Digital Commons Network^™

Inter-University International Collaboration For An Online Course: A Case Study, John O'Connor, Claudia Igbrude, Dudley Turner

Conference papers

This paper is a practical account of the experience of collaboration between two international partners – one in Europe and the other in the United States. This collaboration experience is a lens through which the authors outline the origin, design and implementation of an inter-university teaching experience. The processes, strengths and difficulties are outlined and the rationale for utilising a virtual world is given, along with the participants’ perspectives of the experience. No institutional changes or formal agreements were needed.

The same course was validated and accredited by each institution and designed to address the requirements of each with the …

Rankings In Institutional Strategies And Processes: Impact Or Illusion, Ellen Hazelkorn, Tia Loukkola, Thérèse Zhang

Reports

Higher education is undergoing rapid change in response to developments occurring at national and international level. Today, universities’ performance worldwide is increasingly being measured using rankings which have been developed by governmental and/or commercial agencies, at both national and international level. The Rankings in Institutional Strategies and Processes (RISP) project is the first pan-European study of the impact and influence of rankings on European higher education institutions. The project has sought to build understanding of how rankings impact and influence the development of institutional strategies and processes and its results are presented in the publication.

Gaihe Survey Report Results, Andrew Gibson, Ellen Hazelkorn

Other resources

This conference presentation details the results of the survey from the Governance and Adaptation to Innovative Modes of Higher Education Provision (GAIHE) Project (funded by the Education, Audiovisual and Culture Executive Agency (EACEA) through the Lifelong Learning Programme), and discusses their implications.

Can The Use Of Online Learning And Reflective Journals Improve Students’ Performance And Engage Them In Independent Learning For A Practically Taught “Timber Jointing Module, Jennifer Byrne

Articles

The Technological University Dublin is one of the largest multi-level higher education providers in Ireland. The Institute’s traditional mission has always been focused on teaching and learning in the field of advanced technical vocational education and training (TVET), and one of its agendas is to foster and encourage changes in teaching practice and methodology in order to enhance the student learning experience.

This research concerned the performance levels of first year students of the Timber Product Technology (TPT) programme. I wanted to investigate whether the use of independent online learning and reflective journals would encourage these students to continue their …

Spatial Skills As Predictors Of Success In First-Year Engineering, Sheryl Sorby, Edmund Nevin, Avril Behan, Eileen Mageean, Sarah Sheridan

Conference papers

Numerous research studies have highlighted the importance of well-developed 3-D spatial skills for success in STEM related programs. Poor spatial skills, particularly among first-year students, can place them at a distinct disadvantage when completing introductory courses in mathematics, CAD, descriptive geometry, and graphic communications - first-year requirements in many STEM related programs. This in turn can lead to poor grades and retention issues. Women are disproportionally among the group of students with weak or poorly developed 3-D spatial skills meaning that they are at a greater risk of leaving engineering when compared to their male counterparts. In this study, the …

Report On The Survey Of Governance And Adaptation To Innovative Modes Of Higher Education Provision (Gaihe), Andrew Gibson, Ellen Hazelkorn, Barry Colfer

Reports

Higher education around the world is undergoing significant change. Globalisation and competition from new modes of provision have sparked a strong debate about how to maintain the efficiency and effectiveness of higher education. These developments challenge the “traditional” model of university education and its future. How does the management of European universities adapt to these innovations? What are the new modes of education provision across Europe? What is the role of university governance and government policy in establishing and regulating innovative modes of education provision? What are the motivations, barriers and drivers for innovative education provision?

The definition of innovation …

Historic Former Asylum In A Perilous State, Sylvia Thompson

Media

It is in a perilous state of dereliction with only the southern end of the building remaining standing. The linking arcades on the wings of the building are long gone. The roof has collapsed inwards. The windows have all been broken and are either boarded up or covered with gratings. It is surrounded by overgrown vegetation and in some places, there are trees rooted into the walls.

Initial Investigation Into Spatial Skills As Predictors Of Success In First-Year Stem Programmes, Sheryl Sorby, Edmund Nevin, Eileen Mageean, Sarah Sheridan, Avril Behan

Conference papers

Through numerous research studies conducted over the past fifty years, the importance of well-developed 3-D spatial skills for success in engineering and other STEM fields has been widely demonstrated. Research conducted in the U.S. and elsewhere, has demonstrated the high level of 3-D spatial skills found in engineering students; however, not all of our first-year students have strong spatial skills when they start their post-secondary studies. Poor spatial skills put these students at a distinct disadvantage when completing introductory courses in mathematics, CAD, descriptive geometry, and graphic communications - first-year requirements in many engineering and STEM programs. In turn, this …

New Dit Campus Opens At Grangegorman To First 1,000 Students, Irish Independent Newspaper

Media

No abstract provided.

Dit Grangegorman Faces A Car-Free Future, Irish Independent Newspaper

Media

I went round the new campus for Dublin Institute of Technology at Grangegorman last Thursday. It is stunning, with great views of the Dublin mountains, masses of open space and sympathetic restoration of the grand old buildings of the original hospital.

Culinary Internship And The European Mobility Action Plan: Part One, Frank Cullen

Articles

International mobility for work placement has experienced exponential growth over the past five years with the assistance of European Leonardo da Vinci and Erasmus funding for European internships. The main purpose behind the European Commission funding ventures for internship (experiential learning) is to enhance the students’ cultural awareness, cultivate their language skills and develop their professionalism in their field of study. It is generally accepted that experiential learning in the workplace provides many learning opportunities for students (Billett, 2001:121, Fuller and Unwin, 2003, Guile and Griffiths, 2001, Cullen, 2010a, Cullen, 2010b, Kristensen, 2004). In spite of acceptance that experiential learning …

Locals Angry At Campus Building Site Disruption, Joyce Fegan

Media

Residents living near the planned DIT Grangegorman campus are up in arms over the level of disturbance they say they are being forced to endure.

Student Retention In Third Level - Have The First Year Experience And College Interventions Impacted Student Retention?, Anne Hurley

Reports / Surveys

The focus of this paper is on exploring the impact of interventions during the first year of college. The paper considers the performance of students and their points level at entry, their participation in structured learning classes, tutorials etc. and their gender.

This analysis will inform the School of Hospitality Management and Tourism strategy around the first year experience. It is also hoped it would provide valuable insights for the Institute as a whole and for developing TU4Dublin first year experience strategy.

The school to date has prioritised enhancing student retention in first year with particular emphasis on the first …

A Technological University: Student Role In Delivering Quality, Frank Mcmahon

Conference Papers

No abstract provided.

Using Vles And Mobile Technology To Aid In The Provision Of An Upgraded Delivery Mechanism For The Basic Principles Of Quantity Surveying, Charles Anthony Mitchell

Conference papers

Building measurement has its roots on the construction site not in the classroom. As a result of this it is a subject which is better taught in a practical manner, rather like an apprenticeship. Many students entering the course, whether as standard entry or as mature students, will have had little or no exposure to building measurement as carried out by the quantity surveyor unless they have had some experience of working with a quantity surveyor. As a result students may find the initial learning process very intense. The maths used are relatively simplistic. Building measurement is about analysing the …

Promoting Social And Academic Attainment Through Emotional And Social Skills Development, Aiden Carthy, Sinead Mcgilloway

Conference Papers

No abstract provided.

World Class Universities And The Public Interest, Ellen Hazelkorn

Other resources

No abstract provided.

A Reflective Report On Values Informing Professional Practice In Educating The Educators, Roisin Donnelly

Conference papers

While a significant body of work on the practice of academic development exists, research on academic developers (those charged with supporting the education of academic staff in higher education) as professionals is limited, and few have explored the profession from the perspective of academic developers themselves [21]. Specifically, this reflective report begins to address the question of how best to prepare and support current and future academic developers for their ambiguous and complex roles and their need to function within the changing environment of higher education institutions. Since embarking on a role in an Irish Higher Education Institution in 1999 …

Searching For French Civilization: Reflections On Situating Information Literacy Skills In An Undergraduate French Curriculum, Carmel O'Reilly

Books/Book Chapters

No abstract provided.

Performance Tasks And Portfolios, Deirdre Lawless

Assessment & Feedback Cases

Getting Students to Use Twitter To Explore and Report on Research Resources.

Class Presentation, Lorraine O'Connell

Assessment & Feedback Cases

Students prepare and deliver a presentation to their peers based on either a single journal article or a specific topic/issue within music education they have researched. Within some courses, this is done as a group project while in others it is an individual assignment.

Students' Views On Assessment, Fiona Mcsweeney

Other resources

The aim of the study was to explore the views and experiences of students in a Social Science department in an institute of higher education. All undergraduate students were surveyed using a structured questionnaire. 258 valid questionnaire were returned and analysed to ascertain students’ opinions on the purpose of assessment, how prepared they felt for assessments, their experiences and views of formative feedback and their reactions to grades. Findings show that while students have completed a good range of assessment types and show awareness of the learning potential of assessments they do not feel they understand lecturers’ expectations nor are …

The Development, Implementation And Initial Evaluation Of Tailorable Resource Packs For Multimedia Based "Assessments For Learning", Barry Ryan

Teaching Fellowships

In this project a suite of tailorable teaching and learning resources were created, implemented and evaluated. These resources focused on the assessment for learning model, adopting the constructivist approach to learning. Here, the student builds their knowledge, and deepens their understanding, as they complete their assessment. The resources were designed to aid academic adoption, and student implementation, of this model of assessment. The assessment outputs created using these resources were digital videos and network concept maps. The tailorable resources provided a structured and scaffolded environment for both the academic and student to explore this learning space. Both students and academic …

The Development Of Teachers' Key Competences For Student-Centred Teaching And Learning., Frank Mcmahon

Conference Papers

No abstract provided.

Open Book Lab Test, Ciaran Cawley

Assessment & Feedback Cases

A programming exercise in the form of a requirements specification to be completed within the specified time with allowed use of notes, books, code and internet.

Marking Rubrics, Jane Courtney

Assessment & Feedback Cases

A marking rubric is used to clearly outline the criteris and marks available to students for sections of an assignment, typically a report. For example sections could be Style, Analysis, Results, Innovation. The students see the allocation of marks in advance, with performance levels or indices given ranging from Not done to Excellent.

Literature Review, Deirdre Quinn

Assessment & Feedback Cases

This is a 3,000 word assessment which is a literature review and is the first stage in the process of producing a Dissertation. In the lecture they are brought through the different stages of finding ideas, generating output, gathering material and writing. Feedback is given through the process to those students who speak to the lecturer. They are also getting feedback from their supervisor. At the end of the module students are given a structured feedback sheet (see attached). Due to large numbers this feedback sheet it extremely important.

Observation, Gavin Duffy

Assessment & Feedback Cases

Observation – get engagement with group learning process, group discussions and self- directed phase. Their actions dictate learning. The tutor must try to gauge learning through monitoring interaction.

Online Quizzes, David Dorran

Assessment & Feedback Cases

Quiz within a virtual learning environment. Generally the quizzes are based on numerical responses, however some multiple choice questions. The quizzes are geared towards the level of the student and the information being reinforced.

Problem Based Learning 4, Robert Howard

Assessment & Feedback Cases

Assessment criteria for teaching groups through PBL.