DRHEA Teaching Fellows Symposium 22.11.12

DRHEA (Dublin Regional Higher Education Alliance) Teaching Fellows Symposium will take place on Friday 30th November, in the Health Sciences building at UCD, between 11.00 – 16.00.  The event will showcase the outcomes of the DRHEA Teaching Fellow’s research across the Dublin Region on “What makes the Best First Year Experience”.

Teaching Profiles and T&L Promotion 20.09.12

Professor Bairbre Redmond, Deputy Registrar Teaching & Learning, recently held two short advisory sessions on using the Online Teaching Profiles. To access the presentation slides from these sessions please click here.

Call for 2012 Funding for National NDLR LInCS Projects 28.08.12

The National Digital Learning Resources (NDLR) is offering an opportunity to submit proposals to the 2012 Call for National Learning Innovation Projects (LInCS). These projects are cross-institutional projects, funded by the HEA through the NDLR, to promote the development, sharing and impact of digital learning resources and associated practices for teaching, learning and research. The deadline for applications is Friday 28th September 2012.

New UCD Teaching Profiles 21.06.12

UCD Teaching & Learning has launched a Teaching Profile which is a re-design of the existing teaching tab of the Research Profiles System.  The tab has been redeveloped into an easily-used, structured electronic teaching profile.  This will be a companion to the existing research profile system and will allow UCD academics to create and maintain a concise online teaching portfolio.

Closing the Feedback Loop Guide Launched 31.05.12

Closing the feedback loop is the process of informing students how their comments from the Student Feedback on Modules survey have been used. This semester academic colleagues from four different schools volunteered to develop and test their own practical models for closing the feedback loop.  These models have been circulated to all academic staff in the Closing the Feedback Loop guide.

Dr Tara Cusack awarded a DRHEA Teaching Fellowship 18.05.12

Dr Tara Cusack, UCD School of Public Health, Physiotherapy and Population Science was recently awarded a DRHEA Teaching Fellowship. She will be working with four other colleagues from across the DRHEA on a cross-institution project to enhance the First Year Learning Experience.

UCD National Digital Learning Resources (NDLR) LIPs 2012 10.05.12

The 2012 UCD National Digital Learning Resources (NDLR) Local Innovation Projects (LIPs) have drawn a wide institutional response with representation from five of our Colleges. This years’ theme was aligned with an initiative focusing on first year assessment practice.

U21 Fellowship awarded to Dr Geraldine O’ Neill, UCD Teaching and Learning 27.04.12

Dr Geraldine O’ Neill, UCD Teaching and Learning has recently been awarded a U21 Teaching and Learning Network Staff Fellowship. The U21 Teaching and Learning Network, a cross-network partnership for members of Universitas 21, recently established this Fellowship Programme to encourage sharing of and research into best practice in teaching and learning.

DRHEA Teaching Fellowships 02.03.12

The DRHEA Fellowships will address a strategic theme: Enhancing First Year Learning.   This is an exciting opportunity to gain recognition for your teaching and learning expertise and to explore your ideas for enhancing undergraduate student learning through working with Fellows from other institutions within the Dublin Region.

New BA LinkedUP Website Launched 27.02.12

Arts is particularly challenging in terms of engagement due to the very large size of the programme.  This also makes communications challenging.  The new BA LinkedUP website was launched in February by Elena Gamble the Student Engagement Officer.  It uses web technology to provide a visually recognisable one stop shop from which to promote all engagement activities, academic & social. There are accompanying Twitter and Facebook pages.

Assessment Redesign Project 03.02.12

A major project to focus on the strategic redesign of first year assessment is taking place.   UCD Teaching & Learning is working with the programme deans to build on the outcomes of the First Year Assessment Project  of 2010/11.  Programmes/subject areas participating in the project are:

•    Architecture
•    Physics
•    Radiography
•    Social Science
•    Veterinary Medicine

Award for Supporting Student Learning Ceremony 2011-12 01.02.12

The ceremony for the Award for Supporting Student Learning took place on January 31st . This award acknowledges the efforts and achievements of staff who are responsible for innovative approaches to supporting student learning and /or the provision of an effective and positive learning environment in UCD, but who do not have a direct teaching role.

ASSL Award Winners 2011-12 Announced 11.12.11

We are delighted to announce and congratulate the winners of the Awards for Supporting Student Learning (ASSL)2011-12. This award acknowledges the efforts and achievements of staff who are responsible for innovative approaches to supporting student learning and /or the provision of an effective and positive learning environment in UCD.  The award recognises UCD staff who are not in direct teaching roles.

Winning innovations included a student support liaison project, digitisation of anatomical images, a mid-semester review for first-year students, development of e-learning library resources for first-year students and development of e-learning tutorials for Psychiatry and Mental Health students.  Find out more about the winning innovations on the award winners page.

This award is funded by SIF II. 

UCD Negotiated Learning Team Awarded NAIRTL Grant for Second Year 02.11.11

Congratulations to Dr Lorraine McGinty and the team who have been awarded a NAIRTL (National Academy for Integration of Research, Teaching and Learning) grant to support the activities of the MSc in Computer Science by Negotiated Learning (€14,150).  The Negotiated Learning ICT Graduate T&L Development Alliance was one of nine teams out of 79 to be awarded a 2011 NAIRTL Grant.

Seminar on ‘Enhancing Learning in the First-Year’ 05.10.11

Approximately 60 staff from across the University attended the recent UCD workshop “Enhancing Learning in the First-Year”, which was targeted towards staff with significant engagement in First- Year teaching. 

Marketing & Re-branding the Student Feedback Survey 10.08.11

Working with the UCD Marketing and Development Programme, UCD Teaching & Learning hopes to create a change in student culture to develop a sense of shared responsibility with staff for improving UCD’s educational offerings through the Student Feedback on Modules Marketing and Re-branding Project.

Guide to Assessment Methods 17.07.11

As an outcome of work over two years in UCD ‘ A Practitioner’s Guide to Choice of Assessment Methods’ was developed.  This Guide gives details on the implementation and evaluation of assessment choice in a module, featuring seven UCD case studies and providing advice to staff on how to set up an equitable choice. 

Winners of NDLR LInCS Call for Funding Announced 12.07.11

The NDLR team are delighted to announce the 13 winners of the NDLR Learning Innovation Community Supported Project (LInCS) proposals, six of which are led or involve participation by UCD colleagues.  19 Institutions are represented across the 13 successful projects showing the breadth of interest across the country.

Dr Karl Maton Visits UCD 01.07.11

Dr Karl Maton, principal author of Legitimation Code Theory (LCT), visited the UCD School of Nursing Midwifery & Health Systems on the 31st June and 1st July, 2011. The visit was supported by the UCD Fellowships in Teaching and Academic Development.

Peer Mentoring Comes to Arts 15.06.11

From September 2011 all first year Arts students will be allocated a peer mentor.  The mentors will be on-hand to help new students to make friends, find their way around the campus, join clubs and societies, and provide advice on a range of social and academic queries, directing students to university support services as necessary.

School Heads for Teaching & Learning Seminar "E-Learning Innovations" 01.06.11

A School Heads for Teaching & Learning seminar, which took place on 31st May 2011, brought together a number of e-learning projects from across UCD.  Presentations were made on behalf of a number of the current NDLR Learning Innovation Project Grant winners showcasing their work in progress.

College Teaching Awards 2010-11 Presented 24.05.11

The third round of College Teaching Awards were presented on 23rd May in the Contemplative Space in the Quinn School of Business.  Professor Maurice Boland who was representing UCD President, Dr Hugh Brady at the event, commended the recipients for their demonstrable strengths in teaching excellence.

Appointment of Fellows in Teaching & Academic Development 2011-13 12.05.11

Following a highly competitive selection process, three new Fellows in Teaching & Academic Development (2011-2013) have been appointed. They are:
Dr Suzanne Guerin (School of Psychology)
Jonathan McNulty (School of Medicine and Medical Science)
Dr Michael Staunton (School of History)

Winners of 2011 College Teaching Awards Announced 29.04.11

For the 2010-11 academic year, a total of five College Teaching Awards were available.  In recognition of specific efforts and achievements in teaching and learning we are delighted to announce and congratulate the winners of this year's College Teaching Awards.

Measuring your Research Impact 20.04.11

Measuring your Research Impact (MyRI) is a collaborative project of four Irish academic libraries (UCD, DCU, NUIM & DIT) producing a set of materials to support bibliometrics training. The materials will be of particular interest to individual researchers, research administrators and those arranging training for PhD students and early career researchers and others on bibliometrics topics.

UCD Lecturer Wins Best Paper Award 15.04.11

Dr Geraldine O’Neill, UCD Teaching and Learning, recently received a ‘Best Paper Award’ for her presentation at the ‘International Academic Conference’ (New Orleans, USA, 14th-16th March, 2011).  The paper was titled ‘Playing to your Strengths: Empowering Students Through Choice of Assessment Approaches’ and was based on a UCD HEA funded project on ‘Choice of Assessment Methods within a Module’.

Awards for Supporting Student Learning Presented 07.04.11

The inaugural ceremony for the Awards for Supporting Student Learning took place on Thursday 7th April 2011.  These awards have been developed to complement the existing academic award schemes and are designed to reward “the efforts and achievements of staff who are responsible for supporting student learning and /or the provision of an effective and positive learning environment in UCD”, but who do not have a direct teaching role.

Obtain a Qualification in University Teaching 2011 30.03.11

“All higher education institutions must ensure that all teaching staff are both qualified and competent in teaching and learning, and should support ongoing development and improvement of their skills.”  The National Education Strategy to 2030 (Hunt Report)  (see page 62 for a summary of Teaching & Learning recommendations). 

Obtaining a qualification in university teaching will help academics to develop teaching skills and build on their experience.  Seeing the resulting change in students can prove an enriching and rewarding experience.   Finding time for ongoing development poses an increasing challenge for academics. In recognition, the University Teaching & Learning programmes are designed to be highly relevant to academic practice, with a significant proportion of the required student activity taking place within the normal teaching duties of the participants.

Applications for admission to UCD University Teaching & Learning programmes commencing in September 2011 may now be submitted.  Applicants should apply initially for the Graduate Diploma in UTL subsequent early exit with the Graduate Certificate or special Purpose Award is permitted.  See the prospectus for more information.

New First Year Assessment Teaching Resources 28.02.11

The First Year Assessment Project Advisory Group led by Elizabeth Noonan and Geraldine O’Neill has developed a series of teaching resources. These resources are based on the both teaching and learning literature and UCD case studies. They are designed to assist academic staff in planning and implementing their first year assessments. These teaching resources are now available on a new First Year Assessment page in the Assessment Resources.  This is one of a number of Teaching & Learning projects focusing on first year, go to the projects section for more information, pages will be added as the projects develop.

Focus on First Year Podcast 07.03.11

A series of ten short audio episodes has been recorded by UCD academics for UCD academics to deliver practical guidance and to share research and case studies of existing good practice across the university, focusing on successful teaching of first years.  Episodes one and two, dealing with the transition to university and peer mentoring are live and the remaining eight episodes will be released throughout 2011. 

Life Sciences Teaching & Learning Symposium 24.02.11

The second UCD Teaching & Learning symposium hosted by the College of Life Sciences on 23rd February was held in the Conway lecture theatre. Over one hundred attendees gathered at the event that promised to get people thinking about new ways of enhancing the teaching and learning experience for staff and students.

Flip Camcorders – a Teaching and Learning Venture 17.02.11

Flip camcorders are currently on trial with UCD Teaching and Learning as part of an NDLR initiative. The intention of the trial is to enable lecturers and students to engage with their learning in an active and participative manner: to use video to demonstrate, instruct or assess.

Developing Students' Critical & Creative Thinking 07.02.11

A new series of four two-hour seminars on " Developing Students' Critical & Creative Thinking" will be delivered by internationally renowned experts who have a track record in higher education practise, research & publication.  Video-conferencing technology will be used to deliver each seminar in dual locations within UCD and to a different DRHEA partner institution.

Winners of the NDLR LIP Grants 01.02.11

We are pleased to announce a number of funded initiatives for the coming year, as an outcome of the National Digital Learning Repository (NDLR) UCD Learning Innovation Projects Grants scheme. A myriad of stimulating and creative proposals were received from the UCD community. We would like to congratulate the winners and look forward to seeing the outcomes of their projects...

Enhancing Assessment and Feedback in the First Year Workshop with David Nicol 24.01.11

Professor David Nicol (University of Strathclyde) visited UCD on 21st January to present a workshop on Enhancing Assessment and Feedback in the First Year.  He emphasised a broader interpretation of feedback, beyond the normal understanding of feedback being provided by a teacher to a student on their assessed work.  Instead, he argued that good feedback should be dialogical, that is, it should involve students actively engaging in the feedback process as a means of understanding their academic performance and their learning needs.

Winners of the Award for Supporting Student Learning 17.01.10

The UCD Awards for Supporting Student Learning scheme, launched for the first time in 2010, was met with an overwhelming response. We are delighted to announce and congratulate the winners, whose efforts and achievements in supporting student learning were recognised by the award.

Creative Solutions Exhibition 10.12.10

As part of Innovation Dublin 2010 the UCD School of Architecture, Landscape and Civil Engineering hosted a ‘Creative Solutions by 1st Year Students’ Exhibition on 18th November.  The exhibition was a display of selected students’ work undertaken as part of the new Creativity in Design module for 1st year Engineering students.

New Problem-based Learning Book Launched 10.11.10

A new book on problem-based learning was launched in UCD on 5th November. New Approaches to Problem-based Learning; Revitalising Your Practice in Higher Education edited by Terry Barrett and Sarah Moore was published by Roultedge in New York in September 2010.

President’s and College Teaching Awards Presented 10.11.10

President’s Teaching Awards and College Teaching Awards 2009-10 were presented by the President of UCD, Dr Hugh Brady on 18th October in the Conway Institute.

Winners of the President’s Teaching Awards 2009-10 06.09.10

We are delighted to announce and congratulate Dr Fionnuala Dillane, School of English, Drama and Film(who will develop a drop-in writing centre) and Dr Crystal Fulton, School of Information and Library Studies (who will facilitating doctoral students to become effective instructors), the winners of the 2009-10 President’s Teaching Awards.

Winners of the College Teaching Awards 2009-10 06.09.10

In the second year of running, the university-wide College Teaching Awards saw an increase in applications.  In recognition of specific efforts and achievements in teaching and learning I am also delighted to announce and congratulate the winners of the 2009-10 College Teaching Awards.

Charter for Inclusive Teaching & Learning Now Available 05.08.10

The Charter for Inclusive Teaching and Learning has been designed to support HEIs in responding to the diversity challenge by sign-posting teaching and learning practices that work not only for students with disabilities but all students.

Module Enhancement Report Available 10.08.10

A new report is now available for UCD academics to provide information on registration, grade distribution, module descriptors and student feedback.  Module coordinators can access the information for their own modules, whilst a summary report is available to heads of schools for their schools.  College principals and vice-principals for teaching & learning can obtain the summary report for their colleges.

Study Skills for Transition to University 30.07.10

Watch the latest Teaching & Learning showcase video.  Feargal Murphy talks about study skills for university learning.

NDLR Learning Innovation Projects Grants 09.07.10

Are you interested in using technology to support and enhance learning?  The NDLR Learning Innovation Projects Grants Scheme supports the development of targeted reusable learning resources and associated teaching practices.

Obtain a Qualification in University Teaching 15.06.10

A new suite of University Teaching & Learning modules has been designed to allow staff to study in a flexible manner to build credits towards the award of their choice.

The modules can be built up into a number of different awards, including the UCD Graduate Diploma UTL and have been designed to allow staff to study in a self-paced, flexible manner.  Most modules can be taken either mainly online or as a mentored self-directed project and can be taken in any order. 

Ten funded places available 15.06.10

UCD Teaching and Learning is delighted to be able to cover the cost of the Becoming a Better University Teacher module for ten recently-appointed academics, (with less than 3 years UCD employment completed) through the HEA Training of Trainers fund. 

Presentations from T&L Morning Available 14.05.10

The strategic projects of the Fellows in Teaching & Academic Development were presented and discussed on May 14^th.  The presentations delivered by the Fellows on Critical Thinking & Graduate Attributes and The Development of General Electives are now available. The Director of Careers Dr David Foster delivered a presentation on Developing the UCD Graduate of 2015 which is also available.

Dr Felder delivers Effective Teaching Workshop 29.05.10

Dr Richard Felder, Hoechst Celanese Professor Emeritus at North Carolina State University visited UCD last week, to lead workshops in ‘Effective Teaching’ and ‘Research in Teaching & Learning’. Hosted by UCD Teaching & Learning and by the College of Engineering, Mathematical & Physical Sciences and supported by SIF2, the Workshops were held under the auspices of the Dublin Region Higher Education Alliance (DRHEA).

UCD Hosts Second DCAD Symposium 13.05.10

UCD Teaching and Learning hosted the second meeting of the Dublin Centre for Academic Development on Monday 10th May 2010in the Health Sciences Centre in Belfield. The event was attended by academic and professional staff engaged in the enhancement of teaching and learning from the participating institutions across the Dublin region.  A series of workshops took place where participants focused on identifying future teaching and learning issues for collaborative development. 

New National Digital Learning Resource Repository Launched 23.04.10

New National Digital Learning Repository launched at the recent annual symposium, held at the TCD Science Gallery.

Teaching & Learning New Website Launched 14.04.10

UCD Teaching and Learning is delighted to launch its new website www.ucd.ie/teaching.

High Definition Video Conferencing Suite Acquired 09.04.10

UCD Teaching & Learning has acquired a High Definition Video Conference suite.

Student Module Feedback Survey Semester 2 29.03.10

A web survey, to gather feedback from students on modules university-wide, is currently being piloted.  The semester 2 survey will open on Monday 12th April.

NAIRTL's 2010 Grants Initiative 30.03.10

Applications are invited for the National Academy for Integration of Research, Teaching and Learning's 2010 Grants Initiative. This initiative is open to all 38 HEIs linked to the National Academy and is being coordinated via the research/development office in participating Institutions.

Learning Outcomes Event 15.02.10

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.

Life Sciences Teaching & Learning Morning 19.02.10

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

Personal Development Planning Colloquium 19.02.10

Our students face many challenges as they develop skills required for academic achievement, acquire and enhance skills needed for success in future employment and mature as individuals possessing the self-awareness required for effective career planning and lifelong learning. development at Queen’s for some years.

UCD Lecturer Wins ExxonMobil Excellence in Teaching Award 21.12.09

Dr Patricia Kieran, Senior Lecturer in the UCD School of Chemical & Bioprocess Engineering, has been awarded a 2009 ExxonMobil Excellence in Teaching Award. The Award carries a prize of £10,000; in addition, the School of Chemical & Bioprocess Engineering will avail of further ExxonMobil support, to an in-kind value of £40,000, including priority for graduate recruitment and undergraduate industrial placements as well as access to case study materials.

Dr Amanda Gibney wins National Teaching Award 20.12.09

We are delighted to announce that Dr Amanda Gibney received one of the National Awards for Excellence in Teaching from NAIRTL. This prestigious award was presented to her by President Mary Mc Aleese at a ceremony in Dublin Castle on 18th November. This is the first time that these awards have been open to any lecturer from all Irish universities and institutes of higher education. Our warmest congratulations to Dr Gibney on her success.

Engaging Pedagogy Conference Sept 2010 25.02.10

This year's conference is to be held in the National University of Ireland, Maynooth on Thursday Sep 2nd 2010. The theme of the conference is Engaging Pedagogy: research and practices for a new decade.

Vice-principal for Teaching and Learning in the College of Human Sciences 14.12.09

The Registrar and Deputy Registrar for Teaching & Learning welcome Dr Barbara Dooley as Vice-principal for Teaching and Learning in the College of Human Sciences and look forward to working with her. Dr Dooley has just finished a four year period as Head of the School of Psychology.

Module Student Feedback Pilot 16.11.09

Electronic module feedback questionnaires residing in the Student Information System are being piloted for 80 modules across the university. The questionnaires opened on Monday 16th November.

College Teaching Awards Presented 01.10.09

College Teaching Awards 2008-09 were presented by the President of UCD, Dr Hugh Brady on 1st October. Details of the application process for the 2009-10 College Teaching Awards will be published in March 2010.