Education Commons^™

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

Conference papers

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.

For the purpose of this paper, a staff mentor is defined as an individual who meets the following criteria:

- he/she has been appointed to this position by his/her department; - their role is to provide ‘support’ to first year …

The Nexus Explored: A Generalised Model Of Learning Styles, Damian Gordon, Gordon Bull

Conference papers

The controversy over learning style (the unique way of thinking and reasoning that characterizes an individual learner) as to whether or not it is a stable cognitive factor is one which has raged on for a number of years, and has been reinvigorated recently with the advent of easy-to-use courseware development tools and the consequent development of virtual learning environments. This paper surveys a number of different learning styles models and it concludes there is a large degree of commonality between the different theories, which allows us to distill key or core learning style characteristics which point the way to …

Creating Spaces For Voices: The Portfolio As A Framework To Support Inquiry Into Third Level Learning And Teaching, Roisin Donnelly, Marian Fitzmaurice

Conference papers

This paper will discuss qualitative research that was conducted in our professional practice in supporting academic staff in third level learning and teaching in a higher education institution in the Republic of Ireland. The goal was to understand more fully the process of compiling a teaching portfolio through supporting the academic staff in their development of an authentic voice. A further concern of the study was to examine the extent to which the portfolio process promoted the development of skills such as reflection and self-evaluation and provided a structure for documenting and reflecting on learning and teaching for academic staff …

Different Thinking Hats: The Continuously-Evolving Role Of The Instructor In E-Problem Based Learning (E-Pbl), Roisin Donnelly

Conference papers

A hugely important area in any form of PBL delivery is the role of the instructor; in an e-learning environment, it is even more crucial. Hughes and Daykin (2002) have suggested that a move to online delivery needs a greater attention to design and development of facilitator skills than has been previously recognised. An e-learning module for lecturers, delivered using a problem-based learning approach, is the setting for continuing research into the many hats that an instructor has to don during the learning process. Coppola, Hiltz and Rotter (2001) identify a number of roles played by instructors in e-learning, but …

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

Conference papers

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.

Using Information Technology To Enhance Control Engineering Education: Some Experiences, Aidan O'Dwyer

Conference papers

In the past decade, the use of computer based design and analysis tools, such as MATLAB/SIMULINK, has revolutionised practice in Control Engineering. Concepts that were previously only understandable after sustained mathematical analysis or experimental work may now be readily simulated on the computer. Over the past four years, the author has experimented with the use of MATLAB/SIMULINK, in the lecture and laboratory environment, with degree and taught masters students in control engineering at Dublin Institute of Technology (DIT). It has been found that the tool helps to increase student understanding of challenging topics, to act as motivation to further exploration …