Events – Page 26 – Digital Learning Dispatches

If you work in academia this is the most important time of the year, with the new Semester starting and new students arriving, life on campus is mega busy! Last Saturday was our Welcome Day for our new DCU Connected students. The weather was kind to us, it was a beautiful Autumnal day and the Glasnevin campus was looking at its best. We had an amazing turnout of new students – this year around 400 participated in the Welcome Day and there was a real buzz to the place.

The Welcome Day is an important opportunity for our new online students to meet their programme chairs and tutors and to talk to other students. It is a way for them to feel part of DCU right from the outset – to feel “connected” wherever they study! We have students from across Ireland, and beyond, and of course not everyone was able to attend the Welcome Day. For this reason we also have a virtual equivalent suite of welcome resources for those students unable to join us.

Saturday’s welcome included students studying our online Springboard+ courses mostly funded by the Irish Government, and we were delighted to also welcome our six new University of Sanctuary scholars. The NIDL team is very proud of our work in providing Irish refugees and asylum seekers scholarship opportunities to pursue higher education through DCU Connected. The Welcome Day, along with the Graduation Ceremony is one of the few opportunities we have to meet our students face-to-face

After refreshments and registration, we had a series of short talks introducing students to some of the services and supports available to our online students. Professor Gráinne Conole, the recently appointed Head of the Open Education Unit in the National Institute for Digital Learning (NIDL) started, providing an overview of the online learning environment, Loop and associated online resources designed to support student success.

Of particular note is a new learning development service we are providing our online students this year from a strategic partnership with Studiosity, which offers two major features integrated within Loop: (i) a 24-hour formative feedback service to students on their draft written assignments, and (ii) the ability to connect outside of normal business hours with a study coach or subject expert via chat to provide just-in-time advice on learning activities and assessment tasks. We will evaluate this service over the course of the year to better understand how we can fully integrate new online tools and resources, such as Studiosity, as part of the DCU Connected experience.

We were delighted that Vito Maloney Burke, the DCU Student’s Union President, was also present to welcome our new students. He gave an engaging and enthusiastic talk on what the Student Union could provide for DCU Connected students. Of particular note is the fantastic new Student Centre, the ‘U’, which was officially launched last Thursday by President Michael Higgins and DCU’s own President.

Student Support and Development (SSD) had prepared lovely welcome packs, which included lots of goodies, including a very nice diary. Annabella Stover, Deputy Director of Student Support and Development (SSD) and Karina Curley (Student Learning) then outlined the various services SSD provide.

This includes Discover DCU – a series of 8 interactive online courses to help new students get orientated with DCU. They outlined how SSD provides three levels of support: personal, professional and academic. SSD has a presence on both the Glasnevin and St Patrick’s campuses, and support and advice are available both face-to-face and online. Annabella also announced a new 24/7 online counselling service available to all DCU Students. In addition, students can access medical support, there is both a nurse and doctor on campus. There is also careers advice, which includes support for writing CVs/job applications, career fairs and access to an online job vacancy facility. Other services available to our online students include disability and learning support, writing and study support, and a writing centre.

After this formal opening students had the opportunity to learn more about their specific programme of study and to meet their course chairs and tutors and chat with other students. These sessions provided an overview of the modules, an indication of the amount of study time required, pointers to useful resources and support, and an opportunity to hear from existing students.

It was a fantastic day, it was lovely to see the students so enthusiastic and excited about starting their new courses. It also provided us with an opportunity to talk to the students and to reassure them on any concerns they may have had about their course and studying online through DCU Connected. We look forward very much to engaging with our DCU Connected students via Loop – our online learning environment – and to see them develop and progress through their programme of study.

By Clare Gormley

As the so-called “quiet time” of the academic year draws to a close, and the chilly winds of autumn snap at inappropriately sandal-clad feet, thoughts turn to the upcoming semester.

https://unsplash.com/photos/kXJeVrOjDrU

A big gig for our Teaching Enhancement Unit in September is the Dublin City University Teaching & Learning (T&L) Day, an annual conference where up to 100 staff members converge to seek inspiration about effective teaching and assessment practice. Like similar events at many institutions this provides a valuable forum for staff to share their experiences and knowledge about teaching. So if you’ve been thinking about responding to a call but are still somewhat ‘undecided’, here are five reminders about the sometimes forgotten benefits of sharing that might spur you on to proceed:

1. The “This worked, it really worked” Effect

There is something incredibly refreshing (dare I say it heartwarming?) about paying forward good ideas, particularly if they solve problems that you know many of your colleagues also struggle with. Who has not lamented a disappointing lack of class discussion or frustrating attitudes to group work, for example? What works for you is often good for your colleagues and we’ve seen several examples of this at gatherings over the years. Sometimes these suggestions involve technology e.g. highly usable peer review tools or effective uses of audio feedback. But sometimes they don’t require any tech at all: simple but powerful ideas such as getting students to stand more closely in groups (rather than in circles) was one proven technique for supporting active class participation that went down a storm last year. Hearing a colleague from your institution talk about what worked for them is one of the most persuasive forms of professional learning there is.

2. The “It seemed like a good idea at the time” Lesson

Ah yes, the innovation that didn’t quite go according to plan. It takes real bravery to admit professionally that the inspired plan to enhance student engagement did not succeed as one might have hoped. True, you might have learned from the class, the assessments, and the subsequent student evaluations that something was amiss. But as well as reflecting on it yourself, have you ever experienced the cathartic effect that sharing the experience with colleagues can have? Instead of the misplaced tendency to think it was entirely your fault (an impression that student evaluations can all-too-easily promote), your colleagues could help to put it into perspective and give you constructive feedback that might encourage you to make adjustments, reconsider your audience, and perhaps try again. So when it feels right for you, share those stories of experimentation and even failure, please, we can all learn from them.

3. The “I’m really not doing so bad at all” Insights

Closely related to 2 is the idea that oftentimes we can be our own harshest critics. It is also possible, however, to experience a moment of quiet triumph when you realise you are actually more experienced/creative/technologically-adept than you had given yourself credit for. One way to achieve this is to share your work with colleagues and let them know what you are doing in the classroom and/or lecture hall. Quite often the feedback and questions you will hear after you’ve presented will highlight that not everyone is doing what you’re doing and your unique insights are of real value to fellow professionals.

4. The “I have to get this on paper” Opportunity

Have there ever been times when you’ve missed and regretted a promising opportunity because you have not yet written your ideas up? The blank page fills many of us with dread so any chance to describe your teaching approaches and position them within the literature could also prove very useful elsewhere. Getting an abstract or proposal in for an event at your local institution could be the vital first step towards initiating a collaborative research project, a publication opportunity or a response to a funding call. Carpe Diem, get started, and you are very unlikely to regret the time spent.

5. The “Who are all these people?!” Moment

Your local T&L event offers an opportunity to meet and get to know your teaching colleagues better. There seem to be relatively few chances to do this in higher education, which is one of the reasons why The Sipping Point was set up at DCU. Sometimes informal learning happens over coffee or lunch conversations on the day. It can also come about through follow-up emails and approaches by colleagues afterwards. Whatever way it occurs, the sense of community and solidarity that emerges from a common understanding of challenges (and indeed solutions) can foster connections that stretch well beyond the day itself. On that note, put your best foot forward and get your thinking from your head to the page at the next possible opportunity.

If this post has whetted your appetite to either share your practice or attend the event itself, make sure you sign up for DCU T&L day today: https://www.eventbrite.ie/e/dcu-teaching-learning-day-2018-tickets-49086468950

This post was originally published by Clare on her personal blog.