Europe" who provided examples and case studies on how to embed generic competences in curricula from a European context. This was followed by small group discussions about particular issues and questions, prior to a large group discussion on the summary points.

Presentation by Alan Hegarty (University of Limerick)

Workshop 2: Integrating Generic Competences into your Curriculum
The second workshop focussed on the question of how generic competences could be embedded in Ireland and was chaired by Dr. Stephen Cassidy (CIT), NAIRTL Working group member. There was a presentation of the results of a national survey of staff and students in the 38 Higher Education Institutes and associated employers on their perceptions of the importance of equipping students with various competences. The audience were then invited to discuss the embedding, teaching and assessing of a particular competence within smaller groups with a final summation and large group discussion to close.

Presentation by Stephen Cassidy (Cork Institute of Technology)

Workshop 3: Building Ireland's Smart Graduate (Stakeholder Perspectives: policy and practice)
Featuring short presentations from an industry representative (Paul Scanlon, Nortel Networks), a policy maker (Oliver Mooney, Policy and Planning, HEA) and a student (Hugh Sullivan, Education Officer, Students' Union, TCD), the final workshop gathered a range of opinions on generic competences. This session, chaired by Paul Barry (WIT), NAIRTL Working group member, asked questions such as: What skills do graduates require? Who should prepare students for the workforce? What is the role of Higher Education? What can we do better?

Presentation by Oliver Mooney (Policy and Planning, HEA)

Presentation by Hugh Sullivan (Education Officer, TCD Student's Union)

Presentation by Paul Scanlon (Nortel Networks, Galway)

Hearing the Student Voice

Participants will be introduced to current work investigating the student voice in curriculum development; be able to share their own experiences in this area; can contribute relevant work in progress or tools and techniques to the Try it out in 10 minutes! sessions; and will have opportunities to explore the potential of using the student voice in the development of the curriculum within their own contexts.

The day will include:

• a presentation outlining issues and outcomes arising from the Hearing the Student Voice project investigating curriculum design and development

• a keynote from Sally Brown, Pro-Vice-Chancellor, Leeds Metropolitan University

• parallel workshops and posters showcasing relevant activities at different institutions throughout the country

• interactive opportunities for participants including a try-it-out session over lunch and a plenary discussion session

• a student voices panel

Third PALNET Symposium

Peer-Learning: Is it Good Practice?

This event is jointly organised by Trinity College and the University of Limerick. The symposium focuses on the relationships between peer learning, academic practice and the transition to higher education.

Accounting Online’: The Design and Implementation of an on-line learning support mechanism for students studying Accounting and Finance

Irish Accounting and Finance Association Annual Conference at UCD

Presentation by Margaret Healy, Maeve McCutcheon, Michelle Carr & Claire O’Sullivan Rochford of a project partly supported by NAIRTL

 

 

LIN Mantz Yorke Workshop

The First Year Curriculum - strategies to enhance retention

On May 5th 2009, the LTTC (Learning, Teaching and Technology Centre) DIT in conjunction with LIN are hosting a one day event at DIT Grangegorman Campus
 
The First Year Curriculum - strategies to enhance retention

Guest speakers include:

Professor Mantz Yorke, Visiting Professor, Lancaster University
Eddie Conlon, School of Engineering, DIT

This participative event would be particular interest to academic staff or programme teams who are currently or about to consider:

1. Programmatic or School Review
2. Addressing Retention issues on a particular programme
3. The development of new programmes

Numbers for this event are strictly limited so please contact Miriam Brosnan by the 28 April 2009 to reserve your place: Miriam.Brosnan@dit.ie or phone 01 4027892

This event is supported by LIN/SIF2 EOL/LTTC

Featuring Quality Assurance in the Design of Learning Outcomes

Council Room, UCC 1 pm-2 pm

Dr Norma Ryan will lead a seminar to discuss the European Standards and Guidelines for Quality Assurance in Higher Education, and how these may be applied at local level.

Part 1 

Part 2

Part 3

Part 4

 

Developing a Learning Model for Accountable Professional Social Care Practice

Tom O'Connor will present his paper "Towards the Development of a Learning Model that Integrates the Social Structural Causes Of Clients’ Needs to a More Accountable Professional Social Care Practice" at ENSACT in Dubrovnik. The work presented in the paper has been partially supported by a NAIRTL grant.

Robert Mathieu

Director, Centre for the Integration of Research and Teaching and Learning, University of Wisconsin at Madison, USA: Research-Led Teaching Public Lecture Series

Title: Preparation of Future Faculty Based on RLT

Time: 14h00 - 16h00

Venue: North Wing Council Room

View footage from this lecture:

Robert Mathieu

 

 

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Kelly Coate

Centre for Excellence in Teaching & Learning, NUI Galway: Research-Led Teaching Public Lecture Series

Title: Rethinking the Relationships between Teaching and Research

Time: 12h30 - 14h 30

Venue: North Wing Council Room

View footage from this lecture:

Kelly Coate

 

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Iain Mac Labhrainn

Director, Centre for Excellence in Learning and Teaching, NUI Galway: Research-Led Teaching Public Lecture Series

Title: Towards Evidence Based Policy in Higher Education - large scale staff surveys of teaching, professional interests and the role of higher education

Time: 12h00 - 14h00

Venue: Brookfield G04

View footage from this lecture:

 Iain Mac Labhrainn

 

 

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Bettie Higgs

NAIRTL Management Board Member and Academic Co-ordinator of Ionad Bairre, UCC: Research-led Teaching Public Lecture Series 

Title: What are the Threshold Concepts in Your Discipline?

Time: 13h00-15h00

Venue: North Wing Council Room

View footage from this lecture:

Bettie Higgs

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Barbara Cambridge

National Council of Teachers of English, Alexandria VA, USA: Research-led Teaching Public Lecture Series

Title: E Portfolio Learning and Research: Building Strong Links

Time: 12h00 - 14h00

Venue: Brookfield 102

View footage from this lecture:

Barbara Cambridge

 

Medical Education in Ireland: Changing Times

Medical Education in Ireland: Changing Times “

5th and 6th February 2009
Brookfield Health Sciences Complex
University College Cork

Angela Brew

Faculty of Education and Social Work, University of Sydney: Research-led Teaching Public Lecture

Title: Enhancing undergraduate engagement through research and enquiry

Time: 16h00 - 18h00

 Venue: Brookfield G05

View footage from this lecture:

Angela Brew

 

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Andrea Nolan

Vice Principal of Learning, Teaching and Internationalisation, University of Glasgow: Research-led Teaching Public Lecture

Title: Developing research minded enhancing attributes in our graduates

NOTE CHANGE of Time: 10h00 - 12h00

Venue: Brookfield G04

View footage from this lecture:

Andrea Nolan

 

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David Boud

Professor of Adult Education in the Arts and Social Sciences at the University of Sydney.

Title: Research-led assessment: bringing together teaching and avoiding the contradictions of certification

Time: 16h00-18h 00,

Venue: Aula Maxima, UCC

 

View footage from this lecture:

Professor David Boud

 

Excellence in Teaching Awards

NAIRTL Excellence in Teaching Awards honouring exemplary teachers who are also innovative researchers in higher education in Ireland.

The 2008 Awards were presented by Minister of State in the Department of Enterprise, Trade and Employment, Deputy Billy Kelleher.

NAIRTL Management Board meeting

The NAIRTL management board meets regularly. The next meeting of the board will be held in University College Cork on 15th December.

Bologna and Staff Development

 

 Conference Programme

 

Date:    Friday 5th December, 2008
Time:   10h 00 – 16h 30
Venue: Science Gallery, Trinity College Dublin
See http://www.tcd.ie/visitors/ and http://www.sciencegallery.com/

The Bologna Declaration is a binding commitment to an action programme whose objectives include “the elimination of remaining obstacles to the free mobility of … teachers (as well as researchers and higher education administrators)”. This Symposium invites participants to contribute to the success of the process in particular addressing the objective of Staff Development. A number of themes will be addressed by Keynote speakers including:

• Professor Mary Daly, Principal, UCD College of Arts and Celtic Studies - Opening Address
• Professor Joyce Fitzpatrick, Elizabeth Brooks Ford Professor of Nursing, Case Western Reserve University, Cleveland - Development of Research Agendas
• Dr Declan Kennedy Department of Education, University College Cork - Bologna and Learning Outcomes
• Dr Mary Gobbi Senior Lecturer in Nursing, University of Southampton School of Health Sciences - Strategic underpinning for organisational change
• Mr Shane Kelly, President, Union of Students in Ireland - The Student Perspective
• Professor Patrick J. Prendergast Vice-Provost/Chief Academic Officer, Trinity College Dublin – Closing Address

The Symposium will include a dedicated session for Poster Presentations. Posters are invited on any topic related to the broad theme of Bologna and Staff Development. Please submit a 300 word abstract as well as an electronic version of your poster to nairtl@ucc.ie by 28th November 2008.

Attendance is free of charge. Coffee and lunch will be served. To facilitate catering arrangements, please register your interest in attending below. All are welcome.

Getting to the Science Gallery - the venue is in a modern building close to the Pearse St DART station. As you come out of the DART, cross the road. Ahead of you is the Naughton Building (sports centre etc.). Turn right and then immediately left so you are walking along Pearse St with the Naughton Building on your left. The Science Gallery is the next building on the left and the conference is being held upstairs in Studios 1 and 2.

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Additional Information

Stimulating Mobility for World Class Higher Education

Joint Ireland/UK Bologna Conference

The Grand Hotel, Malahide, Dublin, Ireland

Spreagadh Soghluaiseachta d’ardoideachas Domhanda
Comh-chomhdháil Bologna Éireann/RA

International Conference of Education, Research and Innovation (ICERI 2008)

Dr Daniel Blackshields will present 'The game is afoot!' - The pedagogical case of teaching for understanding, Sherlock Holmes, and Scientific Problem-Solving in Economics. Dr Blackshield received support for his work through a NAIRTL annual report grant earlier this year.

NAIRTL 2nd Annual Conference

KEYNOTE SPEAKERS

Professor Erik Jan Meyer, Director of the Centre for Learning, Teaching and Research in Higher Education, Durham University –
Helping our Students: Learning, Metaleanirng, and Threshold Concepts

Mr Tom Haffie, Learning Development Coordinator, Faculty of Science, University of Western Ontario –
Using Personal Response Technology to Enhance Student Engagement

Professor Margaret Price, Director of ASKe, Centre of Excellence in Teaching and Learning, Oxford Brookes University –
Assessment as a Learning Experience

Mr Shane Kelly, President, Union of Students in Ireland –
Understanding Student Feedback in the Quality Assurance Process

Debate on Grade Inflation: Improved student grades in higher education are a valid reflection of improvement in teaching and learning
Professor Áine Hyland V Martin O'Grady from the Network for Irish Educational Standards

The conference also includes a wide range of papers, workshops and posters of interest to all teaching and learning professionals, as well as a post-conference field trip – 'Teaching in the field' – along the stunning coastline of County Waterford.

Abstracts can be viewed here.

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ISSOTL 2008

October 16-19, Edmonton, Canada International Society for the Scholarship of Teaching and Learning

Learning Innovation Network Annual Conference

"FOSTERING A STUDENT CENTRED LEARNING EXPERIENCE"
Hodson Bay Hotel, Athlone, Co. Westmeath
October 10th 2008

This first annual LIN conference aims to explore innovations in teaching, learning and assessment, and different pedagogical approaches to enhance the student experience. We now invite papers and poster presentations within the following themes. We also welcome student input and joint student/staff presentations.

INNOVATIONS IN TEACHING AND LEARNING
This theme explores innovations in teaching and learning which result in an improved student learning experience. Papers are sought that offer insights into innovative teaching methods that foster a rich student learning experience. Papers may explore theoretical aspects of teaching and learning, constructivism, social constructivism, situated learning, problem based learning or the application of technologically enhanced learning.

WORKING WITHIN A MODULAR ENVIRONMENT
This theme will address the impact of modularization from an academic perspective, and a student perspective, e.g. the pedagogical impact of the implementation of modularization on course structure and design, learning outcomes, constructive alignment and student retention.

ASSESSMENT WITHIN A MODULAR ENVIRONMENT
This theme will look at innovative approaches and strategies for assessing programmes, modules, student performance and class materials in classrooms. Papers are sought that offer insights into innovative assessment approaches to improve the student learning experience. Papers may explore formative and summative assessment strategies or evaluate the impact of modularization on assessment.

Session Format:
Each theme will be presented in a parallel session. Each presentation is 15 minutes long with five minutes for questions.

Abstract Submission:
Paper and poster abstracts should be no longer than 300 words and highlight the key message of the paper/poster. Please submit your abstract using the on-line submission form on the LIN website by 12 MAY 2008.

Successful paper presenters will be asked to submit a short paper of 3,000 to 4,000 words before the conference, for publication in the conference proceedings or electronic journal.

For further information please visit or contact Rosie Curry, Tel: 091-742154 rosie.curry@gmit.ie

Transforming Healthcare through Research, Education and Technology

Bridie McCarthy and Anne McAuliffe, supported by a NAIRTL grant, will present a poster of their project "Therapeutic communication skills for palliative practice".

Patient Partnership and Inter-professional Partnership

REGISTRATION FOR THIS EVENT IS CLOSED! 

FOR LATE REGISTRATION TELEPHONE maria buckley on 021 4904688

education for health

Patient Partnership and Inter-professional Partnership - Teaching and Learning together at UCC 

Convened by the School of Medicine and School of Clinical Therapies, UCC

Venue: G06 Brookfield Health and Sciences Complex, UCC

Date: Friday 3^rd October 2008, 08h 30 – 15h 00  

Download Programme

Click here to access useful information on accommodation, parking, campus maps etc.

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Everything you wanted to know about Copyright...

Professor Charles Oppenheim has kindly agreed to facilitate a session titled "Everything you wanted to know about COPYRIGHT but were afraid to ask" on the 22nd of September, 2008 in WIT.   There will be a strong emphasis on copyright and the Internet. 

  Booking form

Professor Charles Oppenheim has been involved in, and published widely on legal issues in information work since the mid 1970s.   His particular interest is in Intellectual Property Rights, but is also interested in data protection, Freedom of Information, liability for inaccurate information and defamation issues.   Please see below for a more detailed biography.

This half day seminar will provide information relating to copyright and the Internet, and Intellectual Property.  The seminar will cover the following topics:

• Introduction to copyright and database law
• Copyright & the Internet –including explanations of copyright licenses for the Internet
• Intellectual Property
• Recent and proposed changes to legislation
• Obtaining permission to reuse copyright protected information
• Technical protection systems
• Questions & Answers session

Audience:	This seminar will be of benefit to anyone who is interested in copyright.
Date:	Monday, September 22, 2008
Time:	10.00 am to 12.00 noon – General presentation including Q & A session 1.30pm to 2.15pm – Practical session (Indicative Content - How to prepare permission forms)
Location:	Waterford Institute of Technology
Attendance:	Places are limited so early booking is advisable.
Cost:	€80 per delegate.   Group rates available.  This seminar is free for WIT staff.

 

Neuroscience Ireland Conference Galway

Top two UCC BSc Neuroscience students (based on laboratory research project) will present their projects to the conference, funded through a NAIRTL annual report award.

Critical Thinking: the Future of Universities

http://ollscoil.blogspot.com/

This symposium will bring together key commentators on higher education in order to pose a fundamental question: What is the purpose of the University in the 21st Century? The symposium will include keynote speakers and a series of workshops led by facilitators who are experts in the field. Participants will also be able to engage in discussions in the workshops on specific themes, including civic engagement, globalisation, and the links between research and teaching.

Presenters:

• Dr. James J. Browne, President, NUI Galway
• Mr. Michael Kelly, Chairman, Higher Education Authority, Ireland
• Professor Mary Evans, University of Kent
• Dr. Don Olcott, CEO, Observatory on Borderless Higher Education
• Professor Ronaldo Munck, Dublin City University
• Professor Michael Shattock, Institute of Education, London
• Dr. Rajani Naidoo, University of Bath
• Professor Alan Jenkins, Oxford Brookes University
• Professor Alison Phipps, University of Glasgow
• Professor Kathleen Lynch, University College Dublin

CIRTL STEM Education Scholars Program 2008

Immersion programme to practice techniques for engaging students in active learning. Vanderbilt University, Nashville, TN with selective application procedure.

NAIRTL Annual Report 2007 Launch

The National Academy's Annual Report 2007 will be launched in the North Wing Council Room, UCC, on 14th May 2008 at 11h 00. Proceedings from the Academy's November Conference 2007 will also be launched at this event.

Guest speaker: Professor Ray Land, University of Strathclyde, Glasgow

Student speaker: Suzanne McEndoo, Postgraduate student, UCC

View footage from this conference:

You will need Windows Media Player to view this footage:

Professor Grace Neville, Director, NAIRTL

Professor Ray Land  Screencast
Powerpoint presentation only

Suzanne McEndoo Screencast

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Bologna Symposium - Spotlight on Engineering

Sponsored by NAIRTL

CIT School of Music, Cork
May 12th 2008

Speech by Minister Batt O'Keeffe TD

View footage from this conference:

You will need Windows Media Player to view this footage:

Conference Chair - Mr Liam Hodnett, Head of Engineering, CIT video

Dermot Coughlan, University of Limerick video
Powerpoint presentation only

Professor Sebastião Feyo de Azevedo video
Powerpoint presentation only

Neil Atkinson IChemE video
Powerpoint presentation only

Eimear Ruane, NUIG video
Powerpoint presentation only

Barry O'Connor, CIT video
Powerpoint presentation only

Denis McGrath, Engineers Ireland video
Powerpoint presentation only

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MITA workshop Kings College London

Margaret Denny from WIT, with colleagues Suzanne Denieffe and Dr John Wells, gave an MITA (multiple intelligence teaching approach) workshop at Kings College London. Margaret's work was supposed by a NAIRTL annual report award.

Irish Accounting and Finance Association at Athlone IT

Dr Edel Barnes gave a paper on her research including case studies of "Accounting Education and Possibilities for Assessment Innovation at Third Level", in part supported through a NAIRTL annual report award.

International Perspectives on Teaching and Learning in Higher Education

Sponsored by NAIRTL and the Irish Universities Quality Board.

University College Cork.
November 9th & 10th 2007

View footage from this conference:

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Conference opening speech - Dr Michael Murphy, President of UCC

Presentation by Professor Aine Hyland

Presentation by Professor Mick Healey

Presentation by Dr Barbara Cambridge

Presentation by Professor Andrea Nolan

Presentation by Professor Jean Brihault

Presentation by Kris McElhinney

Implementing Learning Outcomes Conference

This conference was held on 10th and 11th February 2006.

If you wish to order a copy of Declan Kennedy's book Writing and Using Learning Outcomes, please go to the resources section of this website.

Click to transfer to a separate downloads page if you wish to download the programme, presentations or posters from the conference.

Third CETL Conference: Beyond Teaching and Research: inclusive understandings of Academic Practice

The third conference organised by the Centre for Excellence in Preparing for Academic Practice will be held at St Anne’s College, University of Oxford, from 13 to 15 December 2009. The event will be focused on the development of holistic depictions of academic careers - ones conceptualized as more than teaching and/or research. We have sought a wide range of creative responses to this idea; initial suggestions include academic practice as career development, mentoring, academic climate, relationships between academic work and wider life, academic writing and discourse, and emotions or affect in academic work.

ISSOTL 2009: Solid Foundations, Emerging Knowledge, Shared Futures

The International Society for the Scholarship of Teaching and Learning is pleased to announce that its sixth annual conference on October 22-25 2009 will be held on the beautifully scenic, academically renowned and culturally rich Bloomington campus of Indiana University. The theme of "Solid Foundations, Emerging Knowledge, Shared Futures" invites scholars of teaching and learning from around the world to share their evidence-based insights and theoretical frameworks for how to teach today's students to be tomorrow's most prepared citizens.

The International Society for the Scholarship of Teaching & Learning (ISSOTL) serves faculty members, staff, and students who care about teaching and learning as serious intellectual work. The goal of the Society is to foster inquiry and disseminate findings about what improves and articulates post-secondary learning and teaching. ISSOTL is organized to

• Recognize and encourage scholarly work on teaching and prolearning in each discipline, within other scholarly societies, and across educational levels
• Promote cross-disciplinary conversation to create synergy and prompt new lines of inquiry
• Facilitate the collaboration of scholars in different countries and the flow of new findings and applications across national boundaries
• Encourage the integration of discovery, learning and public engagement
• Advocate for support, review, recognition, and appropriate uses of the scholarship of teaching and learning.

ECER 2009: Theory and Evidence in European Educational Research

Private and public enterprises, national and international agencies provide a wealth of data and information about education systems and processes unknown to previous generations. Concepts like “evidence-based policy making”, “quality assurance”, “data-driven decision making”, and “evidence-based teaching” have played an important part in this development. The rapid spread of national and international testing systems is another sign of the ongoing transformation of the field.

At the same time there are numerous reports from different European countries that resources for independent university-based educational research have been declining, and that the opportunities for unsolicited, critical research have worsened. The decline appears to have particularly affected those areas long considered to be the corner-stones of the discipline -- educational philosophy, history, general didactics, and other foundational subjects.

However, the changing environment is only one part of the story: There are good reasons to ask if those parts of the discipline which have dominated the field in the past did enough to provide the kind of information professionals, the public, politics, and society as a whole needed. But, likewise, we can ask if all the new data really produces ”evidence”,  if there is a fundamental gap between the empirical wealth we have and the quality of the theoretical and methodological groundwork that underlies much of it. In other words, the rapid transformation of educational research provokes fundamental questions about the interplay between theory and research, data and evidence, and, not least, about the identity and coherence of educational research.

Learning and Teaching Conference 2009: Revitalising the HE experience through Blended Learning: discovering, sharing, connecting in our Knowledge Society

The Londonmet Learning and Teaching Conference, organised by CAPD, has established itself as an annual event and, more importantly, one which staff anticipate with both pleasure and a stream of contributions.

This, the sixth conference in the series, continues the opportunity for active debate, discussion and reflection across the University around learning and teaching issues.

In this year's Conference the emphasis is how we can use blended learning to invoke "the traditional values of higher education while meeting the demands and needs of the 21st Century"*. As always, this Conference is underpinned by the identification and broadcasting of our own good and noteworthy practice, wherever it occurs within the University.

The 2009 Conference outcomes will be:

• A Conference Report summarising issues and contributions to the debate
• By agreement, publication of appropriate papers/presentations in "Investigations in University Teaching and Learning" [ISSN 1740-5106] (the University's journal for academic development).
• A Conference Website with links to the Conference content.

The Seventh Open Classroom Conference

Openness and flexibility will characterise both the content and format of the Porto Open Classroom Conference: inspiring keynote presentations will be followed by moderated discussions, exhibition and presentation of innovative tools and methods will be intertwined with hands-on exploration of their potentials by participants.

The Porto Open Classroom Conference will explore:

• how schools cope with the potential of collaborative knowledge building;
• what is the essence of learner control (empowerment of the learner) for different age groups, disciplines and learning environments;
• how do new learning solutions (open content, open source software, social networking) are introducing innovative experiences and facilitate learning as a creative process;
• what key competences are needed to be an active lifelong learner in the 21st century multicultural society;
• what is the emerging role of the school-teacher in the European School 2.0.

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