The Pedagogy First Approach to Blended Learning: Concept and Practice

Rob Lowney and Sharon Flynn explore the concept of Pedagogy First in Digital Teaching and Learnin

Reflections on 'Promoting Academic Integrity Week'

In October 2019, the Teaching Enhancement Unit (TEU) at Dublin City University (DCU) organised a week of events for academic staff and students called ‘Promoting Academic Integrity Week’. The purpose was to provoke discussion with academics and students about academic integrity, why it is important and what can be done to uphold it. The TEU has been involved with an Erasmus+ project to create resources for academics around assessment design approaches to embed academic integrity. They wanted to collate these resources in a central ‘hub’ for academics and launch and promote it during the week of events. They also wanted to engage students in thinking about academic integrity and what it means, through an online quiz and inviting contributions to a ‘Declaration Wall’ in prominent campus locations. This paper discusses the TEU experience of planning, organising and rolling out the week of events. The paper also explores the reflections of the TEU on how the events were received by academic staff and students and ideas for refinements for a future iteration

Students as partners in assessment (SaPiA): a literature scoping review

The purpose of this scoping review is to explore what the literature says regarding students as partners in the process of assessment in higher education. In recent years, there has been an increasing emphasis on students as partners in teaching, learning and assessment. Indeed, some educators would argue this is part of a larger paradigm shift in the latter part of last century towards student-centred learning. Conscious of this paradigm shift and the ever-present competing assessment discourses, the review investigates the growing interest in student partnership in assessment specifically, distinct from wider arenas of student partnership. This literature scoping review aims to demystify the ways in which those who teach can partner students by exploring initiatives such as involving them as self or peer assessors, as co-creators of assessment activities and marking criteria, and the use of collaborative opportunities to co-own the assessment process

Suddenly moving large classes online: Illuminating the experience of the teaching staff in one university

[EN] In early 2020, the transition of large classes from the face-to-face to the online context occurred overnight and at scale at a time when the crisis was being faced at all levels of society, nationally and internationally. This paper is based on research which examined the impact of this sudden transition on large classes in Dublin City University with a view to illuminating the experience to inform future practice (Authors., in press). A rapid, systemised review of literature was carried out with the aim of contextualising data gathered through surveys with staff and students in relation to our experience of moving large classes online in the early stages of the Covid-19 pandemic. While the study examined the impact from the perspectives of teaching staff and students, this paper reports on the perspectives of teaching staff only. Large class teachers found this experience challenging, reporting a sense of isolation and worry. However it would seem that opportunity was seen in the face of adversity, whereby staff have identified potential for better ways of doing things going forward as a result of their experiences between March and May 2020.Glynn, M.; Farrell, AM.; Buckley, K.; Lowney, R.; Smyth, S.; Stone, S. (2021). Suddenly moving large classes online: Illuminating the experience of the teaching staff in one university. En 7th International Conference on Higher Education Advances (HEAd'21). Editorial Universitat Politècnica de València. 171-178. https://doi.org/10.4995/HEAd21.2021.13032OCS17117

Moving large classes online: illuminating the experience of the sudden transition of large, face-to-face programmes to the online environment in Dublin City University, in response to the Covid-19 crisis

This study was financially supported by the Dublin City University (DCU) Educational Trust as one of the projects accepted for the DCU Covid-19 Research and Innovation Hub. The motivation for developing the research project arose from discussions between the authors who, at the time of the call for proposals, were experiencing the emergency transition of a large class online from the perspectives of a teacher, a student, a learning technologist and an academic developer. The purpose of the study is threefold: To shed light on the sudden transition of DCU's large classes (100+ students) from the face-to-face teaching and learning setting to the online environment in March 2020 from the perspectives of staff and students. To contextualise the findings arising from the examination of the transition referred to above by reviewing relevant literature. To inform the work (a) of academics in DCU teaching large-class cohorts and (b) of DCU's academic developers and learning technologists, supporting them in this endeavour, as large programmes and modules move online in the forthcoming academic year. The composition of the research team was an advantage from the outset in terms of developing the proposal, designing the research and interpreting the findings. Viewing the above objectives from a range of perspectives ensured a richness in discussion, debate, synthesis, analysis and reporting. The report is divided into the following sections: Section 1 provides suggestions and guidance for transitioning large classes online, as we move into the academic year 2020/21. This is not a summary of the report; rather, it forefronts the implications and conclusions arising from the research process, instead of presenting them at the end. This section of the report was shared with DCU staff via email on 22 September 2020. Section 2 comprises the full report with the following elements: methodology; findings from the review of literature; findings from data analysis; discussion; authors’ personal reflections and references. Section 3 is an appendix, which includes relevant documentation that may be of use to the reader when navigating the document

Enhancing Digital Capacity in Teaching and Learning in Irish Universities

The IUA-led project, Enhancing Digital Capacity in Teaching and Learning in Irish Universities, is a 3-year project involving all seven Irish universities. The aim is to enhance the digital attributes and educational experiences of Irish university students through enabling the mainstreamed and integrated use of digital technologies across the teaching and learning process. To achieve this, the project focuses on the professional development of all staff who teach or support learning. The project started in January 2019 and will run until the end of 2021. This paper describes the organisation of the project, which brings together academic leaders in each of the universities to provide oversight, as well as a project team with members embedded in each university context. The project activities in the first year are described, including the collection of data related to CPD opportunities to provide a baseline, and the launch of seven pilots across the university sector

An exploration of the impact of a VLE assignment text-matching tool to improve students’ academic writing

Presented at EdTech 2018, Carlow ITHibernia College delivers blended Professional Master in Education (PME) programmes to students across Ireland. Their backgrounds are diverse: some enter the programmes directly from undergraduate studies, others are returning to education after many years working. Some students have difficulty adopting academic writing conventions such as paraphrasing, quoting, citing and referencing. The College added the URKUND text-matching tool to its Moodle-based VLE in 2018. Its intended use is as a formative tool for students to improve their academic writing (Rolfe, 2011). It generates a text-matching report that students scrutinise and they judge for themselves if they have used another’s material in an improper way – by incorrectly paraphrasing, quoting, citing or referencing. They then have an opportunity to amend their assignment and re-upload. Documentation was provided to students upon its introduction, explaining the capabilities, scope and limitations of URKUND and how to use it. This research on the impact of URKUND used a mixed-methods approach. Three student cohorts had the tool available to them when uploading assignments in spring 2018 and were surveyed after their upload deadline passed. The tool was widely-used and well-received but students also held misconceptions about URKUND’s capabilities. Students also had difficulty in making judgements on their assignment as they were unclear if what the report was showing them was ‘right’ or ‘wrong’. To maximise its potential as a formative tool, a continual re-enforcement of URKUND’s capabilities, scope and limitations would appear to be required. Similarly, it would appear students need support in developing skills to interpret the report and to make judgements on their own academic writing

Learning ecology theory as a tool to support student digital competences in higher education

The need for digitally competent graduates is well established, and articulated in the New Skills Agenda for Europe (European Commission, 2016) and the European Digital Education Action Plan 2021-2027 (European Commission, 2021). The Enhancing Digital Teaching and Learning (EDTL) project seeks to enhance graduate digital attributes by providing professional development to academics to embed digital technologies across the curriculum (Flynn et al., 2020). The lack of data on the competencies required in the workplace in Ireland, and the lack of clarity around how best to support students to develop digital competences were identified as two key challenges to this work. This paper considers these challenges by presenting data from a small-scale study exploring the digital competences most important to graduates and employers, followed by an examination of the contexts in which higher education institutions can support students developing digital competencies through the lens of learning ecology theory.</jats:p