Education Commons^™

Sustainable Product Design Education Through An Appreciation Of The Low-Tech, Ceri Almrott

Conference papers

The paper presents a case study on the implementation of Low-Tech development model to teach sustainability in design-led programmes. The author argues that sustainability education should include not only the technical aspects of sustainability theory but also the underlying social aspects. The low-tech approach fits well in design-led modules since it encourages students to consider appropriate technological solutions for design projects while focusing on user behaviour to develop articulate solutions. The study explores the pedagogical approach of the content used to teach the design module and introduces a low-tech design workshop to aid students in implementing learning. The results of …

Re-Evaluating Learning Environments To Nurture Studio Culture, Ceri Almrott

Conference papers

Following the COVID-19 pandemic and the resultant remote teaching that lockdown enforced the requirements and suitability of physical learning spaces such as studios can be questioned. This paper seeks to understand the requirements of students in this decade of their physical studio spaces. Using focus groups, surveys and user feedback activities students on the Product Design programme were asked to evaluate the studio spaces within the university as they returned to on-campus learning and provide qualitative feedback on their experiences.

It was found students still require physical studios that allow them to undertake their design work and utilise tools and …

Homo Ludens Moralis: Designing And Developing A Board Game To Teach Ethics For Ict Education, Damian Gordon, Dympna O'Sullivan, Ioannis Stavrakakis, Andrea Curley

Conference papers

The ICT ethical landscape is changing at an astonishing rate, as technologies become more complex, and people choose to interact with them in new and distinct ways, the resultant interactions are more novel and less easy to categorise using traditional ethical frameworks. It is vitally important that the developers of these technologies do not live in an ethical vacuum; that they think about the uses and abuses of their creations, and take some measures to prevent others being harmed by their work.

To equip these developers to rise to this challenge and to create a positive future for the use …

Investigating The Enduring Fascination With Dublin's Victorian Pubs, James Peter Murphy

Conference papers

Victorian pubs of Dublin have played an integral role in the social, cultural and economic history of Ireland’s capital from their early development in the front rooms and parlours of Dublin homes they are one of the most iconic elements of Irish culture. These pubs have always been a strange mixture of tradition and curiosity which forms an integral part of the rich tapestry of Dublin life dating back to their creation nearly 200 years ago. A proud brewing and distilling tradition of these pubs combined with their natural hospitality and sociability, have all contributed to making the pubs of …

Developing Mobile Apps For Improving The Orientation Experience Of First-Year "Third Level" Students, Nevan Bermingham, Mark Prendergast, Trevor Boland, Mary O'Rawe, Barry Ryan

Conference papers

Smartphone usage by students has increased rapidly over the last number of years, and research points to an expectation for increased utilisation of mobile applications in college educational environments. First year students have particular needs when they transition to higher education (or 'third level'), as they can experience a number of personal, social and cultural difficulties. Orientation is a critical stage for these students and the earlier students have access to important orientation information, the less stressful the initial stages of college are. At Dublin Institute of Technology (DIT), the authors designed a bespoke mobile application tailored to the particular …

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 …

Returning To Ulysses: The Need For Ireland's Higher Education Institutions To Re-Imagine The Provision Of Entrepreneurship Education, Thomas Cooney, Kathleen Farrell, Paul Hannon

Conference papers

This paper is a detailed analysis of entrepreneurship education in Higher Education Institutions (HEIs) on the island of Ireland based on a survey of all twenty-six institutions. The paper examines the number and types of courses and activities currently being offered to students and concludes that the vast majority of the existing provision is quite traditional in its approach. It is further argued that entrepreneurship education needs to be re-imagined if it is to meet the needs of Ireland’s current economic and social challenges, and that educators should seek inspiration from some of the island’s most creative artists from its …