Educational Assessment, Evaluation, and Research Commons^™

Gaihe Survey Report Results, Andrew Gibson, Ellen Hazelkorn

Other resources

This conference presentation details the results of the survey from the Governance and Adaptation to Innovative Modes of Higher Education Provision (GAIHE) Project (funded by the Education, Audiovisual and Culture Executive Agency (EACEA) through the Lifelong Learning Programme), and discusses their implications.

Doing More With Less, Making Research Informed Decisions About Your Teaching:Fifth Annual Graduate Student Conference, Learning, Teaching, Technology Centre, Roisin Donnelly

Graduate Student Conferences

Proceedings and abstracts of the 5th. annual graduate student conference, 17 June, 2014, in DIT, Aungier Street, Dublin.

Genesis Of Educational Research: Proceedings And Abstracts Of The First Annual Graduate Student Conference, 15 June, 2010, Learning, Teaching And Technology Centre, Roisin Donnelly

Graduate Student Conferences

Proceedings and abstracts of the first annual graduate student conference held in DIT, Aungier Street, 15 June, 2010

Using Vles And Mobile Technology To Aid In The Provision Of An Upgraded Delivery Mechanism For The Basic Principles Of Quantity Surveying, Charles Anthony Mitchell

Conference papers

Building measurement has its roots on the construction site not in the classroom. As a result of this it is a subject which is better taught in a practical manner, rather like an apprenticeship. Many students entering the course, whether as standard entry or as mature students, will have had little or no exposure to building measurement as carried out by the quantity surveyor unless they have had some experience of working with a quantity surveyor. As a result students may find the initial learning process very intense. The maths used are relatively simplistic. Building measurement is about analysing the …

Breaking Down Barriers To University-Business Cooperation In The University: Change Through Incentivisation, Lyndsey El Amoud, Séamus Ó’Tuama

Conference Papers

Irish universities are currently engaged in a process of shifting their reliance on state subvention as their primary source of income to one that includes developing new streams of non-exchequer funding. This scenario emerges from a long-term trend of reduced state subvention which was dramatically accelerated by the virtual collapse of the Irish economy, which required an external rescue package brokered with the European Commission, the European Central Bank and the International Monetary Fund (which became know as the Troika) from November 2010. While Ireland has officially exited this arrangement, its public finance will remain severely constrained for an extended …

Enhancing Building Performance And Environmental Learning: A Case Study Of Virginia Beach City Public Schools, Shannon Chance, John Timothy Cole

Books/Book Chapters

School buildings directly affect their natural and socio-cultural environments. They do this through their construction, maintenance, operation, and demolition. Most of the school buildings we have in stock today drain natural resources and inadvertently perpetuate a culture of environmental, social, and long-term economic ignorance and misuse. When approached thoughtfully, however, the design of school buildings can help inform and enrich society. Well-designed buildings can impart environmental knowledge and values. They can foster more effective behaviors among the people who learn in and from them. Effectively designed buildings can also conserve natural resources and—at their best—even help replenish the natural environment. …

'A Reflective Conversation: Community And Hei Perspectives On Community-Based Research', Niamh O'Reilly, Catherine Bates

Articles

This paper is a reflective correspondence between a community partner and a community-based research coordinator in a higher education institute (HEI). We asked each other questions about our experience of collaborating on two community-based research (CBR) projects, in order to share our learning from our collaboration, and to relate this to the wider context in order to develop recommendations for others – community partners and HEI staff – who would like to initiate CBR projects in the future.

What Role Does Mathematical Preparedness Play For Engineering Students Who Transfer From And Ordinary Degree Into An Honours Degree?, Michael Carr, Marisa Llorens, Susan O'Shaughnessy, Anne Marie Mccarrick, Domhnall Sheridan

Conference papers

Students who have not achieved a high level of mathematics at secondary school but have a pass in ordinary level mathematics have the option of entering onto a 3-year Ordinary degree (Level 7). Upon successful completion of this award students may apply to progress to the third year of the Honours degree. Up until relatively recently an upper merit (60%) was the minimum required to make this transition. In recent years this requirement has been reduced with many students with lower marks being offered the possibility of transferring.

Relatively little work has been done on the transition from an Ordinary …

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.

And Then There Were 10+: Reflections On A Decade Of Global Rankings, Ellen Hazelkorn

Conference Papers

No abstract provided.

Enhancing The Academic And Social Learning Of Irish Undergraduates Through Emotional And Social Skills Development., Aiden Carthy, Celesta Mccann, Sinead Mcgilloway, Colm Mcguinness

Articles

This paper considers the potential merits of emotional competency coaching for undergraduate students. We outline the findings from our previous work which showed, for example, that a sample of First Year undergraduate students failed to engage with coaching primarily because it was not a mandatory aspect of the curricula. An analysis of the National Framework of Qualifications (NFQ) - which details the specific learning outcomes that must be achieved by all Irish academic syllabi found that this framework makes scant reference to the development of social and emotional skills. Therefore, a revised working model of the NFQ is proposed, which …

Student Experiences Of A Project-Based Learning Module, Gavin Duffy, Ted Burke, Shannon Chance, Brian Bowe, Robert Howard

Conference papers

In this paper we investigate the experiences of first year electrical engineering students of a project-based learning (PBL) module in which students work in groups to design and build a robot to compete in a sumo wrestling competition. The 5 ECTS module is the first PBL module encountered by the students in this programme and is the only module of its kind in first year in which students work in groups and assessment and feedback are based on both process skills and technical knowledge. The module is designed to be student-centred, i.e. the student is encouraged to actively control and …

Eu-Optimus – A Case Study Of A Holistic Systems-Approach Pedagogy In Technology Education, Ciara Ahern, Mark Mcgrath

Conference papers

Engineers and product designers are concerned with the design, development, implementation and operation of a wide range of systems. If a system is to perform optimally, all of the component parts must communicate and cooperate effectively. Technologists must therefore have an appreciation for both, the functionality of a single component of that system and the interoperability, or impact of that component within the context of the system. Scientific first principles underpin all aspects of technical education. The application of scientific knowledge at component level impacts at system level. Practical or laboratory-based activity has long been used as a complimentary pedagogy …

What Stick Figures Tell Us About Irish Politics, Sharon Feeney, John Hogan, Paul F. Donnelly

Conference papers

This paper forms part of an ongoing research project using the technique of freehand drawing to study how students entering university in Ireland perceive the state of Irish politics and the wider society. By sidestepping the cognitive verbal processing routes through the use of freehand drawing, we find that students tend to present a more holistic, integrated and clearer understanding of the pertinent issues from their perspective.

Recognising The Value Of The Arts And Humanities In A Time Of Austerity, Ellen Hazelkorn, Mairtin Ryan, Andrew Gibson, Elaine Ward

Reports

No abstract provided.

Student Retention And Learning, Current Research And Practice: Fourth Annual Graduate Student Conference, 4 June, 2013, Learning, Teaching, Technology Centre, Roisin Donnelly

Graduate Student Conferences

Proceedings and abstracts of the 4th. annual graduate student conference, 4 June, 2013 held in DIT, Aungier Street, Dublin.

Has Higher Education Lost Control Over Quality?, Ellen Hazelkorn

Other resources

No abstract provided.

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, …

Europe Looks For Better Ways To Measure The Value Of The Arts And Humanities, Ellen Hazelkorn

Other resources

No abstract provided.

E-Xperience Erasmus: Online Journaling As A Tool To Enhance Students’ Learning Experience Of Their Study Visit Abroad, Odette Gabaudan

Conference Papers

Students on the BA International Business and Languages who spend a full academic year on a study visit abroad experience many new challenges such as a different culture, a new university, different academic practices, a foreign language, etc. The assessment methods for the year include the results of the modules taken in the partner universities, a language examination and the submission of a country notebook. This research is a pilot study that explores how the maintenance of an online journal via a blog/e-portfolio structure can support students in their new learning experiences, alert the home coordinator to any potential difficulty …

Dit Teaching Fellowship Reports 2012-2013, Jen Harvey

Teaching Fellowships

No abstract provided.

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 …

An Experiential Learning Approach: Implementing A Group-Based Research Project As The Main Learning Vehicle In A First Year Microeconomics Module, Joe Dennehy

Teaching Fellowships

The overall purpose of this Teaching Fellowship project is to determine whether a current bold-on continuous assessment research project can be developed further to become the main learning vehicle in a first year Microeconomics module. The main research objectives are: can a group-based research project become the main learning vehicle in a first year Microeconomics module?: can such a project provide the generic skills relevant to a modern society : can such a project be facilitated by a Wiki. There are two main sections to the extensive range of literature reviewed. One is that which considers the wide range of …

Enhancing Graduate Attributes: A Preliminary Research Study, Eric Bates, Peter Hinch

Teaching Fellowships

The objective of this Teaching Fellowship research project was to establish whether graduate attributes should form part of student education within programmes offered by the Dublin Institute of Technology. This study was conducted during one semester and concentrated on one aspect of graduate attributes which were interview skills. Two videos were scripted, shot and edited that focused on interviews from the perspective of both the interviewer and the interviewee. These videos were showcased with lecturers whose feedback indicated that some improvements were required. Following those improvements the videos were shown to two student groups for feedback. The videos successfully provoked …

Improving Basic Electrical Principles In Motor Apprentice Education, Peter Kenny

Teaching Fellowships

The objective of this project was to develop a set of both theoretical and practical electrical exercises/assessments in the form of a diagnostic test to assist motor apprentices with their course work as well as helping to improve their core skills of basic electricity and electronics during attendance of their ten week, Phase 6 motor apprenticeship off-the-job training course at the Technological University Dublin.

The diagnostic test was conducted in two stages, one at the beginning of the ten week training course and the second one towards the end of the ten week course. Data obtained from the diagnostic test …

The Personal Made Public: An Actor-Led Devised Film Project., Peter Mcdermott

Other resources

This project enabled students on the DIT Conservatory’s BA in Drama (Performance) to create five short films on a subject of their own choosing, drawing on their own personal experience. Using methods derived from Jerzy Grotowski and Anne Bogart, the students worked in small groups to workshop ideas and, with the support of two co-directors, to develop their scripts. A professional production team was assembled to shoot the films. After post-production, there was a public screening and the films were made available online. The project addressed two questions: 1. Through devising, to what extent can actors be more empowered in …

Reflections On A Decade Of Global Rankings: What We've Learned And Outstanding Issues, Ellen Hazelkorn

Articles

Ten years after the first global rankings appeared, it is clear that they have had an extraordinary impact on higher education. While there are fundamental questions about whether rankings measure either quality or what’s meaningful, they have succeeded in exposing higher education to international comparison. Moreso, because of the important role higher education plays as a driver of economic development, rankings have exposed both an information deficit and national competitiveness. Accordingly, both nations and institutions have sought to maximise their position vis-á-vis global rankings with positive and perverse effects. Their legacy is evident in the way rankings have become an …

The Impact Of University Rankings On Higher Education Policy In Europe: A Challenge To Perceived Wisdom And A Stimulus For Change, Ellen Hazelkorn, Martin Ryan

Books/Book chapters

The arrival of global rankings in 2003 was a clarion call for urgent reform of European higher education. The results of the Shanghai Academic Ranking of World Universities and the Times Higher Education QS World University Ranking, first published in 2003 and 2004 respectively, challenged the perceived wisdom about the reputation and excellence of European universities. Since then, the EU and its Member States have sought to reshape and modernise higher education in Europe. This paper argues that the emergence of global rankings was not only a challenge to perceived wisdom, but also a stimulus for change in European higher …

Globalisation And Competitiveness: Challenges To The Purpose, Performance And Impact Of Higher Education, Ellen Hazelkorn

Other resources

No abstract provided.

Rankings And Implications For Quality Assurance In Higher Education, Ellen Hazelkorn

Other resources

No abstract provided.