Education Commons^™

Linking Geospatial Engineering Into Collaborative Multidisciplinary Bim Projects - An Educational Perspective, Avril Behan, Helen Murray, Jonathan Argue, Ronan Hogan, Audrey Martin, Pat O'Sullivan, Robert Moore, Malachy Mathews

Conference papers

This paper describes the background to and execution of a postgraduate project undertaken by students on DIT's MSc in Geospatial Engineering (GeoEng) in support of a project on level 2 BIM being undertaken by students on the MSc in applied Building Information Modelling & Management (aBIMM) around the retrofit of and new build extension to the Grangegorman Clock Tower Building. In support of this requirement, an external and internal survey of the existing structure and its surrounding topography was required. The aBIMM students and staff acted as the Design Team who subcontracted the Geo Eng group who were organised into …

Universal Design Across The Curriculum: Training For Students And Teachers, Trish Mackeogh, James Hubbard, Kieran O'Callaghan

Articles

Providing an inclusive educational setting for children with disabilities is essential if they are to truly benefit from mainstream education. Universal design (UD) provides a framework to develop our classrooms, materials and methods to accommodate diverse learners and students with special educational needs without the need to retrofit or remove the student from the classroom. This paper outlines the theory and the approach of two training courses on Universal Design developed for teachers and students.

What Does Global Higher Education Mean For University Leaders, Ellen Hazelkorn

Reports

No abstract provided.

A Career In Tour Guiding: A Case Study Of Dublin, Ireland, Detta Melia

Conference papers

Tourist guides are the essential interface between a tourism destination and its visitors, and are very much responsible for the overall impression of the destination and satisfaction offered. However, of the small amount of literature published, very few studies have asked tourist guides their views and opinions, or have built up a profile of the tourist guide. This paper attempts to redress the balance. This study, concentrating on professional tourist guides in Dublin, Ireland.

Potential threats and challenges to the future of the industry are explored, particularly threats from unqualified guides and from the introduction of information technology (IT). Primary …

Rethinking Apprenticeship Training For The Construction Industry In Ireland, Eoghan Ó Murchadha, Roisin Murphy

Conference papers

The construction industry is of strategic importance to any economy, as it delivers the building and infrastructural needs of society; it is also a major provider of employment. The over-reliance on construction was a contributing factor to the collapse of the Irish economy and employment in construction fell to under 50% of its 2007 peak as a consequence. The decline devastated apprentice training with a reduction in excess of 90% of new registrations of construction apprentices at the lowest point. The implication of this to the industry is disquieting, given the crucial role apprenticeships play in the sector. The Irish …

Emotional Intelligence And Graduates - Employers' Perspectives, Ailish Jameson, Aiden Carthy, Colm Mcguinness, Fiona Mcsweeney

Articles

Research has demonstrated that employers favour graduates who possess higher levels of emotional intelligence. Many

initiatives to increase students’ levels of EI have involved ‘whole school’ approaches, whereby generic EI skills programmes are

delivered to all students in a third level institute. This paper details an initial survey of employers’ (n = 500) opinions on the

importance and current level of graduates’ social and emotional competencies. The survey was completed across five sectors:

engineering, IT/computing, professional services (including accounting, business, finance, HR, law, retail), science (including

pharmaceutical and life), and social science which are identified growth industries in Ireland. It …

An Introduction To Emotional Intelligence, Aiden Carthy, Ailish Jameson

Book/Book Chapter

In recent decades, there has been increasing focus on the role of formal education in empowering students’ social and moral development. A wealth of research evidence has shown that helping students to develop their social and emotional competencies can encourage students’ personal growth and can also yield benefits including increased student engagement and decreased levels of drop-out. However, much of what has been previously published in this field has focused on younger students, and there has been a lesser focus on third level students and educators. Therefore, there is a notable need for a single volume that synopsises the research …

Measuring The Effectiveness Of Software-Based Training To Improve The Spatial Visualization Skills Of Students In Stem Disciplines In Higher Education Institutions, Peter Cole

Dissertations

This research investigates how software can be used to teach spatial skills leading to greater success in Science, Technology, Engineering, and Mathematical (STEM) fields. Existing research indicates that spatial skills can be taught and that good spatial skills are common to people who succeed in STEM fields. In this work, a software-only testing system with a direct targeted, training intervention module was implemented to measure and teach spatial skills using mental rotations, which are believed to be one of the most significant indicators of success in STEM fields. Spatial skills were tested using a standardized and validated test that measures …

Towards 2030 : A Framework For Building A World-Class Post-Compulsory Education System For Wales, Ellen Hazelkorn

Reports

This report is being produced at a significant and opportune juncture in the development of education in Wales, across the UK, and internationally. Around the world, education is widely recognised as bringing “significant benefits to society, not only through higher employment opportunities and income but also via enhanced skills, improved social status and access to networks.”2 Yet, today, globalization, technological and demographic change, and the combined effects of the prolonged nature of the Great Recession, resource absorption challenges, and accelerating economic competitiveness are placing considerable pressures on education to deliver and demonstrate better value and benefit for citizens and society.3 …

Universal Design In Curriculum Development To Address Issues Of Socio-Cultural Capital In Third-Level Education, Brian Vaughan

Teaching and Learning in a Digital Context

Universal Design for Instruction (UDI) is primarily focused on ensuring that curricula are as accessible to students with a range of disabilities and difficulties. However, UDI can also be leveraged as a means of addressing issues of socio-cultural capital in third-level education. The assumption that all students belong to the dominant habitus can have a detrimental effect on those seen as being external to it. This paper examines the use of UDI as part of a wider approach to curriculum development as a means of addressing these issue. This is especially pertinent in light of the amalgamation of a number …

Digital Literacy: Why It Matters, Allison Kavanagh, K.C. O'Rourke

Articles

In the past two decades the internet, email, apps, mobile devices and all associated hardware and software have become firmly embedded in everyday life, to the extent that it often feels that we have had no control over this phenomenon. What are the implications for education?

Primary and secondary students today have grown up with the always-connected life which the internet has enabled. However, the credence given to the idea that this makes them fully comfortable and aware as "digital natives" is misguided. The social implications of the internet society – surveillance and the decline of privacy, cyberbullying and so …

Spatial Skills In Education: A National Study, Brian Bowe

Conference papers

It is widely accepted that spatial skills play an inherent role in educational success, especially in STEM disciples such as Engineering, Mathematics and Graphics. This paper presents an initial investigation into spatial skills in post-primary education where the aim is to generate a national spatial profile to assist in developing meaningful educational interventions. Psychometric tests of spatial ability were administered to a cohort of 1st year pupils (n = 451) in a variety of educational contexts. Findings suggest that this early stage in post-primary education may be an auspicious time to integrate spatial skill development into formal education and that …

Augmented Reality And The Events Curriculum: The Students' Perspective, Mary O'Rawe, Alex Gibson

Conference papers

The emergence of Augmented Reality (AR) as a ground-breaking technology has transcended both business and academic sectors. Despite its rapid rise commercially, evidence of the benefits of AR in the classroom at higher education is slower to emerge, with only a limited focus to date on its specific relationship with curriculum development and learning outcomes. To respond to the changing characteristics of the higher education learning environment, and the shift towards mobile learning (M Learning) and ubiquitous learning (U Learning), it is clear that educators should reflect these trends in curriculum design and didactic methods. This paper presents the findings …

Cultural Change Through Bim: Driving Lean Transformation In Education, Avril Behan, Malachy Mathews, Kevin Furlong, Ciara Ahern, Una Beagon, Peter Brennan, Colin Conway, Lee Corcoran, Pierce Fahy, Alan Hore, Barry Mcauley, Trevor Woods

Conference papers

This paper presents a case study of how the adoption of BIM-based practices in the AECO industry is being reflected by cultural change in higher education in Ireland. The silo-mentality that has dominated the AECO sector for more than a century has, despite numerous reorganisations, been replicated in the structures of educational institutions, including in Dublin Institute of Technology since the inception of its founding colleges in the late 1800s. Most AECO programmes must include content that is external to the programme’s specific discipline. Through the School structures of the Institute, delivery of such content is known as "service teaching" …

Universal Design For Learning (Udl): Implications For Education, Ann Heelan

Theme 4:University Design and Diversity

No abstract provided.

Experiences And Lessons Learned From An International Master's Program On Universal Design Of Ict, Weiqin Chen, Siri Kessel, Norun Sanderson, George Giannoumis

Theme 1: Delivering Universal Design in Technical Subjects

No abstract provided.

Cultural Change Through Bim: Driving Lean Transformation In Education, Avril Behan, Malachy Mathews, Kevin Furlong, Ciara Ahern, Una Beagon, Peter Brennan, Colin Conway, Lee Corcoran, Pierce Fahy, Alan Hore, Barry Mcauley, Trevor Woods

Conference papers

This paper presents a case study of how the adoption of BIM-based practices in the AECO industry is being reflected by cultural change in higher education in Ireland. The silo-mentality that has dominated the AECO sector for more than a century has, despite numerous reorganisations, been replicated in the structures of educational institutions, including in Technological University Dublin since the inception of its founding colleges in the late 1800s. Most AECO programmes must include content that is external to the programme’s specific discipline. Through the School structures of the Institute, delivery of such content is known as "service teaching" and …

Rehabilitation Engineering Universal Design Challenge, Madeleine Lowery

Theme 3: Innovating in Product and Service Design

No abstract provided.

Re-Imagining Our Curriculum: Critiquing Meaningful Reflection And Threshold Concepts In Practice Education: Knowing It All, Aoife Prendergast

Stream 2: Curriculum

Humanities education, particularly in the areas of early childhood education and applied social studies must engage with professional practice education. There is urgency for the need for practitioners and educationalists to communicate, and for practitioners to be aware of developments in educational theory. The idea of ‘threshold concepts’ is currently widely discussed by educationalists. Threshold concepts are described as areas of knowledge without which the learner cannot progress, and which, when grasped, lead to a transformation in the learner’s perspective and understanding. Much is known about the purpose of placement educators, but how their role is implemented is subject to …

Leveraging Institute Of Technology Incubation Centres In The Teaching Of Innovation: A Case Study, Gabriel Costello

Stream 4: Enterprising University

The overriding purpose of this on-going work is to contribute to the debate on the best pedagogical approach to developing undergraduate Mechanical Engineering skills to meet the requirements of contemporary complex working environments. The particular focus of this study is to develop the students’ appreciation of entrepreneurship and the development of a new venture. Enterprise Ireland has funded business incubation centres on college campuses across Ireland in order to provide a supportive environment for start-up companies and two centres have been located in the Galway-Mayo Institute of Technology (GMIT). The paper provides an example of collaboration between the Incubation Centre …

The Role Of Governance In The Cultivation Of University As An Ethical Enterprise, Thomas B. Morrow

Stream 1: Enterprise and Engagement

Universities have always relied on financial and other resources to pursue their goals. Over the last two decades, the percentage of financial support they receive from government has dwindled (Metcalfe, 2010). The expression, “enterprising university”, is generally used to refer to post- secondary educational institutions adopting entrepreneurial approaches to locate new sources and forms of revenue. Invoking the term in a normative register, some adopt a cheerful, triumphant tone (Meyer, 2002), others a gloomy, foreboding one (Lynch, 2006). Certain opponents condemn the “enterprising university” for spelling the end of university as we know it, whereas certain proponents claim being “enterprising” …

Influence Of Collaborative Learning On Women’S Experiences Of Engineering Education, Shannon Chance, Brian Bowe

Other resources

In a study of 55 electrical engineering students, Yadav, et al., found learning gains among students in Project-Based Learning (PBL) to be twice the gains of those taking traditional lecture courses. Du and Kolmos indicate groupbased PBL is more supportive and appealing to women than traditional lecture formats. Savin-Baden posits that female and minority students are more likely to ask questions in non-competitive PBL environments. This study interrogates the claim that PBL is particularly supportive to female and minority students. This work-in-progress uses a phenomenological research methodology to investigate how collaborative learning (in formal as well as non-formal settings) influences …

Thinking Outside The Box: Promoting Learning Through Emotional And Social Skills Development, Aiden Carthy, Sinead Mcgilloway

Articles

The European Qualifications Framework provides a useful insight into the kinds of outcomes and abiliti es that are promotedacross the EU. However, beyond arguably vague references to concepts such as ‘integrity’ and ‘autonomy’, this frameworkmakes no reference to the development of students’social and emotional competencies. Based on initial research findings inan Irish context, and when considered against the backdrop of a convincing literature on the importance of emotionalintelligence in academic attainment, there would appear to be considerable scope to modify this framework in order to accommodate more specific reference to the development of emotional and social skills. This paper addresses …

Mooca: Massive Open Online Course For Accessibility, John Gilligan, Weiqin Chen, Sebastian Kelle, Jenny Darzentas

Theme 1: Delivering Universal Design in Technical Subjects

No abstract provided.

Embedding Universal Design At The Core Of A Computing Degree Programme: Key Challenges Faced And Lessons Learned, Enda Finn

Theme 1: Delivering Universal Design in Technical Subjects

No abstract provided.

Teaching Universal Design In Computer Science, Damian Gordon, Ciaran O'Leary

Theme 1: Delivering Universal Design in Technical Subjects

No abstract provided.

Engineering Students’ Perceptions Of Their Preparation For Engineering Practice, Eileen Goold Dr

Conference Papers

A common theme in the scholarly literature describing engineering is associated with the conception of the term global engineer where the role of the engineer has become quite broad. This study investigates engineering students’ perceptions of their future careers and their preparation for professional practice. This is important information for engineering educators as students with heightened interest in professional practice demonstrate more cognitive engagement. Additionally many graduate engineers are challenged by the transition into engineering practice. A mixed methods approach is employed. The degree competencies are required and learned by electronic engineering students, at the Institute of Technology Tallaght Dublin, …

What Role Does Mathematical Preparedness Play For Engineering Students Who Transfer From And Ordinary Degree Into An Honours Degree?, Michael Carr, Marisa Llorens, Susan O'Shaughnessy, Anne Marie Mccarrick, Domhnall Sheridan

Conference papers

Students who have not achieved a high level of mathematics at secondary school but have a pass in ordinary level mathematics have the option of entering onto a 3-year Ordinary degree (Level 7). Upon successful completion of this award students may apply to progress to the third year of the Honours degree. Up until relatively recently an upper merit (60%) was the minimum required to make this transition. In recent years this requirement has been reduced with many students with lower marks being offered the possibility of transferring.

Relatively little work has been done on the transition from an Ordinary …

Cit Extended Campus : Case Studies On Engaged And Entrepreneurial Universities, Daithi Fallon, Irene Sheridan

Case studies

In 2011 the Department of Education and Skills in Ireland published its forward looking document ‘National Strategy for Higher Education to 2030’. That document focused on restructuring the higher education system as a key action in ensuring Ireland’s Economic Development and the creation of an ‘Innovation Island’. The Strategy document stated that ‘Engagement with the wider community must become more firmly embedded in the mission of higher education institutions’. The same document proposes the designation of some institutes of technology as Technological Universities and emphasises that the new universities should have ‘very strong links with enterprise to create programmes informed …

Experiential Project Presentation (Story Sack), Geraldine French

Assessment & Feedback Cases

his assessment relates to a module in Early Education Intermediate on story- reading/storytelling education as underpinning early literacy. The project forms part of the overall assessment for the year and is called Story Sack. A story sack consists of a purpose-made cloth bag whch contains a story, a book of facts relating to a story, props and other accessories. The purpose is to stimulate reading activities and to make shared reading a memorable and fun experience. Students are required to select a story (appropriate to the age range of the children in their placement) and to develop the story by …