Cooking Online.

Having worked as a lecturer for five years, I was given the opportunity to undertake the postgraduate diploma in third-level learning and teaching at the Dublin Institute of Technology. The elective I chose as part of this course was online learning. The requirement to compile a reflective journal during the module has provided the catalyst for me to write this paper. This Paper describes work in progress for proposed research within the Department of Hospitality, Tourism and Leisure Studies in Athlone Institute of Technology (AIT). The purpose of this research is to investigate the feasibility of providing and the effectiveness of online course materials for students following the day-release apprenticeship programme in professional cookery. At present students are required to attend college full-time for six weeks in a 30-week course. For the remainder, students are required to attend college one day per week

Reframing pedagogic practices using a social practice perspective to explain and inform change in the Irish Technological Higher Education Sector

This practice-focused ethnographic study was conducted in the context of the Irish technological higher education sector to elucidate and enhance pedagogic practices during a time of radical change with the establishment of Technological Universities. Underpinned by Social Practice Theory (SPT), the Teaching and Learning Regime (TLR) theoretical framework was trialled to reframe the pedagogic practices of lecturers within the sector. Rather than deploying a narrow focus of evaluating the impact of professional development using a practice perspective, this study explored broader questions regarding change to pedagogic practices, including the material environment and contextual factors which condition their adoption. The ontological perspective of Critical Realism (CR) informed the design of a theory-driven methodological approach to research design and analysis of data. A process for the systematic mapping of data to the TLR theoretical framework was devised. Nineteen postgraduate diploma graduates from four geographically dispersed Institutes of Technology (IoTs) participated in this research study. The postgraduate programme was designed to develop pedagogic practices and address sectoral requirements. An essential aspect of the research design was the requirement for research participants to teach for one year after graduation. This enabled the examination of pedagogic practices and conditioners of change within the workgroup. To avoid reliance on self-reporting and informed by the SPT elements of materials, competences and meanings, the variety of data collection methods included semi-structured and focus group interviews, classroom observations and digital artefacts to represent teaching. New perspectives of pedagogic practices emerged with substantial evidence of early-career transmission-focused practices changing to contemporary approaches, thereby impacting student experiences. The TLR transpired to be a comprehensive theory for understanding, explaining, and implementing change in higher education. The study will inform the design and evaluation of professional development and change initiatives at the micro-, meso- and macro-level in the Irish technological higher education sector

Shared Ambitions Support Educators in Practitioner Action Research

When teachers share ambitions for their practice, they are raising both their own awareness of their personal theory and articulating a shared conception of educational values. In contrast to traditional research methods modules which encompass a variety of methodologies, a new module has been collaboratively developed between two higher education institutions in Ireland to focus on action research, specifically requiring participants to engage in and document a research project linked to practice. Research methods as a subject can prove challenging for teacher-researchers especially in applying the concepts to their own practice-based projects. This module, aimed at practitioners in further and higher education in Ireland, forms part of a flexible pathway to a postgraduate diploma which is underpinned by core professional values. Until now, there has not been such a blended action research module offered within Ireland, and we are keen to explore the potential of shared ambitions in this context

Action Research for Educators: Learning Innovation.

This special purpose award was designed as part of the LIN flexible pathway to a postgraduate diploma in learning teaching and assessment. The certificate was developed by the AIT Learning and Teaching Unit in conjunction with experts from the DIT Learning, Teaching and Technology Centre with the support of the Learning Innovation Network (LIN)

Salt bridges regulate both dimer formation and monomeric flexibility in HdeB and may have a role in periplasmic chaperone function

Peer reviewedPublisher PD

A comparative analysis of student usage of the Virtual Learning Environment Moodle in AIT in 2009 and 2011

This presentation describes the changing patterns of AIT students' usage of the Moodle VLE from 2009 to 2011. Data were gathered from two online surveys in 2009 and 2011 and analyzed just descriptively to see the shift in VLE use

Usage and uptake of virtual learning environments and technology assisted learning: Findings from a multi institutional, multi year comparative study

In early 2008 five Irish tertiary institutions conducted an online survey of their students’ usage of Virtual Learning Environments (VLEs) in their respective institutions. In 2009, the survey was run again with an expanded set of institutions and supplemented by a staff survey and detailed institutional case histories. The survey instruments used a common set of questions, and on condition of anonymity, the institutions pooled their results to allow us to compare and contrast the results. While many institutions routinely conduct in-house surveys or studies from time to time, this study is relatively unique in that it draws on data from multiple institutions, across multiple years, and diverse VLE platforms. The institutions who participated represented a diversity of organizational histories and VLE systems. The study identifies some of the key drivers and barriers to uptake and usage of an institutional VLE and identified that it is organizational factors, such as system maturity, rather than technical ones around system choice, that are the most significant factors in the uptake, usage and utility of the VLE systems. The paper also notes issues around the conduct of the survey, confidentiality and data sharing, and lessons from the experience

All Ireland Journal of Teaching and Learning in Higher Education (AISHE-J) Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial-ShareAlike 3

Abstract In early 2008 five Irish tertiary institutions conducted an online survey of their students' usage of Virtual Learning Environments (VLEs) in their respective institutions. In 2009, the survey was run again with an expanded set of institutions and supplemented by a staff survey and detailed institutional case histories. The survey instruments used a common set of questions, and on condition of anonymity, the institutions pooled their results to allow us to compare and contrast the results. While many institutions routinely conduct in-house surveys or studies from time to time, this study is relatively unique in that it draws on data from multiple institutions, across multiple years, and diverse VLE platforms. The institutions who participated represented a diversity of organizational histories and VLE systems. The study identifies some of the key drivers and barriers to uptake and usage of an institutional VLE and identified that it is organizational factors, such as system maturity, rather than technical ones around system choice, that are the most significant factors in the uptake, usage and utility of the VLE systems. The paper also notes issues around the conduct of the survey, confidentiality and data sharing, and lessons from the experience

The Concise Guide to PHARMACOLOGY 2023/24: Enzymes

The Concise Guide to PHARMACOLOGY 2023/24 is the sixth in this series of biennial publications. The Concise Guide provides concise overviews, mostly in tabular format, of the key properties of approximately 1800 drug targets, and about 6000 interactions with about 3900 ligands. There is an emphasis on selective pharmacology (where available), plus links to the open access knowledgebase source of drug targets and their ligands (www.guidetopharmacology.org), which provides more detailed views of target and ligand properties. Although the Concise Guide constitutes almost 500 pages, the material presented is substantially reduced compared to information and links presented on the website. It provides a permanent, citable, point-in-time record that will survive database updates. The full contents of this section can be found at http://onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/10.1111/bph.16176. In addition to this overview, in which are identified ‘Other protein targets’ which fall outside of the subsequent categorisation, there are six areas of focus: G protein-coupled receptors, ion channels, nuclear hormone receptors, catalytic receptors, enzymes and transporters. These are presented with nomenclature guidance and summary information on the best available pharmacological tools, alongside key references and suggestions for further reading. The landscape format of the Concise Guide is designed to facilitate comparison of related targets from material contemporary to mid-2023, and supersedes data presented in the 2021/22, 2019/20, 2017/18, 2015/16 and 2013/14 Concise Guides and previous Guides to Receptors and Channels. It is produced in close conjunction with the Nomenclature and Standards Committee of the International Union of Basic and Clinical Pharmacology (NC-IUPHAR), therefore, providing official IUPHAR classification and nomenclature for human drug targets, where appropriate

The Concise guide to pharmacology 2019/20: Enzymes

The Concise Guide to PHARMACOLOGY 2019/20 is the fourth in this series of biennial publications. The Concise Guide provides concise overviews of the key properties of nearly 1800 human drug targets with an emphasis on selective pharmacology (where available), plus links to the open access knowledgebase source of drug targets and their ligands (www.guidetopharmacology.org), which provides more detailed views of target and ligand properties. Although the Concise Guide represents approximately 400 pages, the material presented is substantially reduced compared to information and links presented on the website. It provides a permanent, citable, point-in-time record that will survive database updates. The full contents of this section can be found at http://onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/10.1111/bph.14752. Enzymes are one of the six major pharmacological targets into which the Guide is divided, with the others being: G protein-coupled receptors,ion channels, nuclear hormone receptors, catalytic receptors and transporters. These are presented with nomenclature guidance and summary information on the best available pharmacological tools, alongside key references and suggestions for further reading. The landscape format of the Concise Guide is designed to facilitate comparison of related targets from material contemporary to mid-2019, and supersedes data presented in the 2017/18, 2015/16 and 2013/14 Concise Guides and previous Guides to Receptors and Channels. It is produced in close conjunction with the International Union of Basic and Clinical Pharmacology Committee on Receptor Nomenclature and Drug Classification (NC-IUPHAR), therefore, providing official IUPHAR classification and nomenclature for human drug targets, where appropriate.Molecular Physiolog