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- Higher education (10)
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- International students (3)
- Internationalisation (3)
- Blended learning (2)
- First year (2)
- Group assessment (2)
- Group work (2)
- Groupwork (2)
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- Undergraduate (2)
- Academic practice (1)
- Authentic assessment (1)
- Authenticity (1)
- Blogs (1)
- Brightspace (1)
- CBL (1)
- Civic engagement (1)
- Clickers (1)
- Collaboration (1)
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- E-learning (1)
- Early career academics (1)
- Engagement (1)
- Fairness (1)
- First year experience (1)
Articles 1 - 25 of 25
Full-Text Articles in Education
Reflective Blogs: Supporting Students' Learning Experiences While On Work Placement, Farrah Higgins
Reflective Blogs: Supporting Students' Learning Experiences While On Work Placement, Farrah Higgins
Practitioner Research Projects
Reflective blogs can be an effective tool to help students critically evaluate their learning and professional skills development in a work placement setting. This practitioner report investigates reflective blogs as a usable and authentic assessment tool for students on work placement in a Business Computing discipline. A review of the benefits of reflective writing for students is included, such as improving critical thinking and writing skills, while encouraging development of graduate attributes and professional skills development. The report outlines the importance of preparatory work on developing reflective writing practices within the curriculum, before students commence their work placements.
Timely Student Feedback, Ronan Oliver, Evelyn Casey, David O'Connor
Timely Student Feedback, Ronan Oliver, Evelyn Casey, David O'Connor
Practitioner Research Projects
Students are not only interested in their grades but they are also interested in feedback (Mulliner & Tucker, 2017), as this is an important element of their learning cycle (Gibbons et al., 2018). Together with lecturers they agree that for this to be effective, it must be returned quickly so that it can be acted on within the context of their learning (Denton et al., 2008; Mulliner & Tucker, 2017). However, the delivery of timely and effective feedback can be a burden on lecturers, particularly if they are responsible for large classes and in the early stage of their career. …
Best Practice In Designing Groupwork For First Year Students, Judith Boyle, Rachel Halpin, Chao Ji Hyland
Best Practice In Designing Groupwork For First Year Students, Judith Boyle, Rachel Halpin, Chao Ji Hyland
Practitioner Research Projects
The ability to work effectively as part of a group is an expected skill of any graduate, and is regarded as highly desirable criteria for employability (Mellor, 2012; Rutherford, 2015). Through collaborative work, students learn from each other while also developing their interpersonal skills. Many students who enter higher education (HE) do not realise the demands of their programmes, and their first year experience usually has a strong influence on their entire college life (Ginty, 2001). It is estimated that 20-30% of first year students do not progress to the second year of their programmes (NSCRC, 2014); this finding requires …
A Rubric Guide For New Academics, Pearlean Chadha, Louise Lynch, Barry Nevin, Edmund Nevin, Anushree Priyadarshini
A Rubric Guide For New Academics, Pearlean Chadha, Louise Lynch, Barry Nevin, Edmund Nevin, Anushree Priyadarshini
Practitioner Research Projects
Early career academics entering Higher Education face many challenges. The demands of a new work environment – particularly a third-level institute – can lead to struggles for identity and purpose together with uncertainty of how to fit into a new role (Archer, 2008; Houston, Meyer, & Paewai, 2006). The importance of supporting new academics is identified by many authors including Adcroft and Taylor (2013) and Sadler (2012), and is a crucial issue where assessment of student performance is concerned. Assessment is a major driver of student learning, and scholars have extensively documented the importance of constructively aligning assessment types to …
A How-To Guide For Student Generated Video, Janet Gillanders, Kate O'Brien, Sean O'Leary, Ariane Perez-Gavilan, James Sheridan
A How-To Guide For Student Generated Video, Janet Gillanders, Kate O'Brien, Sean O'Leary, Ariane Perez-Gavilan, James Sheridan
Practitioner Research Projects
The type of assessment used by the instructor is a major consideration that must be taken into account when designing a third level course. The importance of assessment can be understood if one frames it not only as assessment of learning but also as assessment for learning. In this new framework, in addition to measuring students’ knowledge of the material, assessment can be thought of as a tool used for providing feedback, for defining academic standards, and for directing student learning (Harris, 2005). There is currently a movement calling for a shift away from traditional high-stakes assessment towards alternative assessment …
New Technologies And New Spaces: Grangegorman And Brightspace As Innovative Educational Environments, Gene Carolan, Cathal Curran, Alan Mccormack
New Technologies And New Spaces: Grangegorman And Brightspace As Innovative Educational Environments, Gene Carolan, Cathal Curran, Alan Mccormack
Practitioner Research Projects
This project focused on the new learning spaces and technologies afforded by the TU Dublin migration to the Grangegorman Campus. In particular, the fundamental changes driven by the new physical spaces and educational technologies for TU Dublin staff and students moving forward into 2020 and beyond. A competitive tender process from several vendors resulted in the selection of ‘Brightspace’ as TU Dublin City Campus’s new dedicated virtual learning environment (VLE). In response to this, our newly chosen VLE – Brightspace – will be at the forefront of these fundamental changes. It is absolutely crucial in this initial experimentation phase to …
Mind The Gap: Integration Of International Students, Andrew Knox, Basil Lim, Amr Mahfouz, Maeve O'Connell, Matthew Sheehan
Mind The Gap: Integration Of International Students, Andrew Knox, Basil Lim, Amr Mahfouz, Maeve O'Connell, Matthew Sheehan
Practitioner Research Projects
The international mobilisation of tertiary students is increasing from 0.8 million in 1975 to 3.5 million worldwide by 2016 (OECD, 2018). This increasingly fluid student migration, supported with various European initiatives, the Erasmus exchange program (since 1987) and the Bologna Declaration (since 1999), have influenced the profile of students within the Irish higher education system. By 2016, international students comprised 5.1% of total tertiary students in Ireland (OECD, 2018). According to Irish and UK research, lecturers have an important role in facilitating integration (British Council, 2014; Irish Council for International Students, 2017). However, for most faculty, the term internationalisation of …
Components Of, And Approaches To, Effective Feedback, Sarah Gibbons, Jonathan Mccarthy, Paul Mcevoy, Patricia Mordaunt
Components Of, And Approaches To, Effective Feedback, Sarah Gibbons, Jonathan Mccarthy, Paul Mcevoy, Patricia Mordaunt
Practitioner Research Projects
Feedback is the subject of much research and discussion in Higher Education. Nationally the focus has intensified due to reports of low levels of student satisfaction with the feedback process e.g. the Irish Survey of Student Engagement (ISSE). The focus of this report is an examination of effective feedback in undergraduate education. The importance of effective feedback (particularly for those beginning their third level education) is reflected in a project funded by the National Forum for the Enhancement of Teaching and Learning, called the Y1Feedback project. This is aimed at increasing the quality of the third level experience and has …
Achieving Graduate Attributes Through Authentic Learning: The Case Of Student Managed Funds, Robert Dunne, James Fitzgerald, Jennifer Manning, Sean O'Reilly
Achieving Graduate Attributes Through Authentic Learning: The Case Of Student Managed Funds, Robert Dunne, James Fitzgerald, Jennifer Manning, Sean O'Reilly
Practitioner Research Projects
According to the Department of Education and Skills (2011), as cited by Murphy and Whelan (2016), there has been a growing emphasis on the importance of graduate attributes in higher education in Ireland. This not only places emphasis on the application of disciplinary specific knowledge, but also on the ‘soft skills’ highly sought by employers. By providing an authentic learning environment, higher education institutes can facilitate the development of graduate attributes while also ensuring graduates are gaining disciplinary specific knowledge. This project explores how Student Managed Funds (SMFs) represent an authentic learning experience through which students achieve a range of …
Problem-Based Learning As An Authentic Assessment Method, Stuart Henderson, Mary Kinahan, Elaine Rossiter
Problem-Based Learning As An Authentic Assessment Method, Stuart Henderson, Mary Kinahan, Elaine Rossiter
Practitioner Research Projects
Traditional learning and assessment typically focus on students being told what to do, memorising it, and the teacher assigning a problem on how to use it (Savery, 2006). By contrast, in problem-based learning (PBL) and assessment a problem is assigned to a group or individual, the teacher then facilitates the students’ learning as they identify what they need to know, and the students learn and apply a solution to the problem (Savery, 2006). PBL was developed and pioneered by Barrows and Tamblyn in McMaster University as part of the Medical School programme due to students’ lack of application of their …
A Generic Integrated And Interactive Framework (Giif) For Developing Information Literacy Skills In Higher Education, Aoife Donnelly, Maria Chiara Leva, Ayman Tobail, Nikolaos Valantasis Kanellos
A Generic Integrated And Interactive Framework (Giif) For Developing Information Literacy Skills In Higher Education, Aoife Donnelly, Maria Chiara Leva, Ayman Tobail, Nikolaos Valantasis Kanellos
Practitioner Research Projects
Information literacy (IL) is defined as “the set of integrated abilities encompassing the reflective discovery of information, the understanding of how information is produced and valued, and the use of information in creating new knowledge and participating ethically in communities of learning” (ACRL 2015, p.3). The term IL was originally confined to library and IT skills (Behrens, 1994; Johnston & Webber, 2003) but has since received increasing international interest. It is considered as an important 21st century skill in combination with critical thinking (Kong, 2014), and is perceived as basic human right within the digital world (UNESCO, 2008). The importance …
Alternative Methods To Traditional Written Exam-Based Assessment, Shane Dillon, Alan Mcdonnell, Diarmaid Murphy, Lynsey White
Alternative Methods To Traditional Written Exam-Based Assessment, Shane Dillon, Alan Mcdonnell, Diarmaid Murphy, Lynsey White
Practitioner Research Projects
Donnelly and Fitzmaurice (2005, p.14) suggest that “assessment methods should be in accord with the learning outcomes of the module and should foster a deep approach to learning”. While unseen written exams do develop skills such as “examination techniques, writing under pressure, recall” (Smyth, 2004), there are a number of alternative assessment methods that determine what students actually understand and what they can do, in contrast to what they can recall. As one student noted “I hate to say it, but what you have got to do is to have a list of “facts” …you write down the important points …
Community-Based Learning: A Primer, Zeinab Bedri, Ruairí De Fréin, Geraldine Dowling
Community-Based Learning: A Primer, Zeinab Bedri, Ruairí De Fréin, Geraldine Dowling
Practitioner Research Projects
Employers are increasingly demanding graduates with industry-ready communication, decision-making, problem-solving, leadership, emotional intelligence and social ethics skills. Community-based learning (CBL) has been identified as a pedagogical approach which has tremendous potential to produce graduates with these attributes; its prominent role in the future of Ireland's third level landscape is outlined in the Irish National Strategy for Higher Education (Hunt, 2011). However, for many early-career lecturers, distilling the insights from the teaching and learning literature, and then producing a well-designed CBL module, can be an intimidating task. What is missing is a primer which presents the core ideas of CBL in …
Personalised Learning Framework For Enhancing Mathematics Ability, John Butler, Orla Cahill, Basel Magableh, Siobhan O'Regan
Personalised Learning Framework For Enhancing Mathematics Ability, John Butler, Orla Cahill, Basel Magableh, Siobhan O'Regan
Practitioner Research Projects
Mathematics is the cornerstone of many disciplines, including computer science, accounting and the sciences. However, over the past two decades in higher education institutes, it has become increasingly apparent that there is a decline in the basic numeracy skills of first year students entering third level programs (Tariq, 2002). This has been observed in numerous Irish institutes whereby unfortunately it can also be a huge impediment in student progression into second year. Research has shown that students are under-prepared for the challenges posed by third level mathematics (Hourigan & O’Donoghue, 2007). In addition, as lecturers we are not as informed …
Strategies For Enhancing The Mature Student Experience In Higher Education, John O'Carroll, Cathy Ennis, Keith Loscher, Deirdre Ryan, Niall Dixon
Strategies For Enhancing The Mature Student Experience In Higher Education, John O'Carroll, Cathy Ennis, Keith Loscher, Deirdre Ryan, Niall Dixon
Practitioner Research Projects
A principle of the Irish Education system is its endorsement of equity of access to higher education for all Irish citizens. This principle has been enacted through successive government policies including the National Plan for Equity of Access to Higher Education 2015-2019 (HEA, 2015). The aim of this policy is to “ensure that the student body entering, participating in and completing higher education at all levels reflects the diversity and social mix of Ireland’s population” (p.8). Data from this plan shows that participation in higher education by the adult population has increased and that there is a potential for increasing …
Blended Learning - What Practitioners Can Learn From Moocs, Aine Whelan, Aimee Byrne, Keith Colton, Patrick Crean, Conor Mcgarrigle
Blended Learning - What Practitioners Can Learn From Moocs, Aine Whelan, Aimee Byrne, Keith Colton, Patrick Crean, Conor Mcgarrigle
Practitioner Research Projects
The rapid increase in the use of information technologies in third level education is changing the way courses are provided. Online multimedia have helped reduce the difficulties teachers face with a diversity of student profiles and a large number of students in a classroom. Massive Open Online Courses (MOOCs) present an extreme with regard to student groups in relation to size and diversity and, therefore, many techniques and methods of overcoming the difficulties that this can present have been developed. Much of these methods can apply to online courses generally and to blended teaching environments. This study identifies four key …
Embedding A Blended Learning Approach From First Year, Suzanne Doyle, Michael Moore, Lesley Murphy, Gavin Sewell
Embedding A Blended Learning Approach From First Year, Suzanne Doyle, Michael Moore, Lesley Murphy, Gavin Sewell
Practitioner Research Projects
As DIT strives to enhance the transition of students into third level education, a number of priority areas were identified as part of the ongoing STEER (Student Transition, Expectations, Engagement, Retention) initiative. Ultimately the onus is on DIT to enable students to become self-directed learners. Blended learning is positioned as a solution to aid in this transition. It has been described as "the combination of traditional face-to-face teaching methods with authentic online learning activities" (Davies & Fill, 2007, p. 817). However, it is not without risk to assume that first year students have a natural affinity with blended approaches, as …
Leveraging Peer Learning For Integration Of International Students In The Classroom, Brian Barry, Waleed Abo-Hamad, Diana Carvalho E Ferreira, Niamh Gilmartin
Leveraging Peer Learning For Integration Of International Students In The Classroom, Brian Barry, Waleed Abo-Hamad, Diana Carvalho E Ferreira, Niamh Gilmartin
Practitioner Research Projects
The international education sector in Ireland is currently worth approximately €1.58bn per annum, and it is projected to grow to €2.1bn per annum by 2020 (Department of Education and Skills, 2016). The academic challenges faced by international students are linked to language skills, academic background, and cultural aspects (Sadykova, 2014). Peer learning is mutually beneficial for provider and recipient, with benefits including higher academic achievement and greater productivity; increased communication skills and a greater sense of belonging; and the development of support systems (Colvin & Ashman, 2010). Domestic peers help international students to compensate for the lack of culture-specific knowledge …
Internationalsation In The Classroom, Alberto Caimo, Deirdre Duffy, Patrick Mcevoy, Brian Murphy, Grainne Scanlon
Internationalsation In The Classroom, Alberto Caimo, Deirdre Duffy, Patrick Mcevoy, Brian Murphy, Grainne Scanlon
Practitioner Research Projects
Multicultural societies require multicultural universities and internationalisation is a powerful influence within higher education. Conceptual understandings of internationalisation and practical activities have evolved significantly to prepare students for global workplaces, social cohesion and personal development (Higher Education Strategy Group, 2011). Internationalisation benefits the development of interculturally competent graduates who can participate in diverse, global labour markets, yet, international students require support while adjusting to new learning environments. A student-centred approach to learning is superseding traditional pedagogy in order to support the most diverse range of learning preferences that are characteristic of multicultural groups (Vita, 2001). Educators are encouraged to expand …
An Exploration Of Fairness In The Assessment And Process Of Student Group Work, Rita Gibson, Emma Geoghegan, Oscar Macananey, Andrew Hines, Lorraine D'Arcy
An Exploration Of Fairness In The Assessment And Process Of Student Group Work, Rita Gibson, Emma Geoghegan, Oscar Macananey, Andrew Hines, Lorraine D'Arcy
Practitioner Research Projects
This project was driven by a motivation to be as fair as possible in the assessment of students' group work. Achieving fairness in assessment is a recurrent them in group project assessment literature (Nordberg, 2009). All authors of this report teach modules with group projects, and acknowledged that discrepancies often exist between a mark assigned to a group and an individual's contribution. Our aims were to (a) collectively enhance our understanding of the issues that need to be considered when assessing a group work project and (b) collectively build our confidence in approaches chosen to overcome these challenges. The findings …
Methods For Deriving Individual Marks From Group Work, Miriam Delaney, Lucy Bowe, Breiffni Fitzgerald, Peter Maccann, Christina Ryan
Methods For Deriving Individual Marks From Group Work, Miriam Delaney, Lucy Bowe, Breiffni Fitzgerald, Peter Maccann, Christina Ryan
Practitioner Research Projects
Group assessment is a valuable teaching and learning method (Springer et al., 1999). This has been comprehensively demonstrated in the teaching and learning literature both in general (Johnson et al., 1991) and in specific contexts. This assessment practice promotes questioning, discussion and debate and encourages students to become active team players (DIT, 2013). However, when using this form of assessment, it is important to recognise that it is "individuals who graduate and gain qualifications" (Gibbs, 2009, p.4). The problem of freeloading has been identified and one of the suggested methods of reducing this is to incorporate individual assessment into the …
Facilitating Group Work: A Guide To Good Practice, Ronan Mccrea, Irene Neville, David Rickard, Ciara Walsh, David Williams
Facilitating Group Work: A Guide To Good Practice, Ronan Mccrea, Irene Neville, David Rickard, Ciara Walsh, David Williams
Practitioner Research Projects
Oakley et al. (2004) and Gibbs (2009) observe that owing to the extensive literature on group work, lecturers searching for a succinct guide on how to facilitate this activity effectively would find it challenging to digest such a large corpus. We extensively reviewed the literature in order to produce a quick and accessible guide for lecturers to use. It is our aspiration that this could be referred to when planning and facilitating group work projects with insights and recommendations informed by our research. Moreover, as this work draws on publications from educators in a wide range of disciplines, we expect …
Gamification To Improve First Year Engagement, John Colleran, Aoife Lloyd Mckernan, Julie Ann Naughton, Brian Vaughan
Gamification To Improve First Year Engagement, John Colleran, Aoife Lloyd Mckernan, Julie Ann Naughton, Brian Vaughan
Practitioner Research Projects
The purpose of this project was to examine the role of Gamification in increasing first year student engagement within the third level educational setting. A literature review was carried out in order to explore the teaching philosophy behind gamification in education and review the quantitative and qualitative evidence regarding its use. Gamification can be broadly described as the application of gaming methods and elements in non-gaming contexts in order to improve user engagement and user experience (Deterding et al., 2011). Qualitative analysis suggests these factors result in beneficial emotional and social impacts on students, particularly in the area of increasing …
Authentic Assessment, Sinead Freeman, James Fox, Vanessa Murphy, Nicola Hughes
Authentic Assessment, Sinead Freeman, James Fox, Vanessa Murphy, Nicola Hughes
Practitioner Research Projects
No abstract provided.
Using Learning Preferences To Inform Module And Curriculum Design, Cormac Breen, David Mcdonnell, Paul Redmond, Aisling Mcgowan, Claire Wynne
Using Learning Preferences To Inform Module And Curriculum Design, Cormac Breen, David Mcdonnell, Paul Redmond, Aisling Mcgowan, Claire Wynne
Practitioner Research Projects
No abstract provided.