AISHE-J - The All Ireland Journal of Teaching and Learning in Higher Education
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Placement during a Pandemic? : Exploring the Experiences & Perspectives of Students Completing Educational Placement during the COVID-19 Pandemic
No full textThe impact of the COVID-19 pandemic was felt on a global scale in nearly every aspect of life, but disruption was particularly observable within the sphere of education. Students engaged in initial teacher education at this time commonly experienced major upheavals within both their academic studies and their practical teaching placements in schools at the community level. This paper presents data collected from a small-scale study conducted at a higher education institution in Ireland and provides insights regarding students’ experiences of completing educational placement requirements in early childhood and primary school settings during the pandemic. A total of 204 participants took part in the study by responding to an online questionnaire. Findings revealed both the challenges and opportunities they faced in their own academic learning, the impact of public health regulations on their teaching practice and performance, and the challenges of work-life imbalance. These insights are examined considering previous research, and the paper concludes with suggestions for future practice
Conceptualising Student Engagement as a Theoretical Framework for Innovative Higher Education Practices : A Literature Review
No full textFunded by the Irish Government (2020-2025), Designing Futures (DF) is a flagship university programme which provides a range of campus-based initiatives with the aim of supporting students to design their own personalised learning journey, equipping them for both their future lives and careers. It is being implemented and evaluated using an iterative process according to the principles of Educational Design Research (McKenney and Reeves, 2018) and Developmental Evaluation (Patton, 2011). This paper reports on a systematic review undertaken to scope out relevant theoretical frameworks for the project, in particular those that promote student engagement for all and enhance their belonging on campus. Informed by a realist approach, the research team worked from an initial set of 2031 articles and to a final set of 53 texts. The review outcomes are described according to three research questions, the goodness of fit of “student engagement” as a theoretical framework in this context; practices that foster effective student engagement; and research methodologies commonly deployed to promote student engagement. Finally, a working theoretical model for the Designing Futures project is proposed based on the literature reviewed. This utility of this model will be tested and refined as data is collected over the life cycle of the project
The Complex and Changing Face of Higher-Education Language Teaching in the Republic of Ireland.
No full textThe landscape of language learning and teaching in higher education (HE) in Ireland is complex and varied. Between institutions, a diversity of organisational structures are identifiable and, even within institutions, it can be seen that the provision of language education can vary significantly. In this paper, we present an overview of complexity within language education in Irish higher education which we investigated as part of our scoping exercise for the Higher Education Language Educator Competences (HELECs) project. In order to manage this complexity, we have taken a number of different approaches to gathering and analysing relevant data. Firstly, we attempt to ascertain which languages are offered and the programmes within which they are available. We rely here on data gathered by Post-Primary Languages Ireland (PPLI) and published on the Careers Portal website. Secondly, we present an analysis of the structure of language provision units within Universities and Institutes of Technology (IoTs). These data are publicly available through the institutions’ websites. Thirdly, we provide a detailed examination of the complex constellation of staff profiles involved in language education at four institutions representing the categories of higher education institutions (HEIs) in the system. We interrogate language units’ websites to obtain this information and augment it with data gathered through the HELECs project. In presenting these data, we aim to provide an overview of the landscape of language teaching and learning in HE in Ireland. In conducting this data analysis, we identify areas of concern for the sector including: the visibility of languages within HEIs; the multiplicity of professional identities of those who teach language in HE; and issues of precarity of employment and career progression in HE language education
Learning together in, and about, Student-Staff Partnership in Higher Education
No full textStudent-staff partnerships are increasingly encouraged as a student engagement practice in Higher Education. By working in partnership, students and staff can learn from each other’s experiences and expertise, generating benefits for all. In this article, co-authored by students and staff, we offer insights into a student-staff partnership initiative at Maynooth University and Maynooth Students’ Union. Our partnership has its roots in the Enhancing Digital Teaching and Learning (EDTL) project, a crossinstitutional initiative that aims to enhance the digital educational experiences and digital attributes of Irish university students. We discuss the development of our partnership, and outline some of the work that we have cooperated on so far, including collaborative development of student supports, resources, and social media campaigns, as well as facilitating shared student-staff conversations and action around wider institutional and national concerns. We draw on concrete examples from our time working in this partnership, and in this context, we highlight the benefits we have experienced; outline the challenges we encountered; and provide insight into the learning and unique perspectives that Maynooth students and staff members of our partnership gained in the process. By reflecting on our journey and sharing both our learning and the challenges, we hope to contribute to the wider discourses around meaningful student-staff partnership approaches in Higher Education
Investigating students’ opinions on how university career services should operate in a post COVID-19 Ireland
No full textThis article was written by current students and recent graduates of Trinity Business School, Trinity College Dublin in conjunction with a guidance counsellor from the college. The goal of the paper is to provide suggestions on what university careers services in Ireland could consider when providing services to students in a post COVID-19 world. The recommendations are as follows 1) embedding careers as a module in the course curricula so that students feel encouraged to engage with career exploration rather than perceive it as optional, 2) focus on developing closer relationships with students with a view to fostering more in depth career exploration, 3) using technology in a manner that supports the development of closer working relationships between student and guidance counsellors, and 4) guidance counsellors to consider introducing green guidance so as to encourage students to consider the wider ecological implications of their career decisions
Student-staff partnership overcomes pandemic challenges in research: Establishment of a remote research programme
No full textIn light of the unfortunate circumstances of the COVID-19 pandemic, the RCSI University of Medicine and Health Sciences highly successful Research Summer School 2020 was cancelled to adhere to public health guidelines. This cancellation of the Summer School, while unavoidable in light of the impact of the pandemic, was nevertheless a significant setback for undergraduate students wishing to pursue research.
The RCSI Research Skills Society (RSS) took the initiative to create, develop and launch a Remote Research Programme that would enlist principal investigators (PIs) with available projects and students interested in contributing to these projects remotely. The application process and selection criteria were deliberated to ensure a fair, blinded, and robust selection process. Applicants had the opportunity to read project descriptions before applying with their curriculum vitae (CV) via Google Forms. After setting the limit at 120 applications, all applicant slots were filled within two minutes of opening the application portal. The successful partnership between PIs and student research assistants resulted in 25 PIs enlisting 30 projects, with 45 successful applicants matched to these projects. Many of these projects were successfully published in academic journals such as The Journal for Wound Care, BMC Proceedings, and Journal of Personalised Medicine.
A combination of students’ active engagement, co-creation of partnerships with PIs, and the support of key partners within the RCSI community were responsible for allowing the programme to be highly successful. The success of this project may have implications for the future in continuing to foster other remote research programmes to take place in order to increase accessibility to research projects.
Keywords: Collaboration; Innovation; International; Networking; Research; Student engagement; Student partnership
Authenticity in teaching and learning: How far do we need to go?
No full textMeaningful engagement with students in teaching and learning requires the interpersonal skills to develop trust and rapport, and the emotional intelligence and courage to be reciprocal in our interactions. In teaching contexts which seek to facilitate students’ wellbeing and lifelong personal and professional development skills, these requirements become personal – demanding honesty and vulnerability from the educator. We propose the value of reciprocal authenticity in these spaces and present the challenges this poses for the educator and team teacher. The context for this reflection is the development and delivery of a credit-bearing, discipline-agnostic student wellbeing and personal development module in an Irish university, wherein we describe our experience of the reflective process and use of the third space in co-creating a learning environment with students. As efforts to embed wellbeing in the curriculum gain traction, we ask whether we as educators are prepared to display this authenticity and consider how we can be supported to cultivate authentic spaces
The Results of the StudentSurvey.ie Trends Over Time Research, 2016-2021.
No full textDevelopment and implementation of StudentSurvey.ie is driven by the intention to inform, support, and encourage enhancement discussions and activities throughout institutions, and to inform national policy. Nearly 235,000 first and final year undergraduate and taught postgraduate students responded to StudentSurvey.ie between 2016 and 2021. Over this time the national response rate increased to 31%. Part one of the results features six years of student feedback, from 2016 to 2021, using the same set of questions. The use of the same questions every year allows for comparison across the six years to explore change, if any, in students’ perception of their experience and engagement with their institution. Part two of the results draws on international results to consider how the results of StudentSurvey.ie from 2016 to 2019 compare with results on the same questions in a broad range of international contexts, including Australia , Chile, China, South Korea, South Africa, UK and the USA and Canada. The unprecedented change brought about by the COVID-19 global crisis cannot be overlooked. Feedback from a national survey over a number of years has enduring value in understanding the experience of students in higher education in Ireland and brings student voices to the heart of national policy and decision-making in Irish higher education
The Postgraduate Certificate & Master’s in Student Engagement in Higher Education: A professional development opportunity to critically examine and influence research, policy and practice.
No full textEvery member of staff within a higher education institution (HEI), whether professional services or academic, holds the potential to contribute towards the student experience through the engagement of students. Indeed, there has been a growth in universities recognising the importance of student engagement as a priority area, with sector regulators endorsing such practices too (Office for Students, 2020). This is manifested through strategies that highlight the key role of student engagement, and numerous staff at HEIs tasked with meeting HE sector regulations in relation to student engagement and enhancing the student experience. Yet, there are virtually no student engagement professional development qualifications available for those working in HE beyond discipline specific or teaching and learning focused programmes. The University of Winchester, having recognised this gap therefore launched the PostgraduateCertificate (PgCert) and Master’s (MA) in Student Engagement in Higher Education. This brings together sector experts to look critically at student engagement research, policy and practice. The University of Winchester validated the PgCert in 2018 and the MA was validated in 2019. This case study will provide an overview of the blended approach taken to running the first MA and PgCert in Student Engagement in Higher Education programme in the UK, through offering our reflections on the academic programme three years on from its inception