Dr Zeta Dooly, Dr Paul O’Leary and Dr Gina Noonan, South East Technological University
The 2nd Digital Education Conference, DEC24, hosted by SETU on the 10th and 11th December, supported by HEA National Forum marked a significant milestone in the realm of digital education, attracting over 160 participants, 10 sponsors and 12 workshops. The conference focuses on digital transformation, sustainability, and inclusivity within the higher education sector. It highlights the role of technology in enhancing teaching and learning, promoting sustainability, and fostering well-being. The Inaugural DEC24 Doctoral Colloquium hosted 35 PhD Scholars on the day before the main conference, laying the foundations for ground-breaking research output, dissemination and outreach.
Conference Overview
DEC24 evidences the vast interest and significance to the higher education community of gathering in-person to discuss and share digital education excellent practice with a growing delegate base. We welcomed educators from ATU, MTU, SETU, Foróige, Maynooth Uni, GRETB, WWETB, LWETB, Trinity, Walton Institute, RCSI, NLN, Skillnet, DCU, UL, UCC, TUD, TUS.
The conference was co-chaired by Dr. Zeta Dooly, Dr. Paul O’Leary and Dr. Gina Noonan, with huge input from our DEC24 programming committee and support networks. The success of this conference is in large part thanks to the many people who contributed as keynote speakers, in workshops, and in paper presentations. The keynote speakers were Professor Martin Curley, Dr. Aidan Walsh, Dr. Leigh Graves Wolf, and Dr. James Diamond. They delivered fascinating seminars on the dramatic digitisation changes that underway in public health, Wayfinding through the Crossroads of Technology, Education and Research, and introducing Generative Artificial Intelligence into teaching, learning, and assessment beyond basic AI literacy. A significant contribution from Industry meant that there was on-site demos of EdTech by Emagine, Eirmersive, Fourth Reality, Advance HE, Bettter Examinations, BrickField, Foróige and research findings from PESTech, ENTIRE-EDIH and N-TUTORR.
Presentations and Workshops
DEC24 offered a remarkably large choice of themes and workshops for participants to roll up their sleeves and try out new digital technologies, sustainability applications, and virtual reality worlds for education. 3 presenters delivered papers representing 122 paper authors, covering topics such as data literacy, immersive technologies, sustainability, digital wellbeing, podcasting, and entrepreneurship.
Participant Feedback
Quotes from participants included:
- “A fantastic event at South East Technological University! While the sun failed to make an appearance, the conference illuminated us with topics such as AI, future healthcare, and sustainability in education.”
- “Once again, the conference delivered, with lots of coverage of themes and topics like wellbeing and VR in education.”
The enthusiasm and collegial spirit of the delegates were palpable, as they arrived eager to share their knowledge and learn about the latest developments in digital education across Ireland, Europe, and even the US.
Keynote Highlights
The talks were phenomenal, starting with our VP Prof. Marie-Claire Van Hout and our sponsors discussing their products, services, research, and practices. Prof. Martin Curley and Dr. Aidan Walsh provided compelling evidence for Lean Education and personalized learning, emphasizing the importance of innovative ideas and projects in the Digital Health landscape. Their presentations highlighted tangible outcomes and challenges that resonate with many ongoing digitalization initiatives in higher education.
Dr. Leigh Wolf’s engaging talk, “Rí-Rá: Wayfinding Through the Crossroads of Technology, Education, and Research,” was particularly well-received. As noted by Jeremiah in his LinkedIn post, it was “a really engaging talk, weaving music, literature, Gaeilge, and GenAI around the challenges of EdTech.” Dr. Jim Diamond from Johns Hopkins University inspired attendees to embrace AI ethically and to deepen their thinking through effective prompt construction.
GASTA Sessions & Student panel
The GASTA sessions were a whirlwind of energy and insights. A standout moment was when the legendary GASTA master, Tom Farrelly, delivered his first GASTA on how to deliver a great GASTA, leaving the audience furiously taking notes and likely increasing applications for next year.
VP Student Experience David Denieffe chaired our Student panel this year with Mark, Kate and Igor stealing the show with their insightful views of challenges facing HE students and potential areas for solutions and further support.
Some highlights included:
- A special shout-out to Bernard Goldbach and Frances O’Donnell for their excellent workshop on developing a personal knowledge management system using Obsidian and AI-enabled tools, providing practical insights into managing the overwhelming flow of information.
- “Making Music in a Virtual World” led by Eoin Dolan and the Foroige team.
- Marc Mbanda’s research on “The Effective Integration of Asylum Seekers and Refugees in the Irish Tertiary Education System,” which highlighted the dual challenges faced by these students.
- The AFUN platform project by Mark Power and colleagues, designed to support motor skill development in autistic children.
- A workshop will be held on “Fostering Digital Wellbeing: Strategies for Educators to Navigate and Promote Healthy Technology Engagement”, led by Dr Jeremiah Spillane and Dr Oonagh O’Brien.
- Understanding staff wellbeing related to technology. “The Yin and Yang of digital technologies: the impact of a digital wellbeing initiative on staff wellbeing” by Dr Suzanne Stone.
- Universal Design for Learning (UDL) principles are used in a variety of research studies. Yvonne Sarsfield describes “Leveraging Immersive Technologies to Amplify UDL Principles and Student Empowerment”.
We are thrilled with the response to DEC24, and we look forward to announcing our DEC24 Digital Education Awards in January, along with details for DEC25. The conference not only fostered a rich exchange of ideas but also laid the groundwork for future collaborations and innovations in digital education practice and research. Participant feedback from the conference, showcases the vibrant discussions and innovative practices that emerged during this gathering of the higher education community and its related stakeholders and networks.