Shaping the future of Social Sciences Education: Innovation, Partnership and Enhancement

UCD College of Social Sciences and Law

Shaping the future of Social Sciences Education: Innovation, Partnership and Enhancement

Section 1 Curriculum Development Awards

Section 2 Students as Partners Awards

Section 3 Learning Enhancement Projects

Contents Introduction ......................................................................................................................................................................................... 3 Colin Scott, Principal, UCD College of Social Sciences and Law

Section 1 Curriculum Development Awards

Animated Philosophy................................................................................................... 6 Daniel Esmonde Deasy Data Visualisation in R...............................................................................................10 Sarah Cooney Experiential Learning in ‘Environment and Sustainability’............................. 12 Ainhoa Gonzalez Del Campo UG Research Accelerator for the Social Sciences: Engaging Students in the Learning Process Through Video Production........................14 Crystal Fulton, Claire McGuinness, Marta Bustillo, Suzanne Guerin, Paige Pope, Andrew Browne Portable digital microscopy in support of experiential learning...................18 Rob Sands and Meriel McClatchie

Section 2 Students as Partners Awards

Section 3 Learning Enhancement Projects

Encouraging Women In Economics.........................................................................22 Margaret Samahita The Psychology Memory Wall.................................................................................24 Aidan Moran

Immersive Technology in Education: A collaborative learning initiative..........................................................................28 Rachel Farrell UCD Community Engaged Learning and Teaching (CELT) Community of Practice................................................................................................ 32 Deirdre McGillicuddy and Theresa O’Leary Fulfilling Potential: Supporting community engagement progression students................................................................................................. 36 Sarah Morton, Laura O’Reilly, Liam Fogarty, Micheál Collins, Tobias Gunning & Michael Breslin Human Learning: Promoting Students’ Psychosocial Abilities for Success at College.............................................................................. 38 Jennifer Symonds Problem based learning in Politics and International Relations.................. 40 Tobias Theiler Developing a Tutor training and recognition programme.............................. 44 Niamh Moore-Cherry

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Introduction Educational excellence is at the heart of our activities in UCD College of Social Sciences and Law. Underpinning our approach is a desire to ensure that our students and colleagues are supported to develop relevant and engaging curriculum, are facilitated in developing and deploying innovative pedagogical tools and techniques, and that these activities are undertaken in a collaborative, collegial and inclusive environment.

Over the last three years as we have rolled out new programmes and curricula, the College has recognised its role in supporting schools, faculty, staff and students to deliver on their educational ambitions. We have supported Curriculum Development Awards to enable new programme level and inter-disciplinary modules to be developed such as Societal Challenges for the 21st century (Stage 1), now a core module for all incoming students on the BSc Social Sciences programme. As we return to campus after a difficult 18 months, we are supporting the development of a new Stage 3 module that will help our returning students to develop skills of resilience and conceptually understand what this means in a highly complex world.

Within the pages of this publication, you can read about a variety of modules that have been developed or been redeveloped with the support of College funding and these range in scope from community engaged learning, to digital skills acquisition and experiential learning.

It has also been a priority for us to build community and ensure that good working relationships underpin and complement our formal curriculum through adopting and embedding a students-as-partners approach. Some of the projects and opportunities that partnership working has brought for our faculty, students and staff are detailed in the case studies contained within this publication and we strongly encourage any colleagues or students who have ideas or need support for partnership working to let us know in the College office.

Our support to colleagues has of course complemented Learning Enhancement funding from the National Forum for the Enhancement of Teaching and Learning and you can read more about the six projects that have just recently been completed under this funding scheme. These range from trialling immersive technology in initial teacher education, through problem-based learning with first year students, to the development of a mandatory College tutor training programme that will be rolled out for the first time in September 2021.

The thirteen case studies included in this publication come from a range of Schools across the College and from colleagues working with different cohorts of students at different stages of their educational journey.

The work that is documented here is testament to the commitment of all colleagues to achieving our strategic goal of delivering educational excellence and a high-quality student experience in a collegial and inclusive learning environment. I wish to thank all involved in the work of developing and delivering curriculum enhancement, teaching and learning across our College, and, in particular, Joanna Long for her excellent support in coordinating activities, and Niamh Moore-Cherry for her outstanding and innovative leadership of these activities as Vice Principal for Teaching and Learning during a challenging period.

Colin Scott Principal, UCD College of Social Sciences and Law 3

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Section 1 Curriculum Development Awards Animated Philosophy.......................................................................................................6 Daniel Esmonde Deasy Data Visualisation in R.....................................................................................................8 Sarah Cooney Experiential Learning in ‘Environment and Sustainability’.................................10 Ainhoa Gonzalez Del Campo UG Research Accelerator for the Social Sciences: Engaging Students in the Learning Process Through Video Production..........12 Crystal Fulton Portable digital microscopy in support of experiential learning.......................16 Rob Sands

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Section 1 Curriculum Development Awards

Animated Philosophy Daniel Esmonde Deasy

School:

Philosophy

Module code:

PHIL30790

No. students:

30

Project lead

Daniel Esmonde Deasy

Project aim

The aim of the project was to set up a new philosophy module with a strong element of experiential learning. This would be done through the creation by students of online animated philosophy ‘explainer’ videos. The videos can be found on the project website, which I created this year: https://animatedphilosophy.weebly.com

Project Approach

My focus in designing the module was to provide students with a significant opportunity to showcase their digital proficiency and creativity. I started with the aim of having students produce their own online animated philosophy ‘explainer’ videos. Many such videos can be found on Youtube, but very few are student-produced. In the first year of the module, I engaged a professional animator to help the students to produce the videos, but in the second year I found a way for the students to produce the videos themselves free of charge. I collaborated with librarian Ian Cleary who runs the SDCC Ballyroan Library Philosophy Club.

Ian kindly showed the students how to make the animated videos using freely available software.

I also wanted to provide the students with a chance to undertake individual projects, so in the second year I introduced an individual A/V project as part of the overall assessment.

This allowed students to undertake alternative projects in addition to the videos, such as songs and comic books. I also wanted the module to contain some element of research-led teaching, so the topic of the module is metaphysics, which is my own area of research.

What is innovative and different about the module is that it allows students to engage with philosophy in a completely different way, through audio/visual creativity, humour, and storytelling. Although students still write an initial research essay for the module, the bulk of their activity for the module is centred on their individual and team A/V projects.

The module provides students with an opportunity to think about how to present complex philosophical ideas in audio/visual formats to a broad audience.

Contribution to enhancement of teaching and learning

The project was important for teaching and learning in our School because it helps our School to expand its experiential learning offering to students. It also demonstrates new possibilities for assessment for our School. Whilst the traditional research essay will remain a key element of our School’s assessment strategy, the project has highlighted alternative teaching and learning strategies.

The project is also important in terms of i. student career development, as it provides students with evidence to potential employers of a successfully undertaken team project with a clear output; ii. accessibility, as it provides students whose primary strength lies in creativity rather than essay writing to showcase their skills; and iii. outreach, as the animated videos can be used by our School as part of outreach efforts.

What was the overall outcome?

The module has run for two years. The first year was difficult, as we were interrupted by the pandemic. Nevertheless, the students did very well in trying circumstances. The second year has been a resounding success. The module received the third-highest student feedback scores in our School (out of 20 UG modules), with a 37% response rate. The qualitative feedback from students was very positive. The module was also singled out for praise by our School’s External Examiner Prof. Adrian Moore (Oxford) in his examiner’s report. A number of colleagues have suggested to me that they intend to consider alternative forms of assessment based on the assessment for the module.

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Plans for the project moving forward

» I will continue to teach and develop the module, which now no longer requires special funding. The module website (see above) will be used to showcase the module outputs and provide a permanent record of the students’ activities. » Create clear learning outcomes, for both the overall module, and each individual learning unit. » Specific guidelines are essential – it is important to signpost clearly to students precisely what they need to do at each step of the way, to maintain motivation and engagement. » Learning support and feedback from an instructor or teaching assistant is essential, e.g., weekly office hours, email correspondence, chat, etc. » Be prepared for the possibility of technical glitches, or incompatibility with student’s devices/browsers – respond quickly, with suggested solutions. » Be mindful of universal design for learning – provide sub-titles, transcripts, etc.

Key learning from this project

» Keep it simple – e.g. “we’ll make animated videos” » Don’t aim for perfection – just get the project up and running. make changes as you go » Engage the students as partners – let them guide the project » Make sure to create a record of what you achieve

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VIdeos from the project website: https://animatedphilosophy.weebly.com

Team 1: Luke Duffy, Christopher McCann, Sophie Molloy and Dylan Moroch​

Team 2: Ciara Coyle, Isabelle Murnin Looby, and Marieclaire O’Hara

Topic:

Topic:

Physicalism

Team 3: Scott Carroll, Jack Collum and Oisin Dowling ​Topic:

Team 4: Roisin King, Barry Lally, Victor Rortveit, and Kevin Scorlog

Free Will

Topic:

Team 5: Basirat Asubiaro and Margaret Hubbeling ​Topic:

Existence

Free Will

Team 4: Jennifer Hill, Victoria Brunton, Liadan Smith and William Roy Lennon

Personal Identity

Topic:

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Personal Identity

VIdeos from the project website: https://animatedphilosophy.weebly.com

Team 7: Julia Brick, Harry Curley and Ronan Glennon

Team 8: Larisa Mirt, Robyn Smith and David Terceno

​Topic:

Topic:

Time

Team 9: Jack Hanafin ​Topic:

Time & Time Travel

Designed and scripted by: Ciara Boyle, Warren Brown, Daniel Culleton, Catriona Kirwin and Niamh Scarlett

Presentism

Topic:

Are We Free?

Designed and scripted by: Claudia Cicerchia, Elena Hanan Moran, Sean Hayes, Ian Jones and Rachel Sheerin

Designed and scripted by: Catherine Brew Quinn and Ailis McMillan

Topic:

Topic:

What Are We?

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How Do We Persist?

Section 1 Curriculum Development Awards

Data Visualisation in R Sarah Cooney

School:

Psychology

Module code:

PSY30460

No. students:

10

Project lead:

Sarah Cooney

Project aim

With the advent of more advanced data analysis techniques Social Science researchers, including Psychologists, are now increasingly expected to update their statistical toolbox to include programming skills, such as statistical programming software R, that are not currently catered for in any Irish School of Psychology. However, leading international Psychology departments are now beginning the process of migrating their statistics modules from SPSS to R. This curriculum activity would pave the way for students to acquire a highly sought after and transferable skill and to encourage psychology students to consider programming as a skill that they can acquire.

Project

The elective undergraduate psychology course introduced students to data ‘from the ground’ up by learning, in a hands-on environment, how to clean, screen and visualize data sets in R. Via a series of practical workshops undergraduate Psychology students learned how to prepare datasets for analysis via the R package tidyr and how to communicate research findings visually through the powerful visualisation package ggplot2.

This was the first time a programming skills component was introduced to the UCD Psychology undergraduate curriculum. In addition to programming skills, students acquired knowledge about graphing practices; how to choose the correct graph to suit the data; an appreciation of the design features and aesthetics in graphing and how to implement them in R; and how to include open research practices in data visualisation such as data transparency.

The approach included a semi ‘flipped classroom’ whereby the majority of the core syntactical programming skills were acquired outside the workshops via online resources such as videos and the virtual learning environment Datacamp, which when used as an educational resource is freely available. These core skills were practiced at home and then applied during the workshop tasks which enabled the module coordinator more time to work one-to-one with the students. This approach sought to further embed in the students that programming skills require an active and self-directed learner approach.

For their assessments, students were asked to create a data set and to choose the appropriate graph to plot the data, an often overlooked skill that is not currently taught at undergraduate or postgraduate level. The core features of best practice in data visualisation were taught and practiced: functionality, interpretability; complexity without chaos and aesthetics.

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Contribution to enhancement of teaching and learning

The curriculum development award enabled experimentation with various methods of teaching a skill that many find challenging to acquire as well as to teach.

What was the overall outcome?

Individual student feedback was given to the module coordinator. At the end of the workshops students were encouraged to discuss elements of the module that they found useful or did not appreciate.

In the broader context, the module was designed around the UCD Teaching value of Quality and Depth of Provision. The initiative offered undergraduate Psychology students the chance to acquire a skill that significantly enhances their CV and career prospects within and outside the discipline of Psychology, while also supporting the School of Psychology’s commitment to technology enhanced learning. Programming skills are highly sought after in the current job market and provide a significant boost to an applicants’ CV. Additionally, the initiative supports recent R programming workshops given to postgraduates that were highly subscribed, thus demonstrating the demand for programming oriented workshops across the College of Social Science and Law.

Students in the class used R to create graphs for their final year projects and some students included them in their dissemination of their research at the Psychological Society of Ireland Student Conference.

In addition, students, inspired by their newly acquired programming skills, went on to apply for master’s courses in Computer Science at UCD and Computational Psychology in the Netherlands.

Plans for the project moving forward

The standalone module was not repeated the following year. However, the outcomes have influenced the inclusion of Intro to R workshops for subsequent final year undergraduate Psychology students, as well as postgraduate level workshops in R delivered online. Next year the design of the Data Visualisation in R course will be used as a platform for a series of workshops in R for postgraduate students including those on the new MSc in Behavioural Neuroscience.

Key learning from this project

» Asking students what skills/knowledge they feel they need and taking note of the diverse set of reasons students wanted to learn R. » Managing expectations - as an introduction to a skill that at the beginning requires a large time investment, I learned that it is important to be realistic about what students’ level of skill can move towards. » Flipping the classroom - By having students learn the majority of the technical core skill outside the classroom this meant I could tailor the workshops to individual needs, help student with coding problems, and that the students could work at their own pace.

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Section 1 Curriculum Development Awards

Experiential Learning in ‘Environment and Sustainability’ Ainhoa González del Campo

School:

Geography

Module code:

GEOG30920

No. students:

50

Project lead:

Ainhoa González del Campo

Project aim

The overall aim of the curriculum development project was to support the development of students’ research and professional skills through experiential learning. The associated group work was also developed to satisfy the Stage 3 learning outcomes for the College of Social Sciences and Law; in particular, working collaboratively to critically evaluate and reflect on current global societal and environmental challenges and to ideate local solutions, and communicating these to both specialist and non-specialist audiences.

Project Approach

The first step was to divide the contact-time in the module in two parts: the first contact hour continued to be dedicated to lectures (centred around Sustainable Development Goals and environmental sustainability in particular) and the other hour was allocated to workshops, where students were to interact in groups around pre-defined tasks.

Subsequently, tasks were designed to take the students along a journey of engagement, interrogation, discovery, problem-solving and communication. The sequential workshops included: a) individual selection of a Sustainable Development Goal and creation of groups on this basis; b) ice-breakers and team building exercises to facilitate engagement; c) taking them through a design thinking process to critically appraise a sustainability issue through empathy and research to then ideate a solution; d) guidance and support on writing for different audiences (e.g. video script and a scientific abstract); e) working on presentation skills and peer-feedback; and f) introducing technical competencies (e.g. online mapping and video editing). Additional 2-hour ‘clinics’ were incorporated in 4 of the weeks scattered throughout the trimester, run by tutors, to further guide and support the groups. The ultimate goal was to work together, through proactive interactions and responsibly shared inputs to deliver a 3-minute video that captures the gained understanding around a selfselected sustainability issue and that demonstrates an ability to render a clear message that can be understood by a wider audience.

The novel contribution was developing a class-based group assignment that: a) addresses common limitations in group assignments (i.e. implementing pre-defined tasks that contribute towards the assignment during contact-hours helps tackle demotivation and unfair grade allocation shortcomings by facilitating participation and by incorporating peerreview and feedback mechanisms); and b) fulfils all the Stage 3 learning outcomes as further detailed below.

Contribution to enhancement of teaching and learning

The project satisfies the Stage 3 learning outcomes for the College of Social Sciences and Law as outlined above. It also contributes to UCD’s Education Strategy by delivering student-focused and research-led content, by helping students shape their learning, and by introducing technology in the classroom to enhance students’ educational experience. The project also plays an important role in addressing group assignment challenges associated with lack of opportunities for engagement and joint action.

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What was the overall outcome?

The students welcomed the opportunity to work together in a more meaningful way (e.g. through guided tasks in the classroom). The feedback was, overall, positive. Students noted that “SDG video assignment was particularly good as it was a group project and it improved my team work skill.”; “The workshops were very helpful”; “The group project was extremely interesting to learn about and helped me make very solid friends allowing the group project to actually be fun and enjoyable.” Nevertheless, Covid-related remote teaching and learning this academic year has impacted on this module component and the related students’ experience.

Plans for the project moving forward

The group assignment, in-class workshops and group assignment ‘clinics’ are now embedded into the module. This requires additional funding to cover for the tutors, but their input has been reduced from the original proposal to reduce the associated costs, and it is now limited to selected key workshops and clinics.

Key learning from this project

» Provide sufficient time at the beginning of the module for the students to get to know each other and agree on common goals and shared responsibilities. » Ensure that the group-related activities in class are structured and clear, to optimise student participation and progress towards their common assignment. » Engage tutors so that groups are given sufficient support during and outside the workshops. » Embrace technology as a means for sharing inputs, outputs and feedback; as well as to make the learning environment more interactive and engaging while expanding the students’ skillset.

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Section 1 Curriculum Development Awards

UG Research Accelerator for the Social Sciences: Engaging students in the learning process through video production Crystal Fulton, Claire McGuinness, Marta Bustillo, Suzanne Guerin, Paige Pope, Andrew Browne

School:

School of Information and Communication Studies

Module code:

IS30420

No. students:

18

Project lead and collaborators

Crystal Fulton, Claire McGuinness, Marta Bustillo, Suzanne Guerin, Paige Pope, Andrew

Project aim

Browne This project engaged students in developing module content as they acquired valuable video production skills as part of digital research training. Typically, learning materials are produced by academics and consumed by students. We flipped that approach, facilitating authentic learning in a Students as Partners (SaP) model. Creating videos allowed students to reflect on digital research skills development and provided opportunities to help them develop as researchers.

The project prioritised student success, focussing on the creation of original materials for enhanced learning. Students learned to create and edit videos as part of their digital research skills development.

Project Approach

This project engaged the SaP approach to support deeper understanding of the learning process, increase employability skills, and develop the students’ sense of agency. One criticism of undergraduate research education is that it tends to be scattered throughout the curriculum, with students not always recognising where and when they have been exposed to research skills, or how they can acquire the specific skills needed for their studies and the workplace (UCD College of Social Sciences and Law, Teaching and Learning Committee, 2019). The video reflection challenged students to specifically identify, describe and present their experiences and develop as digital researchers.

In spite of the COVID-19 pandemic, students and staff were able to work together to produce video content, using the following process: a. Introduction toVideo Content Working with a postgraduate Project Assistant provided a key point of peer support for video production. The Project Assistant introduced the concept of video content to students. While students had been consumers of video content and sometimes creators, the idea of more professional video production was new to them. b. Training The Project Assistant guided students throughout the video process. Students received live training with a professional videographer over Zoom, who was available to assist students with the video creation and editing process. In Autumn 2020, students received two video training sessions, one based on pre-production and one on post-production. In Spring 2021, this was condensed into one live video session in line with student needs. The Zoom video training provided background and critical skills in video production and editing, and allowed students the opportunity to ask questions and probe deeper around video creation. This Zoom session was recorded and uploaded to BrightSpace as a permanent resource for students in the module. c. Video Content Students received assessment instructions, which provided their remit for producing a video. The content of the student-created videos focuses on key research skills that correlate with the module content. This helped to embed lessons provided in general module content.

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Project Approach (cont.)

Each student selected a critical digital research skill, method, or approach from the general module content (e.g., research ethics). Students developed a script and filmed a two-minute video to share their learning experience around the topic. The combination of learning reflection and concept review will support future students as they develop and use a given digital research skill.

Contribution to enhancement of teaching and learning

This project addresses the digital learning objectives in UCD’s strategy, Rising to the Future 2020-2024, which emphasises enhancement of students’ digital literacy in support of key information and communication skills they will need in their education and workplace participation. Additionally, the strategy highlights opportunities for all members of the UCD community “to understand and make use of the digital technologies relevant to their areas.” Our project offers students a unique opportunity to develop critical digital research proficiencies, through practical engagement with video production to present themselves digitally.

The project expands the role of assessment by providing opportunities for students to reflect creatively on the research skills they have acquired and communicate their learning to a wider audience of future students (CoSSL T&L Committee Undergraduate Research Education Working Group 2019, Recommendation 6). It also supports the goal of CoSSL to actively include students in shaping their learning experiences through working with academic teaching and support staff in a Students as Partners (SaP) model.

Further, it presents a meaningful approach to embedding digital research skills in the undergraduate curriculum - through developing learning materials which seek to explain complex research skills to others, the students’ own understanding of these concepts is deepened.

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What was the overall outcome?

Over two trimesters (Autumn 2020 and Spring 2021), eleven student videos were submitted.

The videos demonstrated enthusiastic engagement with the video production process, as well as showcasing the students’ personal experiences and understanding of their emerging digital research skills. Five students consented to have their videos included as learning resources in future iterations of the module. This has created a solid base from which to build a student-driven library of digital research skill resources.

Our team has submitted a paper based on this project to the Journal of the All Ireland Society for Higher Education (AISHE-J), which further highlights our partnership with students on the use of video for learning enhancement. Two students who participated in the project contributed personal reflections to the paper, sharing their development of professional skills for research and the workplace through the video project. The students described a sense of achievement and increased confidence through generating learning materials for future students, in addition to an enhanced understanding of digital research.

The project will continue within the College and will likely be expanded to a larger cohort of students, which will contribute to a growing body of student created resources and the students-as-partners approach.

Plans for the project moving forward

CoSSL has formally adopted the module as an option for Stage 3 students on the BSc Social Sciences programme. The module, renamed SSC130050: Digital Research Skills for the Social Sciences, will be offered in September 2021 to BSc students.

Student videos will support new student cohorts in their learning about digital research skills. Incoming students will watch the students’ videos alongside watching staff videos about research, reading, and completing specified activities, such as e-tutorials and quizzes.

Video training and student video assessment will remain part of the module moving forward, which will contribute to the growing body of student-driven resources.

Key learning from this project

This project used video to not only help students to gain particular technical skills, but also to provide them with confidence in contributing to their learning. We recommend alternative approaches, such as video, to support student learning. » When adopting new and alternative learning approaches, we recommend the inclusion of training and instruction to scaffold students through activities. » Our module is offered fully online, and so was our video work with students, as a result.

We recommend that a tutor role is provided to support student queries throughout their learning. » Students may have varying levels of comfort when it comes to presenting themselves via video. Workarounds, such as voice overs or alternative assignments should be included to support the varying needs of students. » Consent forms are essential to reuse student-created videos in future modules. There is a template in the College for this purpose.

References

UCD College of Social Sciences and Law, Teaching and Learning Committee (2019) Undergraduate Research Education Working Group report.

University College Dublin. Rising to the future: UCD strategy 2020-2024. https://strategy.ucd.ie/ Project Infographic: The following infographic summarises our journey on this project.

Funding

This project was supported by the College Curriculum Development Awards scheme but also received development funding under the Learning Enhancement Projects scheme

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Section 1 Curriculum Development Awards

Portable digital microscopy in support of experiential learning Rob Sands & Meriel McClatchie

School:

Archaeology

Module code:

ARCH30720 & ARCH20600

No. students:

56 (28+28)

Project lead & collaborators

Rob Sands & Meriel McClatchie

Project aim

A constant challenge is to provide suitable opportunities for students to experience discovery, and for them to appreciate how this might map on to research questions and conclusions. To achieve this, a flexible technical infrastructure is required, enabling meaningful “hands-on” engagement with research questions and the evidence through which such questions might be approached. This project aimed to incorporate portable digital microscopes into the curriculum, to support the teaching of Archaeological Science.

Project

Live, practical engagement with materials is a key component of learning, which in Archaeological Science often means examining the microscopic detail of samples and objects derived from excavations. Traditionally this would have involved the sharing of a limited number of desk microscopes and the viewing of samples one student at a time. While this will continue to be an important part of the learning process, the ability to share and discuss microscopic views of samples has clear advantages. To achieve some of this aim costeffective portable digital microscopes (high specification Dinolite Edge) were sought as part of the curriculum call. These would link into computers, or send signals wirelessly to portable devices, thereby providing greater access to, and a more communal view of, live microscopic images. The advantage of this approach was also that the material could be moved live on screen and observations of what was being viewed discussed in real time amongst groups of students (peer to peer) and then with the module coordinator/contributor.

When we applied for the grant we could not have foreseen a global pandemic. Fortuitously the ability to buy these microscopes allowed us to retain some sense of practical engagement in a completely online environment. The original intention of the call had been to target “Stage 3” students as part of their move to more experiential learning. However, with the flip to completely online learning we realised that ARCH20600 – Archaeological Science – provided an ideal testing ground in Trimester 1 of 2020-2021. Lessons learnt here were then applied to stage 3 modules in trimester 2. Devices were dropped off at home locations and through Zoom we could share the live video feed from the microscope. We were then able to point things out to students but also allow them to point out things they were observing through the inbuilt annotation tools in Zoom. This enabled us to create a flipped classroom structure to the session, in combination with breakout rooms and shared Jamboards. We think, and the student feedback suggests, we were able to retain an important, and real, sense of student experience and engagement. It was then possible to repeat this use in trimester 2 – in particular in ARCH30720 – The Archaeology of Food.

Contribution to enhancement of teaching and learning

The School of Archaeology has always valued and actively incorporated experiential learning at an undergraduate level and its modules include laboratory, experimental and field-based engagement for students. However, with larger student numbers this can be challenging, especially when equipment is in short supply. With the development of the new four-year BSc degree, the value of experiential learning and flipped classroom approaches has been more formally expressed and embedded strategically. This project is one strand in developing greater flexibility and overcoming some of the limitations imposed by a fixed amount of equipment. It adds to the broader School, College & University aim of active engagement. It also adds to the development of students as independent thinkers and researchers, by supporting their direct engagement with primary evidence and its link to research.

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What was the overall outcome?

Over the last year of extraordinary change, access to this equipment in the modules has made it easier for faculty to consider ways of providing an active learning environment even at distance. Knowing that we could show students material live on screen and that they could react to it live, provided a useful catalyst for us to actively reconsider class sessions – breaking them up to encourage more discussion both between peers in smaller breakouts and then with the module coordinators/contributors. We have not yet undertaken a separate formal evaluation. We felt, given the difficult year, and the existing pressures on students, that the normal modular feedback channels would be sufficient for this year. Both modules have scored highly, and both have had comments that demonstrate that those students that responded appreciated, and valued, the more active nature of the class sessions. The value to faculty of even small, consistent, investment in enabling technology is clear and it is important to see this not only in terms of what any given piece of equipment does but also in the way it can allow for a reimagining of approach.

Knowing that we could show students material live on screen and that they could react to it live, provided a useful catalyst for us to actively reconsider class sessions. ...Breaking them up to encourage more discussion both between peers in smaller breakouts and then with the module coordinators/contributors.

Plans for the project moving forward

The units are now embedded in the modules for 2021-2022, and will be used as required in other modules. The purchase of a small set of these items provides flexibility and, with a further investment by the School, we have portable kits for use remotely, in the classroom, or even out in the field. Grants are often present for initial purchase, the next ‘new’ thing, but sustaining that initial investment can sometimes be a challenge. However, these units are too expensive and, as technology advances, we may see this kind of approach increasingly easy to cost effectively deploy and sustain.

Key learning from this project

» Investment in enabling equipment is not only good for what it can do but also opens the door to thinking differently. » This equipment supported flipped classroom approaches, which allowed for more dynamic approaches to student learning, even at distance.

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Section 2 Students as Partners Awards Encouraging Women in Economics......................................................................20 Margaret Samahita The Psychology Memory Wall.............................................................................22 Aidan Moran

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Section 2 Students as Partners Awards

Encouraging Women In Economics Margaret Samahita

School:

Economics

Project lead and collaborators:

Margaret Samahita Zuzanna Studnicka Aislinn Hoy

Project aim

The goal was an outreach activity aimed at encouraging (especially female) students to study economics and to continue to pursue it as a career, which has traditionally been maledominated. It consisted of a panel Q&A discussion with a number of female speakers from different industries who talked about what it is like to work as an economist, how studying economics has helped them in their jobs, the challenges they face and how they overcome them. This was followed by a networking dinner over pizza. Involving students as partners was thus a welcome idea.

Project

In this one-off event, we invited six female speakers from a variety of sectors: public, private and academia, all of whom have studied economics in the past but are now working in a wide range of careers: » Maria Krump (Global Safety Investigator at Facebook) » Kajsa Svensson (Qualified Accountant at Western Union) » Claire Doyle (Economist in the Parliamentary Budget Office, Houses of the Oireachtas) » Martina Lawless (Associate Research Professor at ESRI) » Elena Mazza (Economist at the Central Bank of Ireland) » Deirdre Coy (PhD Candidate at UCD School of Economics) The event started with a short presentation of the statistics showing gender imbalance in economics jobs, both as perceived by students and also in reality. This was followed by the first part of the panel discussion, focusing on careers. The speakers shared how the analysis skills taught in economics have been extremely versatile as they continue with economics in their careers or move on to other jobs. They also spoke about how broad economics can be far from purely banking and macro-analysis, economics also gives the opportunity for them to work in jobs with social impact. The second part of the panel session discussed gender imbalance in economics jobs, which vary from extreme imbalance in the research sector to the private sector which is much more balanced. The speakers shared some ways in which they can help other female colleagues advance and how their organizations actively try to recruit more females. Afterwards, students were able to ask questions and network with the speakers over pizza.

The student partner, Aislinn Hoy, was involved in every aspect of the event, from liaising with the speakers, participating in the panel Q&A, helping with the logistics on the night, and recruiting student participants.

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What was the overall outcome?

The students’ feedback has been positive: despite the bleak statistics showing gender imbalance, casual conversations revealed that they appreciate the opportunity to discuss this topic and are in fact more encouraged to continue with economics and contribute to changing the culture.

While the original plan was to make it a regular event featuring new speakers, due to COVID-19 we had to rethink our plans. However, more recently a more institutionalised approach has been adopted by the Irish Economic Association’s newly formed Irish Society for Women in Economics network, which aims to increase the participation of female students in economics from Bachelor’s to the faculty level.

Challenges and opportunities of partnership working

We very much enjoyed working with our student partner. She had the first hand experience of being part of the small minority of female students in her large economics classes and can relate to the issue at hand. She was very professional throughout and showed a lot of maturity in all interactions.

One potential challenge could be that it is a matter of luck regarding the quality of the student partner. However both myself and my co-organiser Zuzanna Studnicka appreciated the opportunity of working with our student partner, who was recommended to us as she had previously participated in the BSc peer mentor programme, been a Social Sciences Ambassador and a Student Rep on some of the College Committees and Boards and so had a lot of experience.

Key learning from this project

» Ask the Planning and Projects Manager to recommend a student. » Involve the student partner as much as you can so they also get the experience interacting with more senior professionals.

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Section 2 Students as Partners Awards

The Psychology Memory Wall Suzanne Guerin

School:

Psychology

Project lead:

Aidan Moran

Collaborators:

Mary Ivers – Staff member Kate O’Reilly BSc Psychology (Graduated 2020 –Final Year student during project) Danielle Madden BSc Psychology (will graduate in 2021) The project team was joined by Suzie Guerin, Sonya Deschenes (Summer 2020)

Project aim

The purpose of this project was to develop an engaging digital resource - the “UCD Psychology Memory Wall” - that traced, highlighted and explored the study of psychology in UCD. Its objectives were: i. to “timeline” the history of Psychology in UCD using photographs/interviews/ animations; ii. to highlight current/former UCD students’ experiences with and memories of UCD Psychological Society; and iii. to explore the internationalisation of Psychology in UCD by documenting students’ experiences of studying psychology abroad (e.g., in Europe, USA).

Project

The project was initiated in early 2020, however following the sad loss of our friend and colleague Prof. Aidan Moran who initiated the project, the team reformed during the summer of 2020 and the project was launched in September 2020. The Project Team met regularly to plan and review the activities that were designed to gather the data needed to create the memory wall. All partners were involved at all stages of the project.

While this was a one-off project, the process required data relating to student profiles, memories and student society activities. To assist with this we initiated a social media campaign to invite submissions from current staff and students, and from graduates of the UCD School of Psychology. In addition to the social media campaign we wrote a feature for The Irish Psychologist, which is the official periodical of the Psychological Society of Ireland.

Members of the Project team also liaised with Cathrina Gaffney (School Manager) and key contacts in UCD Societies Council.

The team also invited tenders to complete the design and animation work required for the Memory Wall. The production team at SIXsem successfully tendered for this work and supported the Project Team to develop a script for a three-minute video that would achieve the objectives of the project. SIXsem produced a draft video that was refined to ensure it achieved the objective of producing an engaging audio/visual resource.

The key product from this project was an animated video, which was shared as part of a memorial event for Prof. Moran in March 2021 and then launched online on the last day of the spring trimester (see https://youtu.be/Ig2ObqEPeOE_). This video is also displayed on a monitor at the entry to the School’s main administrative area in F2 Newman. While the reach of the display on campus has been impacted by COVID-19 restrictions the video has had nearly 500 views and the hashtag #UCDPsychMemoryWall has seen good activity.

We will use this video as part of student orientation in the Autumn trimester 2021 and also refresh the social media activity to continue to reach new audiences.

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Challenges and opportunities of partnership working

The most significant challenge to the project was the death of the Project Lead, Prof. Aidan Moran, in the early stages of the project. However we had a strong desire to complete the project in Prof. Moran’s memory. COVID-19 restrictions also impacted on some plans, but the Project Team were able to work very well remotely. Opportunities came with the renovation of the School’s administration space, which facilitated the placement of the display screen in a very prominent position.

Key learning from this project

» The student members of the team were a significant resource in reaching out to their peers and in ensuring an authentic student voice in the project. » Unexpected challenges such as Prof. Moran’s death and the impact of COVID-19 challenged the team to adapt, but we were able to do this by supporting each other and focusing on a clear plan.

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Section 3 Learning Enhancement Projects Immersive Technology in Education: A collaborative learning initiative....... 26 Rachel Farrell UCD Community Engaged Learning and Teaching (CELT) Community of Practice....................................................................................................30 Deirdre McGillicuddy Fulfilling Potential: Supporting community engagement progression students.................................................................................................... 34 Sarah Morton Human Learning: Promoting Students’ Psychosocial Abilities for Success at College.................................................................................. 36 Jennifer Symonds Problem based learning in Politics and International Relations...................... 38 Tobias Theiler Developing a Tutor training and recognition programme...................................41 Niamh Moore-Cherry

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Section 3 Learning Enhancement Projects

Immersive Technology in Education: A collaborative learning initiative Rachel Farrell

School:

Education

Module code:

EDUC42180-Professional Placement I-2020/21

No. students:

260

Project lead:

Rachel Farrell

Collaborators:

Mark Baldwin, SchooVR

Project aim

The aim of the project was to foster an appreciation of the emerging role of immersive technology in education and to provide student teachers, subject methodology lecturers and co-operating teachers with a dynamic, innovative forum in which to explore the potential for immersive technology to optimise teaching and learning. Under the guidance of expert Mark Baldwin, participants explored how immersive technology can be effectively used to interrogate Development Education and the Global Goals for Sustainable Development.

Project approach

This project was underpinned by an innovative online short course on Immersive Technology in Education. It stems from the research of Rachel Farrell, UCD School of Education, in the area of ‘democratic pedagogical partnerships’ (Farrell, 2021) in teacher education and is designed and facilitated by post-primary school teacher Mark Baldwin of SchooVR. The project involved inviting Professional Master of Education (PME) students from a range of subject areas to work with their co-operating teacher to implement the use of immersive technology in teaching and learning while during their school placement/clinical practice module. Methods lecturers, student teachers and co-operating teachers were provided with sustained professional development by industry specialist – Mark Baldwin of SchooVR in the form of a bespoke online module and onsite visits to schools (this moved to online support during Covid-19). During these onsite visits, specialised equipment was made available so that pupils in the school could experience the full benefits of immersive technology.

Immersive learning technologies such as virtual reality (VR), augmented reality (AR) and mixed reality (MR) have the power to truly revolutionise teaching and learning. Throughout this project, student teachers and their mentors were introduced to several cutting-edge immersive tools that allowed them to enhance their own teaching practice. The project resulted in teachers from different subject areas collaborating on designing and developing a library of immersive learning experiences across a range of subject areas in the post-primary curriculum. By making these resources accessible to all, teachers who participated in this project will help enhance teaching and learning in classrooms across Ireland and beyond.

See the link below for further details. https://education.schoovr.com/

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Contribution to enhancement of teaching and learning:

The objective of this project was to investigate the use of immersive technology in initial teacher education (ITE) and to provide opportunities for shared professional learning for the extended teaching community in the School of Education.

The key research questions were: » What digital skills and pedagogical content knowledge (PCK) (Shulman, 2013) are needed by student teachers to create VR/AR/MR materials to support subject-specific learning in schools? » What opportunities are there for collaboration between teacher mentors and student teachers on the potential of VR/AR/MR technologies for subject-based learning during school placements? » What professional development is needed to provide methods lecturers with the necessary skills to support this initiative at university level?

The project was important because it demonstrated how we can transform learning through digital technology which is an important part of the university’s strategy.

What was the overall outcome?

Research instruments developed as part of an ongoing SCoTENS project were used to discern perceptions, dispositions and skills before and after the collaborative learning intervention.

The results of these will form part of the SCoTENS report that will be published later this year. The desired outcome of the initiative was to produce an online course and a portfolio of curriculum relevant immersive learning experiences that can be shared amongst PME students and the teaching profession.

The range of student teachers’ innovative resources has demonstrated their capacity for creativity and an ability to acknowledge the importance of using immersive learning resources to enhance teaching and learning with their classes. The planning and development process allowed student teachers and their mentors to reflect on the importance of creating authentic learning experiences for their students while it provided a pathway for teachers to innovate their daily teaching routines.

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Plans for the project moving forward

This project has provided insights that will inform the future development of subject methods modules to align to national priorities in education with particular reference to technology enhanced active learning methodologies. Furthermore, this project has highlighted meaningful ways: » For schools to enact elements of the Digital Learning Framework (DES, 2017) » To enable ffaculty and staff to learn from students. » To strengthen school-university partnerships on the Professional Master of Education Programme Collaboration between the key stakeholders, teachers and students was crucial to this project’s success as it has allowed the partners to pool their resources and skills to work together to adapt and modify the support offered and future interventions and developments in the use of immersive technology in education. The information gleaned will be used to add weight to Erasmus + and Science Foundation Ireland funding opportunities regarding the use of immersive technology in education.

Key learning from this project

Student teachers need to: » See how innovative pedagogy and technology works in the context of their own subject area to be convinced of its use and efficacy. » Have role models in the university who are able to practice what they preach when it comes to using technology enhanced learning. » Have the support of a mentor on clinical practice who has the capacity to model good practice in the use of technology enhanced learning.

The university has a duty of care to lecturers and school based educators to provide capacity building and opportunities for reverse mentoring and shared learning.

Additional Resources

A wide variety of interactive resources were created during this project. A bespoke online module informed participants about the role of immersive technologies in education. The online module includes several informative tutorials about VR/AR/MR immersive learning tools.

The project resulted in teachers from different subject areas collaborating on designing and developing a library of immersive learning experiences across a range of subject areas in the post-primary curriculum. Some of the experiences created by teachers included immersive 360-degree images, curriculum-aligned content, guided audio and higher order thinking questions and classwork activities. The experiences are located on an online platform and can be accessed via iPads, Chromebooks, Tablets and virtual reality goggles for an even more immersive experience.

Participants were supported by Rachel Farrell and Mark Baldwin throughout this project.

Teachers were encouraged to reflect on their own classroom practice and the possibilities of embedding VR/AR/MR technologies in their own teaching The online module, resources and testimonial may be accessed here: https://education.schoovr.com/ The collaborative partnership with the SchooVR, Ubuntu, QUB, Ulster University and DCU (through a SCoTENS funded project) provided a medium for shared learning, capacity building and the dissemination of leading practice across a range of subject areas and institutions. The project will also be showcased at the Teaching Council Féilte event in October 2021.

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Section 3 Learning Enhancement Projects

UCD Community Engaged Learning and Teaching (CELT) community of practice Deirdre McGillicuddy, Theresa O’Leary

School:

Education and UCD in the Community

Project lead and collaborators:

Deirdre McGillicuddy

Project aim

Theresa O’Leary The main aim of this project was to establish a Community of Practice (CoP) in Community Engaged Learning (CEL) across the university. It sought to: 1. provide a supportive network to share learning, to enhance understanding and to improve practice in CEL. 2. establish a core UCD CELT Community to shape the core activities 3. host a symposium to develop and strengthen CEL across all disciplines in the university.

4. present opportunities for CPD in CEL 5. afford the opportunity for cross-pollination of ideas within/across enhance the learning for students across the university by promoting and enhancing CEL as pedagogy in the university

Project approach

The CELT CoP adopted 3 core activities: Alumni Talk We launched the CELT CoP and brought its message to the broader UCD community. We collaborated with UCD Alumni to launch the community as part of their ‘In Conversation’ talks in Summer (July) 2020. The theme for the talk was “The transformative power of community engaged learning” and featured Dr Deirdre McGillicuddy in conversation with Assoc Prof Hilda Loughran (School of Social Policy, Social Work and Social Justice) and Mr Gary Broderick (SAOL).

Cups of Cha(t) Monthly From September 2020 until April 2021 we hosted monthly Cups of Cha(t) via Zoom to establish the community and bring people together in an informal way to hear more from peers/students about their experience of CEL. Over 50 people signed up to the community from across all colleges and units in the University. It was the interdisciplinarity of the community which really gave it such strength and depth to conversations. The community comprised of those experienced in adopting CEL as pedagogy in their teaching and those who were there to learn more. It also included students who had experienced the CEL approach as well as those who wanted to learn more.

Online Symposium – May 2021 The inaugural CELT CoP symposium was held in May 2021. The symposium continued to build on our theme: “ The Transformative Power of Community Engaged Learning”. It was really important to the community that we had an inclusive and dynamic discussion which captured CEL from the academic, pedagogic, student and community partner perspective while also providing the opportunity for attendees to come together and share their learning/perspectives on the type of transformation they were seeking.

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Project approach (cont.)

There were 4 distinctive conversations held at the symposium: 1. The Keynote Discussion Theme: From the Individual to the Collective: Creating Community-engaged learning experiences through faculty conversations Keynote Speaker: Assoc Prof Helga Dornan (Eötvös Loránd University (ELTE), Hungary) Chair: Assoc Prof Niamh Moore Cherry (VP Teaching and Learning, UCD College of Social Science and Law) Facilitator: Claire Mulvany (Facilitator/UCD Innovation Academy) 2. The Panel Discussion Theme: The Transformative Power of Community Engaged Learning Asst Prof Sarah Morton (UCD School of Social Work, Social Policy and Social Justice) Dr Laura O’Reilly (Urrús Addiction Training Centre, Ballymun Youth Action Project) Sinead Jordan (Graduate of the Community Drugs Programme & Northside Partnership, Coolock) Facilitator: Claire Mulvany (Facilitator/UCD Innovation Academy) 3. The Cup of Cha(t) Breakout Rooms Reflecting on today - what type of transformation are you seeking?

Tobias Gunning (PhD Student UCD School of Law) Asst Prof Adamaria Perrotta (UCD School of Mathematics and Statistics) 4. The Visual Illustration Visual summary of the discussions captured by Eimear throughout the symposium Eimear McNally (Visual Facilitator)

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Contribution to enhancement of teaching and learning:

Community Engaged Learning and Teaching is considered to be transformative for students and practitioners, underpinned by civic participation in community and society. One of the strategic themes of the UCD Rising to the Future Strategy is “Building a Healthy World” a core objective of which is to “continue to build our engagement locally, nationally and internationally”. Community Engaged Learning (CEL) and Teaching affords the university an opportunity to build and strengthen strong partnerships with social and community organisations in a meaningful and transformative way. It provides faculty, students and community organisations opportunities to engage in a symbiotic manner, learning from each other whilst bridging the gap between academic learning and the lived reality(ies) of society.

A key aspect of this approach is that learners work on the needs/projects identified by the community. CEL encourages students to explore critical issues within society with the ultimate goal “to develop graduates who have a wide and deep sense of their role as active citizens both personally and professionally” (McIlrath and McDonnell, 2018).

Establishing the CELT CoP in UCD afforded a timely opportunity to develop faculty, academic and student capacity in considering CEL as a pedagogical approach across all disciplines in the university.

What was the overall outcome?

The CELT CoP grew from strength to strength as the year progressed with circa 50 members encompassing faculty, academics and students (across all Colleges) signed up to our email list and culminating in over 90 people registering for the CELT Symposium reflecting on “The Transformative Power of Community Engaged Learning”. Community members have indicated that they found CELT CoP a really impactful resource for learning more about CEL. It has also resulted in new connections and community based project developments between students, faculty and academics arising from connecting through the CELT CoP. Feedback from our survey indicated that all respondents would like the community to continue to run next year. This feedback also indicated that CELT provided the community with the opportunity to learn from others, to make connections, to initiate new projects and to consider using CEL in the approach to their teaching in UCD. CELT CoP was helpful in: » “Making visible all of the community engaged work that is ongoing or being initiated” » “We have seen how to apply a CoP model in different environments. The interaction between different schools and different subjects have inspired me on how to adapt such methodologies and ideas in my area” » “It was great meeting colleagues from across the university in a more informal setting and finding out what work they are doing in the community”

Plans for the project moving forward

Using the 3 stars (aspects that went well) and a wish (hope for the future) reflection it is clear: Star 1: We can build a community of individuals interested in Community Engaged Learning across all Colleges and Units in UCD Star 2: We can meet new colleagues and nurture new opportunities within our Community of Practice Star 3: We can see the transformative power of building the CELT CoP in UCD A Wish: We would like to continue to build this community, to secure funding to support our work and to find the institutional/contextual structures to help support and promote CEL across UCD.

Key learning from this project

The transformative power of holding informal space for a community of practice to grow The value in working across disciplines and the opportunity that brings for cross-pollination of ideas and nurturing relationships The joy in meeting colleagues and students and learning from each other while connecting at a human level

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Additional Resources

Alumni Talk to launch the CELT CoP with Asst Prof Deirdre McGillicuddy in conversation with Assoc Prof Hilda Loughran and Gary Broderick (SAOL) Inaugural CELT Symposium website exploring “The Transformative Power of Community Engaged Learning”.

CELT Symposium video introducing CELT and presenting the keynote discussion between Assoc Prof Helga Dornan and Assoc Prof Niamh Moore Cherry themed “From the Individual to the Collective: Creating Community-engaged learning experiences through faculty conversations”.

CELT Symposium video presenting the panel discussion with Clare Mulvany, Asst Prof Sarah Morton, Dr Laura O’Reilly and Sinead Jordan discussing the power and meaning of transformation through Community Engaged Learning CELT Symposium video presenting the Visual Summary by Eimear McNally and closing remarks by Theresa O’Leary and Asst Prof Deirdre McGillicuddy Visual Summary of our CELT Symposium by Eimear McNally Link to Campus Engage Community Engaged Learning Online Course

CELT Symposium video introducing CELT and presenting the keynote discussion between Assoc Prof Helga Dornan and Assoc Prof Niamh Moore Cherry themed “From the Individual to the Collective: Creating Community-engaged learning experiences through faculty conversations”.

CELT Symposium video presenting the panel discussion with Clare Mulvany, Asst Prof Sarah Morton, Dr Laura O’Reilly and Sinead Jordan discussing the power and meaning of transformation through Community Engaged Learning

CELT Symposium video presenting the Visual Summary by Eimear McNally and closing remarks by Theresa O’Leary and Asst Prof Deirdre McGillicuddy

Alumni Talk to launch the CELT CoP with Asst Prof Deirdre McGillicuddy in conversation with Assoc Prof Hilda Loughran and Gary Broderick (SAOL)

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Section 3 Learning Enhancement Projects

Fulfilling Potential: Supporting community engagement progression students Sarah Morton, Laura O’Reilly, Liam Fogarty, Micheál Collins, Tobias Gunning & Michael Breslin

School:

Social Policy, Social Work and Social Justice

Module code:

TBC

No. students:

29

Project lead & collaborators (if applicable)

Sarah Morton Laura O’Reilly Liam Fogarty Micheál Collins Tobias Gunning Michael Breslin

Project aim

This project aimed to enhance the successful outcomes for students considering and taking up the Community Drugs Programme progression pathway onto the B.Soc.Sc (Sociology and Social Policy) by providing a range of more formalised supports that respond to some of the unique needs identified by these students studying on this programme. The project sought to work collaboratively with students to identify unique and additional educational needs as they progress onto the undergraduate degree programme with a view to further enabling students to flourish, thrive and fulfil their potential. It was planned that these needs would then be addressed through a programme of workshops and specialist inputs, led and coordinated by successful progression students who are, or have studied, at postgraduate level.

In addition, specific workshops to develop and enhance the digital skills of the progression students were planned and the teaching and tutoring skills of previous progression students were to be supported by provision of tutoring opportunities within this project.

Project approach

Key for this project was devising and implementing a collaborative, peer led support structure that bridged some of the gaps between the complex needs of a cohort of widening participation progression students, and the existing educational support systems within UCD. Two factors were important: the subtlety of some of these gaps; and the educational aspects such as subject knowledge, confidence, study skills and mechanisms for integrating lived experiences with theoretical groundings. In enacting this, we: » Worked collaboratively with intending and existing progression students to identify unique and additional educational needs as they progress onto the undergraduate degree programme. » Sought to address these needs through the provision of a programme of workshops and specialist inputs, led and co-ordinated by successful progression students who are, or have studied, at postgraduate level. » Provided specific workshops to develop and enhance the digital skills of intending and current progression students, something that is routinely identified within this cohort as a block and challenge to educational development and achievement. » Supported the professional development of two previous progression students by encouraging and developing groupwork and tutoring skills, as well as providing tutoring opportunities within this project.

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Contribution to enhancement of teaching and learning:

This project sought to enhance the successful outcomes for students considering and taking up the Community Drugs Programme progression pathway onto the B.Soc.Sc (Social Policy and Sociology), thereby aligning with key objectives within the CoSSL and University strategies in regard to widening participation and attending to issues of equality, diversity and inclusion. Previous and current progression students had highlighted the ongoing educational challenges for them in taking up the progression route, particularly in terms of educational deficits, confidence, study skills and ability to navigate the University systems and supports. Repeatedly students report that their peer progression students, particularly those a year ahead or studying at postgraduate level, have been key in ensuring their educational success at UCD. In completing this project we wished to contribute to emerging knowledge of the value of peer support and unique and complex educational needs of widening participation students in order to assist in the design of responses that will enable students to flourish, thrive and fulfil their potential.

What was the overall outcome?

Given the relational nature of this project, the covid19 pandemic and associated restrictions were limiting factors for much of the planned work. However, all of the proposed interventions were transferred to zoom successfully and the full range of workshops, bespoke tutorials and roundtables were delivered. All 20 potential progression students engaged in one workshop, and then seven of the nine current progression students participated throughout the year. Two former progression students currently studying at doctoral level delivered workshops and tutorials and participated in the project advisory group. The students reported a range of benefits including: » Feeling connected and supported by each other, the tutors and others involved in delivering the project. The students highlighted the importance of having structure to aid social and academic support, which they in turn stated really aided their learning. » Having the opportunity to develop specific academic skills such as study techniques (e.g. reading a journal article effectively) and handling theory in essays and assignments. » Having support delivered by tutors who had progressed through the same route as it was felt they could often highlight solutions and ways to respond to challenges that really reflected a shared lived experience of addressing educational gaps. » Helping to identify ways to prepare and deliver on assignments and exams given the covid19 induced shift to digitally based assessments.

Plans for the project moving forward

The student participants and tutors were very clear about the importance of continuing the type of supports offered to both them and future progression students. Consideration is being given within the School to how this could be embedded in existing structures or integrated into the work of the Community Drugs Programme. Financial and tutor/ academic resources are a key limitation. Aspects of academic advising also emerged as needs during the project, and funding to develop this aspect is actively being sought. The project team members, tutors and students agreed about the ongoing tension between bespoke educational supports versus integration with existing UCD and CoSSL structures.

Key learning from this project

There was an overarching conclusion that progression students have specific needs that can be ideally met at particular points in time to ensure success and flourishing. Project participants concluded that: » Supports need to be immediate on commencing the progression route; » Supports need to be technical, educational and relationally based; and » There should be recognition that informal conversations and gatherings can be highly instrumental in helping students address barriers, sustain their studies and plan career paths.

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Section 3 Learning Enhancement Projects

Human Learning: Promoting Students’ Psychosocial Abilities for Success at College Jennifer Symonds

School:

Education

Module code:

EDUC10170

No. students:

87

Project lead & collaborators (if applicable)

Jennifer Symonds, School of Education Christopher Jepsen, School of Economics Sarah Brown, Career Development Centre

Project aim

This Learning Enhancement Project aimed to investigate the effectiveness of an undergraduate module designed to promote students’ psychosocial competencies important for managing their own learning at college.

Project approach

Human Learning is an undergraduate elective module offered to all students at UCD. The module is designed by an educational psychologist (Symonds) and a career and skills consultant (Brown). The module has run annually since 2017. During the 2020-21 COVID-19 pandemic, Human Learning was adapted to a 9-week 100% online course.

The Human Learning module is designed to promote student success by directly teaching motivation, self-regulated learning, emotional regulation, critical and creative thinking, flow, concentration, happiness, learner identity, and stress management. These competencies have a strong evidence base in the field of educational psychology for supporting student motivation, engagement, and learning.

Each psychosocial competency is taught through weekly lectures (pre-recorded online lectures in 2020, large group lectures pre-2020) and readings. Each week, students develop supportive learner relationships and apply the competency to real world situations during a small-group active learning tutorial. Tutorials feature self-assessment, quizzes, vignette discussion, simulation games, role play, and structured debate.

An effectiveness evaluation was carried out to assess the impact of Human Learning on students’ ability to engage with academic learning at college during the COVID-19 pandemic. The research was approved by the UCD Human Research Ethics Committee.

All students registered to Human Learning (N = 92), and a control group of all other students at the UCD College of Social Sciences and Law, were recruited in September 2020.

The final sample (N = 288; male = 30.5%) comprised 223 control group participants and 65 Human Learning participants. Six Human Learning students participated in a focus group interview. All participants were given a €10 book token in gratitude.

Pre- and post-module online surveys were administered in late September (week 1) and late November (week 9) to the control and Human Learning groups. Using robust psychometric instruments, surveys measured students’ learner self-efficacy, engagement at college, drawbacks and value of going to college (motivation), and college learner identity. Students also reported on their gender, age, perceived family socioeconomic status, first generation college status, and migrant status.

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Project approach (cont.)

A novel, interactive, online concentration workshop was run in the fifth week and was offered to all Human Learning students and control group participants. We collected momentary engagement data during the workshop.

Focus group / individual interviews with Human Learning students were conducted in late November. We also collected students’ college entrance achievement and semester GPA.

Contribution to enhancement of teaching and learning:

The National Forum for the Enhancement of Teaching and Learning defines student success as students fulfilling their potential and flourishing at college and in society, which is a broader activity than simply achieving high grades. Psychosocial competencies are core to the definition of student success. These are the ‘soft skills’ or ‘non-cognitive skills’ that enable students to cope well with learning challenges, engage deeply in learning, and develop their identities as learners and as active citizens. Transitions are a key issue within this priority area, such as the move from school to college which presents challenges and opportunities for students. The current project closely aligns with the National Forum’s priority areas (student success, and supporting transitions), in its focus on evaluating a 9-week active learning module designed to promote students’ psychosocial competencies necessary for an adaptive school-to-college transition.

What was the overall outcome?

At the start of the module, Human Learning students had lower engagement, lower interest in college, and higher perceived drawbacks of going to college, compared to the control group. However, after taking the module, Human Learning students reported an increase in self-efficacy whereas the control group reported a decrease. Human learning students also became more positive about going to college, with reduced drawbacks reported, after taking the module. Across time, they became more like the control group in engagement and interest in college. There were no group differences in identity. In general, Human Learning students became more efficacious, engaged, and motivated, in relation to taking the module.

The qualitative analysis uncovered that students recognised the importance, and challenges, of needing to manage their own learning at college. Several students remembered the lecture and tutorial on managing academic emotions as a highlight of the module. One reflected that this had helped them academically and personally. Students identified problems with other students in breakout groups not participating, as a challenge of learning online. They also recommended for the module’s content to be enhanced with information on cognitive learning strategies (e.g., mind-mapping). This suggests that students would appreciate more, rather than less, direct education at college on how to learn.

Plans for the project moving forward

Current plans to continue the Human Learning are contingent on the availability of core staff. Resources for developing students’ psychosocial competencies at college could be directed towards ensuring that this type of module is available to all UCD students. Ideally the module on psychosocial competencies could be combined with a study skills programme and the total package delivered in the first two trimesters at college to help students develop excellent learner attitudes and behaviours. This would help support the learning of all UCD students who take the module and could create longer-term benefits for students, the college, and the university. Students with these competencies may also be better equipped in the workforce.

Key learning from this project

Human Learning is a research-practice partnership between educational psychologists and careers counsellors: designed to help students develop their academic wellbeing through psychosocial competencies education. The main implications of the research are that students’ psychosocial competencies are developing at college, and that colleges can play an effective, intentional role in helping this process by making psychosocial competency education central to the undergraduate experience.

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Section 3 Learning Enhancement Projects

Problem based learning in Politics and International Relations Tobias Theiler

School:

School of Politics and International Relations

Module code:

INRL10010

No. students:

357

Project lead & collaborators (if applicable)

Tobias Theiler and Graham Finlay (School of Politics and International Relations) Heidi Maurer (Universities of Oxford and Bristol)

Project aim

Problem-Based Learning (PBL) is a well-established method of increasing student involvement in the learning process, the quality of the learning experience and the attainment of learning outcomes. This project sought to introduce PBL into the tutorial component of a Stage 1 core introductory module in international relations, thereby enhancing the role and contribution of tutorials in this large undergraduate core module.

Project approach

Problem-Based Learning is predicated on the notion that students learn most effectively if their learning aims at the resolution of a problem and if this occurs in cooperative small group environments. In a PBL setting, students are presented with a “problem” which they seek to resolve during several group sessions interspersed with individual research and learning activities. As PBL students work in small groups supervised by trained facilitators, it is difficult to introduce it into the lecture component of a large undergraduate module comprising several hundred students. The aim of the project was to ascertain how PBL could instead be incorporated into the module’s tutorial component with relatively modest additional resource requirements.

The centrepiece of the project was an intensive half-day collaborative training session for tutors who tutor for a Stage 1 core module titled “Introduction to Political Theory and International Relations” (INRL10010) which I have been coordinating for many years together with a colleague. Six tutors participated, all of whom are scheduled to tutor for this module in the coming autumn trimester. The session was recorded for the benefit of future generations of tutors. The Covid-19 situation and the associated move to online teaching and various other related changes made it necessary to re-calibrate the project. All training took place online and the application of PBL in the classroom had to be deferred to the autumn trimester 2021 when normal tutorials are scheduled to resume. Despite these changes, participants agreed that the PBL training they received has significantly enriched their pedagogical skillset and that PBL will allow tutorials to make a distinctive contribution to the module concerned and, more broadly, to the international relations curriculum in our School.

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Contribution to enhancement of teaching and learning:

The main aims of the project were (1) to introduce tutors to the PBL method and (2) to collaboratively develop a detailed work plan for implementing PBL in tutorials for this module, including sample “problems,” a work schedule for students and assessment strategies. By pursuing these aims the project sought to: » enhance the role of tutorials. The traditional function of tutorials is to help students “digest” lecture content through Q&A sessions, discussions, “mini lectures,” short exercises, etc. Yet in their module feedback students have often commented that they do not find the tutorials useful, perceiving them as a kind of “inferior” repetition of the lectures. PBL has the potential to make tutorials more complementary to and synergetic with the lectures; » foster student engagement. PBL engages students more intensely than traditional lecture and tutorial formats as it asks them to actively chart their own path toward the solution of a problem rather than merely absorbing “pre-digested” facts; » promote the professional development of tutors and improve their confidence and sense of self-efficacy through their distinctive contribution to the module.

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What was the overall outcome?

Training was facilitated by Dr Heidi Maurer of the Universities of Oxford and Bristol, one of the foremost experts in PBL-centred approaches in the teaching of European politics and international relations. Six tutors and I participated. Tutors were asked to undertake several hours of intense preparation. This included reviewing some of Dr Maurer’s research on PBL and drafting a preliminary PBL work plan which was then discussed in the training module.

The training itself used PBL principles, thus enabling tutors to familiarize themselves with the method while practicing it. Specific topics covered included: » formulating “problems” for PBL-based group work in relation to the specific learning outcomes of this module; » cognitive and affective dimensions of small group collaboration; » the role of the tutor as PBL facilitator; » assessment techniques – group-based assessment versus individual assessment; blended assessment strategies, etc.; » coping with challenges such as unruly, dominant, shy, disinterested and “free-riding” students; » ways of abbreviating the traditional PBL process while staying true to its core principles, which is especially important in the context of INRL10010 and other undergraduate core modules given the small number of tutorials available and their relatively short duration.

Plans for the project moving forward

The Covid-19 situation and the associated move to online teaching and various other related changes made it necessary to defer the application of PBL in the classroom to the autumn trimester 2021 when normal tutorials are scheduled to resume. All tutors who participated in the training feel that they are now well-equipped to do so. They have developed a set of “problems” they will use, a detailed work schedule for students and an assessment strategy which takes account of the limited tutorial time available. The tutors look forward to applying these in a real-world classroom setting and we will closely monitor and evaluate the results.

Key learning from this project

At the beginning of their PBL training several tutors were unsure whether PBL could be applied to their tutorials. Their scepticism revolved around the relatively small number of tutorials available, large student numbers in tutorials and significant variation in student ability and motivation at that early UG stage. However, by the end of their training there was a consensus that PBL offers a genuinely promising way of redressing some of the problems traditionally associated with our UG tutorials as outlined above. Tutors’ contributions during the training module and their feedback afterwards suggests that they were inspired by Dr Maurer’s presentation of the PBL method. They were especially impressed by her rejection of overly rigid approaches to PBL in favour of treating it as a broad pedagogical method and toolkit that can be tailored to a variety of learning contexts even where conditions are not optimal in terms of student numbers and number of tutorial sessions available. Under the guidance of Dr Maurer tutors developed a detailed PBL template specifically tailored to INRL10010 including sample “problems,” a structured work schedule for student activities and assessment strategies. All of us look forward to its implementation in a real face-to-face classroom setting, hopefully this coming trimester or as soon as the Covid-19 situation allows.

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Section 3 Learning Enhancement Projects

Developing a Tutor training and recognition programme Niamh Moore-Cherry

School:

College of Social Sciences and Law

No. students:

25-35 per annum

Project lead

Niamh Moore-Cherry, VP Teaching and Learning, College of Social Sciences and Law

Project aim

This project aspired to work in partnership with faculty, staff and students to create and implement a College-wide tutor training and recognition programme. A key goal was to support the professional development of our tutors, many of whom are graduate students, in order to enhance the student learning experience, but also to recognise their contributions formally to enhance their own employability. The project aimed to: a. develop a structured College level tutor training and support programme; b. launch this programme for new tutors beginning in our College in September 2021; c. create a way of formally recognising the contributions of tutors to the undergraduate students’ educational experience.

Project approach

Schools have limited resources and expertise to provide tutor training and while pedagogical training is important, a needs analysis undertaken by the College T&L Committee showed that training needed to be much wider given that tutors are often the first port of call for students who may be vulnerable, distressed or require other supports. There was a desire to develop a holistic training programme to support the student learning experience and success. In March 2020, the College T&L Committee held a workshop to identify ideas for better supporting and recognising tutors. An outline proposal was approved and endorsed at College Executive in April 2020. Although Covid delayed our timelines, in March 2021, an open call was made across the College inviting tutors to participate in a workshop to identify tutor needs from their perspective and to test the ideas that emerged from academic and support colleagues. The workshop was followed up with a survey and a request for expressions of interest to get more involved as our goal was to design and develop the programme in partnership with a group of current tutors.

During April and May 2021, a group of 9 tutors worked with the VPT&L to develop the training in more depth. In small working groups, tutors took responsibility for identifying key resources and writing content for each of the programme units, complementing other courses on offer across the university but trying to avoid replication. A blended approach is taken. Online elements of the module are self-paced and they are complemented with face to face meetings at the start of the programme, halfway through trimester 1 where tutors have an opportunity to share practice and network, and at the end of the trimester where they complete a reflective practice exercise. The module has been built in Brightspace with the support of the College educational technologist and will have the first intake of participants in September 2021. It is a non-credit bearing CPD module and students receive formal certification of completion at the end.

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Contribution to enhancement of teaching and learning:

In the College of Social Sciences and Law, we aim to inform, inspire, challenge and motivate our students to reach their full potential and contribute to the life of their School, College, University and the wider world.

What was the overall outcome?

The key outputs are:

Tutoring is recognised as a valuable and important activity in helping realise this ambition because of the contribution made to student learning and the overall student experience.

The work of tutors on particular modules is overseen and the overall responsibility of the Module Co-ordinators. However, we recognise the potential and added value in connecting tutors across disciplines, sharing practice and establishing clear norms and expectations to ensure a more consistent undergraduate student experience. Given the significant contributions that tutors make to our educational programmes, we also wanted to develop a form of recognition that would be meaningful to tutors and provide encouragement to continue their professional development as educators.

1. A holistic College-level tutor training programme developed in a blended format using a Brightspace Explore module as the ‘learning hub’. This will be accessible to all those participating enabling them to draw on the resources throughout their time as a tutor.

2. Once tutors successfully complete the online activities, participate in the three face-to-face elements, and complete a formal reflection, they will be awarded with a College Certificate in Teaching and Learning Support. This is a non-credit bearing formal certificate recognised under the CPD framework of the School of Education.

Plans for the project moving forward

The programme will be offered for the first time in September 2021 and the intention is that it will develop a. An increased understanding by tutors of the importance of their role to the undergraduate student learning experience and a heightened level of professionalism; b. An awareness and acceptance by tutors that their contribution to the educational mission of the College is highly valued and recognised; c. An enhanced undergraduate experience of tutorials / tutor engagement which leads to greater success; d. A further embedding of a students as partners ethos within our College and experience working on a ‘live project’.

Key learning from this project

» There is a significant appetite within the graduate teaching assistant and professional tutor community for opportunities to develop their teaching portfolio and to be formally recognised for doing so. » Tutors play a very important and often hidden role in identifying, managing and mitigating many student issues and their training should include guidance and support on how to fulfil this role appropriately and sensitively, mindful of their own wellbeing.

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UCD College of Social Sciences and Law Teaching and Learning Committee University College Dublin Belfield, Dublin 4, Ireland. e: vptlsocialscienceslaw@ucd.ie w: www.ucd.ie/socscilaw UCDSocscilaw UCDsocscilaw