Scholarships – Page 5 – Digital Learning Dispatches

By Clare Gormley

Having recently completed the SEDA course Supporting and Leading Educational Change (snappily called SLEC), I thought I would share some reflections that might be of interest to those of you considering it. You might, for example, be actively involved in educational development as a member of a central teaching and learning unit, you might offer postgraduate teaching-related programmes to academic staff, and/or you might lead a team that implements funded projects of a technological and pedagogical nature. If you are toying with the idea of gaining a professional qualification for this type of work, then read on to explore if this course might be a good fit for you.

Course Description

First, some basic facts. This is a 12-week online course that as the website goes is “designed to accredit and advance your work in supporting and leading educational change in further or higher education”. It is divided into two six-week blocks before and after the Christmas break. Successful completion of the course leads to Fellowship of SEDA (FSEDA). SEDA is the UK-based Staff and Educational Development Association, a professional body that seeks to promote innovation and good practice in higher education. Established in 1993, the overall mission of SEDA is to offer members professional learning opportunities, professional recognition, and practice-oriented publications with the ultimate goal of supporting student learning.

As someone who has worked in academic development for a number of years, but who did not have a qualification in that specific field, I felt it was time to give time to probe and more deeply reflect on the way I have been approaching my role. I wasn’t looking for CPD that focused primarily on the science and craft of teaching, I wanted something that was tailored to a role where you are supporting and hopefully enabling other staff to develop as teachers. To my mind the distinction is important and the big questions for educational developers are very different: Are there better ways of evaluating the impact of various initiatives we are spending time and money on? How are other institutions designing and offering their CPD for maximum gain? Are we doing the right thing as regards the opportunities in place to support the sharing of teaching practice? Am I doing what I really should be doing in my job? These were the types of questions I wanted to explore and develop more confidence in through learning from an international community of peers.

[You can read the remainder of Clare’s reflections on her SEDA Fellowship experience on her personal blog].

We are pleased to announce that a new Digital Learning strand or professional focus is now available in our internationally regarded Doctor of Education (EdD) programme which is offered through DCU’s Institute of Education. The EdD programme is ideal for part-time doctoral students working in education and/or training environments who are returning to postgraduate study, as there are significant benefits and advantages of collaborating with fellow doctoral candidates, and a team of experienced DCU researchers, as part of a supportive cohort. Applications are now open for the first intake of students in the Digital Learning doctorate.

We are also delighted to announce that the DCU Institute of Education, in association with the National Institute for Digital Learning (NIDL), invites applications for two new Doctoral Scholarships for research in the area of Digital Learning. These scholarships will cover 50% of the cost of EdD programme registration fees for the first two-years of study. More information about how to apply for the Doctoral Scholarships can be found on the following website:

• Apply for EdD Scholarships in Digital Learning

In preparing your scholarship application you may also wish to view the list of DCU staff who are research active in the area of Digital Learning and their wide range of interests and scholarly outputs. Should you require any further information about undertaking a doctorate in the Digital Learning area then please contact Dr Enda Donlon in the Institute of Education or Professor Mark Brown, Director of the National Institute for Digital Learning.