Background

With fewer teaching staff and extra students, the podcasts will enable core concepts to be delivered to students in a high quality, digital format. The files can then be made available on a virtual learning environment for student use.

Goals

Production of these videos will enhance vertical integration as the clinical significance of the material will be made clear to students in the early part of the course and the basic science concepts will be reinforced for clinical students (years 4 and 5).

Methods

The process of podcast production will involve the advance preparation of anatomical specimens, both dissected specimens and models, and the selection of students who will participate in some podcasts. Sophisticated audio-visual techniques will be used to produce high quality podcasts.

Results

Results will be available on completion of the project.

Next Steps

The project will take place in the summer of 2011.

Background

There is a distinct lack of digitized resources representing 19th-century Ireland.
Themes that are often focused on in instructional modules relating to history, English literature and Irish studies include Education, Emigration, Health, Famine and Communication in 19th-century Ireland.  Contemporaneous documents on these themes are often inaccessible to undergraduates in large classes. 19th century material is generally out of copyright and so is suitable for digitization.

Goals

• To enhance the teaching and learning experience for both student and teacher by providing access to 19th-century documents and ephemera in digital formats.
• To make previously inaccessible 19th-century documents available to students at all levels including first year.
• To make a select range of 19th-century documents available to lecturers nationally for teaching and learning.
• To implement a page-turning technology to ensure that extracts as well as complete texts can be downloaded by students and teachers.
  

Methods

The funding will enable us to digitize 19 items relating to education, famine, health and communication in Ireland in the 19th century and implement assistive technologies.

Results

It is expected that the Reusable Learning Objects created through this project will be available during the autumn of 2011.

Next Steps

Digitisation of selected items and implementation of page-turning technologies.

Background

IS10040 ‘From Papyrus to Cyberspace: Information & Society’ is a first year module (Semester 2) addressing the impact of the explosion of information on society, with particular emphasis on digital technologies.  

This project aims to provide a series of ePracticums that will guide students through the process of  planning, capture, creation and presentation of digital essay, addressing key topics examined during the course, e.g. information economy.

Goals

The ePracticums will guide students in making their digital essay.  Digital video, which includes digital audio and text, has been hailed as the “new text” and the “new PowerPoint”. The rapid growth of YouTube illustrates just how pervasive and persuasive video can be.  By showing students best practices with regards to planning, capturing, and editing a digital video essay they will learn important new skills. We also propose that they will be more engaged in the assignment and module content because they are more likely to enjoy the opportunity to creating a video and posting it on YouTube than making a PowerPoint presentation.

Methods

The e-practicums will focus on using both mobile phones and small video cameras (a number of these will be provided through the grant).  This blended approach offers students the choice to create content on their own mobile phone as an individual and as a group with the use of video cameras.

The reusable e-practicum will be created using both Articulate and the lecture capture technology. There are  a series of 4 practicums:

• Planning & organising group video tutorial
• Creating & capturing video content
• Editing video content
• Presenting video content

Results

Results will be available on completion of the project.

Next Steps

These will be presented on completion of the project.

Background

UCD School of Medicine has a vast array of high quality anatomical specimens currently contained with a Museum in the Health Sciences Centre.  These materials could be used by a wide variety of groups thoughout Health Sciences. However, due to the age and the awkward manoeuvrability of these teaching tools, only small numbers of students are able to view them.  These are a valuable teaching resource and should be shared with as many as possible.

Goals

The goal of this project is to create a 3D model of a skeleton to allow the staff and students of not only Medicine but also other faculties (such as Nursing, and Archeology) to be able to access this resource when needed.  Each bone would be scanned in and be fully rotatable in any plane.  A texture mapping process will also take place to ensure that the correct colouration of the specimen will be captured.  This will ensure that the specimens are seen by many but kept in a secure and safe manner.

Methods

The funding has enabled us to purchase a high quality semi automated 3D laser scanner.  This will allow us to scan some of the high quality specimens that are contained within the School of Medicines Anatomical Museum.

Results

Results will be available to use at the completion of the project.

Next Steps

At this point in time the scanner has been purchased and preliminary scanning has started to take place.  A meeting is organised to discuss with external groups any advice that can be given in relation to the capture of this content.

Background

Third Level Peer-Mentoring has been successfully implemented in many universities worldwide. Programmes have been shown to benefit both mentees and mentors, as well as the hosting schools involved. While mentees gain support, and access to the information resources of their more experienced peers, mentors gain pedagogical knowledge and experience that will benefit their careers. Finally, the hosting schools benefit from the increased retention and proficiency of their students, as well as unburdening of staff time spent dealing with student queries. Although Peer-Mentoring has been shown to be successful, it traditionally has involved extensive in-person training and co-ordination of mentors and mentees.

Goals

The goal of the project is the implementation and evaluation of an innovative and successful Peer E-Mentoring Programme in the School of Information and Library Studies in UCD, utilising available Social Media Technologies. The project will facilitate the mentoring of incoming first year students by their second and third year peers, using rich multimedia online facilities and resources.

Methods

An Action Research Project, involving:

• recruitment of mentors and facilitators for mentees;
• preparation of suitable facilities and resources in order to ensure successful mentor-mentee relationships;
• surveying of participating students, before, during and after the pilot stages of the project. Monitoring and adjustment of project in order to ensure successful outcomes.

Results

Results will be disseminated upon completion of the pilot stage of the project.

Next Steps

The selection of suitable social media technologies and the design of online multimedia resources in preparation for the 2011/2012 Academic Year.