Educational Methods Commons^™

Developing A Collaborative Virtual Learning Environment Between Students In Cross Disciplines In The Built Environment., Fiacra Mcdonnell, Ruairi Hayden

Articles

Integrated Project Delivery is a rapidly developing approach to Design and Construction.This approach uses business structures, new technologies, and newly developing practices to collaboratively utilise the talents and contributions of all participants in the Design and Construction process.This project replicated this approach by creating a collaborative project between the School of Construction and the School of Real Estate and Construction Economics. The term “collaborative learning” refers to a method of delivery in which students at various performance levels work together in small groups towards a common goal. The students were responsible for one another’s learning as well as their own. …

Bim Collaboration In Student Architectural Technologist Learning, Malachy Mathews

Articles

This paper is the result of a qualitative case study which investigated the influence of building information modelling (BIM) collaboration on the learning of student architectural technologists based around a studio group project. The purpose of the paper is to disseminate knowledge gained into a new learning environment facilitated by the collaborative properties of a BIM application. A qualitative case study approach has been used to undertake the examination of the learners’ experiences during the project. This approach allowed the author to map the complex interaction between the participants during the stages of the collaborative design project. The paper provides …

Participants Perspective Of The Fas Redundant Placement Scheme, Maurice Collins, Robert Morris

Conference papers

The aim of this study is to gather and analyze feedback from participants of a scheme which was put in place in the early stages of the Irish economic recession to provide work placements to redundant Apprentices. As part of the research for this paper a series of qualitative interviews were conducted with partipancts of the FAS Redundant Apprentice Placement Scheme (RAPS). FAS is the authoriity which organises and administers the Statutory Apprentice Scheme in Ireland.The scheme detailed in this study was put in place to aid Apprentices who has been made redundant, to complete phases 3,5 and 7 of …

A Pedagogical Simulation Of The Spatial Distribution Of Carbon Flux Dynamics In Peat Soils, Alan Gilmer

Conference Papers

No abstract provided.

Online Resource Aiding Students To Practice And Perfect Manufacturing Based Skills, Robert Martin Morris, Frank Dunne, Maurice Collins

Papers, presentations and other resources

As part of our teaching in the Departments of Fabrication and Transport Engineering in the Technological University Dublin we use industrial metal folding machines to help students to learn the sequencing of folds on manufactured sheet metal components. Many students have difficulty visualising the folding sequences required to complete practical manufacturing assignments. This paper details the digital media resource which was developed to provide students with the opportunity to offer a proposed solution to questions which relate to the folding sequence required for these components. Feedback is provided through the medium of pre recorded videos which show the component being …

The Use Of Internships As A Work Placement Option On Quantity Surveying Courses In Light Of The Current Economic Downturn In The Irish Construction Industry, Fiacra P. Mcdonnell

Other Resources

This research examines the concept of internships as a Work Placement option on undergraduate Quantity Surveying courses in light of the economic climate that prevails in Ireland at present. The Irish Construction Industry has experienced unprecedented decline over the last six years, with reduced employment prospects as a result. Graduates on construction related courses are having difficulties sourcing employment, and many feel that they are disadvantaged if they have not experienced work placement as part of their undergraduate course. The benefits of work placement as a mode of learning have been well documented, however this study explores work placement on …

Using Reflective Journals To Promote And Enhance Self Directed Learning, Aidan Ryan, Jennifer A. Byrne

Conference Papers

This paper seeks to highlight/outline the benefits that can be achieved by using reflective journals to assist teaching in a practical class. The reflective journals were introduced to try and make up for the perceived shortfall in the level of experience and understanding of students on a new degree programme “Timber Product Technology”. The lecturers involved needed

needed ing outside of their normal classroom environment.

The module is “Jointing Techniques and Furniture 1” and is taught in a practical workshop environment whereby the students learn the basic skills in wood jointing and making furniture. The students learn using a combination …

Learner Experiences Of Online Pre-Lecture Resources For An Undergraduate Introductory Chemistry Course – A Case Study Informed By Phenomenography, Claire M. Mcdonnell, Roisin Donnelly

Journal Articles

No abstract provided.

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

Reports

The objective of this teaching fellowship research project was to establish if graduate attributes should form part of student education within programmes offered by the DIT. 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 an awareness of …

Web-Based Peer Tutoring In Science Education, Aaron Mac Raighne

Other resources

Peer-instruction has been shown to have a very positive effect on students’ engagement and learning. PeerWise is a web-tool designed to allow peer-tutoring between students within a large class group. Students can write, answer and discuss Multiple Choice Questions (MCQs) based on their work in-class. It is low-cost and low-maintenance software which has become increasingly popular across many subject disciplines as a method to introduce a peer-tutoring aspect to course work. In this study we introduce PeerWise as a form of continuous assessment to a wide and varied cohort of science students (N=509) across disciplines, undergraduate years, levels (certificate to …

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 …

The Development, Implementation And Initial Evaluation Of Tailorable Resource Packs For Multimedia Based "Assessments For Learning"., Barry Ryan

Other resources

In this project a suite of tailorable teaching and learning resources were created, implemented and evaluated. These resources focused on the assessment for learning model, adopting the constructivist approach to learning. Here, the student builds their knowledge, and deepens their understanding, as they complete their assessment. The resources were designed to aid academic adoption, and student implementation, of this model of assessment. The assessment outputs created using these resources were digital videos and network concept maps. The tailorable resources provided a structured and scaffolded environment for both the academic and student to explore this learning space. Both students and academic …

Engaging Students In The Classroom: How Can I Know What I Think Until I See What I Draw?, Paul Donnelly, John Hogan

Articles

Recognising that the world into which students emerge upon graduation is characterised by constant change, we embrace a critical pedagogy that can be implemented in the classroom through the use of freehand drawing. Freehand drawing is a technique that can stimulate a critical stance, as visual representations allow us to comprehend the world differently, while permitting us see how others understand the world. First year students, in their first lecture, were asked to draw their interpretations of Irish politics and to explain in writing what they had drawn. The students were then placed in groups and asked to note what …

Challenges Encountered In Creating Personalised Learning Activities To Suit Students Learning Preferences, Eileen O'Donnell, Vincent Wade, Mary Sharp, Liam O'Donnell

Books/Book Chapters

This book chapter reviews some of the challenges encountered by educators in creating personalised e-learning activities to suit students learning preferences. Technology-enhanced learning (TEL) alternatively known as e-learning has not yet reached its full potential in higher education. There are still many potential uses as yet undiscovered and other discovered uses which are not yet realisable by many educators. TEL is still predominantly used for e-dissemination and e-administration. This chapter reviews the potential use of TEL to provide personalised learning activities to suit individual students learning preferences. In particular the challenges encountered by educators when trying to implement personalised learning …

Web-Mediated Education And Training Environments: A Review Of Personalised Interactive Learning., Eileen O'Donnell, Mary Sharp, Catherine Mulwa, Vincent Wade

Books/Book Chapters

This chapter reviews the concept of personalised eLearning resources in relation to integrating interactivity into asynchronous learning. Personalised eLearning resources are learning resources which are selected to suit a specific student or trainee’s individual learning requirements. The affordance of personalised eLearning would provide educators with the opportunity to shift away from eLearning content that is retrieved and move towards the provision of personalised interactive content to provide a form of asynchronous learning to suit students at different degree levels. A basic introduction to the concept of ePedagogy in online learning environments is explored and the impacts these systems have on …

Determining "Best Practice" Methodologies In The Pedagogy Of Tourism Related Fieldwork., Kevin A. Griffin

Other resources

This project explores issues around the practice of fieldwork related activity which is undertaken as a teaching and learning methodology in third-level education. The main focus in this project is to glean best practice examples from colleagues who undertake fieldwork in the broad area of Tourism education (encompassing hospitality, leisure and event management), but also related disciplines of Geography and Business/Management. Having initially scoped out the available literature and explored the topic in strategic interviews with colleagues (Irish and international), it appeared that very little work has been undertaken heretofore on the particular angle being investigated – that of planning …

Online Resources Platform For Mathematics Education, Marisa Llorens, Edmund Nevin, Eileen R. Mageean

Other resources

The aim of this project was to develop and explore the use of a Sharable Content Object Reference Model (SCORM) integrating a web-based platform for the study of mathematics as part of an active learning environment. The platform was designed to provide active support to engineering students especially those in their first year of study. Early use of the platform can identify possible areas of weakness and provide the self-learning environment required for students to become more proficient in areas where they are lacking key skills or are finding the concepts difficult to understand. The platform consists of a set …

Self-Chem: Student Engagement In Learning Through Flipped Chemistry Lectures., Michael K. Seery

Other resources

This project introduces the idea of “flipped lecturing” to a group of second year students. The aim of flipped lecturing is to provide much of the “content delivery” of lecture in advance, so that the lecture hour can be devoted to more in-depth discussion, problem solving, etc. As well as development of the material, a formal evaluation is being conducted. Fifty-one students from year 2 Chemical Thermodynamics module took part in this study. Students were provided with online lectures in advance of their lectures. Along with each online lecture, students were given a handout to work through as they watched …

Learning From Learning Groups, Mike Murphy, S. M. Chance, Gavin Duffy, Brian Bowe

Articles

Collaborative learning is a key, and complementary, component of student-centred enquiry-based pedagogy. Today, many educators understand that students learn effectively when working together with their peers to construct new knowledge. Many teachers are working to help their students develop such ability. Teachers do this to help students better understand the relevance of new content, connect new ideas into existing frameworks of understanding, and construct new neurological pathways and connect synapses in their brains. In addition, group learning has been shown to increase students’ critical thinking skills, creativity, collaborative behaviours, understanding of ethics, and the like. In the literature, attention has …

Continuous Assessment: A Preliminary Study Of Student Engagement In The Assessment Process, Edmund Nevin, Eileen Mageean, Marisa Llorens

Conference papers

This paper provides an objective analysis of student engagement with continuous assessment over a three year period. The results of two groups of students from different stages of a modularised level seven engineering programme were examined. As both groups had taken modules where they studied numerical differentiation, this topic was selected and the corresponding assessment results and attendance of both groups were analysed.

Two assessment methods were used to evaluate student engagement. The first method of assessment required the student to complete a laboratory assignment and submit it within a specified period of time. The second method of assessment involved …

Engaging Student's Learningthrough A Blended Learning Environment, Andrew Stuart

Conference papers

Within the furniture manufacturing industry a high proportion of occupational accidents are as a result of non-compliance to machining regulations and incorrect work practices. Safety training plays an important role in reducing accidents and promoting a safety culture within this sector. This article details an action research study undertaken during the first year of a new Degree in Timber Product Technology, which set out to evaluate the impact a blended learning environment and reusable learning objects (RLOs) could have on promoting safe work practices and a safety culture amongst students. A constructivist approach was taken and the module design was …

Looking At The Workplace Through Mathematical Eyes, John Keogh

Doctoral

This thesis is concerned with the idea that people may know more about mathematics than they think they do and rely on it more than they realize, especially in work. That they more readily account for what they ‘do’, dismissing what they ‘know’ as ‘commonsense’ or ‘part of the job’, seems to extend a self-perception of not ‘being a maths person’ and permits it to be transmitted within families, across generations and throughout communities. At the same time, the pervasiveness of modern technology, and the proliferation of information represented in mathematical shapes, patterns, relationships, quantities and chance, would seem to …

Exploring Supports Provided For Student Eportfolio Development In A Professional Development Context, Muireann Okeeffe

Articles

This small scale study aimed to explore and establish if support strategies implemented to enhance student ePortfolios were helpful to students and to identify useful ways of supporting ePortfolio development with future cohorts of students. This action research study was informed through focus group discussion and individual interviews with students.

The importance of reflection for the development professional practice and of creative abilities is discussed. The substantial benefits of creativity within education are investigated and characteristics of creativity that might be developed with students’ ePortfolios are revealed. Specifically this paper seeks to foster Crafts (2011) four characteristics of creativity, pluralities, …

Required Features Of A Virtual Classroom Tool For Use In Higher Education, Arnold Hensman

Articles

The integration of virtual-classroom systems into the arsenal of e-learning tools represents a major evolution in the landscape of modern distance education. For many courses, standard virtual learning environments (VLEs) provide only a foundation upon which to base a distance learning programme. However, synchronous live online-teaching software such as Microsoft Office Communicator and Adobe Connect allow educators to simulate a real-time classroom environment over the internet like never before. Since these tools are being used more and more within higher education, questions must be asked about how effective they ultimately can be in meeting student learning requirements. More importantly, what …

Academics' Views On Personalised E-Learning In Higher Education, Eileen O'Donnell, Mary Sharp, Vincent Wade, Liam O'Donnell

Conference Papers

The challenges for academics in meeting the learning requirements of students are many and varied. This research focuses on the concept of personalised learning, where activities are specifically selected to suit the learning requirements of individual students. The creation of personalised learning activities to suit every student’s learning needs, are not easily achieved. A survey was conducted in June 2012 to determine academics awareness of, and views on, the ‘novel teaching approach’ of personalised e-learning in higher education. Forty academics participated in this study. 60% of academic respondents agreed with the statement: “There is a need to personalise e-learning to …

Customised Learning Development - An Exploration Of Practice, Roadmap For Employment-Academic Partnerships, Irene Sheridan, John P. Murphy

Reports

No abstract provided.

Academic Development Perspectives Of Blended Learning, Roisin Donnelly, Claire Macavinney

Books/Book Chapters

Technological advances in every aspect of today’s higher education environment create a forum for academic developers to re-examine existing delivery methods for professional development. Within the context of this case study, the term ‘academic developer’ is taken to encompass the role of learning technologist. In order to be responsive and accommodate the changes, traditional instruction methods are being extended to encompass the range of Web 2.0 tools available. Debate is ongoing in the area of blended learning as to the ultimate effectiveness of technology integration. Through exploration of the experiences of two academic developers involved in the design and delivery …

The Use Of Audio Feedback To Develop Deeper Learning In Business Education, Daire Hooper

Conference Papers

It is widely regarded that providing students with feedback is central to their learning (Biggs & Tang, 2007). Traditionally feedback has been given to students either in person or in writing, however, due to advancements in technology, audio is now employed by a small minority of educators in Higher Education (Ice et al., 2007; Merry & Orsmond, 2007; Middleton, 2007; Nortcliffe & Middleton, 2007). Audio feedback is a feedback mechanism whereby feedback is given to students via mp3. To date, research on audio feedback has focused on students’ perceptions of audio as a feedback mechanism, and its ability to increase …

Action Research For Educators: Learning Innovation., Roisin Donnelly, Nuala Harding, Muireann Okeeffe, Michael Russell

Papers, presentations and other resources

This special purpose award was designed as part of the LIN flexible pathway to a postgraduate diploma in learning teaching and assessment. The certificate was developed by the AIT Learning and Teaching Unit in conjunction with experts from the DIT Learning, Teaching and Technology Centre with the support of the Learning Innovation Network (LIN).

The High Scope Approach To Early Learning, Geraldine French

Books/Book chapters

Learning Objectives:

After studying this chapter the reader should be able to: • Describe the historical origins, the longitudinal research, and the theoretical underpinnings of the HighScope approach. • Identify the teaching strategies adopted by HighScope educators. • Appreciate the curriculum content. • Understand the HighScope approach to the assessment of children’s learning. • Consider some criticisms of the HighScope research and approach to early learning.

This chapter aims to provide an overview of the HighScope curriculum. It is presented in order of the learning objectives listed above.