National Forum for the Enhancement of Teaching and Learning in Higher Education

Demystifying Video for Higher Education
2020-02-11 10:00 UTC | Dublin City University, Dublin, Ireland
Learning Outcomes

Understanding the challenges and opportunities of video for teaching and learning
Identifying opportunities to incorporate video into teaching and learning
Critically assessing a range of options for video creation in context
Developing a short video for teaching and learning

Engaging Staff in Meaningful Change in Assessment Practice
2020-02-11 09:30 - 12:30 | Trinity College Dublin, Ireland
Learning Outcomes

Discuss and investigate Programme-Focussed Assessment practices in a subject/ programme.
Debate different approaches to ‘knowing what’s going on in your programme’, such as assessment mapping, team dialogue, other evidence gathering tools
Identify appropriate assessment design interventions for subject/ programme.

Teaching and Learning Enhancement Fund 2018 - Project Reviews
2020-02-11 - 2020-02-12
On Tuesday and Wednesday, 11-12 February you have the opportunity to watch a live-stream of the 2018 National Forum Teaching and Learning Enhancement Fund projects. The live-stream will be available for all 16 project review presentations starting at 9.00 until 14.45 each day.
These projects were selected for funding as new initiatives with the potential to enhance teaching and learning in Irish higher education. All of the projects reflect one of the National Forum’s four strategic priorities. Each presentation takes 15 minutes and might provide the spark for ideas for projects you have been considering as well. Please join us if you can and share in all the new ideas and innovative activity taking place.
View schedule for the day
International Review Panel
Christian Tauch
Head of the education department of the German Rectors’ Conference .
Christian Tauch worked at the University of Ulster in Northern Ireland and at the European University Institute in Florence/Italy before joining the Technical University of Dresden (Germany) as director of the International Office. From 1995 to 2005 he was head of the international department of the German Rectors Conference in Bonn and from 2006 till 2010 he worked in the higher education unit of the European Commission in Brussels. Since then he is back with the German Rectors‚ Conference, where he is in charge of the education department, dealing inter alia with the implementation of the Bologna Process in German higher education institutions, qualifications frameworks, the shift from teaching to learning‚ how to increase completion rates in HE, cooperation with employers‚ associations on higher education issues, etc. Clare Furneaux
Clare Furneaux is a British National Teaching Fellow, and Professor of Applied Linguistics at the University of Reading, UK, where she is also a Dean for Teaching and Learning, with responsibility for the student experience.
Clare’s background is in English Language Teaching (ELT); she taught in Malaysia, Jordan, China, Nepal and Japan before joining Reading. Within the University’s Department of English Language and Applied Linguistics, Clare has taught academic courses on literacy to both undergraduate and postgraduate students. She has led MA ELT programmes on campus and by distance learning over many years and she also supervises and conducts research into academic literacy, especially writing.
Website: https://www.reading.ac.uk/about/governance/key-people/professor-clare-furneaux.aspx Manuel João Costa
Associate Professor, Pro-Rector for pedagogical innovation and student affairs, School of Medicine, University of Minho
Manuel Joao Costa is currently Pro-Rector for Educational Innovation and Student Affairs, at the University of Minho. He is Associate Professor and former Head of the Medical Unit (2004-2018) at the School of Medicine, University of Minho. Manuel does research in Teaching Methods, Science Education and Higher Education. His primary research areas are medical education and biochemistry and molecular biology education. He is founder and coordinator of the Centre “IDEA-UMINHO”, Minho’s university centre for innovation and development of teaching and learning. He is founder and currently member of the Board National Network for Research in Medical Education, appointed member to education committee of the International Union of Biochemistry and Molecular Biology and former delegate for the research committee of the Association for Medical Education in Europe. He is member of the Board of the Spanish Society for Medical Education (SEDEM). He has served as associate editor for international journals, including PLOS One and BMC Medical Education and is Editorial board member of the journal Biochemistry and molecular biology education.
website: https://www.researchgate.net/profile/Manuel_Costa Laura Czerniewicz
The Director of the Centre for Innovation in Learning and Teaching (CILT) at the University of Cape Town in South Africa, Laura Czerniewicz (@Czernie) is an professor in the Centre for Higher Education Development. Her research interests include the technologically-mediated practices of students and academics, the nature of the changing higher education environment and the geopolitics of knowledge, underpinned by a commitment to surfacing the expressions of inequality within and across contexts. Laura is involved with policy work, is a contributor to national and global conversations in varied formats and serves on the advisory boards of a variety of international higher education educational and technology publications. Kevin McStravock
Deputy President/ Vice President for Academic Affairs, Union of Students in Ireland
Kevin McStravock is the Vice President for Academic Affairs for the Union of Students in Ireland (USI). Prior to joining USI in July 2019, Kevin served as a student officer for Ulster University Students’ Union (UUSU) for three years, of which he served two as the overall President of the Students’ Union.

Kevin is a Journalism with French graduate, and an Associate Fellow of the Higher Education Academy in the UK. Kevin has served on a number of boards and committees during his time in the student movement, including serving as a member of the Student Advisory Committee for the Quality Assurance Agency (QAA) in the UK
Lorna Fitzpatrick
Lorna (@lornafitz3) is the current President of the Union of Students in Ireland, representing over 374,000 students across the Island. She previously held the position of President of the Institute of Technology Carlow Students’ Union where she graduated from Business & Human Resource Management. Lorna has been involved in supporting students on a local level alongside supporting the development and enhancement of Students’ Unions across the country. Lorna has supported the work of USI for a number of years on a national level but also on an international level through her work with the European Students’ Union. Lorna is a passionate advocate for student partnership and engagement and strongly believes in working together to achieve an education sector that is proactive and meets the needs of all stakeholders.

Beyond the Textbook: Using Learning Resources for Open Educational Practice
2020-02-07 11:00 | Dublin City University, Dublin, Ireland
Learning Outcomes

Evaluation of participant’s own approaches to the design and delivery of learning
Embedding digital and information literacy into participant’s curriculum in practical ways
Evaluation of potential educational resources for open educational practice

Using Digital Storytelling for Learning Engagement
2020-02-07 | Waterford Institute of Technology, Ireland
**Please note change of date**
Learning Outcomes:

Recognise key objectives in creating digital stories
Reflect on video games as an intersectional form of media
Understand how digital story techniques can be applied to technical and non-technical disciplines to create innovative learning materials
Create links between staff of the Department of Computing & Mathematics and other faculties
Record and publish a podcast as a teaching/learning resource

Supporting Doctoral Students to Submission - Strategies for Supervisors
2020-02-06 14:00 - 17:00 | NUI Galway, Graduate Studies Training room, United States
Learning Outcomes

Implement a set of strategies for providing writing feedback to students
Diagnose common problems that need to be resolved in the final draft
Provide support for the emotional challenges of writing-up
Offer guidance on writing productivity to doctoral students

Support, Success and Strategy: Three Institutional Journeys into Implementing Learning Analytics Policies and Practices for Student Success
2020-02-05 09:30
Learning Outcomes

Demonstrate understanding of the benefits, challenges and broader debates around the use of learning analytics for student success in higher education
Recognise the potential of pooling and sharing knowledge across institutions when building learning analytics policies and capacities
Critically evaluate the frameworks, processes and implementations presented
Apply these insights to one’s own professional education context

BOLD Creativity: Visual Literacy and Student Engagement
2020-01-31 10:00 - 13:00 | Waterford Institute of Technology, Ireland
Learning Outcomes

Develop an understanding of the impact of visual literacy
Develop an appreciation of active learning methodologies in creating meaningful learning experiences
Apply creative approaches to teaching, learning and assessment to enhance student engagement

Assessing Your Stress - Connecting Wellbeing and Assessment
2020-01-30 09:30 | Dublin City University, Dublin, Ireland
Learning Outcomes

Describe and understand the common factors around assessment that negatively impact on lecturers’ and students’ wellbeing
Identify approaches and strategies to mitigate these factors and to enhance lecturers’ and students’ wellbeing in the context of assessment
Perform actions to attend to one’s own wellbeing and that of students in the context of assessment
Plan and implement practical steps to enhance one’s own assessment practices to ensure good wellbeing

Digital Technology and Innovative Teaching and Testing Approaches
2020-01-24 10:00 | University College Cork, Library Zone, Ireland
Learning Outcomes

To share digital knowledge and skills among teaching staff and discuss possibilities of using digital technologies in the teaching and learning environment
To enhance the use of digital technology for innovative assessment practices
To deepen our knowledge of corpus linguistics and get familiarised with new software tools used for analysing and visualising corpora
To develop corpus
based language teaching materials and testing
To enhance understanding of how digital humanities is able to support the teaching and learning of language, literature and linguistics

Teaching Online is Different
2020-01-23 10:00 | Dublin City University, Dublin, Ireland
Learning Outcomes

Participants will be able to demonstrate an increased awareness of online teaching best practice
Participants will be able to reflect on their own teaching practice and consider how this translates to the online environment
Participants will be able to design a professional development plan to support online teaching in their institutions

What constitutes ethical and effective use of our students’ data?
2020-01-22 10:00 - 13:00
REGISTER NOW AT https://tinyurl.com/yhlvo952
Many of us in the higher education sector in Ireland are commencing a process of developing learning analytics capabilities and best practices. A critical success factor in the development of our learning analytics capabilities involves achieving clarity on the appropriate use of data. This is increasingly important given our responsibilities under the General Data Protection Regulation (GDPR). To this end, Daltaí* project leaders are organising a half day seminar on January 22nd to capture and discuss the shared challenges we face in determining how we might use data in ethical and legally compliant ways to support our students.
The keynote for this session, “Learning improvement, data, ethics and law” will be given by Andrew Cormack (Chief Regulatory Officer with JISC UK). Andrew has played a key role in developing a learning analytics code of practice for the UK higher education sector, so we are delighted that he can join us and it will be a great opportunity to learn from his expertise and experiences.
This will be followed by a panel discussion where we will explore the perspectives of different stakeholders in Irish higher education on how we could/should use data to support our students.
The event will take place from 10:00am to 1:00pm on 22nd January in RD005, Rathdown House, Grangegorman. Lunch will be provided from 1-2pm.
Please note that as a National Forum-funded event, places are restricted to those affiliated with an Irish higher education institution. Confirmation of places will be restricted to those who provide an institutional email address on registration.

Student Success is Everybody's Business: Developing a Student Success Strategy at MIC
2020-01-22 10:00 | Mary Immaculate College, Ireland
Learning Outcomes

Illustrate best practice in the field of student success
Examine current professional service and academic practices which impact upon Student Success at MIC
Explore how MIC could best use learner data as an evidence base to inform and enhance student success
Explore steps and approaches needed to develop a holistic student success strategy
Identify additional gaps in knowledge/expertise, which will inform a structured approach to delivering future professional development opportunities tailored towards student success

Practical Universal Design for Educators
2020-01-15 09:30 - 13:00 | Dundalk Institute of Technology, Ireland
Learning Outcomes:

Practical application of the principles of Universal Design for Learning (UDL) to digital, blended and classroom-based learning
Evaluation of current teaching practices from a UDL perspective
The synthesis of more inclusive teaching supports and approaches, incorporating the principles of UDL

Mission Critical: Using 'Critical Moments' not 'At Risk' Students to Flip our View of Student Success using Transitions Pedagogy
2020-01-09 10:00 - 16:00 | Cork Institute of Technology, Ireland
Learning Outcomes

Understand and explore the concept of ‘critical moments’ for students across the lifecycle in your institution
Reflect on how your institution’s knowledge and support of critical moments contrasts across European HE settings
Be introduced to the Transitions Pedagogy model to consider critical moments in the holistic design of curricula as well as student support
Identify and plan the practical/impactful methods/approaches that can reduce unnecessary critical moments and support students in those moments intrinsic to their HE journey

How Good Conflict Can Develop Creative Learning Communities
2020-01-08 10:00 - 16:00 | Cork Institute of Technology, Ireland
Learning Outcomes

Understand the nature and importance of conflict in developing creative learning communities
Be familiar with the Thomas Kilmann Conflict Mode Instrument
Become more aware of your own preferred approach mode
Explore and practice alternative conflict modes with peers
Examine how different approaches to conflict can be harnessed to improve the learning environment for students and for lecturers

Developing Teaching Portfolios
2020-01-06 09:30 | Limerick Institute of Technology, Ireland
Learning Outcomes:

Examine how Teaching Portfolios can play a key role in constructing your Professional Identity
Identify the resources and approaches used in creating a Teaching Portfolio
Discuss approaches on how to incorporate Teaching Portfolios into your teaching practice to become a critically reflective teacher
Outline some tools and resources used for creating and developing Teaching Portfolios

Making the Most of Interprofessional Learning - A Professional Development Seminar for Academic and Clinical Staff
2019-12-17 09:00 - 13:00 | University College Cork, Ireland
Learning Outcomes

Identify the challenges associated with the Interprofessional Learning (IPL) development and facilitation for teachers and staff
Engage in interprofessional thinking and planning for IPL academic institutions
Reflect on the principles of IPL to develop students’ interprofessional and clinical skills
Practice new skills developed in IPL facilitation and assessment of/as/for learning
Explore ways in which research can be conducted about how IPL education can impact on IPL practice

The importance of considering a strategic approach in pursuing cross-disciplinary activities both within and between HEIs
2019-12-16 10:00
Learning Outcomes

Develop an appreciation for the importance of strategic cross
disciplinary activities
Demonstrate a level of understanding of the broad nature of departmental and institutional goals in pursuing cross disciplinary activities
Have experience of group networking and mentoring opportunities in developing strategic priorities for inter disciplinary activities across HEIs

Target Audience

Senior Managers and Academics who have an interest in developing institutional level or departmental level strategic priorities and capacity building across disciplines.

Format

Workshop

Inspirational and Transformative Teaching - Theory to Practice
2019-12-12 10:00 - 13:00
Learning Outcomes
Participants will be able to:

Define transformative and inspirational teaching within their own disciplinary context.
Consider the challenges of transformative teaching across the disciplines.
Explore avenues and possibilities for the development of strategies to demonstrate and employ this into their practice.
Evaluate the potential for engagement with interdisciplinary/inter-institutional colleagues.

Enhancing Intercultural Communication in Teaching and Learning Practice
2019-12-11 10:00 - 15:00 | St Patrick’s, Carlow College, United States
Learning Outcomes

Demonstrate knowledge of practices and approaches to enhance teaching competencies in culturally diverse learning environments
Identify principles and practices of intercultural communication
Apply skills to promoting intercultural communication in teaching and learning practice
Critically reflect on individual teaching practice

HELLIN Conference 2019
2019-12-11
The Higher Education Lifelong Learning in Ireland Network (HELLIN) is an all island body that advocates for the interests of the adult and mature student populations in universities and institutes of technology across the island North and South.
This year’s HELLIN conference, which takes place in Waterford Institute of Technology on 11th December 2019, will focus on how Lifelong Learning can help prepare us for our Future World. The conference aims to explore how Lifelong Learning is responding to a changing external environment and how shifts in policy, practice and innovations are helping shape our future. The HELLIN conference is an opportunity for researchers, practitioners, learners and policy makers to discuss these shifts, share practice and research and debate the issues facing all those involved in Lifelong Learning. The conference themes are:

Policy
The Future for Lifelong Learning
New Life and Work Trajectories; Re-balancing social and human capital in Lifelong Learning
International policy developments to support Lifelong Learning

Practice
The Changing Role of the Lifelong Learning Practitioner
How the Recognition of Prior Learning (RPL) can facilitate access for Lifelong Learners
Emerging practice, methodologies and pedagogies in Lifelong Learning

Innovation
Partnership and collaboration for Lifelong Learning
How can technology support Lifelong Learning?

The National Forum is delighted to sponsor of this event.
For more information, see here.

Enhancing Student Engagement: Implementing Active Learning Strategies
2019-12-10 10:00 - 15:00 | TU Dublin, Blanchardstown Campus, Ireland
Learning Outcomes

Develop and produce a personal definition of Active Learning
Hand
pick a selection of Active Learning Strategies to utilize in your own Practice
Produce an action plan for implementing at least one Active Learning Strategy for one of your own subjects/topics or lesson
Construct a clear path to achieving the learning outcomes for your selected subject/topic or lesson using your chosen Active Learning Strategy
Outline a method of evaluating/measuring the effectiveness of your Active Learning Strategy for achieving the learning outcomes

Translation in Language Teaching: Rethinking the Role of Translation in Third-level Language Learning
2019-12-09 11:00 - 16:00 | University College Cork, O’Rahily Building, Ireland
Learning Outcomes

To consider the plethora of concepts, terms and approaches related to translation in language teaching (TILT) and how these may be connected with the reconceptualization of translation in language pedagogy
To develop teaching and learning pedagogies that employ audio
visual translation to exploit the increasingly multilingual repertoires of students in order to foster their plurilinguistic competency and appreciation
To consider ways in which we can develop translation pedagogies for third level language instruction that develop learners’ communicative and mediation strategies as advocated by the Common European Framework for Language Learning and provide a basis for further intercultural and plurilinguistic reflection
To explore a variety of ways in which cultural and linguistic mediation can be assessed through translation both formatively and summatively

Learning Connections 2019: Spaces, People, Practice
2019-12-06 | University College Cork
The Learning Connections Conference will take place in University College Cork on 6 December 2019. This conference will bring together learners, teachers, architects, designers and all who support teaching, from across third level institutions: from universities; institutes of technology; community; industry; government agencies; policy makers; and regulators, under the frame of learning connections. The conference is underpinned by the following research questions:

How can we connect across disciplinary boundaries, and break down barriers between academia, administration, community and industry to strive for optimal student learning in Third Level Institutions?
How can learning in different spaces – physical, active, virtual, off campus, enable all students, as global citizens, to think through and solve big problems?

Over the two days, delegates will examine the science of pedagogy as it interacts with architecture to enhance student learning and enable student success. Thinking through these ideas will involve participation and interaction from educators, researchers, students, architects, engineers, community partners, industry leaders and others. There will be an opportunity to explore the learning environments of the future, both physical and digital, and to explore the complex relationship between space and learning.
The National Forum is delighted to sponsor of this event.
For more information, see here.

Developing Digital Graduate Attributes Within, Across and Beyond the Curriculum
2019-11-29 10:00 - 16:00 | National College of Ireland, Ireland
Learning Outcomes

Share conceptions and experiences of embedding digital graduate attributes within, across and beyond the curriculum
Explore the Digital Creative Attributes Framework (DCAF) development and implementation experience at UAL
Investigate the DCAF toolkit for staff and students and reflect on how it might inform institutional practices
Identify opportunities for the development of personal practice and develop a brief action plan

Engaging Students in Partnership with Staff in Learning and Teaching
2019-11-28
Learning Outcomes:

Examine the potential benefits of the Students as Partners approach to enhance the learning experience
Explore the challenges of whole cohort involvement as students as partners
Discuss the variety of levels of student participation in curriculum design
Evaluate the participation matrix of student participation and its applicability in delegate programmes

Religions and Beliefs in Changing Times (RBCT): Responses to Religious Belief Diversity in Educational Settings in the Republic of Ireland
2019-11-27 10:00 - 15:00 | Mary Immaculate College, Ireland
Learning Outcomes:

Learn how to use innovative methodologies and new approaches, e.g. belief circles, to explore personal beliefs (philosophical, secular, religious, spiritual, financial and political)
Explore how to bring “beliefs” into educational spaces in a safe, learning environment whereby students are not humiliated, marginalised or excluded by expressing their beliefs
Engage with the discomfort or reluctance that sometimes arises when addressing questions about a range of beliefs and values, particularly in classrooms
Inform professional practice and gain insight on how to encourage students to engage in practices of listening and dialogue, without imposing or requiring consensus or agreement
Reflect on the use of creative, engaging and experiential approaches to pedagogy and education that seek to put the voices of children and young people at the heart of their practice

Thinking and Learning Across Disciplines in Doctoral Education
2019-11-22 10:00 | Waterford Institute of Technology, The Gallery, Ireland
Learning Outcomes

Participants will have an opportunity to meet and create networked relationships across the disciplines amongst existing and aspiring doctoral educators
Participants will appraise the key considerations and challenges when developing doctoral programmes that enable students to think beyond their own discipline
Participants will evaluate key trends and developments in creating opportunities for students to communicate across traditional disciplinary divides
Participants will be able to assess and critique different approaches to the development of new and different skills and perspectives to support moving from disciplinary through multi
disciplinary to interdisciplinary outcomes
Participants will articulate and share their key questions/concerns and challenges regarding cross
disciplinary thinking and learning in doctoral education

Learning Analytics and the Possibilities to Enhance Learning
2019-11-15
Learning Outcomes:

Develop a broad understanding of Learning Analytics and its relevance across all levels of an educational institution
Learn how to think about data in relation to enhancing student success
Learn how to get started by exploring Learning Management System analytics
Develop the ability to use Learning Analytics to create a holistic feedback cycle for students
