Education Commons^™

Rapid Change Without Transformation: The Dominance Of A National Policy Paradigm Over International Influences On Ecec Development In Ireland 1995-2012, Noirin Hayes, Bernie O'Donoghue Hynes, Toby Wolfe

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The rapidity of change in Irish early childhood policy over the last 20 years is clear to observers (OECD 2004). What may be debated is how significant the changes are. In this paper, we analyse changes in early childhood education and care policy in Ireland since 1995, using Hall’s (1993) typology of policy change to help understand how policies and institutions could change so much in appearance without changing their fundamental features or underlying philosophy. We demonstrate that, despite extensive change, a traditional policy paradigm has held constant, where the State’s role in direct service delivery remains limited, the State …

Developing A Collaborative Virtual Learning Environment Between Students In Cross Disciplines In The Built Environment., Fiacra Mcdonnell, Ruairi Hayden

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Integrated Project Delivery is a rapidly developing approach to Design and Construction.This approach uses business structures, new technologies, and newly developing practices to collaboratively utilise the talents and contributions of all participants in the Design and Construction process.This project replicated this approach by creating a collaborative project between the School of Construction and the School of Real Estate and Construction Economics. The term “collaborative learning” refers to a method of delivery in which students at various performance levels work together in small groups towards a common goal. The students were responsible for one another’s learning as well as their own. …

Bim Collaboration In Student Architectural Technologist Learning, Malachy Mathews

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This paper is the result of a qualitative case study which investigated the influence of building information modelling (BIM) collaboration on the learning of student architectural technologists based around a studio group project. The purpose of the paper is to disseminate knowledge gained into a new learning environment facilitated by the collaborative properties of a BIM application. A qualitative case study approach has been used to undertake the examination of the learners’ experiences during the project. This approach allowed the author to map the complex interaction between the participants during the stages of the collaborative design project. The paper provides …

‘Moving In’: Difficulties And Support In The Transition To Higher Education For In-Service Social Care Students, Fiona Mcsweeney

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This paper reports on the difficulties and supports experienced by social care practitioners within the educational institution during their transition to higher education. A life transition such as entering higher education causes stress for individuals and social support is essential in successfully dealing with this stress (Anderson et al., 2012). Fifteen social care practitioners were interviewed twice during and once at the end of their first academic year in college. Findings indicate that participants were reluctant to approach staff for help despite anxiety about classes and assignments. Discussion and debate in class helped learning and contributed to feelings of being …

Making An Impact: New Directions For Arts And Humanities Research, Ellen Hazelkorn

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The severity of the global economic crisis has put the spotlight firmly on measuring academic and research performance and productivity, and assessing its contribution, value, impact and benefit. While traditionally, research output and impact was measured by peer-publications and citations, there is increased emphasis on a “market-driven approach”, which favours the bio-, medical and technological sciences, and helped reinforce a disciplinary hierarchy in which arts and humanities research (A&HR) has struggled for attention. This article charts the changing policy environment across Ireland, the Netherlands and Norway. It draws on evidence from the HERAVALUE project which studied how different stakeholders value …

Reflections On A Decade Of Global Rankings: What We've Learned And Outstanding Issues, Ellen Hazelkorn

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Ten years after the first global rankings appeared, it is clear that they have had an extraordinary impact on higher education. While there are fundamental questions about whether rankings measure either quality or what’s meaningful, they have succeeded in exposing higher education to international comparison. Moreso, because of the important role higher education plays as a driver of economic development, rankings have exposed both an information deficit and national competitiveness. Accordingly, both nations and institutions have sought to maximise their position vis-á-vis global rankings with positive and perverse effects. Their legacy is evident in the way rankings have become an …

The Child Snapshot: A Tool For The Transfer Of Information On Children From Preschool To Primary School, Mary O'Kane, Noirin Hayes

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The research outlined in this paper is part of a larger research study undertaken in Ireland by the Centre for Social and Educational Research, at Technological University Dubin, funded by the Office of the Minister for Children and Youth Affairs (O'Kane & Hayes, 2010). The project involved a cluster of two designated disadvantaged primary schools and twelvefeeder preschools, with a specific focus on developing processes for communication and collaboration between the two educational settings. The Bioecological Systems Model (Bronfenbrenner & Morris, 1998) was the primary theoretical basis underpinning the project, given it's acknowledgement of the shared systems of all the …

Supporting Programme Teams To Develop Sequencing In Higher Education Curricula, Roisin Donnelly, Geraldine O’Neill, Marian Fitzmaurice

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Curriculum sequencing is central to promoting a coherent student experience. Yet in the higher education context, the concept and practice of curriculum sequencing have not been fully explored. This research examined how seven programme teams approached the issue of sequencing across two Irish higher education institutions. A phenomenological approach was used to explore actions, challenges, and enhancers to sequencing. The three key themes emerging were: developing a collective philosophy; communicating the sequencing clearly; and developing strong building blocks. Ideas are presented on how academic developers can work with academic staff to improve sequencing in their curricula.

Exploration Of Eportfolios For Adding Value And Deepening Student Learning In Contemporary Higher Education, Roisin Donnelly, Muireann Okeeffe

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In recent years, higher education has undoubtedly faced a sea-change. The landscape of the sector has shifted with changes in the student body, increased pressure from government on costs and procedures, and an array of curricular transformations. While much has been written about the use of learning technologies generally and about ePortfolios in particular, there has been a lack of robust evidence about their added value for enhancing student learning opportunities. A case study of the integration of ePortfolios into a professional development master’s program in a Higher Education Institution in Ireland is presented, and added value in terms of …

Enabling Connections In Postgraduate Supervision For An Applied Elearning Professional Development Programme, Roisin Donnelly

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This article describes the practice of postgraduate supervision on a blended professional development programme for academics, and discusses how Connectivism has been a useful lens to explore a complex form of instruction. By examining the processes by which supervisors and their students on a two-year part-time masters in Applied eLearning negotiated the blended approach adopted to supervision, it illustrates the conditions that enable connections to occur and flourish. The socio-technical context for supervision was supported using learning technologies (vle, research wikis and ePortfolios), small group supervision (two to three supervisors and students) and traditional individual supervision. Qualitative data were obtained …

Learner Experiences Of Online Pre-Lecture Resources For An Undergraduate Introductory Chemistry Course – A Case Study Informed By Phenomenography, Claire M. Mcdonnell, Roisin Donnelly

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No abstract provided.

Making Connections: Networked Mindmaps As A Student Centred Assessment For Learning., Barry Ryan

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Engaging students is a difficult task faced by all academics. Student engagement can be achieved by giving ownership of their learning back to the student and by carefully aligning the assessment methodology to the students learning and future employability. To promote learning ownership in this case-study, a group of final year students were involved in the design of the delivery (‘flipped classroom’) and assessment strategy (‘flipped assessment’) of the curriculum. Upon reflection, students noted a deep understanding of their self-selected topic by taking ownership of their learning and their ‘assessment for learning’ within the bounded learning environment. Additionally, students enhanced …

Engaging Students In The Classroom: How Can I Know What I Think Until I See What I Draw?, Paul Donnelly, John Hogan

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Recognising that the world into which students emerge upon graduation is characterised by constant change, we embrace a critical pedagogy that can be implemented in the classroom through the use of freehand drawing. Freehand drawing is a technique that can stimulate a critical stance, as visual representations allow us to comprehend the world differently, while permitting us see how others understand the world. First year students, in their first lecture, were asked to draw their interpretations of Irish politics and to explain in writing what they had drawn. The students were then placed in groups and asked to note what …

Understanding Presence, Affordance And The Time/Space Dimensions For Language Learning In Virtual Worlds, Susanna Nocchi, Françoise Blin

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Notwithstanding their potential for novel approaches to language teaching and learning, Virtual Worlds (VWs) present numerous technological and pedagogical challenges that require new paradigms if the language learning experience and outcomes are to be successful. In this presentation, we argue that the notions of presence and affordance, together with the time/space dimensions of interactions in virtual worlds (e.g. Bakhtin’s (1981) chronotope, Foucault’s (1984) heteropia, and Lemke’s (2000) heterochrony), provide new insights into language learners’ trajectories as they attempt to carry out tasks that are designed to make use of virtual worlds’ characteristics and potentialities. We explore and analyse a critical …

A Walk Down The Red Carpet: Students As Producers Of Digital Video-Based Knowledge., Barry Ryan

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Disengaged and apathetic students are common in many undergraduate classrooms. Learning to these students is a passive process, typified by a consumer-like attitude. One approach to engage students, and enhance the learning experience, is to integrate active learning into the curriculum. The purpose of the pedagogical evaluative study described here was to investigate if student researched, designed and created digital video could act as a viable reusable peer learning resource. Although the use and integration of technology was central to the scope of this project, other ideas such as threshold concepts, the requirement for both active and authentic social constructivist …

Learning From Learning Groups, Mike Murphy, S. M. Chance, Gavin Duffy, Brian Bowe

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Collaborative learning is a key, and complementary, component of student-centred enquiry-based pedagogy. Today, many educators understand that students learn effectively when working together with their peers to construct new knowledge. Many teachers are working to help their students develop such ability. Teachers do this to help students better understand the relevance of new content, connect new ideas into existing frameworks of understanding, and construct new neurological pathways and connect synapses in their brains. In addition, group learning has been shown to increase students’ critical thinking skills, creativity, collaborative behaviours, understanding of ethics, and the like. In the literature, attention has …

Line Up, Line Up: Using Technology To Align And Enhance Peer Learning And Assessment In A Student Centred Foundation Organic Chemistry Module., Barry Ryan

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This paper describes how three technologies were utilised in combination to align student learning and assessment as part of a case study. Multiple choice questions (MCQs) were central to all these 10 technologies. The peer learning technologies; Personal Response Devices (a.k.a. Clickers) and PeerWise (http://peerwise.cs.auckland.ac.nz), were implemented to achieve scaffolded, self-directed independent learning by the students which aligned to the assessment methodology through creating, analysing, answering and discussing multiple choice questions. Personal response devices enhanced in-class activity involvement, whilst PeerWise provided structure and support for independent student learning through 15 defined outside class activities. An associated technology, online MCQs hosted …

Exploring Supports Provided For Student Eportfolio Development In A Professional Development Context, Muireann Okeeffe

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This small scale study aimed to explore and establish if support strategies implemented to enhance student ePortfolios were helpful to students and to identify useful ways of supporting ePortfolio development with future cohorts of students. This action research study was informed through focus group discussion and individual interviews with students.

The importance of reflection for the development professional practice and of creative abilities is discussed. The substantial benefits of creativity within education are investigated and characteristics of creativity that might be developed with students’ ePortfolios are revealed. Specifically this paper seeks to foster Crafts (2011) four characteristics of creativity, pluralities, …

Supporting Professionalism In Educational Development In Irish Higher Education, Muireann Okeeffe

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Higher education, in Ireland and globally, is undergoing profound change influenced by a variety of factors. In conjunction with these changes many initiatives to improve teaching and learning and the quality of graduates in higher education have been introduced in recent years. The changes and expansions in the sector has enabled growth of new roles in higher education described as ‘third space’ professionals by Whitchurch (2008).

This paper describes the struggle of those in third space professions, such as academic development, to establish a professional identity in higher education. The benefits of these contemporary roles to higher education are …

Required Features Of A Virtual Classroom Tool For Use In Higher Education, Arnold Hensman

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The integration of virtual-classroom systems into the arsenal of e-learning tools represents a major evolution in the landscape of modern distance education. For many courses, standard virtual learning environments (VLEs) provide only a foundation upon which to base a distance learning programme. However, synchronous live online-teaching software such as Microsoft Office Communicator and Adobe Connect allow educators to simulate a real-time classroom environment over the internet like never before. Since these tools are being used more and more within higher education, questions must be asked about how effective they ultimately can be in meeting student learning requirements. More importantly, what …

A Rough Look At The Shifting Effects On Learning Through Student Work Placement, Frank Cullen

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The use of internship as a means of informal education is relatively commonplace. This is evident by the vast amount of literature dedicated to workplace learning, however very little research to date has explored the impact of international culinary internships on students. This paper addresses the void in research by exploring the nuances associated with culinary internships and in particular investigates the 2006 and 2007 student cohorts studying in the Technological University Dublin for the degree award of BA in Culinary Arts. The paper examines the internship preparation and experiences examining the impact of internship on the student’s attitudes towards …

A Theoretical Framework For Serious Game Design: Exploring Pedagogy, Play And Fidelity And Their Implications For The Design Process, Pauline Rooney

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It is widely acknowledged that digital games can provide an engaging, motivating and “fun” experience for students. However an entertaining game does not necessarily constitute a meaningful, valuable learning experience. For this reason, experts espouse the importance of underpinning serious games with a sound theoretical framework which integrates and balances theories from two fields of practice: pedagogy and game design (Kiili, 2005; Seeney & Routledge, 2009). Additionally, with the advent of sophisticated, immersive technologies, and increasing interest in the opportunities for constructivist learning offered by these technologies, concepts of fidelity and its impact on student learning and engagement, have emerged …

Restructuring The Higher Education Landscape, Ellen Hazelkorn

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Over the past 40 years, Ireland has experienced a remarkable transformation in fortunes. Its emergence from a protectionist pre-industrial to a post-industrial high-tech economy came on the coat tails of European Union membership and accelerating internationalisation and deregulation of financial and investment markets. Strategically situated between the United States and Europe, Ireland became a leading importer of foreign direct investment. By 2000, it was the second-largest exporter of computer software in the world after the US, and home to the top-10 pharmaceutical companies. The boom years of the ‘Celtic Tiger’ made it the poster child for globalisation. After the 2008 …

Identifying Knowledge, Skill And Competence For Nanoscience And Nanotechnology Research: A Study Of Postgraduate Researchers’ Experiences, Deepa Chari, Paul Irving, Robert Howard, Brian Bowe

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Over the past few decades, scientific disciplines have changed significantly with the introduction of new and complex aspects of research, particularly in the area of nanoscience and nanotechnology (N&N). Efforts to develop science education programmes in N&N area to adopt these complex changes are also evident from recent literature and educational reports. However, these attempts are focused towards identification and inclusion of contextual scientific knowledge in the curricula and very little is understood about the attributes knowledge, skill and competence necessary to successfully undertake N&N research. Identification of these attributes is important so that the contextual scientific knowledge can be …

Three Key Challenges Facing Higher Education And Policymakers, Ellen Hazelkorn

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Our preoccupation with the relative standing of universities and national education systems—illustrated by the growing popularity and obsession with university rankings—reflects the consensus that higher education is essential for economic growth, global competitiveness and a civil society. Universities and nations are being measured according to indicators of global capacity and potential in which comparative and competitive advantages come into play. The more globalization drives a single market in education, as it does in most goods and services, the more higher education is a beacon for investment and talent—the more this kind of barometer is inevitable.

Systematically Evaluating The Effectiveness Of Quality Assurance Programmes In Leading To Improvements In Institutional Performance, Deirdre Lillis

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Higher education institutions worldwide invest significant resources in their quality assurance systems however little empirical research exists which demonstrates their effectiveness (or otherwise). Methodological approaches for determining effectiveness are also underdeveloped. Self study with peer review is a widely used model for ensuring the quality of the core teaching, research and engagement activities of higher education institutions. This paper illustrates how an established social programme evaluation methodology can be used to determine its effectiveness in leading to improvements in institutional performance. The concept of effectiveness and the particular challenges posed by the higher education organisational culture are considered. An example …

An Investigation In The Development Of Europe's Erasmus Internship Policy, Frank Cullen

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The involvement of the School of Culinary Arts and Food Technology in 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. This paper provide an overview of the development of Erasmus internship and relationship between the the European Commission, the HEA, and DIT.

Disciplinary Identity Of Nanoscience And Nanotechnology Research- A Study Of Postgraduate Researchers’ Experiences, Deepa Nathamuni Chari, Robert Howard, Brian Bowe

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Nanoscience and Nanotechnology research although growing at very fast rate, its disciplinary identity remains ‘ill-defined’. It is often viewed as multidisciplinary; and/or interdisciplinary science or even as a unique discipline on its own way. As a consequence, whether this growing research area requires researchers that have studied specialised undergraduate or postgraduate nanoscience and nanotechnology programmes; or traditional science and engineering disciplines is still less understood. The examination of postgraduate researchers’ experiences of nanoscience and nanotechnology research can provide a way of understanding nanoscience and nanotechnology research and the associated forms of disciplinarity, which in turn can address what the type …

Reasons For Non-Engagement With The Provision Of Emotional Competency Coaching: A Qualitative Study Of Irish First Year Undergraduate Students, Aiden Carthy, Celesta Mccann, Sinead Mcgilloway, Colm Mcguinness

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Very little is known as to why students choose not to participate in emotional intelligence coaching programmes. This qualitative study was undertaken with a sample of Irish undergraduate students (n=20), who chose not to engage with the provision of coaching at a technical college inDublin. The reasons for non-engagement were explored by means of face-to-face interviews. The four principal reasons for non-engagement were: failing to appreciate the value of coaching; a perceived heavy academic workload; the fact that coaching was not a mandatory component of the academic curriculum; and fear that coaching may reveal weaknesses of character. Based on the …

Planning For Environmental Sustainability : Learning From Leed And The Usgbc, Shannon Chance

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The author analyzes the relationship between the US Green Building Council and higher education by examining campus use of LEED credits over time, and also suggests that the USGBC provides a model for large-scale learning organizations.