Coffee & Cobblestones

In this short episode of Coffee & Cobblestones we are absolutely delighted to welcome Professor Sian Bayne (University of Edinburgh) as she shares her thoughts on higher education futures. Professor Bayne led a masterclass in digital education at Trinity, funded by Ireland's National Forum; in this podcast episode she highlights some of the achievements of higher education in the last two years and also highlights challenges to be addressed as we think about how we navigate how to best tell 'the story of the higher education future' against a backdrop of policy shift, big technology, and more. 

Building on our pandemic experiences as academic developers, how do we build capabilities for digital education post-Covid? In this episode. Dr. Carina Ginty (Head of the Teaching and Learning Office at Atlantic Technological University, formerly Galway-Mayo Institute of Technology), shares her experiences, specifically focussing on how the DigitalEd/iNote project has supported their digital transformation agenda. She also reflects on how they are building on their experiences to date, to influence and inform future teaching and learning approaches and strategies across the university.

In this episode of our podcast, Jonny gets to talk to Órla Gilheaney about inclusive practices in teaching and learning. What do we mean by inclusive teaching? why does it matter? and crucially - what are some quick wins for anyone looking to make tweaks to their teaching to promote inclusivity in their teaching practice? 

Órla is an Assistant Professor in Speech and Language Pathology at Trinity with research and teaching interests relating to inclusion/exclusion processes and dynamics. She is the Inclusivity Champion for the School of Linguistic,  Speech, and Communication Sciences and was awarded a Trinity Teaching  Excellence Award in 2021. 

This week's episode, linked to the IUA's 'Enhancing Digital Teaching and Learning' national project, brings together an impressive range of voices from across the sector to talk about all things assessment. Míde and Heshaam, current UG and PG students at UCD and Trinity, lead the conversation on open-book assessment, digital shift, and the challenges to academic integrity posed by so-called 'student support' essay mills. They are joined by the current USI Vice-President (Education), Megan O'Connor, Iain MacLaren (Director of the Centre for Excellent in Learning & Teaching, NUI Galway), Mary Fitzpatrick (Head of the Centre for Transformative Learning, University of Limerick) and Kevin O'Rourke (TU Dublin).

Key words: open-book assessment, digital assessment, academic integrity, assessment cocreation 

How do you negotiate the remote space as a research supervisor? How do you keep students on track and motivated? How do you build relationships and a sense of community? How do you best prepare for remote supervision?

In this episode Professor Bob Harris (Karolinska Institute, Sweden), international expert in remote supervision and doctoral education, and Dr. Pauline Rooney (Academic Practice, Trinity Teaching and Learning) will discuss these questions and reflect on how to successfully supervise students remotely.

What are the big issues facing scholars keen to publish on themes relating to their teaching? What is distinctive about scholarly work in teaching and learning and what sorts of publication are most desirable? What does ethical data use look like in publishing linked to teaching and learning? Tease out the answers to these questions - and more - in conversation with Dr Moira Maguire (editor, All-Ireland Journal for Teaching and Learning in Higher Education) in this next episode of our Academic Practice podcast series.

In this episode Prof Helen Sword (University of Auckland) discusses writing for academic publication with Dr Ciara O’Farrell (Head of Academic Practice, Trinity Teaching and Learning).  What makes a successful academic writer and how can we cultivate positive emotions in academic writing?

Emma Stokes aims to prompt the listener – as an educator – to ask what has COVID19 uncovered and how the listener can avail of this opportunity to change as a teacher in the service of making our community better.  Emma asks us to imagine if we were able to identify in every course one tangible thing that has been informed by the pandemic that helps make our community better. Imagine that this becomes our positive legacy: A list of ways Trinity has transformed education in the service of society – the COVID19 dividend.

In this episode, Prof Kevin Mitchell (Senior Lecturer/Dean of Undergraduate Studies) and Megan O’Connor (Education Office, Trinity College Dublin Students’ Union) discuss exams with Dr Ciara O’Farrell (Head of Academic Practice, Trinity Teaching and Learning).  Post pandemic, should we return to traditional examination practices, which dominated University assessment for so long, or is there a better way forward?

In this episode, three student associates from the National Forum for Teaching and Learning, Chloe Griffin (Second Year Irish and French), Courtney McGrath (Fourth Year Business and Sociology) and Ife Uzor (Third Year Pharmacy), discuss the reality of online learning as Trinity students. What is/isn’t working with Online Learning? What should the future of education look like post-pandemic?

In this episode Prof. Diana Laurillard (Chair of Digital Learning, UCL) talks all things digital teaching and learning with Dr Jonny Johnston (Academic Practice, Trinity College Dublin). How can digital technology support the implementation of the UN Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs)? What’s involved in thinking digitally as an educator? And last but not least: how can technology best be used to enable educators to support and lead learning?