Presentations – Page 13 – Digital Learning Dispatches

A highly successful Feedback Symposium was held at Maynooth University as the final deliverable of the Y1 Feedback project. The Symposium gave an opportunity for around 150 participants from across Irish higher education institutions to explore, discuss, and share approaches to enhancing feedback in first year. Each participant as part of their registration received a free copy of the literature review on contemporary feedback approaches published by the project team.

The programme included keynote presentations from a number of international experts on assessment and feedback, including Professor David Carless (video introduction), Professor Tansy Jessop, Professor David Nicol, and Dr. Naomi Winstone, author of a recently published Feedback Toolkit.

As part of the programme, and at the centre of the day, the Symposium also helped to showcase the range of technology-enabled feedback case studies developed by the Y1 Feedback project. Y1 Feedback case study participants collaborated across Maynooth University, Athlone IT, Dundalk IT, and Dublin City University. Several NIDL staff contributed presentations at the Symposium and case studies on topics ranging from learning analytics (Dr Mark Glynn), the use of Peer Wise (Dr Eamon Costello) and the adoption of programme-wide assessment and feedback strategy (led by Dr James Brunton.

The Y1 Feedback project team, led by Lisa O’Regan, and including Orna Farrell and Professor Mark Brown from the NIDL, is shown in the photo below. Congratulations to everyone involved in what was a very productive and rewarding professional collaboration.

In late November 2017 a team of DCU staff, including Professor Mark Brown, Dr James Brunton, Associate Professor Deirdre Butler, Lorraine Delaney, Dr Mairéad Nic Giolla Mhichíl and Lisa O’Regan from Maynooth University, contributed to the annual ASCILITE International Conference on Innovation Practice and Research in the use of Educational Technologies in Tertiary Education in Adelaide. ASCILITE is the largest professional body in Australia and New Zealand supporting the use of new learning technologies in higher education and the conference attracted almost 500 delegates.

ascil

The Irish delegation was visible throughout the conference presenting a total of eight papers and posters. Notably the Student Success Toolbox project team led by Dr James Brunton won the “Best Poster Award” which was one of approximately 30 entries at the conference.

ascil4

In many respects this project serves as a model for future NIDL initiatives as over the past two-years more than 20 scholarly have been generated by the project team. Moreover the programme of research and development is set to continue beyond the life of the funding, which is an important measure of the success and sustainability of any externally funded initiative.

In early December, as a follow up the ascilite conference, the delegation of DCU staff, participated in a number of institutional visits, including:

• Deakin University hosted by Professor Beverley Oliver, Deputy Vice Chancellor, Education.

• Open Universities Australia hosted by Brett McLennan, Head of Learning Design Content.

• Swinburne University hosted by Professor Mike Keppell, Pro-Vice-Chancellor, Learning Transformations.

• University of New South Wales, Sydney, hosted by Professor Geoff Crisp, Pro-Vice-Chancellor, Education

Deakin

Prior to the ascilite conference, Mark Brown also participated in the International Council for Open and Distance Education (ICDE) President’s Summit, which attracted over 100 senior institutional leaders in the area. Mark gave a brief presentation on the closing day trying to summarise many of the major discussions themes.