UCD’s drive to facilitate and encourage students from non traditional backgrounds to select UCD as their 1st preference by emphasising communication with students from non traditional backgrounds is paying dividend: the number of applicants from all these groups has increased. As of the 1st February, CAO figures from the HEAR (Higher Education Access Route) and DARE (Disability Access Route to Education) show 8,063 students ticking the “HEAR” box, and 2,052 students ticking the “DARE” box. Two-thirds of these students also completed all the associated questions on the application form.

Linked to this increase in applications is the success of the Better Options event, which took place in UCD's Astra Hall in the Student Centre on Thursday December 10 2009. This student fair hosted 22 third level education institutions and heard from students who spoke on their experience of getting to third level. The event was a great success with over 450 students attending.

The Adult Education Centre’s spring courses are started on 25th January 2010, with part-time classes in various subjects for both interest and credit. This term includes courses in partnership with the National Library.

The Centre offers popular guidance services and seminars on areas such as job search, developing effective CV’s and preparing Personal Statements for graduate study on an ongoing basis. In addition, staff are promoting student engagement in activities such as clubs, sports, volunteering and internships to develop graduate attributes by working with Schools, delivering programmes of careers education, information and guidance within or external to the curriculum.

Within the Curriculum

In September 2010, students of Psychology and Computer Science will be the first at UCD to be offered credit bearing modules in areas such as Computer Science in Practice.

Synergy with Graduate Recruiters

Given the economic situation, connecting students to potential employers is more important than ever. During February 2010, the Graduate Study Fair organised by Gradireland has been complemented by Fairs on campus:

• Internship and Volunteering Fair on Wednesday 24 February, Astra Hall (12:00-3:00)
• Teaching Fair on Wednesday 24 February, Astra Hall (6:00-8:00pm)

In addition, the Centre is planning a Corporate Finance Study Visit- London 24-28 May 2010. Visiting leading employers such as JP Morgan, MERCER, ICAP, BlackRock (formerly Barclays Capital), Financial Services Authority and Deloitte Consulting, students will undertake interactive case studies, business games and presentations. Developing work-related skills, applying academic learning to work and networking with recruiters, students will be in a prime position to “kick-start” their careers. The visit will comprise twenty undergraduates from the UCD School of Business and staff at the Career Development Centre would like to thank the School for supporting this new initiative.

Supporting Academic Colleagues

The Centre organised its first ever Colloquium for academic staff on Personal Development Planning in the Academic Curriculum during February. The event, led by Maria Lee, Head of Educational and Skills Development at Queen’s University, Belfast, presented learning experienced by staff when embedding personal development planning into the undergraduate and graduate curricula. It is hoped to follow this session with the development of a pilot Personal Development Planning initiative.

Work continues on agreeing multi-year international student enrolment targets with Colleges and Schools and translating these targets into concrete recruitment initiatives in key markets. Although an emphasis will remain on securing agreement on a number of articulated programmes (such as 2+2 and 3+1+1 programmes) with high-ranking Chinese universities.

UCD International has since the start of the year visited key markets such as India,

Malaysia, Vietnam, Saudi Arabia, Kuwait and the United States to open additional fee-paying recruitment pathways to UCD. It is clear that there are significant opportunities for UCD to attract significant numbers of high-quality students from these countries, including a large number of postgraduate students supported by overseas government scholarships. In parallel with this recruitment activity it is essential that we keep consistently improving the environment for internationalisation in UCD, and two issues which will be the subject of close scrutiny in the next couple of months includes on-campus accommodation allocation policy and the international student support infrastructure of the university.

Social Learning Tools (Blogs and Wikis)
UCD IT Services have piloted and introduced a simple-to use suite of social learning tools that integrates with the Blackboard virtual learning environment. The aim of the tools is to foster active thinking, facilitate collaboration, encouraging student instructor interaction whilst increasing the effectiveness of the e-learning environment. The tools include blogs (personal journal websites), wikis (collaborative, media-rich websites), search tools, and collaborative writing tools.

Google Calendar
Google Calendar is now available for all UCD Connect users through the Home Tab in UCD Connect. A leading web-based calendar service, Google Calendar provides an easy-to-use, customisable interface. As well as multiple sharing options with other Google calendars and desktop applications, a key benefit is mobile access, since Google Calendar can be synced to mobile devices offering more flexibility for users.

Further information is available at: www.ucd.ie/itservices/webservices/googlecal/

In November 2009, the UCD Library launched its Strategic Planning process, which seeks to craft a vision and operational plan for its activities through 2014. The plan with identify ways in which the UCD Library, in partnership with academic and administrative partners, contributes to university teaching and learning, research, and innovation. Planning and stakeholder consultations will continue throughout the spring of the year.

As efforts to complete projects associated with the Irish Virtual Research Library and Archive (IVRLA) drew to a close in 2009, new attention has been focused on sustaining and further developing the substantial digital library created by this effort. Planning is underway to embed capacity for digitization, collections management, and supporting technical infrastructure permanently within the Library, forming simultaneously the foundation of future digital library efforts and a platform for innovation in humanities research.

UCD Students involved in Quality assurance and enhancement
The University seeks ways to further enhance the opportunities for students to be involved in institutional quality assurance/quality improvement processes. With this in mind, a pilot student forum on quality related issues was organised by the UCD Quality Office, in conjunction with the UCD College of Arts and Celtic Studies and the UCDSU. The Forum was held on 15 January 2010, with 16 students participating. A report, based on the key findings from the Forum is currently being prepared.

The Forum was organised along the lines of a series of focus group sessions, which considered a number of questions within the context of a number of themes, such as: Teaching and Learning; Social Environment for students; and UCD Image.

Institutional Review of Irish Universities: 2009-2012
The 2nd cycle of Institutional Review of Irish Universities (IRIU) is expected to take place between 2009 and 2012. Institutions can expect to undergo IRIU normally every six years. The institutional review site visit of UCD is scheduled to take place in February/March 2011.

The IRIU aims to provide robust external assurances of the effectiveness of the internal quality assurance procedures established by each Irish university to sustain and enhance further the quality of their teaching, learning, research and support services, to meet the demands of a diverse student population. For more information on Institutional Review, go to the IUQB website at www.iuqb.ie

The academic term dates for 2010-2011 were amended by Academic Council at its 18 February meeting to account for a later than normal release of CAO results and to avoid a reduction in the Summer Term/Research Period. The approved dates are available online at http://www.ucd.ie/registry/academicsecretariat/term_dates_2010-11.pdf

The annual review of Registration is now available online at http://www.ucd.ie/registry/adminservices/regrecords/reg_plan.html. The 2009 review focused

on identifying the high-level lessons learned in order to inform the preparatory activities for Registration 2010.

Academic Council at its 18 February meeting approved the delegation of authority to Admissions Tutors to make offers for Graduate Taught Programmes, with offers to be made on a rolling basis by Admissions Tutors throughout the admissions season. Click here for more information. The pilot scheme used for Sept 2009 entry, where the decision-making authority was devolved to UCD Admissions on the basis of strictly-agreed criteria, is to run again for Sept 2010 entry - this time with about 30 programmes involved. Also, all applications to Graduate Taught Programmes will be via the UCD Online Applications facility.

A revised policy on Extenuating Circumstances was recently approved by Academic Council for the 2010-11 session and the implementation planning/consultation process will begin shortly.

A new version of Gradebook (Banner) will be made available to all Gradebook users in early March for Semester 2 grade entry. Staff will receive further notification regarding training and information sessions.

A review of policies scheduled for Semester 2 includes Accreditation of Prior Learning (APL), Garda Vetting, Leave of Absence, Extension and Withdrawal (for undergraduate and graduate students).  A review of the UCD Programme Development, Approval and Review Framework is also due to be launched this session.

President’s Teaching Award – New in 2010  
This prestigious award will recognise recipients who have a clear track record in teaching and learning including adoption of leadership roles in curriculum design, programme development  and peer-mentoring in Teaching and Learning. 

College Teaching Awards SIF II Funded
The College Teaching Awards recognise and celebrate excellence in teaching

appropriate to the current stage of a recipient’s career.The call for applications for both awards will be issued in early March and will close in April.

National Teaching Award
The NAIRTL National Awards for Excellence in Teaching scheme is now open and will close on 21st May.  For details visit: www.nairtl.ie/awards 

Module Student Feedback Pilot SIF II Funded
A number of recommendations have resulted from the semester I module student feedback survey which involved over 8000 students.  Additional module coordinators are welcome to participate in the semester II pilot and should contact aine.galvin@ucd.ie Director of Teaching & Learning for more information.

Life Sciences Teaching and Learning
A successful inaugural College of Life Sciences Teaching & Learning morning took place on February 18th.  Topics discussed included graduate attributes, criticality in education, situation-based learning and e-learning.

Learning Outcomes Event
Funded by the Strategic Innovation Fund (SIF), the Learning Outcomes sub-group of the DRHEA held an event in early February in DIT Grangegorman, to support in the 'Implementation and Improvement of Learning Outcomes Curricula’.  Attendees wrote a first draft of guidelines for development of programme outcomes, sequencing and coherence which will be distributed for further consultation across the DRHEA institutions. See www.drhea.ie