Education Commons^™

Serious Gordon Using Serious Games To Teach Food Safety In The Kitchen, Brian Mac Namee, Pauline Rooney, Patrick Lindstrom, Andrew Ritchie, Frances Boylan, Greg Burke

Conference papers

This paper will describe the development of Serious Gordon, an interactive digital game developed to tech the basics of kitchen food safety to workers in industries dealing with food. The motivations driving the development of the game will be described as will the development process itself. An initial evaluation of the game, from both a technical and pedagogical point of view, will be presented as will conclusions on the viability of using a commercial game engine for the purpose of developing educational games.

Implications Of Mass Education On Chemistry Higher Education, Christine O'Connor

Articles

The following paper discusses the implications of government policy for widening access and participation in third level institutes. The increase in ‘non-traditional’ students has been widely recognised on an international scale; however, some issues of inequality still exist. The ‘struggles’ associated with widening participation and the creation of a ‘new’ student type are discussed, with particular reference to chemistry education. A change is needed with regard to the pedagogical approach taken by staff in order to cater for a diverse student body comprising a broad range of learner types, and this must be supported both at departmental and institutional levels. …

The Emergence Of Quality Assurance In Irish Higher Education: A Review Of European And National Policy And Description Of The Technological University Dubin Practice, Aidan Kenny

Articles

This is the second in a series of three papers which explore and describe ‘quality’ as a tool in the Irish Higher Education sector. This paper reviews macro, mesco and micro issues relating to quality assurance within the context of European Union Education Ministers’ communiqués and in Irish national policy. A micro perspective is then undertaken pertaining to the Technological University Dubin describing how quality assurance systems and procedures emerged in the Institute. It also includes the Institute’s response to provisions made in the 1999 Qualifications (Education and Training) Act with reference to the necessity of carrying out quality reviews. …

The Quality Movement Discourse In The Higher Education Sector: A General Review, Aidan Kenny

Articles

This paper – the first of a series of three – describes some of the macro milestones in the evolution of the Quality Movement in the industrial environment. The emphasis then shifts to reviewing the discourse relating to quality in the higher education sector in the UK. Attention is given to Quality Assessment, Quality Assurance and Quality Enhancement models. The interface or tension lines between quality as a controlling mechanism or as a tool for development are outlined. Predominant concerns and issues as expressed by academics are clustered into macro questions, the answers to which will require further longitudinal research.

A Critical Exploration Of The Rhetoric Of Equity Belied By Practice In Postgraduate Teacher Education, Roisin Donnelly

Articles

This paper presents the initial results of an investigation into the current awareness and perceptions of equity issues amongst academic staff working on a postgraduate learning and teaching course for teachers in tertiary education in the Republic of Ireland. The study is set in the contemporary landscape of discourses around equality, egalitarianism and equity in education generally. The Irish White Paper on Adult Education Learning for Life (2000) recommends that adult education should be underpinned by three core principles, one of which is to promote equality of access, participation and outcome for participants in adult education, with pro-active strategies to …

The Application Of Learning Skills In An Engineering Programme, Leslie Shoemaker

Conference papers

At the Dublin Institute of Technology, an engineering programme in the School of Control Systems and Electrical Engineering has successfully incorporated a study skills module into the core curriculum. The module, titled Academic Development and Key Skills, is part of the first year of the programme and has a two-fold purpose. Primarily the goal is to assist the students with the transition from second level education to third level by teaching them a more competent learning style. This, in turn, helps to create a positive impact with respect to the retention of this student group within the programme. The second …

What Light Do Professional Doctorates Throw On The Question Of What Counts As Knowledge In The Academy At The Start Of The Twenty-First Century?, Sandra Fisher

Articles

In their article, ‘Professional Doctorates in England’, Bourner et al. (2001: 81) pose the question ‘What light do professional doctorates throw on the question of what counts as knowledge in the academy at the start of the twenty-first century?’ This article attempts to address this question. The article provides some background to the development of professional doctorates. It looks at forces, such as the rise of the knowledge society, economic drivers, and the demands of lifelong learning, that are shaping knowledge in the academy in the twenty-first century. I attempt to interpret these forces in the context of the development …

The Teaching-Research Relationship In Higher Education, Claire M. Mcdonnell

Articles

This paper examines higher education policy regarding the relationship between research and teaching. The initial issue dealt with is whether current policy in Irish higher education recognises a relationship between research and teaching, and to examine the dual role of academics as teachers and as researchers. This is followed by an examination of any measures put in place to manage and balance the teaching–research relationship. The way in which the relationship between research and teaching is dealt with both in my own institution, the Technological University Dublin, and in higher education policy in a number of other countries is then …

Exchange Faculty Perspectives On International Collaborations, Donal Mchale

Conference Papers

The main purpose of the paper is to document key issues in developing successful transatlantic faculty exchanges and to document perspectives and key learnings’ emanating from the development and implementation of an international exchange process.

Expanding Diversity For Mature Part-Time Craftspersons, Kevin Kelly

Conference papers

This paper, originally presented at the World Conference for Continuing Engineering Education (WCCEE) in Vienna in April 20006, examines how the Engineering Faculty in the Dublin Institute of Technology is coping with change on its part-time accredited engineering programmes as it widens access and moves to constructivist learning approaches on one new degree programme. A comparison is made between this programme and a more traditional academic programme. This move though largely successful, has led to some unexpected results.

Don't Go There: When To Abandon Lesson Plans And Venture, Humbly, Into Ground Zero, Sue Norton

Articles

This paper discusses pedagogical styles that are appropriate in the classroom.

Thermal Performance Of Low Approach Evaporative Cooling Systems In Buildings, Ben Costelloe, Donal Finn

Conference Papers

Meteorological enthalpy analysis of temperate and maritime climates above 45˚N suggests that the water-side evaporative cooling technique has considerable unrealised potential with contemporary "high temperature" building cooling systems - such as chilled ceilings. As low approach conditions are the key to exploiting the cooling potential of the ambient air, thermal performance at such conditions needs to be investigated. To address the research issues a test rig, based on an open cooling tower and plate heat exchanger and designed to maximise evaporative cooling potential, has been constructed at DIT. A combination of experimental measurement and analysis is used in the investigations. …

Acting For The Future – A Model Of Best Practise For Using Drama Workshops And Professional Theatre Performances To Promote Positive Mental Health And To Raise Awareness Of Issues Surrounding Suicide And Suicide Prevention, Mary Moynihan

Books/Book Chapters

This booklet contains a documentation of the first round of Acting for the Future which uses participative drama workshops and a professional theatre performance to promote positive mental health and suicide prevention. The first round was implemented by Smashing Times Theatre Company from January to December 2005 and funded by Area Development Management and Dormant Account Fund Disbursement Board. The project is still on going. The booklet also contains a full curriculum for two drama workshop models used to promote positive mental health and suicide prevention, along with terms of reference and lists of recommended reading and support organisations. The …

International Collaboration In Blended Problem-Based Learning, Roisin Donnelly

Conference papers

European education today is characterized by two dominant trends. First, e-learning has made impressive advances in the past five years. Second, European higher education has become increasingly internationalized. Within this, there has been an obvious shift towards more social, collaborative and communal perspectives of learning reported in recent educational research. Various forms of collaborative and inquiry-based learning include the idea that learning should be understood as a combination of participation, knowledge creation and internal processes. This paper discusses the blending of e-learning and problem-based learning (PBL), based on these observations and as a comprehensive approach encompassing the learning environment, curriculum, …

Problem Based Learning In Spatial Information Sciences: A Case Study, Audrey Martin, Eugene Mcgovern, Kevin Mooney

Conference papers

This paper describes the introduction, implementation and evaluation of a Problem Based Learning component in the Geodetic Surveying syllabus of the fourth / final year of the honours degree programme in Geomatics at the Department of Spatial Information Sciences, Technological University of Dublin,Ireland. The reasons behind adopting this constructivist educational approach as opposed to traditional instructivist methods more commonly employed are addressed, together with an evaluation of the process from both the educator (academic) and student (learners) perspective. The results of this case study are considered in the context of a number of interconnected pedagogical issues including (a) enhancement of …

The Experience Of E-Learning: Progress Towards A New Learning Paradigm, Audrey Martin, Eugene Mcgovern, Kevin Mooney

Conference papers

This paper reviews the use of E-Learning in the spatial information science programmes of the Technological University of Dublin (DIT).

The spatial information science programmes are placed within the context of the use of E-Learning across the Institute and this paper draws on the experiences of the DIT Learning Technology Team (LTT). The LTT has just completed the initial brief given to it by the DIT strategic planning group charged with ensuring the implementation of E-Learning as a resource in support of the change from a teacher-centred to a learner-centred paradigm.

E-Learning was first introduced in the Department of Spatial …

Towards Non-Prescriptive Issues: A Teaching Framework For Selecting Marketing Dissertation Topics, Conor Horan

Conference papers

There is a significant absence in academic literature, textbooks and practical teaching tools for advising or guiding student learning, in a practical non-prescriptive manner, toward topic selection and development. Prescriptive or rational approaches, taken by many research methods textbooks, are not adequate or sufficient when teaching this important first stage in the research process. Non-prescriptive approaches describing manageable steps should be researched more to fill this pedagogic gap. This paper attempts to promote academic discussion on a pedagogic gap that is broadly overlooked, and to examine how marketing and business academics can better instruct dissertation students in the area of …

Case Studies Of Good Practice In The Assessment Of Student Learning In Higher Education, Roisin Donnelly

Books/Book Chapters

There are two modules on the certificate programme. Module one is entitled ‘Learning and Teaching in Higher Education’. The aim of this module is to provide teachers in higher education with a wide range of practical learning and teaching methods, including the use of relevant learning technologies that will help their students learn more effectively. They will gain solid background knowledge in recognised theories and national and international best practices in learning and teaching in higher education so that they understand the reasons for choosing certain teaching strategies.

Constructivist E-Learning For Continuous Professional Development Of Academic Staff, Roisin Donnelly, Ciara O’Farrell

Books/Book Chapters

Professional development for academic staff in e-learning is currently a priority for higher education institutions in the Republic of Ireland as lecturers in Irish Higher Education are experiencing increasing demands to incorporate e-learning into their teaching practice. This chapter reports on the design and implementation of a blended module in e-learning for the continuous professional development of such lecturers. In this chapter we evaluate the effectiveness of exposing our lecturers as online students so they can experience first-hand the advantages and disadvantages of e-learning. Further, we show how improvement in both teaching practice and student learning can be achieved through …

The Tutor’S Role As Academic Developer In Blended Problem-Based Learning In Higher Education, Roisin Donnelly

Books/Book Chapters

This chapter is written from the perspective of an academic developer engaged in blending e-learning and problem-based learning as a means of delivery of professional development for academic staff in higher education. There is undoubtedly a wider range of e-learning technologies that are available for use with the more traditional teaching and learning / instructional strategies, but the challenge faced by today’s academic developers is the development of e-learning technologies to support constructivism and social constructivism in learning approaches amongst the academic staff with whom they work, so that this is, in turn, is carried forward into their own classrooms …

Online Learning Delivered Via Blended Problem-Based Learning, Roisin Donnelly

Books/Book Chapters

Course and Institution: Online Learning Module on the Postgraduate Diploma in Third Level Learning and Teaching; located in the Technological University Dublin. Teaching Strategy: Blended Problem Based Learning approach for 10 weeks. Students/Participants: 10 lecturers/academic staff members from a variety of higher education institutions from around the Republic of Ireland. Average Age: mature participants; some are new to teaching in higher education, and some have been teaching for anywhere between 5-25 years.

Can Blending Face-To-Face Teaching With E-Learning Support The Development Of Phase 4 Apprentices In Mathematics? A Formative Evaluation Research Study., Peter Hinch

Theses

This thesis is a formative evaluation research study. Its purpose is to establish if blending face-to-face and e-learning delivery methods can support the development of Phase 4 apprentice plumbers in mathematics in the Department of Construction Skills in the Technologicl University Dublin. The study also included the design, development and evaluation of a mathematics web site called Plumatics 4 U which is grounded in established theoretical criteria for effective blended delivery within third level education. This web site is currently in use by Phase 4 apprentice plumbers and is delivered through WebCT. The CD accompanying this thesis contains a short …

Blended Problem-Based Learning For Teacher Education: Lessons Learnt, Roisin Donnelly

Articles

Journal of Learning, Media and Technology, Vol. 31, 2, 2006, pp. 93-116

Available from the Publisher http://www.tandfonline.com/doi/abs/10.1080/17439880600756621

The Use Of "Real" English In Language Learning: Making Authentic Ns Speech Accessible Through A Novel Digital Slow-Down Tool, Marty Meinardi

Doctoral

This project is concerned with the design of English as a Second Language (ESL) courseware for Computer Assisted Language Learning (CALL). It arises out of the Enterprise Ireland funded DITCALL (Digital Interactive Toolkit for Computer Assisted Language learning) project. The focus of the research for this courseware is on using authentic video and audio material that is as natural and true to life as possible and providing adequate, pedagogically efficient and visually pleasing lesson material that will prepare prospective students for the environment in Dublin. The thesis centres around the validity of using authentic spoken Native Speaker (NS) English, and …

Preaching To The Converted?:Knowledge-Based Management Of Higher Education Institutes., Deirdre Lillis

Conference papers

Almost all absurdity of conduct arises from the imitation of those whom we cannot resemble. Samuel Johnson. The organisational culture of higher education institutes has been described in the literature as a professional bureaucracy where change creeps in not sweeps in (Mintzberg 1996). Operating within the constraints of public sector leglislation higher education institutes typically have a largely autonomous workforce with a highly compartmentalised organizational structure. The difficulties involved in providing a central steering core present some unique challenges to its management (Clark 1996). When faced with mounting external pressures for accountability, quality assurance, flexible delivery and others the unique …

Steering By Engagement:Towards An Integrated Planning And Evaluation Framework In Higher Education Institutes, Deirdre Lillis

Conference papers

Higher Education Institutes (HEIs) worldwide are investing significant resources in strategic planning and self study programs to improve institutional performance. Both are expensive undertakings in terms of the time invested by participants and it is not unusual to see both programs underway in a HEI at the same time. The underlying knowledge produced about the challenges facing the Institution and the necessary responses can be broadly similar although their methodologies and presentation may differ. This paper reports on the comparative effectiveness of three strategic planning and three self study programs undertaken in one HEI over an 8 year timeframe under …

Researching Quality In Early Irish Education, Noirin Hayes

Conference Papers

No abstract provided.

Chinese Students In Irish 3rd Level Education, Anita Heavey

Dissertations

This paper aims to examine some of the issues Chinese students face in Irish 3rd level Education. I will look at some of the cultural, social and academic issues that may influence the quality of a Chinese students learning experience in a Western system. I will begin by looking at Irelands involvement with Chinese student recruitment and then briefly look at Chinas educational history. This will put the situation into context and allow me to examine some of the problems encountered by the Chinese student. I will explore the complexity of teaching someone from such a different cultural background. Finally …

What Is Required To Optimise Professional Development Opportunities For Academic Staff In A Specific College In The Further Education Sector?, Anne O'Donohue

Theses

The main aim of this research was to identify what was required to optimise professional development for the academic staff of Liberties College, a college in the further education sector. This research was a case study, focusing on the micro, one case on one site, with the emphasis on understanding the unity and the wholeness of this particular case. The theoretical perspective applied therefore, was constructionist and the research methods interpretive in design.

The research design was mainly qualitative though there was also a quantitative element in part of the questionnaire which was followed up by semi-structured interviews. The relevant …

Can Blending Face-To-Face Teaching With E-Learning Support The Development Of Phase 4 Apprentices In Mathematics: A Formative Evaluation Research Study, Peter Hinch

Theses

This thesis is a formative evaluation research study_ Its purpose is to establish if

blending face--to-face and e-leaming delivery methods can support the development of

Phase 4 apprentice plumbers in mathematics in the Department of Construction Skills in

the Technologicl University Dublin. The study also included the design, development

and evaluation of a mathematics web site called Plumatics 4 U which is grounded in

established theoretical criteria for effective blended delivery within third level

education. This web site is currently in use by Phase 4 apprentice plumbers and is

delivered through WebCT. The CD accompanying this thesis contains a short …