Digital Commons Network^™

Supporting Early Childhood Educational Provision Within A Cluster Of Deis Preschool And Primary School Settings With A Specific Focus On Transition Between The Two Educational Settings., Mary O'Kane, Noirin Hayes

Reports

No abstract provided.

Building A Successful Transatlantic Collaboration In Engineering/Technological Education; Lessons From A Six Year Journey, Donal Mchale, Mark Mcgrath, John Lawlor

Conference Papers

This paper reflects on key learning’s from the first six-years (2004-2010) of the development of a collaborative journey of two trans-Atlantic higher-educational institutions. It describes the progress towards building a sustainable and innovative international educational partnership in Engineering/Technological education between the Technological University Dublin,DublinIrelandandPurdue University,Indiana,USA.

In particular, the paper provides insight into the iterative stages of development of this relationship. It reflects on some of the key challenges and it recognises the critical enablers of success. It focuses on challenges and solutions in the following six important areas

(i) The partnership initiation stage. Key considerations and important enablers of future …

The Discourses Of Higher Education In Ireland: Religion, Nationalism And Economic Development, Nora French

Articles

Higher education is shaped and changed by the context in which it operates. For the past several decades, it has been shaped in Ireland by plans for economic development and the focus has been on education as an enabler of wealth creation. It is claimed to have been an important factor in the rise of the Celtic Tiger economy, and the government are again looking to education as a main contributor to recovery from the current recession. This focus marked a major change in Irish higher education. It was in sharp opposition to the deep-seated tradition of liberal education based …

Instructional Videocasts: Facilitating Learning In A Mobile World, Roisin Donnelly, Robert Hickey

Articles

This paper critically discusses the new opportunities unique to the use of mobile platforms to complement formal learning with informal learning in an apprenticeship context. It begins with an outline of a problem identified by the teacher-researcher with phase six apprentice bricklaying students achieving psycomotor learning outcomes, mainly due to high student numbers and limited available workshop time. A solution to this problem is presented through the facilitation of the students using eleven short instructional video demonstrations on mobile phones to optimise their time. These were uploaded to the memory cards of the students’ mobile phones. Within an action research …

Trends In Performance Of Science And Technology Students (1997–2008) In Ireland, Fiona Faulkner, Olivia Gill, Ailish Hannigan

Articles

Hunt and Lawson [1] displayed the evidence of decline in the mathematical standards of first-year students in Coventry University between 1991 and 1995. Gill [2] sought to investigate if this was also the case in the University of Limerick. The results of diagnostic tests administered to first-year undergraduates in the science and technology groups (service mathematics courses) between 1997 and 2002 displayed the evidence that the mathematical standard of students entering the University of Limerick’s service mathematics courses had declined over the 6 years studied. In this article, the authors revisit the University of Limerick’s database, which currently holds data …

A Framework To Develop Lifelong Learning And Transferable Skills In An Engineering Programme, Gavin Duffy, Brian Bowe

Conference papers

Engineering programmes have a strong reputation in the delivery of technical knowledge and skills. Graduates need equally high levels of competence in personal and professional skills to not only meet the existing requirements of employers and professional bodies but to also help them manage the inevitable changes that society is facing in an increasingly populated world. The need to move from traditional to student-centred learning is discussed in the context of engineering education. The use of group-based, problem driven learning facilitates high integration of technical and non-technical knowledge and skills and requires more engagement with the programme from today’s student. …