Education Commons^™

Assessing Europe's University-Based Research, European Commission:Expert Group On Assessment Of University-Based Education, Ellen Hazelkorn

Reports

This report presents findings of the Expert Group on Assessment of University-Based Research set up by the European Commission, DG Research in 2008 to identify the framework for a new and more coherent methodology to assess the research produced by European universities.

Culinary Life Skills Recipe Guide, Dermot Seberry

Other resources

A book of recipes designed to teach men in rehab, the life skills to cook in their home. Designed to develop domestic skills, social skills and achievement of a FETAC accredited award towards a culinary qualification.

Early Childhood Staff's Understandings And Practices Of Parent Involvement In Private Early Childhood Services: An Exploratory Study, Maria Mcdermott

Masters

In modem Western society growing numbers of parents are employed in the labour market and while they work, parents and early years practitioners (EYPs) share responsibility for raising children. Attention to the quality of children's and families' experiences in these settings is increasing rapidly (Walsh, 2003; OECD, 2006). Parent involvement, has been identified as an indicator of quality, and the benefits that accrue from this involvement for children, parents and EYPs have been widely reported. Most parents are interested and want to be involved in their children's development, learning and education but how EYPs view parent involvement is an important …

What Have We Learned About And From Rankings?, Ellen Hazelkorn

Other resources

The presentation discusses the pros and cons of higher education rankings, and examines the impact and influence that rankings are having.

'Lifeline Recovery' Life Skills Programme For Rehabilatating Men, Dermot Seberry

Other resources

A Level 3 FETAC assessment manual developed alongside a structured culinary life skills programme. Designed to accredit candidates an award for successfully learning to cook nutritious food self sufficiently in a domestic environment.

Phenomenological Views And Analysis Of Culinary Arts Student Attitudes To National And International Internships: The “Nature Of Being” Before, During, And After International Internship, Frank Cullen

Articles

This article presents the results of research conducted between 2006 and 2007 as part of a 4-year study on culinary internships. The article explores what can be described as the culinary life, developing a picture of working in a kitchen. It then compares and contrasts the work of key writers in the area of internship. Phenomenological views are provided and quantitative data analyzed from the 2006 and 2007 cohorts of students studying for a bachelor of arts in culinary arts to establish their attitudes toward international internships. The research found that gaps existed between the attitudes of the 2006 and …

Peer Assisted Learning For International Business And Languages Students, Odette Gabaudan, Maria-Jose Gonzalez

Other Resources

This report provides a comprehensive outline of the context for the Peer Assisted Learning Project and the process of implementation in the BA (Hons) International Business and Languages in the academic year 2009-2010. It also includes a set of recommendations arising from the project and it concludes with an outline for future work in the area

Assessment Formats: Student Preferences And Perceptions, Mairéad Seymour, Shannon Chance

Articles

This paper provides a student perspective on the variety of forms of design critique available to educators. In architecture and landscape architecture, the design jury remains the dominant format for providing feedback to students. In recent years this format has come under scrutiny and its effectiveness called into question. However, little research has been done into the variety of alternative or supplemental formats available to educators. This paper explores an array of techniques that the authors have employed in design studio courses (which include techniques suggested by students in Webster’s 2007 article in the Journal of Architectural Education). These include …

The Measurement Of Success In External Engagement Activities, Mike Murphy

Conference papers

Our ambition is to identify, through the presentations and the discussion, a number of key insights and necessary actions for development of more and deeper partnerships between Higher Education Institutions and Employers.

The Learn@Work Socrates-Minerva Research Project 2005-2007: What Did It Do And What Has Happened With It Since?, Anne Murphy, K.C. O'Rourke, Pauline Rooney

Articles

This article provides a summary of the goals, processes, products, evaluation outcomes and lessons learnt from Learn@Work, a pan-European research project that involved four higher education providers and one private partner. The project aimed to develop and test online or personal computer (PC)-based materials for induction and support of worker-learners using pilots in the partner countries, as well as to generate usable case studies and theoretical models. This article describes and analyses the project activities, which included the production of a state-of-the-art report on the use of information and communication technologies (ICTs) in workplaces. The design paradigm is described, together …

The Student Perspective: Can The Use Of Technologies Transform Learning?, Eileen O'Donnell

Books/Book Chapters

This chapter explores students’ perspectives on the transformations that the use of technology has brought to higher education. The use of technologies in higher education facilitates flexible learning environments but the benefits to students who engage with these technologies will only be realised if the design is pedagogically sound. The pedagogic approach employed by lecturers when designing their e-learning platforms or learning management systems has the capability to transform learning. The author’s discipline is Information Technology and Business Information Systems; from experience and case studies there is ample evidence to suggest that the use of technology does not always necessarily …

Students' Overview: The Impact Of Technology On Learning In Higher Education, Eileen O'Donnell, Mary Sharp

Other resources

This research explores students’ views on the impact and transformations that technology has brought to the learning experience of students in higher education. The students who kindly participated in this study are from: The School of Computer Science and Statistics, Faculty of Engineering, Mathematics and Science, Trinity College Dublin and The Faculty of Business, Technological University Dublin, both based in Dublin City, Ireland. The use of technologies in third level education facilitates flexible learning environments. The pedagogic approach employed by e-learning development officers or lecturers when designing e-learning platforms or learning management systems has the capability to transform student learning. …

Good-Bye To The Celtic Tiger?, Ellen Hazelkorn

Articles

No abstract provided.

Resource Pack On Active Learning, Roisin Donnelly, Marian Fitzmaurice

Other resources

Introduction - The massification of higher education is now a global phenomenon - Huge changes in the teaching and learning milieu within colleges - The forces of massification have brought multiple challenges with regard to pedagogy - What kind of pedagogy to employ? - The role of the lecturer is to empower learning and it is challenging and complex - There is a need to employ a pedagogy which requires students to do things, to access information, to solve problems, to reflect on what they are doing and make connections to real world problems.

Educational research has revealed a number …

A Critical Reflection On The Research Into The Motives And Choice Behaviour Of Mature, Non-National Students Enrolling And Progressing In A Part-Time, Night Time Hospitality Management Program Within The School Of Hospitality Managa Critical Reflection On The Research Into The Motives And Choice Behaviour Of Mature, Non-National Students Enrolling And Progressing In A Part-Time, Night Time Hospitality Management Program Within The School Of Hospitality Management And Tourism, Technological University Dublin.Ement And Tourism, Technological University Dublin., Ann Conway

Other resources

This paper reviews a micro-research study into mature, part-time, night-time students’ motives and choice behavior as they enroll in, and progress in a third level institution. A critical reflection on this research process outlining the advantages of its design and implementation and also highlighting its limitations and ethical concerns will be conducted. It will briefly review some of the literature in the areas of students as consumers and their motives for learning and being part of an educational institution while guiding the focus from the research design, the methodology and methods employed to conduct the interviews. As transcripts or analysis …

A Doctoral Thesis Examining Change In A Hei In Ireland: Changing Universities And The Response Of Academics To Change In The Dublin Institute Of Technology, Kevin Kelly

Books/Book chapters

This is doctoral thesis undertaken by an experienced academic in the Engineering Faculty of a Higher Education Institute in Ireland. It examines the demand for universities to change in response to a fast changing external environment. This research explores how stakeholders are responding to the demands for change and how a bureaucratic organisation is attempting to become more responsive and innovative.

Web-Based Supply Chain Simulation: An Integrated Approach, Amr Arisha, Ayman Tobail, John Crowe

Conference papers

This is an era marked by rapid technology development in all different educational arenas. Alongside this growing demand of technology, learning process is getting new forms and hence traditional teaching approaches tend to struggle and lack the requisite qualities to meet new generation expectations. In third level education, this problem is increasing in magnitude and new dimensions, especially when it comes to teaching difficult subjects such as supply chain management. Understanding the complexity of supply chain networks and how to manage them create a considerable level of difficulty for students and professionals. Collaboration between supply chain members is now recognised …

A Pbl Response To The Digital Native Dilemma, Roisin Donnelly, Timo Portimojärvi

Books/Book Chapters

The purpose of the chapter is to delve into the growing imbalance between the educational technology widely supported by higher education institutions and today’s digitally cognisant student body. The authors argue that technology, such as Learning Management Systems (LMS), are not meeting the needs of the current students, commonly referred to as "digital natives", and that a disparity exists between how the students choose to communicate, in general, and how they are encouraged or required to communicate in accredited courses.

The Nature Of Complex Blends: Transformative Problem-Based Learning And Technology In Irish Higher Education, Roisin Donnelly

Books/Book Chapters

This chapter discusses the complexities of blending technologies and problem-based learning (PBL) group interaction within the context of academic development in higher education. For both designers and tutors, it is important to seek best practices for combining instructional strategies in face-to-face and computer-mediated environments that take advantage of the strengths of each and avoid inherent weaknesses. A qualitative case study of the lived experiences of 17 academic staff participants in a blended PBL module over a two year period was considered likely to provide a much-needed analysis of current thinking and practice on the potential of interaction in this form …

Do You See What I Mean? Computer-Mediated Discourse Analysis., Noel Fitzpatrick, Roisin Donnelly

Books/Book Chapters

This chapter explores a sociolinguistic approach to computer-mediated communication (CMC), by examining how higher education teachers use digital media to manage interpersonal interaction in their online courses, form impressions, shape and maintain relationships with their students. Previous studies have often focused on the differences between online and offline interactions, though contemporary research is moving towards the view that CMC should be studied as an embedded linguistic form in everyday life. The study of language in these contexts is typically based on text-based forms of CMC, (often referred to as computer-mediated discourse analysis). Within this, focus in the chapter is on …

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.

Towards An Improved Teaching Of Structural Behaviour, Colin C. Caprani

Teaching Fellowships

The interpretation of mathematical models and how they relate to the physical world is a key skill of the practice of structural engineering. At undergraduate level, there has been a noted reduction in students’ physical intuition in recent years. The teaching of structural engineering must therefore adapt itself to these new realities to maintain public confidence in the safety of society’s infrastructure.

The work carried out for this Fellowship project tacked the identified deficits at two ends of the spectrum of physical intuition. Third year students were introduced to basic structural models, whilst final year students were exposed to the …

Geolearn: Multi-Media Resources, Audrey A. Martin

Teaching Fellowships

This paper examines the potential of pedagogically designed video demonstrations in supporting the learning requirements of students in the Spatial Information Sciences (DSIS). Currently, over three hundred full and part-time students in the College of Engineering and Built Environment undertake a module in Land Surveying each semester and although these students range in discipline and academic level (NQAI 6-8), they all share a need for basic information and instruction in the area of practical land-surveying techniques. To accommodate this highly practical subject area, 50% of contact time is normally dedicated to group-based field exercises, the results of which are formally …

Dit Teaching Fellowship Reports 2009-2010, Jen Harvey

Teaching Fellowships

No abstract provided.

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, …

Techknow-Share: A Social Learning Framework For Group Projects, Mary Lawlor

Teaching Fellowships

Many marketing students at undergraduate level are exposed to experiential learning in Years 3 and 4 where, through more varied pedagogies such as case studies and industry projects, they have a taste of real work marketing practice. It is often a challenge to engage students at second year where the theory and concepts of marketing are required to be taught, often employing a traditional passive learning paradigm (lecture based). The need to foster engagement early in a student’s learning is ever greater with a generation of students that want to construct knowledge socially and leverage Web 2.0 tools in their …

Pre-Lecture Resources To Reduce In-Lecture Cognitive Load, Michael K. Seery

Teaching Fellowships

In order to reduce an observed gap in Year 1 performance between students who had and had not completed chemistry at Leaving Certificate in a first year chemistry group, an intervention based on cognitive load theory was implemented. Students completed ten pre-lecture resources before associated lectures. The resources took no longer than five minutes to complete and aimed to introduce students to the core terminology of the lecture. Resources were designed with the principles of cognitive load theory and multimedia resources in mind. They were administered through the DIT Webcourses virtual learning environment and students obtained feedback on a short …

Writing Architecture: The Role Of Process Journals In Architectural Education., Shannon Chance

Conference papers

No abstract provided.

A Project-Based Learning Approach To Applied Craft Calculations Within Apprenticeship Education: An Action Research Study, Kevin Furlong

Theses

Using an Action Research methodology, this study was based in Technologicl University Dublin and conducted with the cooperation of three groups of Phase Six Plumbing apprentices over a ten-month period (three cycles). The main aim of the research project was to establish if a deeper understanding and application of Building Services Applied Calculations could be achieved through the implementation of Project-Based Learning within Apprenticeship Education? Research literature shows that not only in Ireland but also abroad, third level education is experiencing what is described as a ‘maths problem’. With applied calculations and mathematics being a fundamental and essential part of …

Ireland: The Challenges Of Building Research In A Binary He Culture, Ellen Hazelkorn, Amanda Moynihan

Books/Book chapters

No abstract provided.