T-REX: Teachers Research Expertise Exchange

If you’re an in-service, registered teacher, a pre-service teacher, or an educational researcher, T-REX is a place where you can find others with similar interests, discuss research, and even collaborate on projects. Here you can raise questions, find support for your work, set up research groups and share resources, and work toward a bigger, more connected educational research community in Ireland.

ePortfolio Hub

The ePortfolio Hub offers an ePortfolio framework to guide you through the steps involved in developing an ePortfolio. These include looking at what an ePortfolio is, why you might use one and how to get started with developing your own ePortfolio or ePortfolio project. Resources include presentations on ePortfolios in Ireland by practitioners.

RPL Experience

RPL Experience is an online course developed for higher education staff seeking professional development in RPL assessment skills and in supporting RPL applicants effectively in GMIT, LyIT, and IT Sligo. It provides a comprehensive overview of how RPL works and student journeys and success stories illustrate the process.

All Aboard: Digital Skills in Higher Education

A simple, fun way of thinking about digital skills (in the form of a Metro Map) with shared lessons and learning materials that anyone can access online promoted the use of ‘digital badges’ across a range of applications including, of course, digital skills. Developed in partnership with many organisations and groups, including supporting student engagement projects. All Aboard has championed a focus on confidence, empowerment, identity, and wellbeing.

TELU: Open online resources for teaching with technology

TELU is a collection of free online courses, specifically designed to help educators to get the most out of technology, which can support and enhance teaching and learning.
It’s a natural response to the rapidly growing complexity of technology, and of learning, maintained by teachers to make sure the best, most popular content is always just a click away.

TELU features over 150 courses, each designed by experienced educators and designers and curated into easy-to-use, meaningful channels.

Social Policy Education: Enhancing Digital Skills (SPEEDS)

The SPEEDS project sought to expand social policy educators’ digital capacities and improve their confidence in integrating digital skills into curricula. Social policy educators were partnered with learning technologists within each of the partner institutions as they implemented the National Professional Development Framework, with a particular focus on enhancing digital skills. A spiky profile tool was developed to map the digital skills of participating educators, and group and individual training was provided as needed. Educators were transformed into ‘Digital Champions’ whose journeys were documented throughout the process. This provided a map for others who wish to follow in their footsteps.

National Professional Development Framework: Domains

The PD Framework identifies five distinct areas to assist staff to explore how they may structure their professional and personal development as teachers. These areas are called domains. The flexible structure of the Framework means that an individual or group may start with any of the five domains, as they complement each other. Engagement with the scholarship of teaching and learning is an underlying component of each of the five domains.

National Professional Development Framework

Ireland’s first framework to support the professional development of those who teach across the sector was published by the National Forum in 2016. It is underpinned by a set of core values and provides a structured outline of professional development activities for teaching and learning within the sector.

National Professional Development Framework: Values

An explanatory video of the five core values underpinning staff engagement with professional development: Inclusivity, Authenticity, Collaboration, Scholarship, Learner-centredness. The values reflect the aims of the PD Framework on empowering and encouraging staff, enhancing the learning experience and contributing to quality in teaching and learning in Irish Higher Education.