Curriculum and Instruction Commons^™

Engineering Education Through Problem Based Learning: A Case Study Of Teaching Mechanical Engineering Design In Tu Dublin, Kevin Delaney, Ger Nagle

Articles

Undergraduate students, having learnt to quantify the performance of specific elements of engineering objects, often find it difficult to integrate these elements into quite basic design concepts. Employers expect these engineering graduates to be able to do a great deal more than solve the technical problems taught in engineering school once they enter the workforce. To help students meet this expectation by developing real-world engineering skills as part of their engineering education, the Mechanical Engineering Discipline in Technological University Dublin (TU Dublin) introduced Problem Based Learning (PBL) module for Third Year Mechanical Engineering students in 2005. This module was well …

Examining Irish Educators’ Attitudes Regarding The Promotion Of Student Social And Emotional Wellbeing: Preliminary Findings, David Byrne

Other resources

Background: A review of the literature identifies that Irish post-primary students are at significant risk of experiencing negative affect in their academic lives. Previous research has demonstrated that initiatives aimed at promoting the development of emotional and social wellbeing in such students can produce positive outcomes such as higher academic achievement, improved self-efficacy and reduced attrition [1][2].

In 2017, the National Council for Curriculum and Assessment (NCCA) have recently published wellbeing guidelines which mandate all Irish secondary schools to allocate 300 hours of junior-cycle instruction to the promotion of students’ social and emotional wellbeing. While much is understood globally about …

A Guide For Vet Teachers With A Focus On Aquaculture: Using Student Rapid Response Systems (Srrs) For Formative Assessment And For Recognition Of Prior Learning (Rpl), Anne Murphy, Aiden Kenny, Martyn Haines, Christine Dudgeon, Dag Willmann

Other resources

Introduction: This Optimal Guide is organised into 6 Parts as illustrated below. The reader is free to follow the sequence of parts or simply go to the parts of relevance.

Leaf (Learning From And Engaging With Assessment And Feedback) Final Project Report, Ziene Mottiar, Louise Bellew, Sara Boyd, Greg Byrne, Jane Courtney, Cliona Doris, Helen O'Brien Gately, Geraldine Gorham, Leanne Harris, Natalie Hopkin, Anne Hurley, Louise Lynch, Ciaran O'Driscoll, Denise O'Leary, Noel O'Neill, Emma Robinson, Mary Scally, Barry Sheehan, Mairead Stack

Reports

The LEAF (Learning from and Engaging with Assessment and Feedback) project was funded under the Teaching Fellowship in TU Dublin, city campus for 18 months beginning in January 2018. The project team comprised 18 academics from across the TU Dublin - City Campus and there are representatives from all colleges. Also included were two further members who represented the student voice: the Director of Student Affairs and the Students’ Union Education Officer.

This project sought to address a key issue in third level Teaching and Learning, that of assessment and assessment feedback. Assessment strategies have been shown to have a …

Assessment Strategies To Promote Peer Learning In An Online Course, Pauline Rooney, Caitríona Ní Shé

Papers, presentations and other resources

The value of peer learning in higher education is now well recognised. Just as we continually learn from eachother in our everyday lives, so our students also learn from eachother as part of informal and formal learning experiences. Within educational programmes, peer learning is facilitated through a variety of pedagogical strategies which promote active participation, collaboration and the sharing of knowledge and ideas. With the increasing ubiquity of social networking and online learning platforms, new opportunities for facilitating peer learning, have emerged. Within online courses – where students often study at geographically disparate locations – peer learning strategies assume arguably …

The Semantic Student: Using Knowledge Modeling Activities To Enhance Enquiry-Based Group Learning In Engineering Education, Paul Stacey

Conference papers

This paper argues that training engineering students in basic knowledge modeling techniques, using linked data principles, and semantic Web tools – within an enquiry-based group learning environment – enables them to enhance their domain knowledge, and their meta-cognitive skills. Knowledge modeling skills are in keeping with the principles of Universal Design for instruction. Learners are empowered with the regulation of cognition as they become more aware of their own development. This semantic student approach was trialed with a group of 3rd year Computer Engineering Students taking a module on computer architecture. An enquiry-based group learning activity was developed to help …

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 …

An Examination Of Factors Influencing Emotional And Social Wellbeing In Irish Junior-Cycle Students, David Byrne

Other resources

A review of the literature identifies that Irish second-level students are at significant risk of experiencing negative affect in their academic lives. Previous research has demonstrated that initiatives aimed at promoting the development of emotional and social wellbeing in such students can produce positive outcomes such as higher academic achievement, improved self-efficacy and reduced attrition[1][2].

The National Council for Curriculum and Assessment (NCCA) have recently published wellbeing guidelines which will mandate all Irish secondary schools to allocate 300 hours of junior-cycle instruction to the promotion of students’ social and emotional wellbeing from September 2018. While much is understood globally about …

Design Of A Professional Development Framework In Teaching And Learning For Engineering Educators, Orla Mcconnell Ms, Cormac H. Macmahon, Jen Harvey Dr

Conference Papers

Ireland’s National Professional Development Framework for Those who Teach in Higher Education, aims to provide guidance and leadership in the planning, developing and engaging in professional development practices. A series of pilot projects have been initiated to help explore the framework’s likely utility and acceptance by educators and their institutions. These projects require engagement with staff in the interpretation and adaption of the framework within their working contexts. The purpose of this paper is to outline the development of one such project with engineering educators at three Institutes of Technology seeking designation as a technological university. The initiative aims to …

Academic Twitter And Professional Learning: Myths And Realities, Muireann Okeeffe

Articles

Social networking sites provide opportunities for informal and social learning of academic practices in higher education, yet not all academics engage in these spaces. This qualitative study suggests that while Twitter offers informal opportunities for academi development, inhibiting factors prevent staff from establishing their social presence and participating in conversations on academic Twitter.

The Lecturer As Learner: Exploring That Digital Divide One More Time, Mary O'Rawe

Conference papers

Although there is widespread acceptance of the importance, and indeed superiority, of student-centred learning in the contemporary success equation (McCabe & O’Connor, 2014), charting the route to such success remains problematic. Many assumptions around the nature of digital learning, and inter-generational attitudes to such learning are still made.

Specific to the context of technology-enhanced teaching, learning and assessment in a higher education environment, a range of generic and particular debates around how to be student-centric arise. Technology-enhanced learning (TEL) has been examined extensively from both the student’s viewpoint, and the lecturer’s perspective (Waycott et al., 2010). But how can these …

Delivering Design Fundamentals Using Relevant Learning Theories In The Delivery Of An Interior Design Project At Third Level, Tracey Dalton

Articles

This is a reflection on teaching practice, focussing on design process in a BA Honours in Design – Interior and Furniture, in Dublin Institute of Technology (DIT). An intrinsic case study approach (Stake 1995) was taken for this research, which focussed on the use of the learning theories in the delivery of an undergraduate interior design project brief. A third year commercial office design project has been used to assess teaching and learning styles. This article will show that, in terms of delivery, in a typical third level interior design project in DIT, the process incorporates all of the learning …

From Passivity To Interactivity: How The Traditional Lecture Has Evolved As A Method Of Instruction, Patricia Doherty

The ITB Journal

D’Inverno (2003:19) notes that “Most of the lectures which students attend require little engagement and they may well have developed a passive mentality in which some largely expect to switch off”. This paper reviews current thinking in this issue and present recent feedback from students in order to establish what can be done to improve the lecture as a method of instruction. We present a discussion that will help encourage a deeper sense of learning, make the lecture into something that students do not want to miss through promoting inclusiveness in learning, by making lectures more interactive and developing student …

Enhancing Connections Between Internship And Education, Frank Cullen

Articles

This model provides a structure to develop an enhanced the learner experience. The concept of internship is complex. It hinges on the relationships and connections between the Schools, student, industry and institutions. It relates to the quality of the engagement with academic, administrative and support staff as well as their interaction with and for students and potential employers. At the institutes core should be the quality, breadth and appropriateness of internship that the student and industry experience.

An Investigation Into The Development And Progressive Adaptation Of Graduate Attributes In Tourism Programmes, Louise Bellew, Odette Gabaudan

Articles

As higher education institutes are embracing the notion of graduate attributes, it has become highly desirable to embed these attributes within programmes. This study proposes to investigate students’ views of recently identified graduate attributes in the Dublin Institute of Technology (Ireland), and how they perceive their development and application in their tourism programme. The study supports the idea of the importance of placement in the progressive adaptation of learning and in translating the conception of attributes. While students strongly believe that graduate attributes are developed through the placement experience, it is equally important to embed and strengthen the visibility of …

Global Science, National Research, And The Question Of University Rankings, Ellen Hazelkorn, Andrew Gibson

Articles

Science has always operated in a competitive environment, but the globalisation of knowledge and the rising popularity and use of global rankings have elevated this competition to a new level. The quality, performance and productivity of higher education and university-based research have become a national differentiator in the global knowledge economy. Global rankings essentially measure levels of wealth and investment in higher education, and they reflect the realisation that national pre-eminence is no longer sufficient. These developments also correspond with increased public scrutiny and calls for greater transparency, underpinned by growing necessity to demonstrate value, impact and benefit. Despite on-going …

Work Placement Reflective Assessments And Employability Enhanced Through Highlighting Graduate Attributes, Julie Dunne

Articles

This paper reports on a study which investigated the effect of activities to promote awareness of specific prioritised graduate attributes on the quality of reflection displayed in student work-placement reflective blog assessments. The focus of the paper is on the results from a thematic analysis of reflective writing assisted by NVivo software from a control and research group, using the a priori codes of ‘reflection’ and ‘graduate attributes’, as part of a Participatory Action Research study. The findings show an increase in reflection associated with graduate attributes in the research group compared to the control group. More importantly, there is …

Rethinking Apprenticeship Training For The Construction Industry In Ireland, Eoghan Ó Murchadha, Roisin Murphy

Conference papers

The construction industry is of strategic importance to any economy, as it delivers the building and infrastructural needs of society; it is also a major provider of employment. The over-reliance on construction was a contributing factor to the collapse of the Irish economy and employment in construction fell to under 50% of its 2007 peak as a consequence. The decline devastated apprentice training with a reduction in excess of 90% of new registrations of construction apprentices at the lowest point. The implication of this to the industry is disquieting, given the crucial role apprenticeships play in the sector. The Irish …

Quizmastery: Students As Bloggers And Testers In Pursuit Of Grammatical Competence, Sue Norton, Odette Gabaudan

Articles

This article considers the challenges confronted by instructors of composition and writing skills in higher education. Identifying key aspects of grammar, syntax, and punctuation, it argues that a grammatically informed terminology is helpful to learner-writers endeavouring to improve the clarity of their written assignments. To aid assimilation of this terminology, and the concepts it signifies, e-learning tools can be integrated into the curriculum so that students can consolidate knowledge through their own construction of it. As they create blogs and peer to peer quizzes, they become more theoretically and practically informed about the basis of effective writing practices.

Developing Appropriate Educational Modules Aimed At Industry - An Example From Surveying At Masters Level, Audrey Martin

Articles

This paper describes the process from inception to completion of developing academic modules appropriate for upgrading survey professionals engaged in the public sector. It focuses on one such module continuing professional development module in ‘Gravity and Height’ for National Mapping, developed by the Technological University Dublin Spatial Information Sciences Group for the National Mapping Agency, Ordnance Survey Ireland (OSi) and staff from similar organisations.

Mapping Of Digital Literacy Skills, Allison Kavanagh

Support services (Former ITT) - 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.

Engaging The Gen. Y Student: Curriculum, Innovation And Challenges, Mary O'Rawe

Conference papers

Curriculum and pedagogy have been central to many contemporary debates on fostering student success. These themes are evident in discussions from policy level to the staffroom in many countries, and are particularly relevant in the mass higher education sector in the Republic of Ireland. However, a narrow treatment of the term curriculum can prevent the development of new understandings and effective learning. Central principles have emerged in debates around curriculum and innovation, with ‘student engagement’ evolving as a focal point in the search for a solution to tackle what are perceived to be problems of student disengagement particularly associated with …

Developing Graduate Attributes To Meet The Grand Challenges: What Pedagogical Factors Influence The Development Of Graduate Attributes And Does Engineering Education Ensure Graduates Can Address The Global Grand Challenges?, Una Beagon, Brian Bowe

Conference papers

My interest in preparing graduates for a successful career in industry stems from personal experience of employing graduates as civil and structural engineers in an engineering consultancy role. The range of skills, abilities and values of each graduate was varied, and it became apparent that academic achievement, whilst important was not the defining skill for achieving early responsibility or promotion within the company. More often, the graduate who was able to communicate well and self-direct his/her work was given more responsibility and opportunity. Many graduates would define early promotion, advanced responsibility and the associated increase in salary as the beginnings …

Augmented Reality And The Events Curriculum: The Students' Perspective, Mary O'Rawe, Alex Gibson

Conference papers

The emergence of Augmented Reality (AR) as a ground-breaking technology has transcended both business and academic sectors. Despite its rapid rise commercially, evidence of the benefits of AR in the classroom at higher education is slower to emerge, with only a limited focus to date on its specific relationship with curriculum development and learning outcomes. To respond to the changing characteristics of the higher education learning environment, and the shift towards mobile learning (M Learning) and ubiquitous learning (U Learning), it is clear that educators should reflect these trends in curriculum design and didactic methods. This paper presents the findings …

The Right Way To Write: An Academic Writing Guide For First Year Undergraduates, Mary O'Rawe, Brian Murphy

Student Resources

This booklet has been designed to provide a first-year undergraduate student with a single source of information and guidelines to help them produce better work at the level of writing required at college. It is intended for first-year undergraduates, whether on a level 7 or level 8 degree, so that they can start to build the skills and learning required on the student journey towards their degree.

Cultural Change Through Bim: Driving Lean Transformation In Education, Avril Behan, Malachy Mathews, Kevin Furlong, Ciara Ahern, Una Beagon, Peter Brennan, Colin Conway, Lee Corcoran, Pierce Fahy, Alan Hore, Barry Mcauley, Trevor Woods

Conference papers

This paper presents a case study of how the adoption of BIM-based practices in the AECO industry is being reflected by cultural change in higher education in Ireland. The silo-mentality that has dominated the AECO sector for more than a century has, despite numerous reorganisations, been replicated in the structures of educational institutions, including in Dublin Institute of Technology since the inception of its founding colleges in the late 1800s. Most AECO programmes must include content that is external to the programme’s specific discipline. Through the School structures of the Institute, delivery of such content is known as "service teaching" …

Bim; Postgraduate Multidisciplinary Collaborative Education, Malachy Mathews

Conference papers

BIM Technologies and Process are steadily increasing in the design and construction industry. The amount of undergraduate courses delivering BIM based applied and theory courses is also on the rise. These students will be entering a job market where their skillsets in digital modelling and collaborative practice will be in demand. However, existing AEC (architectural, engineering, construction) professionals are recognising the changes happening in the industry. Each domain is influenced and challenged by BIM. The traditional process and workflows will change as BIM adoption grows. Tobin [1] states the long-term impact of any innovation is often not understood when it …

Structured Work Placement Within The School Of Culinary Arts And Food Technology: A Focus On Mobility Matters And Measured Outcomes, Franklyn Jacoby, Frank Cullen, Stephen Shanley

Conference papers

According to a comparative structured work placement (SWP) study conducted in the Dublin Institute of Technology's (DITs) School of Culinary Arts and Food Technology (SCAFT), the international or global SWP experience of third-level learners is primarily and actively supported through a process of interpersonal, social and cultural development (Cullen, 2012).

The adoption or development of applicable work based learning (WBL) models supporting or scaffolding such notions of student/learner development often reflect the educational aims of learner/worker mobility and Life Long Learning strategies in the main. However, and perhaps most importantly, such models need to reflect the value which third-level students' …

Wiki'd Transformations: Technology Supporting Collaborative Learning, Bill Hunter, Roger Austin

Stream 6: Global University

This paper examines the uses of wikis in teaching in higher education. It was developed in support of a workshop offered at the Higher Education in Transformation conference in Dublin, Ireland, in March, 2015. The paper describes one author’s use of a wiki over a period of five years to support graduate students in their study of principles of learning, reviews some of the literature on educational applications of wikis and suggests directions for future research.

Creating Space In The Curriculum For Workplace And Generic Skills, Brian Campbell

Stream 6: Global University

There are competing forces affecting university credibility. On the one hand there is credibility in the competitive academic environment that results in the expansion of the curriculum. And on the other hand there are the increasing pressures from outside the academy for university graduates to have economically relevant workplace skills. In this paper I analyze some of the difficulties that result from these competing pressures and speculate on how they might be resolved. The example of the University of Ontario Institute of Technology is used as a new university in attempting to establish its credibility. I suggest that collegial review …