AISHE-J - The All Ireland Journal of Teaching and Learning in Higher Education
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Abstracts of the 9th Annual Irish Workshop on Mathematics Learning Support
No full textAbstracts of the 9th Annual Irish Workshop on Mathematics Learning Support
An exploration of the effects on programme design and development effected by educational leadership in reaction to societal and economic factors in Ireland
No full textIt has affected many countries around the world, and Irish higher education has not found itself immune from undergoing a period of significant change, powered by a number of factors: economic, political, and technological. While these trends are global in their scope, and profound in their impact, the pace of change in the Irish economy since 2007-08 in particular has required institutions and their educational leaders to encourage the emergence of programmes which can respond to the current national needs. In periods of rapid change such as this, educational leaders by necessity tend to focus on short-term strategy and transition planning, adapted to their institutional contexts. However, there are critical leadership issues related to curriculum policy and classroom practice which extend into the long-term. Students on these emergent programmes need to be able to respond effectively in turbulent societal circumstances. This paper reflects on the role of educational leaders in creating and shaping programmes through an exploration of the notion of the market-higher education interface. This case study is seeking to gain enhanced understandings of emergent trends in higher education programmes in the past five year period against a backdrop of continued changes to the Irish economy and society. It seeks to explore the new realities of how two Irish higher education institutions (HEIs) are being shaped by the market and how they hope to maintain or enhance the viability of their offerings, resulting in effective programme provision into the still uncertain future. Recommendations focus on challenging existing practices with regards to how educational leaders support programme development.
Undertaking a formal Leadership Programme: The Librarian’s Experience
No full textTwo librarians from Maynooth University completed the UK Future Leaders Programme (FLP), offered by the Leadership Foundation for Higher Education. In this case study they describe the structure and content of the programme, assess the learning methodologies, tools and techniques used and discuss how the programme has impacted on their practice and their identity as leaders.Throughout the article the librarians are referred to as Librarian A (Helen Fallon) and Librarian B (Hugh Murphy)
From Professors Wives to Livescribe Pens: How the culture of inclusion has changed in Higher Education
No full text AHEAD, the Association for Higher Education Access and Disability, was set up in 1988 by students with visual impairments seeking support. An initial solution, involving the wives of professors, proved to be the beginning of an inspiring journey that has had a significant and lasting impact on higher education in Ireland.
Reframing Higher Education the Wild Atlantic Way A Personal Reflection
No full textOur Higher Education system has been invited to change – in response to the many challenges that impinge on our economy and society. The Institute of Technology Blanchardstown is a partner in the TU4D Alliance with the DIT and the ITT Dublin in an endeavour to create a Technological University for Dublin. As a member of the TU4D Support team I am constantly reminded of the enormous potential of this project. On a personal and professional level as I reflect on my own educational journey – I would like to share with you some of my reflections as I unpack and critique my own preconceived notions regarding the essential characteristics of our Higher Education system. These observations cover the full gamut of a learning journey – from choosing a course; our models of teaching and learning; a competitive system of higher education and, finally, the benefits of regional collaboration and cooperation.
Partnership and collaboration in the new higher education landscape – the 3U Partnership experience
No full textIt is not an overstatement to say that the Irish higher education sector is currently experiencing the most significant and fundamental period of structural reform in its entire history. This reform, which is underpinned by the National Strategy for Higher Education to 2030 aka the Hunt Report (HEA, 2011b), is set against a backdrop of a severe economic crisis, high unemployment and emigration rates and drastically reduced Government spending. Despite this, the sector is, and will be for some decades to come, required to accommodate greater demands for higher education places fuelled by rising population demographics, a broadening of participation and a variety of national recovery policies which seek to emphasise Ireland’s highly educated workforce as an attractor for foreign direct investment (HEA, 2008; DES, 2014; DJEI, 2015; HEA, 2015a). This commentary looks at the new higher education policy context that is driving change in the Irish Higher Education sector with a particular focus on the area of mergers and regional clusters which are at the heart of current structural reforms. Specifically, the authors provide an insider’s perspective of 3U Partnership, a collaboration between DCU, Maynooth University and RCSI, that has been cited by the HEA (2013a) as “an important building block” within the Greater Dublin / Leinster regional cluster (Pillar II)
The effects of Language Acquisition using Digital Game Based Learning in the Classroom including a Design Critique of Furious Frogs
No full textThis paper discusses the design of the game, the effects of using it in class and some constructive criticism on how the game could be improved
Working with the challenge of designing and implementing a stand-alone learning to learn module in a large Arts programme.
No full textSupporting students through the development of their learning to learn (L2L) skills is one approach to supporting transition to higher education. The literature highlights that the most successful approach is to embed these skills into the curriculum, which requires a systematic and co-ordinated staff approach. However, as our institution’s BA programme had multiple pathways, it was difficult to attempt to systematically embed this approach, therefore we were faced with the challenge of having to pilot a ‘stand-alone’ module. The module was designed based on an extensive review of the literature. 331 1st year students were part of a pilot study. The results, from an action research mixed methods approach, highlighted that the students had mixed views on the relevance of the module. The most relevant theme was ‘time-management’. The students performed well on the module, but were they were less satisfied with it than their other modules. The discussion highlights the debate surrounding supporting students L2L skills and presents suggestions for improving modules that are required to stand-alone.