Learning Futures – Page 34 – Digital Learning Dispatches

We are pleased to report that we have some exciting redevelopments underway to our current work and learning spaces.

TEU

Phase 1 of this work involves the Teaching Enhancement Unit (TEU) relocating to the ground floor of the Bea Orpen building.

The relocation will help to make the TEU team far more accessible to DCU staff and involves the development of a new “Talking Points” space where people can drop in to us at any-time to discuss ideas and new opportunities to enhance the teaching and learning experience. After internal negotiations we have successfully managed to acquire DG11 for this purpose, which was used previously by the University as a large meeting room.

Chairs New external signage will help to make this space highly visible to the university community and the room has the advantage of being directly opposite the space we currently use for professional development workshops.

Phase 2 of the redevelopment work will focus on refurnishing this adjoining teaching room with mobile chairs, contemporary furniture and updated learning technology to make this a flexible discovery space.

In the meantime, Phase 1 also involves the development of a new “maker space” where we are currently converting a relatively large room, which was previously used by several groups for storage purposes, to create a modern digital media studio.

This space will be equipped with the latest digital technology and offer several different stages and backdrops for the production of a range of teaching-related videos. After considerable research the aim is to support a diversity of genres and importantly avoid the default trap of simply producing traditional ‘talking heads’ videos.

blossom Another dimension to Phase 1 of the redevelopment work is relocating our newly established “Ideas Lab” to the first floor extension. Under the leadership of Associate Professor Mairéad Nic Giolla Mhichíl, this year we have already appointed three new staff to The Ideas Lab and more people will be joining the team shortly, including a number of doctoral students, to work on several innovative projects supported with external funding. We will post more information about some of these projects over the next few months.

Park

A strong and common theme running throughout the above redevelopments is the concept of flow. This concept is an important design principle in contemporary literature on learning spaces. To this end we have adopted an ecological metaphor by taking inspiration from Hamstead Park directly opposite the Bea Orpen building. The plan is to incorporate within our interior spaces a number of features and several large images taken from the park as wall art to help create different habits for working and learning. Our intention is to encapsulate the sense of creativity and discovery that comes from exploring the park.

Phase 1 of this work should be completed before Christmas and we will formally launch our new spaces and relocated units in the new year.

By Orna Farrell

What is the value of studying for a Bachelor of Arts at university?

Despite being the butt of many jokes, and a recent article challenging the value of an Arts degree in the Irish context, a BA is not worth bugger all. There is great value in studying the Arts and Humanities, both in personal, economic and societal terms. There is strong evidence to suggest that the more educated you are the more you earn. We know from a number of studies that Arts graduates are less likely to be unemployed and tend to have healthier lifestyles.

BA1

The value of investing in an Arts degree is shown in raw economic terms in data compiled by Universities New Zealand, which found that a typical Arts graduate earns $1-1.3 million more over their working life than those without a degree; and that Arts graduates are earning above the national average salary and are less likely to be unemployed. The story down under contrasts with the claims Chris Fitzgerald makes in his recent think piece on the return on investment of university education.

How does the New Zealand situation compare to Ireland? In Ireland, graduates earn 63% more than those with a leaving certificate, according to the OECD Ireland-Education at a Glance 2016 report. The average starting salary for Irish Arts graduates is €21,000-25,000; this figure compares favourably to the average salary starting for Irish graduates in all disciplines of €21,000-29,000 in 2015 compiled by the HEA in the report What do Graduates Do?

So, there are clear economic benefits to having a BA, but there are also personal and societal benefits, these are evident in the latest American Education Pays 2016 report, which found that higher education is associated with healthier lifestyles and that graduates are more active citizens.

Are we preparing BA graduates for a career in McDonalds?

The short answer is no! Arts graduates work in a wide variety of employment sectors. To counter Fitzgerald’s claim they perform many jobs that society needs! Despite popular misconceptions many employers report they value the flexibility and broad knowledge of BA graduates, especially as their degree programmes encourage independence, critical thinking and a reflective approach to learning which is applicable to a wide range of jobs. In Ireland, the key employment sectors for Arts & Humanities graduates in 2015 were business, finance, insurance, distribution, and the public service. (HEA, 2017). No mention of McDonalds here or jobs that society doesn’t need!

You can read more of this think piece and learn about the emergence of digital humanities and online study options through DCU Connected on Orna Farrell’s Linkedin website.