Education Commons^™

The University Education Model Collection 2024: “A University Way Of Being”, Fionnuala Darby, Shaun Ferns, Barry J. Ryan

Group Reports

The University Education Model (UEM) revolutionises our approach to education; this approach is grounded in transformative learning opportunities and experiences for all. The UEM is central to the TU Dublin Strategic Intent, which itself is informed by the UN Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs), and in the case of the UEM, SDG 4 Quality Education. Embedding the UEM into our practice, processes and culture will empower TU Dublin to cater for the largest number of diverse learners, producing the most sought after, digitally literate, graduates.

The central focus of UEM are our learners, grounded in the three components that comprise the …

Meeting The Sustainability Challenges: An Assessment Of Entrepreneurial Education, Anna Zherdeva, Intesar Madi, Abrar Alzankawi, Lucia Morales Dr, L. Pop, A. Soler-Dominguez, J.C. Saez

Conference papers

The importance of sustainability and entrepreneurship education is highlighted in this study. The world economies are facing significant challenges as they try to enable the transition towards more sustainable economic and business models. Therefore, at the centre of the transition process, it is critical to consider the role that business education can play and, more specifically, the role of business schools in integrating and supporting the development of skills and competencies that align with our contemporary society's needs. In this paper, we initially assess the need to connect entrepreneurial and sustainability education by exploring the educational offerings at Technological University …

An Analysis Of The Impact And Efficacy Of An Online Mindfulness-Based Intervention As A Support For First-Year University Students, Wyndham Chalmers, Aiden Carthy, Maria Kenneally, Niamh Bruce, Colm Mcguinness, Philip Owende

Articles

As a result of the COVID-19 pandemic, many university courses transitioned to online delivery, therefore, educators and students faced new challenges associated with the delivery of modules and the provision of necessary student supports. Given the scale of this transition, it is likely that many universities will continue to teach remotely far beyond the reach of any pandemic specific restrictions. This study sought to explore the impact and efficacy of a five-week online mindfulness course to a cohort of first year university students (n = 25) at Technological University Dublin (TU Dublin), Ireland. Results demonstrated that participation in the course …

Circular Pedagogy And Digitisation A New Educational Paradigm, Lucia Morales, Lia Pop, Jon-Hans Coetzer, Iulia Stefan, Ivaylo Peev

Working Papers

Existing educational systems and models are insufficient to address the challenges associated with our evolving socio-economic and environmental systems. In this paper, we offer critical insights on the core elements defining Higher Education Institutions, the digitisation of teaching and learning practices with a dominant trend favouring STEM education that overlooks the value of social sciences. The neglection of social sciences and the criticism and negative connotations that affect research in the field of pedagogy are also considered as they are essential in articulating our vision of the need for pedagogical innovations that acknowledge our new learning and teaching realities and …

An Analysis Of The Impact And Efficacy Of Online Emotional Intelligence Coaching As A Support Mechanism For University Students, Aiden Carthy, Wyndham Chalmers, Eoghan Guiry, Philip Owende

Articles

As a consequence of the COVID-19 pandemic, many college courses have pivoted to complete online delivery and colleges are also tasked with providing student supports online. It is likely this transition will last beyond any COVID-19 specific restrictions, therefore this small-scale, exploratory study examined the efficacy and impact of the provision of a 5 week online emotional intelligence (EI) coaching programme to a cohort of Irish university students (n = 19) studying at Technological University Dublin (TU Dublin). Results revealed that the average overall level of EI increased for participants following the coaching programme. Students reported that they believed …

Developing And Embedding A Pedagogy Of Entrepreneurial Resilience In Education, Niamh Imbusch, Roisin Donnelly

Other resources

No abstract provided.

Circular Pedagogy For Smart, Inclusive And Sustainable Education, Lia Pop, Nadia Barkoczi, Lucia Morales, Jon-Hans Coetzer, Claudia Marian, Patrick Flynn

Working Papers

Higher education institutions seem to be engaged in a reactive process when thinking about education for sustainable development, instead of being proactive. A every stage, educational models remain very limited to specific goals and agendas driven by the fad of the moment and without articulating a sustainable educational model that we argue should be uttered within the concepts of intercultural competencies, smart, inclusive, and sustainable education where learners engage on a circular learning process as captured by the circular pedagogy for higher education. If the academic community is serious about driving actions that help us to enact change and impact …

Education To Enable Sustainable Economic Development, Ozeias Rodrigues Da Rocha, Lucia Morales, Jon-Hans Coetzer, Cormac Macmahon

Papers

Sustainable development has been widely discussed in the economic and political debate for the past 20 years, but practical, sustainable measures are still lacking. This fact poses a serious challenge to governments as they strive to balance the demand for natural and social resources while ensuring economic progress and risking severe environmental degradation. The urgent need for an economically sustainable development model raises essential questions, such as integrating education into business models and government policies. Education plays a vital role in sustainable development, as recognised by the United Nations. Technological solutions alone are insufficient; our society requires a shift in …

Quantitatively Comparing Elite Formation Over A Century: Ministers And Judges, John Hogan

Datasets

The abstract of the draft article that the datasets come from states:

In democratic societies the role of the education system is seen as crucially important to their development. It is critical in structuring society and in the value of its human and social capital. In particular, the role played by the education system in the creation and reproduction of the governing elites, and its countervailing potential to create a more meritocratic and egalitarian society has been an enduring topic of concern, research and debate. However, many of these debates have been rendered opaque by an inability to quantitatively examine, …

Re-Imagining Higher Education Through Equity, Inclusion And Sustainability (Rise): 2nd. Eut+ International Conference On Equality, Diversity And Inclusion, European University Of Technology

Conference Proceedings

No abstract provided.

2021 School Of Culinary Arts And Food Technology, Spring Newsletter, Tu Dublin., James Murphy

Other resources

The School of Culinary Arts and Food Technology, TU Dublin, Spring Newsletter captured the many events, research, awards, significant contributions and special civic and community activities which the students and staff members of the school have successfully completed up to the Spring period of 2021. The successful completion of these activities would not be possible without the active and on-going support of the 'INSPIRED' friends of Culinary Arts (school supporters) and our school's industry association supporters. In this issue we also fondly remember Cathal Brugha Street, Dublin 2 (as the school now prepares to move to our new campus facilities …

Intergenerational Learning: An Exploratory Study Of The Concept, Role And Potential Of Intergenerational Learning (Igl) As A Pedagogical Strategy In Irish Early Childhood Education (Ece) Services, Anne Fitzpatrick

Doctoral

This study investigates the concept, role and potential of intergenerational learning (IGL) as a pedagogical strategy in Irish early childhood education (ECE) services. It explores the perspectives on IGL of educators(5), children(70) and their parents(43) in five Irish ECE services in city, town and suburban locations. The theoretical and conceptual framework was informed by socio-cultural theories of learning aligned to key principles of IGL. A qualitative methodological approach was adopted to access these perspectives.Specifically, the methods used to gather data were semi-structured interviews with educators, draw and talk strategies with children and informal written feedback with parents. Educators played a …

Existing Competencies In The Teaching Of Ethics In Computer Science Faculties, Ethics4eu Consortium

Reports

This report is one of the deliverables for the Ethics4EU project. It presents results obtained from a survey conducted in early 2020 that polled faculty from Computer Science and related disciplines on teaching practices in Computer Ethics in Computer Science across Europe. The survey was completed by respondents from 61 universities across 23 European countries. Participants were surveyed on whether or not Computer Ethics is taught to Computer Science students at each institution, the reasons why Computer Ethics is or is not taught, how Computer Ethics is taught (for example, as a standalone course or embedded within other courses), the …

European Values For Ethics In Digital Technology, Ethics4eu Consortium

Reports

Digital Ethics deals with the impact of digital Information and Communication Technologies (ICT) on our societies and the environment at large. It covers a wide spectrum of societal and ethical impacts including issues such as data governance, privacy and personal data, Artificial Intelligence (AI), algorithmic decision-making and pervasive technologies. Importantly, it is not only about hardware and software, but it also concerns systems, how people and organizations and society and technology interact. In addition, with Digital Ethics comes the added variable of assessing the ethical implications of artefacts which may not yet exist, or artefacts which may have impacts we …

International Reflections On The Challenges Of Entrepreneurial Education Working With Small And Medium-Sized Enterprises, Aldo Valencia, Paul Doyle, Darryl Humble Phd, Dimitra Skoumpopoulou

Other

With the European Council looking to Higher Education Institutions (HEIs) to help support the strategic goal of increasing small and medium-sized enterprise (SME) activity through increased entrepreneurial education, we reflect on the challenges facing both HEIs and SMEs through the lens of the European Commission’s Horizon 2020 funded research and innovation staff exchange project ‘Global Entrepreneurial Talent Management 3’ (GETM3). This research generated data during the three-year duration of the project and through a mixed-methods approach. The effectiveness of entrepreneurial education against this strategic requirement and the barriers which need to be overcome to achieve it are considered. We observed …

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 …

Exploring The Impact Of Brexit On Uk’S Engineering Education Sector From The Perspective Of European Students And Staff, I. Direito, B. Williams, Shannon Chance

Conference papers

The UK higher education attracts a far higher number of international academics from all over the world, who teach and do research, than any other country in Europe, being only surpassed by Switzerland [1]. Moreover, because engineering itself is considered a global field, this sub-field of higher education also relies on international mobility more than most academic disciplines in the UK The impact of the United Kingdom European Union membership referendum of June 2016, commonly referenced as the Brexit referendum, is still unfolding and under continuing analysis. However, it is widely anticipated that it will disrupt European student and staff …

Narratives Of Creativity Among Social Care Educators In Irish Higher Education, Louisa Goss

Theses

Research on creativity in the delivery of social care highlights growing evidence of its importance for the wellbeing and quality of life of those in receipt of care, as well as benefits for the workforce. However, what is less well understood and overlooked in the literature is how creativity is conceptualised and operationalised in practice and education. This thesis attends to this gap in research from the perspective of social care educators. With the aim of deepening understanding of higher education teachers’ construction of creativity, the study explores small stories about creativity from six educators teaching into an undergraduate degree …

Development Of Strategies For The Assessment Of Practical Competencies In A Learning Environment, Kathleen Brosnan, Dervil Cody, Shannon Dickson

Practitioner Research Projects

No abstract provided.

Irish Plan Offers European Roadmap To Improve Teaching, Roisin Donnelly, T. Maguire

Articles

How do you improve teaching quality in higher education? It’s a question that is never too far from the headlines as students, parents and politicians demand more from universities. Publishing more data appears to be the UK’s favoured approach in recent times, with the introduction of the Teaching Excellence Framework adding to other data sets available on student satisfaction and graduate employment rates. Tougher regulation, more student participation in curriculum design or asking industry to step into the classroom are a few other approaches tried in some quarters.

Case Study: When It Goes Wrong, How Do I Know I Am An Excellent Teacher, (Just Having A Bad Day)?, Roisin Donnelly

Other resources

We all doubt ourselves at times, and we all have bad days in the classroom! Being an excellent teacher is a challenge to achieve consistently, made more difficult by trying to measure how we as teachers make decisions in the classroom, and what impact those decisions have on what and how our students learn. This case study is offered from the perspective of an academic developer, working as a ‘third space’ professional (Whitchurch, 2008), and as a facilitator of discussions about excellent teaching in higher education on DIT’s teaching qualification – the Postgraduate Diploma in Third Level learning and Teaching.

Social Care Graduates’ Judgements Of Their Readiness And Preparedness For Practice, Fiona Mcsweeney, David Williams

Articles

While research has been conducted on social work graduates’ views of their readiness and preparedness for practice, the views of social care workers have not been specifically researched. This paper reports on the views of social care graduates in Ireland of how ready they are to join the workforce and how their educational programme has prepared them. Two semi-structured interviews were conducted with the same participants. The first was at the end of their final year in college and the second between 9 and 12 months later when they were in employment. Findings indicate that participants, while apprehensive, felt ready …

The Impact Of The Professional Development Framework On Dit’S Information Literacy Programme, Allison Kavanagh

Books/Book Chapters

This chapter presents a case study of the influence engaging with the Professional Development Framework (PDF) has had on the Information Literacy (IL) programme in a Library of the Technological University Dublin (DIT), since 1 January 2019 the City Campus of Technological University Dublin. The PDF was developed by the National Forum for the Enhancement of Teaching and Learning in Higher Education. For over a decade (2008-2018), a team of DIT library staff has used a ‘menu’ of one-hour classes to deliver its IL programme in a standardised way. Participation by some team members in L2L (Librarians Learning to Support …

Active Learning Strategies For Higher Education: The Practical Handbook, Centre For Higher Education Research, Policy And Practice, Shaun Ferns, Nicola Duffy

Books

The manual itself is based on a sound method that the Educator can easily deploy. This is made up of easy stages for each activity which they and their students can embrace. This student-centred pedagogical approach allows learners to build their understanding while also taking responsibility for their own learning where the educator acts in a facilitator or enabler role. This active, enquiry-based approach is at the heart of what Durham College, UOIT and TU Dublin endeavour to provide to students as it can be applied to diverse problems and contexts within their educational journey and across disciplines. It also …

Open Practices In Academic Professional Development Programmes, Roisin Donnelly, Pauline Rooney, Claire M. Mcdonnell, Muireann O’Keeffe

Conference papers

In this reflective practice work, we will examine critically the process of evaluating and redesigning academic professional development programmes through the lens of open educational practices and resources. For over 15 years, the DIT’s Learning Teaching and Technology Centre (LTTC) has offered a suite of accredited postgraduate programmes and modules for staff. Demand for these programmes and modules has increased since 2013 with 187 participants graduating and a further 221 completing modules for continuing professional development (CPD). DIT was the first higher education institution (HEI) in Ireland to state a requirement that newly appointed lecturers complete a postgraduate qualification in …

Developing Data Literacy For Data Enabled Student Success, Pauline Rooney, Geraldine Gray, Phelim Murnion, James Doody, K.C. O'Rourke, Catherine Deegan, Gordon Cooke, Carina Ginty

Other resources

Tapping in to the potential benefits of learning analytics requires staff and students in higher education to be proficient in data literacy. This poster reports on a project to review and identify professional development needs for learning analytics, with an emphasis on the effective use of learning data to promote student success.

We report on the development of an evidence based strategy and implementation plan that addresses the skills gaps and professional development requirements of students and higher education staff who teach or lead teaching and learning enhancement. The outputs will enable upskilling of staff and also facilitate students to …

Student Wellbeing At Junior-Cycle Level: Teachers’ Perceptions Of Relevant Policies And Curricula, David Byrne, Aiden Carthy, Sinead Mcgilloway

Other resources

Research has demonstrated that initiatives aimed at promoting the development of social and emotional wellbeing in second-level students can help to insulate students against the many factors that may otherwise result in negative affect [1].

In 2017, the National Council for Curriculum and Assessment (NCCA) published new wellbeing guidelines which mandate all Irish post-primary schools to allocate 300 hours of junior-cycle instruction to the promotion of students’ social and emotional wellbeing. While much is understood about the potential benefits of such programmes [2], little is known within an Irish context about the attitudes and views of educators in this regard. …

Evaluating The Effectiveness Of A Focused Debate On The Development Of Ethical Reasoning Skills In Pharmacy Technician Students., Seana Hogan, Julie Dunne

Articles

Objective. To evaluate the effectiveness of debating an ethical dilemma on the development of ethical reasoning skills in pharmacy technician students.

Methods. A mixture of qualitative and quantitative methods was used. This included analysis of before and after 5-minute papers, a sentiment survey, thematic analysis of student reflective writing and a qualitative questionnaire by an independent observer.

Results. Twenty-five students participated in the study. The 5-minute papers showed improvement in student learning. In the sentiment survey, 83% of students agreed or strongly agreed that they had a better understanding of ethical dilemmas following the debate. The main theme identified from …

Five Combined Strategies To Achieve Comprehensive, Effective And Innovative Training In Accessibility And Universal Design. Success Stories In Spain, Yolanda De La Fuente, Delfin Jiménez, Jesús Hernández-Galán

Papers

Today, achieving quality higher education in Universal Accessibility and Design is a difficult task. There is a lack of development in this regard within higher education study programmes, so training components must be added to traditional education in order to respond to the 21st century effectively. Therefore, we name hereunder five innovative strategies that can vastly ease the success of this task when combined: 1. Flexibility: Online training in a digital world. 2. Internationalization: Allowing teaching staff and students to experience a global classroom scenario without spatial and temporal boundaries. 3. Transversality: Including individuals with multiple skills in a complex …

Towards A Truly Interdisciplinary Approach To Product Design Education, Colm O'Kane, Robert Tully

Conference papers

The education of new designers and innovators who can develop new product and service interventions to meet society’s challenges in the 21st century is a complex task. Design itself lies at the intersection of technology, art and science [1]. Technological University Dublin (DIT)’s BSc (Hons) Product Design programme was developed to reflect this reality and was uniquely designed to operate across three distinct Colleges (Engineering, Creative Arts and Business) within DIT. Its key objective is to give students a firm grounding in these three areas and to produce graduates capable of understanding and executing all stages of the design process …