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Exploring Pedagogic And Practical Intersections Of Academic Writing Support For Students In Higher Education, Maria-Jose Gonzalez, Roisin Donnelly

Articles

This case study explores undergraduate and postgraduate student perceptions of the nature and effectiveness of academic writing provision and practice in a university in Ireland. Its focus isthe Academic Writing Centre (AWC), a university-wide initiative to support all students. It discusses students’ perceptions as to the academic writing support provided at the AWC and students’ preferred writing strategies. The research design used a qualitative approach to gather data on students’ perceptions of the academic writing support received at one-to-one consultations. Data was gathered via a student survey (n=21) sent to all students who avail of the AWC’s one-to-one support. Findings …

Exploring Pedagogic And Practical Intersections Of Academic Writing Support For Faculty In Higher Education, Roisin Donnelly, Maria-Jose Gonzalez

Articles

This is a case study of Faculty perceptions of the nature and effectiveness of academic writing provision and practice in a university in Ireland. It is presented in tandem with a case study of student persecptions from an Academic Writing Centre and taken together, both discuss the pedagogical approach adopted by the two pan-university initiatives. The focus of this case study is a Professional Development module for Faculty designed with a dual purpose - to support them to develop their own professional writing for publication, and enabling them to use the same strategies to support and reinforce their students’ academic …

Ungrading, Supporting Our Students Through A Pedagogy Of Care, Shaun Ferns, Robert Hickey, Helen Williams

Articles

The awarding of grades or marks to student work is traditionally considered a fundamental feature of assessment. Grades became more widely established in the twentieth century becoming ubiquitous across most educational institutions. There is increasing evidence to suggest that grades are not effective tools for promoting or measuring learning. One alternative approach for promoting and measuring learning is "Ungrading," in which no letter grades or marks are given to students. Instead, they are replaced with formative feedback provided through strategies such as individual feedback, peer review and self-assessment. An Ungrading approach promises increased learner motivation, a reduction in stress, and …

Student Peer Feedback And Assessment In Higher Education, Niall Hanlon, Denise Murray, Eugen Niculae

Practitioner Research Projects

No abstract provided.

Timely Student Feedback, Ronan Oliver, Evelyn Casey, David O'Connor

Practitioner Research Projects

Students are not only interested in their grades but they are also interested in feedback (Mulliner & Tucker, 2017), as this is an important element of their learning cycle (Gibbons et al., 2018). Together with lecturers they agree that for this to be effective, it must be returned quickly so that it can be acted on within the context of their learning (Denton et al., 2008; Mulliner & Tucker, 2017). However, the delivery of timely and effective feedback can be a burden on lecturers, particularly if they are responsible for large classes and in the early stage of their career. …

A Rubric Guide For New Academics, Pearlean Chadha, Louise Lynch, Barry Nevin, Edmund Nevin, Anushree Priyadarshini

Practitioner Research Projects

Early career academics entering Higher Education face many challenges. The demands of a new work environment – particularly a third-level institute – can lead to struggles for identity and purpose together with uncertainty of how to fit into a new role (Archer, 2008; Houston, Meyer, & Paewai, 2006). The importance of supporting new academics is identified by many authors including Adcroft and Taylor (2013) and Sadler (2012), and is a crucial issue where assessment of student performance is concerned. Assessment is a major driver of student learning, and scholars have extensively documented the importance of constructively aligning assessment types to …

A How-To Guide For Student Generated Video, Janet Gillanders, Kate O'Brien, Sean O'Leary, Ariane Perez-Gavilan, James Sheridan

Practitioner Research Projects

The type of assessment used by the instructor is a major consideration that must be taken into account when designing a third level course. The importance of assessment can be understood if one frames it not only as assessment of learning but also as assessment for learning. In this new framework, in addition to measuring students’ knowledge of the material, assessment can be thought of as a tool used for providing feedback, for defining academic standards, and for directing student learning (Harris, 2005). There is currently a movement calling for a shift away from traditional high-stakes assessment towards alternative assessment …

Short Case Study: The First Year Experience: Students’ Perceptions On Assessment, Fiona Mcsweeney, Roisin Donnelly

Other resources

This case study reports on the results of a pilot study with first year students in the Department of Social Sciences in a Higher Education Institution (HEI) in Ireland. It discussed the findings in relation to student perceptions on the assessment process for first years.

Mapping Of Digital Literacy Skills, Allison Kavanagh

Other Resources

In 2013 DIT developed a set of graduate attributes known as the “Five E’s”: Engaged, Enterprising, Enquiry based, Effective and Expert in chosen subject discipline. Each of these five attributes is comprised of several additional attributes, one of which is digital literacy.

This presentation explains what digital literacy is, why it is an important attribute for our students and graduates to develop, and discusses practical ways of creating a mapping between a programme’s assessment methods and the digital literacy graduate attribute.

Enhancing Student Learning By Narrowing The Gap Between Feedback Giving And Feedback Receiving, Eileen Goold Dr

Conference Papers

Feedback is one of the most powerful influences on learning and achievement. However the mere provision of feedback to students does not necessarily lead to improved learning. Feedback is ineffective if it does not close the gap between learning goals and students’ performance. Often students do not have clear goals and they do not know what learning activities will improve their learning performance. Consequently the opportunity to learn from the feedback is lost. Learning is a social process and while young people have increasingly strong social needs they struggle with academic language. This study investigates the influence of lecturers’ feedback …

An Evaluation Of Formative Audio Feedback Within Part Time Professional Development Programmes In Dit., Claire M. Mcdonnell, Roisin Donnelly, Claire Mcavinia

Other resources

Evidence from the literature indicates that learners often view feedback in terms of assessment only, even though it can play an important role in improving engagement and consolidating and enriching learning. It is well accepted that the feedback strategy used should be appropriate to the purpose and context of the work, but in order for feedback to be truly helpful, it needs to be goal-referenced, tangible, transparent, actionable, user-friendly (specific and personalized), timely, ongoing and consistent. Technology can also play a useful supporting role in achieving this. This paper explores the impact of formative audio feedback across part time programmes …

Students' Views On Assessment, Fiona Mcsweeney

Other resources

The aim of the study was to explore the views and experiences of students in a Social Science department in an institute of higher education. All undergraduate students were surveyed using a structured questionnaire. 258 valid questionnaire were returned and analysed to ascertain students’ opinions on the purpose of assessment, how prepared they felt for assessments, their experiences and views of formative feedback and their reactions to grades. Findings show that while students have completed a good range of assessment types and show awareness of the learning potential of assessments they do not feel they understand lecturers’ expectations nor are …

Experiential Project Presentation Using Story Sack, Geraldine French

Assessment & Feedback Cases

This use case describes how one assessment method was designed and implemented by a lecturer or a group of lecturers in DIT. The use case was compiled from an interview conducted as part of DIT’s RAFT project (2013‐14), the aim of which was to provide a database of assessment practices designed and implemented by academic staff across DIT.

Formative Feedback, Noel Fitzpatrick

Assessment & Feedback Cases

This assessment method is an opportunity for formative feedback. Students are given an essay title in Week 1, with a 500 word submission due in Week 6 or 7. Feedback is given without a mark.

Feedback Dynamics In The Academic And Industrial Environment, David Kennedy, Dermot Mcgarthy

Conference Papers

Feedback is essential in all companies, in society and in educational environments. We learn, improve and develop from it in our examinations, group work, work environment and relationships. Feedback however must be supported with good communications and be consistent. In the classroom environment this means providing feedback in a positive and supportive manner, and being consistent to all. Most if not all managers and leaders, including lecturers have not undertaken any form of training in feedback methods and therefore it is not translated effectively, causing stress or misguidance to students and colleagues. This paper highlights the importance of good feedback, …

Work Placement Blogs To Harness Diverse Learning Experiences, Provide Timely Assessment And Feedback, And Foster A Community Of Learning, Julie Dunne, Sinead Ryan

Teaching Fellowships

Students on work placement will have very different experiences from each other; however they are generally not connected to their peers, but working with professionals under the guidance of a work placement co-ordinator. Therefore during work placement they are not formally supported by peers and cannot learn from the diverse range of activities their peers will experience. The aim of this project is to enhance the student experience while on work placement by introducing a blog assessment. The implementation of work placement blogs will allow work placement experiences to be shared with the whole class. Feedback mechanisms are discussed, along …

Harnessing Technology To Make Learning (And Teaching) More Fun., Barry Ryan, Julie Dunne

Conference papers

This paper describes how various technologies were introduced into foundation science modules both to enhance student engagement and feedback, and also to cope with increased teaching workload. It mostly deals with freely available software or tools available through a VLP (virtual learning platform, e.g. Blackboard or Moodle), but also includes audience response ‘Clickers’ which were purchased. The technologies discussed are user-friendly and do not require advanced IT skills. The paper includes successes, but also includes some less successful attempts to integrate technology and explores the possible reasons.

As third level funding is reduced, many academics are coming under increased pressure …

Using Formative Feedback To Support A Blended Learning Programme, Noel Fitzpatrick, Bernadette Burns, Brian Fay

Teaching Fellowships

Formative feedback has been well documented as a means of promoting and engaging learning. Indeed, for effective feedback the timely nature of feedback is essential. This project outlines the development of formative assessment as integral part of a blended learning programme. Using the existing BA Visual Art Programme (Sherkin Island), this project developed, used and evaluated innovative student feedback mechanisms. The project focused on the development of formative feedback for first year modules on the programme with special emphasis placed upon the written elements of the course. The BA in Visual Arts is a majority practice based programme in Fine …

Basics: Building A System To Ingrain Core Competencies Within Students, David Dorran

Teaching Fellowships

The aim of the project is to develop a system which will promote a solid knowledge of programmes’ “core competencies” amongst students. This will be achieved by building a set of online quizzes which students will undertake on a regular basis throughout the delivery of programme modules. Quizzes will include feedback with links to web-based activities/information to help students develop their understanding.

Improving The Undergraduate Laboratory Learning Experience Through Redesigned Teaching And Assessment Strategies Integrating Transferable Skills And Focusing On Feedback., Julie Dunne, Barry Ryan

Teaching Fellowships

This project aimed to improve the laboratory learning experience for undergraduate science students, focusing initially on first and third year cohorts, through specific objectives. Firstly, to incorporate novel teaching and assessment methods, including student led laboratories, in- house produced instructional videos, “Clickers” audience response devices, and pre-practical on-line multiple choice questionnaires (MCQ) assessments. Secondly, to develop timely feedback mechanisms, including peer review, tutor face-to-face and audio feedback, online automatic feedback, and report checklists. Finally, to embed transferable skills into the laboratory including group work, communication skills (written and oral), organisation and project planning, health and safety, and preparedness for laboratories, …

The Enhancement Of Student Learning Through Engagement And Feedback In The Assessment Process, Niall Delaney, Alan O'Donnell

Conference Papers

The Technological University Dublin is one of the largest multi-level higher education providers in Ireland, catering for over 22000 students annually. Under the 1999 Qualifications (Education and Training) Act, DIT became an awarding body in its own right. Programme provision covers apprenticeships, short continuous professional development courses, taught undergraduate and postgraduate, research MPhil and PhDs. The Institute’s traditional mission has always been focused on learning and teaching in the field of advanced technical vocational education and training (TVET), and one of its current agendas is to foster and encourage changes in teaching practice and methodology in order to enhance a …