News & Events

The UCD Teaching and Learning Symposium, “Empowering Students for Academic Success Through Academic Advising”, will take place via Zoom on Wednesday, 25th February 2026. 

We are delighted to announce that the keynote will be delivered by an expert in metacognitive learning strategies, Dr Saundra Yancy McGuire, Professor Emerita of Chemistry and Director Emerita of the Center for Academic Success at Louisiana State University. 

The symposium will be of interest to any colleagues who would like to learn about how cognitive science can be applied to improve student success through academic advising and who would like to learn more about academic advising more generally.

“Empowering Students for Academic Success Through Academic Advising” is an exciting opportunity for us to explore:

• Evidence-based approaches to empowering students for academic success through academic advising.
• Different conversational approaches that could be used to support students in evaluating personal interests and abilities and developing an educational plan that leads to the timely creation of realistic academic and professional goals.
• Practical strategies for academic advisors to support student agency leading to their academic success 
• The role of students’ confidence in their own potential for success and how it can increase motivation and positively impact learning.
• UCD staff and students’ experiences of academic advising.

About the Keynote

Dr Saundra Yancy McGuire is Professor Emerita of Chemistry and Director Emerita of the Center for Academic Success at Louisiana State University (LSU). Prior to this, she spent eleven years at Cornell University, where she received the coveted Clark Distinguished Teaching Award. A nationally recognised expert in metacognitive learning strategies, Dr McGuire has delivered keynote addresses and workshops at over 500 institutions across 48 states, 15 countries, and six continents, helping faculty and students apply cognitive science to improve academic performance. She is the author of the bestselling books Teach Students How to Learn and Teach Yourself How to Learn.

McGuire’s most recent accolades include being listed in 2023 as one of the Top 100 Learning Influencers in history by Eduflow, being named a 2022 Louisiana Legend by Louisiana Public Broadcasting, being listed in the 2020 edition of Marquis Who’s Who in America, and induction into the LSU College of Science Hall of Distinction. She is an elected Fellow of the American Chemical Society, the American Association for the Advancement of Science, and the Council of Learning Assistance and Developmental Education Associations. She received the Presidential Award for Excellence in Science, Mathematics, and Engineering Mentoring in a White House Oval Office Ceremony. 

All Welcome

The symposium will be of most interest to faculty, including academic advisors from the existing nine pilot schools and other schools where academic advising takes place or has yet to be implemented.  All other colleagues interested to learn more about the topic are welcome to attend, including administrative staff and educational technologists. The keynote will also be open to attendees from other Irish institutions where academic advising is in place or being introduced.  

UCD attendees will be welcome to either the keynote and/or the following sessions, which will feature a discussion and sharing of UCD practice. Further details will be made available in the symposium programme soon.

To book a place, please follow the links below:

If you are UCD Staff, please go to http://bit.ly/BookTLstaffevent.

If you are a UCD Student, please book at https://bit.ly/TLstudentevent

If you are external to UCD, please book via Eventbrite.

To find out more about the academic advising pilot taking place in UCD, go to Academic Advising.