Education Commons^™

Occupational Decision-Making And Career Choice Among School-Leavers In Ireland 2002-2004 With Particular Reference To A Career In The Hotel And Catering Industry, Clement H. Ryan

Theses

No abstract provided.

Dit Set To Become Largest College In State, Sean Flynn

Media

No abstract provided.

Where Does Ap(E)L Fit In Higher Education?, Anne Murphy

Articles

On an EU policy level the paper acknowledges the impact on thinking about AP(E)L as a result of the agreement of common European principles for validation of non-formal and in-formal learning in 2004 at the Dublin Conference during Ireland’s presidency of the EU (note 1).This conference also addressed the possible areas of agreement across vocational education and training (VET) and higher education (HE) on contiguous issues such as a common European Qualification Framework, common arrangements for credit transfer and common arrangements for quality assurance. Additionally, the paper is written contemporaneously with the introduction of such mechanisms as the Europass, European …

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 …

They Don't Really Want To Know Us: Experiences And Perceptions Of International Students At The Technological University Dublin, Almut Schlepper

Articles

This paper seeks to explore the experiences and perceptions of international, non-EU students at the Technological University Dublin. My interest in the subject derives from my work as a lecturer at a college with an increasing number of international students and from my participation as a student on a course which made me appreciate the value of a diverse student and lecturer body. The sample of the survey I carried out included international students and lecturers at one campus of the Technological University Dublin. While the results indicated that international students are just as heterogeneous as Irish students, they are …

Cooking Online: Investigating The Effectiveness Of Providing Online Support Material To Students On A Professional Cookery Apprenticeship Course, Nuala Harding

Articles

Having worked as a lecturer for five years, I was given the opportunity to undertake the postgraduate diploma in third-level learning and teaching at the Technological University Dublin. The elective I chose as part of this course was online learning. The requirement to compile a reflective journal during the module has provided the catalyst for me to write this paper. This Paper describes work in progress for proposed research within the Department of Hospitality, Tourism and Leisure Studies in Athlone Institute of Technology (AIT). The purpose of this research is to investigate the feasibility of providing and the effectiveness of …

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 …

Making Connections: A Review Of International Policies, Practices And Research Relating To Quality In Early Childhood Care And Education, Noirin Hayes, D. Mcgrath

Reports

Report commissioned by the Centre for Early Childhood Development and Education (CECDE), 2004.

The Design Process And User Focused Digital Spaces, Elaine M. Keating

Masters

This thesis presents a qualitative inquiry into how the graphic design process is being reconfigured within the new digital media landscape. The literature review looks at the historical relationship between graphic design and technology from the invention of the printing press to the personal computer and reviews how this relationship is again affected by the emergence of the computer as a medium for communication. The products of digital design are no longer static and fixed but are dynamic and progressive. The digital media landscape is transforming not just the nature of design products but also the actual graphic design process. …

Changing Practice: Research On The Impact Of Continuing Professional Development In Higher Education, Roisin Donnelly, Marian Fitzmaurice

Other resources

In higher education, we still have much to learn about the nature of teacher training, about the construction of curricula, and about how teachers become reflective about their practice. Eraut (1994) emphasised that professionals continually learn on the job but that unless time is set aside to deliberate, the learning may not be integrated into any general theory of practice. Also, it is argued in the most recent literature (Day & Sachs 2004) that there is a gap in our knowledge of the effects of CPD upon the thinking, planning and practice of individual teachers. Kelchtermans (2004) highlights the need …

Researching What Lecturers Want: Supporting Academic Staff In The Scholarship Of Learning And Teaching, Roisin Donnelly, Marian Fitzmaurice

Other resources

No abstract provided.

Investigating The Effectiveness Of Teaching 'Online Learning' In A Problem-Based Learning Online Environment., Roisin Donnelly

Books/Book Chapters

This chapter reports on the evaluation and subsequent re-design of an e-learning module that utilised a problem-based pedagogy. The module was a component of a Postgraduate Diploma in Third Level Learning and Teaching for lecturers from a range of higher education institutions in the Republic of Ireland. The online delivery took the form of using a range of electronic resources and online asynchronous and synchronous discussion to solve a problem-based learning scenario. In designing the original module I had envisaged that the key to the module participants’ success would be to collaborate online and share valuable information with colleagues from …

Why Do Students Abandon Programs Prior To Completion?: An Investigation Into The Phenomenon Of Dropout Students From The Diploma In Hotel And Catering Management, Dit., Ann Teresa

Theses

The aim of this thesis is to examine how students experience education at the Dublin Institute of

Technology. What happens to them that influences their decision to leave their course of choice and what can we do to help? In this thesis I have looked at the phenomenon of dropout students from the Diploma in Hotel and Catering Management in DIT and the factors that influence their choice of course and then subsequent withdrawal from this course. I have interviewed a student who has left another course to pursue the Diploma in Hotel and Catering Management to examine if her …

Why Do Students Abandon Programs Prior To Completion? Case Study Investigation Of Dropout Students From The Diploma In Hotel And Catering Management Dit, Ann Conway

Other resources

Not only are demographic changes taking place within the Irish population but in addition, significant challenges are being imposed on higher education providers to retain as many students as possible within the higher education system. Yorke (1999) noted that many students leave higher education prematurely and about 50% of these students do so during, or at the end of their first year in college (DIT, 2003). Some non-completion of courses is unavoidable and should not be viewed as failure by the student, tutor or college, but acknowledged that dropping out is likely (Oliver, 2001). However, a lot of non-completion is …

Tradition Versus Technology: Careers Fairs In The 21st Century, Christiane Brennan, Margaret Daly, Eileen Fitzpatrick, Edward Sweeney

Articles

The traditional methods of graduate recruitment do not adequately meet the needs of the changing profile of students and graduates. As industry becomes internationalized, the needs of employers are also changing. Graduate recruitment is in response to short term needs and varying levels of experience are required. A case study method was used in Technological University Dublin to evaluate effectiveness of a virtual careers fair in providing greater access to job opportunities for students and graduates. Access by employers to potential employees was also measured. Findings showed that while access improved, other issues requiring attention emerged.

The Potential Of Elearning In The Spatial Information Sciences: A Resource For Continuing Professional Development., Kevin Mooney, Audrey Martin

Conference Papers

National mapping agencies have at their disposal a number of resources for the continuing professional development of their staff. These range from attendance at full-time University programmes to short in-house tutorials and workshops. The Technological University Dublin has recently developed an eLearning course in ‘Co-ordinate reference systems for spatial information’ and piloted it with staff of Ordnance Survey Ireland and the Department of Lands and Surveys, Nicosia, Cyprus. This paper evaluates the performance of eLearning in the delivery of the pilot courses pointing to its weaknesses and its strengths. The need for considered and careful use of interactive tools such …

Fostering Of Creativity Within An Imaginative Curriculum In Higher Education, Roisin Donnelly

Articles

Psychology is frequently used as a foundation discipline in the training of adult educators because it addresses those questions which naturally emerge from an engagement with adult learning and teaching (Tennant, 1997). The professional context which forms the focus of this article is no different. By providing academic support for lecturers in a higher education institution in Ireland, there is a desire to develop a sustainable curriculum model whereby by working with them on designing and developing creative curricula in their various subject disciplines in the arts and sciences they, in turn, pass the benefits of this on to their …

Online Learning In Teacher Education: Enhanced With A Problem-Based Learning Approach, Roisin Donnelly

Articles

This paper describes research undertaken by an academic tutor in a Learning and Teaching Center (LTC) on the design of a module on Online Learning on a Postgraduate Diploma in Third Level Learning and Teaching. The LTC supports academic staff (Faculty) at the Technological University Dublin in learning, teaching and assessment activities, including integrating learning technologies. This work is supplemented by increasing awareness of current national and international research and strategies related to learning and teaching in higher education. The goal of the LTC is to offer resources, consultation, and a forum for discussion to help academic staff provide a …

Critical Evaluation Of The Impact Of Global Educational Reform: An Irish Perspective, Roisin Donnelly

Articles

Global trends in the new public management of education have manifested themselves differently in different countries. Its manifestation, the significant issue that this paper addresses, is whether it has led to any changes in education in the third level sector in the Republic of Ireland in the last ten years. This will be achieved through a critical exploration of the expression of higher educational reform worldwide, and a review of its impact on Higher Education (HE) in Ireland. Within this, there are a number of specific objectives: - to discuss the context of higher education (including policy issues and stakeholders) …

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 …

Architectural Registration And It's Diversity Vortex., Shannon Chance

Articles

Architects: take a serious look at your demographics. While other professions are making strides to represent the diversity of America's population, yours lags markedly behind. Most U.S. architecture schools began admitting women and minorities between 1965 and 1972, but many who completed architecture degrees in the interim haven't yet received professional licensure. The ranks of licensed architects remain mainly white and mainly male, which denies society fair representation in shaping the built environment. Consider that African-American females comprise roughly 7% of the U.S. population but less than 0.2% of licensed architects; they've achieved proportionally higher success in law, medicine, and …

Improving Student Learning Through Theme Based Curriculum Design And Team Teaching: An Action Research Study, Brenda Dermody

Theses

This study is concerned with improving the design and delivery of the curriculum on a four year BA in Design Visual Communication programme in the Technologicl University Dublin. The study examines how aspects of curriculum design and delivery affect some of the key stakeholders - the students and academic staff – involved in the programme. It looks at how the design and delivery of the curriculum can be improved with a view to achieving two main aims. The first aim is to promote a deep approach to learning among visual communication students. The second aim is to promote a deep …