Education Commons^™

From Passivity To Interactivity: How The Traditional Lecture Has Evolved As A Method Of Instruction, Patricia Doherty

The ITB Journal

D’Inverno (2003:19) notes that “Most of the lectures which students attend require little engagement and they may well have developed a passive mentality in which some largely expect to switch off”. This paper reviews current thinking in this issue and present recent feedback from students in order to establish what can be done to improve the lecture as a method of instruction. We present a discussion that will help encourage a deeper sense of learning, make the lecture into something that students do not want to miss through promoting inclusiveness in learning, by making lectures more interactive and developing student …

Working Towards An Inclusive Model Of Practice: E4 Project Training In An Institute Of Technology, Dawn Duffin

The ITB Journal

The paper hypothesises that third level tutors are not required to and do not generally possess teaching or disability awareness qualifications and that the institute of technology involved would benefit from a collective approach towards more inclusive practice. The collected data confirms the hypothesis whilst also highlighting recommendations to be incorporated into future planning. The aim of this paper is to examine the effectiveness of a Continuing Professional Development Module on inclusive teaching and learning in a third level institute of technology; it is then intended to derive appropriate lessons for future development of such training. The E4 Project builds …

Is The Collage Arund The Korner Just De Sam? A Study Of General Literacy And Information Literacy In The Year One Horticulture Cohort At The Institute Of Technology, Blanchardstown, Kevin Martin

The ITB Journal

This paper examines the issues of general and Information Literacy among first year students at the Institute of Technology Blanchardstown, Dublin, Ireland in the School of Engineering and Computing. It specifically looks at the first year Diploma in Horticulture intake and briefly compares these to other cohorts in the school. It seeks to tentatively establish the percentages of students who are presenting with literacy difficulties. It suggests interventions that may help to remediate the problems for some students and help them fulfil their potential.

Chinese And Irish Students: An Investigation Of Their Intercultural Competence And Second Language Learning Motivation In The Process Of Integration, Allie Heying, Fionnuala Kennedy

CALL: Irish Journal for Culture, Arts, Literature and Language

This paper presents the initial results of ongoing PhD research, which investigates the perceived intercultural competence and second language (L2) learning motivation of Chinese and Irish students in higher education in Ireland. Literature shows that the integration level can be determined by students’ intercultural contact frequency and L2 motivation. The main findings of this research show that i) integration between Irish and Chinese students is limited as their intercultural contact is restricted to academic environments; ii) intercultural contact does not necessarily imply an increase in perceived intercultural competence; iii) L2 learning promotes intercultural competence in the integration process and iv) …

Problems With Internet And Library Usage For Secondary School Children, Tom Nolan, Mark Humphrys

The ITB Journal

This research consisted of investigating seven hypotheses using the following components: 1. Observation of forty-three secondary school children using the Internet and the library to complete five tasks. 2. An interview was held with all the participants in the study that was audio taped and subsequently transcribed. 3. An on-line form was constructed so that the students could nominate their favourite educational web sites for each class subject. The participants were given five tasks and had to find the answers using two of the most common forms of information retrieval found in Irish schools, the Internet and the school library. …

A Preliminary Investigation Of The Role Of Problem Based Learning (Pbl), Alan Pike, Declan Barber

The ITB Journal

In recent years (since the mid 1970’s) there has been an increased interest in Problem Based Learning (PBL) as an educational methodology which is not a instructor-centred as traditional educational methodologies. Education professionals are legitimately asking if PBL is applicable generally to most disciplines, and if so, should it be viewed as an alternative or a complementary methodology. Traditional teaching methodologies for technical disciplines place the instructor very much at the centre of learning for the student (with formal lectures, supervised laboratory work and tutorials), particularly in the early years of study at third level. A common view in education …

Experiences Gained From The Deployment Of An E-Learning "Java Arrays" Prototype For Novice Java Programmers In The Institute Of Technology Tallaght, 2002/2003, Eamonn Hyland, Dean Fennell

The ITB Journal

This paper describes recent experiences gained from the deployment of an E-learning "Java Arrays" prototype for novice first year students within the Computing department at the Institute of Technology, Tallaght. It attempts to determine what contributions, if any, the E-Learning prototype made to novice students learning to declare, create, initialise and manipulate one-dimensional and two-dimensional arrays within the Java Programming language. Tentative conclusions from this process are presented and a charter for progressing this research further is outlined.

Learning Through Dialogue (Ltd) - A Toolkit To Support The Process Of Planning For Effective Use Of Dialogue In Learning, Matt Smith, John Cook, Martin Oliver

The ITB Journal

This paper presents an implementation of a decision support system to help tutors think about ways of using dialogue to support learning. The approach adopted has been to develop a software toolkit around a knowledgebase of dialogue methods, to assist tutors in the reflection required during the planning and design of dialogue to support learning.

Pitch Circles – From Music Theory To Computer-Based Learning Tool, Matt Smith

The ITB Journal

This paper describes how a music theory with explanatory power for expression of relationships between pitch classes, chords and tonal regions can be exploited as the foundations for a computer-based tool, called ‘Pitch Circles’, to support musical novices learn about and manipulate such musical concepts and relationships . The paper introduces this research with a brief review of the ‘direct manipulation’ principles for computer interaction design on which the computer-based learning tool has been based, and of the features of tonal theories which led to our choice of a particular theory, ‘Pitch Spaces’, as the basis for this work.

Common Sense Approach To Third Level Education For The Modern Market, Dr. Mohamad Saleh

The ITB Journal

A healthy industry is of crucial importance to the well being of a nation. Recently, new technology has caused tangible changes in the modern market by creating continuous needs and demands for skills and technologies in various fields. The educational system is a major component in the provision of the skilful workforce in a society. However, the recent unprecedented rate of industrial expansion has resulted in new industries experiencing recruitment difficulties. It is felt that these issues can be addressed by establishing reliable collaboration between industry and third level educational systems to fulfill the needs using less resources.

An Evaluation Of Can8 As A Computer Assisted Language Learning Tool In The Context Of Current Research, Ruth Harris

The ITB Journal

The CAN8 virtual language laboratory combines features of traditional language laboratory systems with typical CALL software and features of CBT to create a language learning environment which embraces many different theories of learning and more specifically of language learning.

Are Call Packages Disregarding The Research On Dealing With Authentic Materials?, Ruth Harris

The ITB Journal

Since the advent of the communicative method, authentic materials have been seen as an important source of input for second language acquisition. However they have been noticeably absent from CALL packages. This paper looks at the implications of the research on reading, and explores which areas of work on authentic materials can be successfully done using CALL, and areas which are best left to a classroom, groupwork or semi-autonomous environment. A model of an integrated approach proposes ways of maximising the potential of each, providing new challenges for the teacher and student alike.

Education In A Technological Era: Tthe Eu Digital Agenda Policy - More Optimistic Than Realistic?, Philomena Hanlon

Level 3

Both the potential opportunities and risks for higher education providers in the digital education space are enormous. The EU in its policy paper The Digital Agenda for Europe (2010) sets out inter alia opportunities provided by the digital economy which is growing at seven times the rate of the rest of the economy across the EU. At the same time, an early pioneer of distance learning and digital education, The Open University, is currently experiencing some problems. A recent edition of Times Higher Education (Parr, 19-25 February, 2015, p. 8) reported that the Open University has a £17 m deficit …

Realising The Age Of Lifelong Learning: Higher Education Calls For The On-Going Capture And Valuing Of Non-Formal And Informal Learning, Phil O'Leary

Level 3

igher education must take a united approach to activating the lifelong learning mindset of all individuals in society. By calling for individuals to identify and name learning gained experientially in the workplace, or in community settings, higher education providers will normalise the on-going capture of knowledge, skills and competencies. This mindset is valuable in a time of economic uncertainty. Valuing learning ties to the preparation of material for Recognition of Prior Learning (RPL) should the individual’s knowledge be comparable with a particular programme or module. With this approach it is possible to capture significant learning events as they occur and …

Revisiting Leirman’S Four Cultures Of Education: Expert, Engineer, Prophet, Communicator, Ann Murphy

Level 3

This article revisits the four cultures of education devised by Professor Walter Leirman, University of Leuven and published in 1993. The four cultures are: expert, engineer, prophet and communicator. The dimensions of each culture and their implications for higher education policy and practice are described as Leirman outlined in his original matrix. The fifth culture ‘player’ is explained and added to the matrix with some commentary on its ambiguities. The article ends with Leirman’s two caveats about accepting his culture paradigms as more than the heuristic he intended.

Two Decades Of Rpl/Apel In Ireland: Practitioner Views, Anne Murphy

Level 3

My first involvement with APEL was in 1990 when I was invited to design a system by which cohorts of experiences practitioners in the disability training sector could achieve a sectoral qualification primarily through recognition of prior certificated and experiential learning. A taught route to the particular qualification was already in operation in partnership between the Adult Education Centre in St Patrick’s College, Maynooth (now National University of Ireland, Maynooth) and the National Rehabilitation Board. The trainers’ qualification was an essential element of quality assurance for the sector with funding support provided by the EU Social Fund. However, it was …

The Ditme Project: Interdisciplinary Research In Music Technology, Eugene Coyle, Dan Barry, Mikel Gainza, David Dorran, Charlie Pritchard, John Feeley, Derry Fitzgerald

Level 3

This paper profiles the emergence of a significant body of research in audio engineering within the Faculties of Engineering and Applied Arts at Dublin Institute of Technology. Over a period of five years the group has had significant success in completing a Strand 3 research project entitled Digital Tools for Music Education (DiTME), followed by successful follow-on projects funded through both the European Framework FP6 and Enterprise Ireland Commercialisation research schemes. The group has solved a number of challenging problems in the audio engineering field and has both published widely and patented a novel sound source separation invention.

Moving A Part-Time Engineering Course To A Student-Centred Paradigm, Kevin Kelly

Level 3

This paper is a further reflection on two conference papers presented at the World Conference for Continuing Engineering Education (WCCEE) in Vienna in April 2006 and National University of Ireland (NUI) Galway Conference: The Challenge of Diversity: Teaching, Support and Student Learning , June 2006. Both conference papers dealt with different aspects of my experiences of the theoretical and pedagogical changes required in re-design and delivery of a part-time engineering programme for the continuing education development of electrical engineers in the workforce.

A Critical Exploration Of The Rhetoric Of Equity Belied By Practice In Postgraduate Teacher Education, Roisin Ca Donnelly

Level 3

This paper presents the initial results of an investigation into the current awareness and perceptions of equity issues amongst academic staff working on a postgraduate learning and teaching course for teachers in tertiary education in the Republic of Ireland. The study is set in the contemporary landscape of discourses around equality, egalitarianism and equity in education generally

Is There A Need To Debate The Role Of Higher Education And The Public Good?, Sandra Fisher

Level 3

Calls for sustaining and increasing investment in higher education are often made on the basis that higher education is a `public good'. The idea of higher education as a public good is frequently conceptualized in terms of its contribution to economic development. If more people participate in higher education then society as a whole will benefit.

Outside of the economic benefits of higher education there is less debate as to what is meant by `public good' in the context of higher education. This paper explores higher education as a public good and its role in realizing the public good ( …

An Examination Of Ethical Issues Pertaining To Educational Research, Greg Gallagher

Level 3

The social sciences in general and educational researchers in particular have become more and more conscious of ethical propriety and the need for universally acceptable codes of ethical conduct in recent years. This newfound interest stems in part from criticisms of innovative contemporary research methodologies, and the fear that they may be at odds with certain fundamental ethical principles. This, in turn, has resulted in the integrity and validity of some of these new contemporary styles of research being held up to scrutiny and debated by adherents to the more conventional research methodologies.

This paper begins by tracing back to …

They Don't Really Want To Know Us: Experiences And Perceptions Of International Students At The Dublin Institute Of Technology, Almut Schlepper

Level 3

This paper seeks to explore the experiences and perceptions of international, non-EU students at the Dublin Institute of Technology.

My interest in the subject derives from my work as a lecturer at a college with an increasing number of international students and from my participation as a student on a course which made me appreciate the value of a diverse student and lecturer body.

The sample of the survey I carried out included international students and lecturers at one campus of the Dublin Institute of Technology.

Staff Mentoring At Dit: A Review Of Four Programmes, Leslie Shoemaker

Level 3

Staff Mentoring at the Dublin Institute of Technology is quite ambiguous in terms of its definition and purpose, as well as the impact it has with retention issues. The purpose of this paper is to provide a research review regarding the profile of the typical first-year student as well as to compare four current staff-mentoring programmes in DIT Kevin Street.

Learning Theories And Higher Education, Francis Ashworth, Gabriel Brennan, Kathy Egan, Ron Hamilton, Olalla Sáenz

Level 3

This paper offers a number of materials and resources which may be used as teaching aids for introduction-level courses in learning theories, especially those in higher education. The materials were developed during our participation in a postgraduate diploma module on the psychology of learning and learning theories in 2004, as part of the diploma in third-level learning and teaching at the DIT Learning and Teaching Centre.

The materials include:

• three timeline diagrams illustrating the development of learning theories which locate key thinkers and key ideas in their historic and socio-political contexts
• three summary diagrams of behaviourist, humanist and social learning …

Cooking Online., Nuala M. Harding

Level 3

Having worked as a lecturer for five years, I was given the opportunity to undertake the postgraduate diploma in third-level learning and teaching at the Dublin Institute of Technology. The elective I chose as part of this course was online learning. The requirement to compile a reflective journal during the module has provided the catalyst for me to write this paper. This Paper describes work in progress for proposed research within the Department of Hospitality, Tourism and Leisure Studies in Athlone Institute of Technology (AIT). The purpose of this research is to investigate the feasibility of providing and the effectiveness …

Where Does Ap(E)L Fit In Higher Education, Anne Murphy

Level 3

On an EU policy level the paper acknowledges the impact on thinking about AP(E)L as a result of the agreement of common European principles for validation of non-formal and in-formal learning in 2004 at the Dublin Conference during Ireland’s presidency of the EU (note 1).This conference also addressed the possible areas of agreement across vocational education and training (VET) and higher education (HE) on contiguous issues such as a common European Qualification Framework, common arrangements for credit transfer and common arrangements for quality assurance. Additionally, the paper is written contemporaneously with the introduction of such mechanisms as the …

Towards The Promotion Of Effective E-Learning Practice For Academic-Staff Development In Dit, Roisin Ca Donnelly, Frances O'Brien

Level 3

Despite the many challenges facing educators today, as well as the array of teaching paradigms on offer, the principal goals of higher education will always remain the same: higher education plays a central role in the development of human beings and modern societies alike, as it enhances social, cultural and economic development, active citizenship and ethical values (HEA, 2003).

Globalisation of higher education, increased initiatives aiming at internationalisation, the activities of ‘so-called’ new providers and various forms of ‘borderless’ higher education, challenge the higher-education community worldwide and call for new and imaginative strategies. To successfully fulfil their educational, …

Information-Literacy Programmes And Course Curricula: The Case For Integration, Anne Ambrose, Brian Gillespie

Level 3

"Our ability to think, and to select and use the information at our disposal will be the critical determinant of the future success of the Information Society in Ireland."

(Information Society Commission 2000: 118)

The quotation above acknowledges the critical importance of information skills, and suggests that the very success of the concept of an 'information society' relies upon an information-literate population. Surveys of employers show an increasing demand for 'graduates with an ability to analyse, evaluate and process information effectively' (Big Blue, 2002: 4). Such skills are directly related to the aims and processes of …

Review Of Comparative And International Research In Education: Globalisation, Context And Difference, Marian Fitzmaurice

Level 3

No abstract provided.

Review Of Che Guevara, Paulo Freire And The Pedagogy Of Revolution, Ray English

Level 3

No abstract provided.