"Maths anxiety is a psychological phenomenon in which a person experienced fear, tension, or discomfort when faced with mathematical tasks or situations. It is a common problem among students in higher education, particularly in subjects that requires a strong mathematical foundation such as physics, engineering, and economics. Maths anxiety could have a range of negative effects on a student's academic performance and well-being and could also have wider implications for a student's academic and career prospects. Joined the Irish Branch of the Mathematical Resilience Network for a Maths Anxiety Awareness Day workshop!"

"Maths anxiety is a psychological phenomenon in which a person experienced fear, tension, or discomfort when faced with mathematical tasks or situations. It is a common problem among students in higher education, particularly in subjects that requires a strong mathematical foundation such as physics, engineering, and economics. Maths anxiety could have a range of negative effects on a student's academic performance and well-being and could also have wider implications for a student's academic and career prospects. Joined the Irish Branch of the Mathematical Resilience Network for a Maths Anxiety Awareness Day workshop!"

"Maths anxiety is a psychological phenomenon in which a person experienced fear, tension, or discomfort when faced with mathematical tasks or situations. It is a common problem among students in higher education, particularly in subjects that requires a strong mathematical foundation such as physics, engineering, and economics. Maths anxiety could have a range of negative effects on a student's academic performance and well-being and could also have wider implications for a student's academic and career prospects. Joined the Irish Branch of the Mathematical Resilience Network for a Maths Anxiety Awareness Day workshop!"

"This one-day course was designed for education professionals who work closely with those who have dyscalculia either in a teaching or supporting role or those who wish to develop their own knowledge and understanding of the area. The one-day course had a particular focus on identifying dyscalculia in learners in a post 16 setting. By the end of the one-day course, participants got an understanding of: What is Dyscalculia? How is dyscalculia different from maths learning difficulties? How can dyscalculia and maths learning difficulties be identified in Post 16 learners? What is maths anxiety? What is good practice in supporting learners with dyscalculia? "

"This one-day course was designed for education professionals who work closely with those who have dyscalculia either in a teaching or supporting role or those who wish to develop their own knowledge and understanding of the area. The one-day course had a particular focus on identifying dyscalculia in learners in a post 16 setting. By the end of the one-day course, participants got an understanding of: What is Dyscalculia? How is dyscalculia different from maths learning difficulties? How can dyscalculia and maths learning difficulties be identified in Post 16 learners? What is maths anxiety? What is good practice in supporting learners with dyscalculia? "

"Writing a thesis is a huge undertaking and one that often overwhelms doctoral candidates. Many students struggle at this stage, experience writer’s block, delay writing and in some cases fail to submit at all. Supervisors can play a crucial role in this stage of the PhD. This seminar looks at the strategies supervisors can employ to help their student complete and submit their thesis. In this seminar, Hugh Kearns facilitated a discussion of: The writing challenges faced by late-stage doctoral students. How supervisors can support students in these challenges. Developing a writing plan and completion plan with the student Providing critical and constructive feedback Supporting the student when the going gets tough The problems experienced by supervisors and potential solutions On completion of the workshop, participants can now: Implement strategies for providing writing feedback to students. Diagnose common problems that need to be resolved in the final draft. Provide support for the emotional challenges of writing up. Offer advice on writing productivity to doctoral students"

"Writing a thesis is a huge undertaking and one that often overwhelms doctoral candidates. Many students struggle at this stage, experience writer’s block, delay writing and in some cases fail to submit at all. Supervisors can play a crucial role in this stage of the PhD. This seminar looks at the strategies supervisors can employ to help their student complete and submit their thesis. In this seminar, Hugh Kearns facilitated a discussion of: The writing challenges faced by late-stage doctoral students. How supervisors can support students in these challenges. Developing a writing plan and completion plan with the student Providing critical and constructive feedback Supporting the student when the going gets tough The problems experienced by supervisors and potential solutions On completion of the workshop, participants can now: Implement strategies for providing writing feedback to students. Diagnose common problems that need to be resolved in the final draft. Provide support for the emotional challenges of writing up. Offer advice on writing productivity to doctoral students"

"Writing a thesis is a huge undertaking and one that often overwhelms doctoral candidates. Many students struggle at this stage, experience writer’s block, delay writing and in some cases fail to submit at all. Supervisors can play a crucial role in this stage of the PhD. This seminar looks at the strategies supervisors can employ to help their student complete and submit their thesis. In this seminar, Hugh Kearns facilitated a discussion of: The writing challenges faced by late-stage doctoral students. How supervisors can support students in these challenges. Developing a writing plan and completion plan with the student Providing critical and constructive feedback Supporting the student when the going gets tough The problems experienced by supervisors and potential solutions On completion of the workshop, participants can now: Implement strategies for providing writing feedback to students. Diagnose common problems that need to be resolved in the final draft. Provide support for the emotional challenges of writing up. Offer advice on writing productivity to doctoral students"

"In a typically busy academic semester, lecturers and students are naturally focused on delivering and consuming course material and content. Consequently, neither rarely have the time to stop and consider whether the necessary tools are being utilised to promote long term durable learning. Accessing these learning tools is easier than one might think and simple implementable strategies which are backed by decades of research can dramatically improve learning. This interactive session focused on a simple case study which showed how effective the introduction of simple practices can be in facilitating effective learning. Attendees learned how to apply these tools in their own courses and modules and will also got to see what students felt about adopting these new practices."

In a typically busy academic semester, lecturers and students are naturally focused on delivering and consuming course material and content. Consequently, neither rarely have the time to stop and consider whether the necessary tools are being utilised to promote long term durable learning. Accessing these learning tools is easier than one might think and simple implementable strategies which are backed by decades of research can dramatically improve learning. This interactive session focused on a simple case study which showed how effective the introduction of simple practices can be in facilitating effective learning. Attendees learned how to apply these tools in their own courses and modules and will also got to see what students felt about adopting these new practices.

" When the first day of class comes around, you’ve reflected on your course goals and structure, gathered your syllabus together, shared materials in Canvas, and prepared your first day of class presentation. How do you then establish a relationship with your students? How do you talk with them on the first day? How do you set the tone?” (Cathy Bovill, January 2020, Georgetown University) Drawing on her most recent work, ‘Co-creating Learning and Teaching: Towards relational pedagogy in higher education’ (April 2020), Cathy Bovill explored the concept of relational pedagogy using the classroom as a focus for curriculum co-creation. We can often think that co-creation might only be available to small groups of students working closely with a member of staff, as might also be suggested of many student partnership activities. However, this seminar challenges this idea and explores how co-creation has the potential in both classroom and online class teaching settings to include all students in developing relationships and shared decision making. The seminar suggests that in the pivot to online delivery these opportunities should be maximised. Using her current research and time as a Fulbright Scholar (based at Elon University), Cathy shares examples from university and school settings, to set the challenge to participants to identify ways in which their presence in the classroom (online or otherwise) might be used to positively shape their learning and teaching practice in a way that demonstrates a care for their students thus building a more positive student learning experience. This seminar enabled participants to: Understand and explore the concept of relational pedagogy in a face-to-face and online environment Reflect on how their own experience in ‘whole-class’ engagement practices contribute to an engaged learning environment Consider how their own understandings and definitions of student engagement, partnership and co-creation impact their professional practice Identify and plan the practical/impactful methods/approaches that could be implemented in learning environments to support a whole-class resulting in a more inclusive experience for all students."

" When the first day of class comes around, you’ve reflected on your course goals and structure, gathered your syllabus together, shared materials in Canvas, and prepared your first day of class presentation. How do you then establish a relationship with your students? How do you talk with them on the first day? How do you set the tone?” (Cathy Bovill, January 2020, Georgetown University) Drawing on her most recent work, ‘Co-creating Learning and Teaching: Towards relational pedagogy in higher education’ (April 2020), Cathy Bovill explored the concept of relational pedagogy using the classroom as a focus for curriculum co-creation. We can often think that co-creation might only be available to small groups of students working closely with a member of staff, as might also be suggested of many student partnership activities. However, this seminar challenges this idea and explores how co-creation has the potential in both classroom and online class teaching settings to include all students in developing relationships and shared decision making. The seminar suggests that in the pivot to online delivery these opportunities should be maximised. Using her current research and time as a Fulbright Scholar (based at Elon University), Cathy shares examples from university and school settings, to set the challenge to participants to identify ways in which their presence in the classroom (online or otherwise) might be used to positively shape their learning and teaching practice in a way that demonstrates a care for their students thus building a more positive student learning experience. This seminar enabled participants to: Understand and explore the concept of relational pedagogy in a face-to-face and online environment Reflect on how their own experience in ‘whole-class’ engagement practices contribute to an engaged learning environment Consider how their own understandings and definitions of student engagement, partnership and co-creation impact their professional practice Identify and plan the practical/impactful methods/approaches that could be implemented in learning environments to support a whole-class resulting in a more inclusive experience for all students."

"Though nearly as common as dyslexia, dyscalculia is neither well-known nor well-understood among educators and clinicians. In recent years students with dyscalculia have presented in different MTU Cork programmes of study and have struggled with completing core maths modules or using maths within modules of their course such as Science and Business subjects. Staff in MTU Cork were surveyed about their awareness of and questions about Dyscalculia. In addition, students with the Disability Support Service (DSS) were surveyed on their experience of dyscalculia in college. The results of these surveys were used to inform the design and content of this workshop and their findings were presented during the workshop itself. The objective of this workshop was to raise awareness about dyscalculia among the MTU community and identify best practice approaches to support our students with dyscalculia. Following universal design for learning (UDL) principles that promote increased accessibility in teaching and learning we hope that this raised awareness will in fact benefit all students who interact with maths and numbers as part of their studies at MTU Cork. A major focus of this workshop was on ways in which lecturers or tutors can support students with Dyscalculia to succeed. Hilary Maddocks has worked for many years supporting such students at Loughborough University. The student perspective was also presented as we heard from an MTU Cork student about her experiences of learning with Dyscalculia, and the DSS gave some background."

"Though nearly as common as dyslexia, dyscalculia is neither well-known nor well-understood among educators and clinicians. In recent years students with dyscalculia have presented in different MTU Cork programmes of study and have struggled with completing core maths modules or using maths within modules of their course such as Science and Business subjects. Staff in MTU Cork were surveyed about their awareness of and questions about Dyscalculia. In addition, students with the Disability Support Service (DSS) were surveyed on their experience of dyscalculia in college. The results of these surveys were used to inform the design and content of this workshop and their findings were presented during the workshop itself. The objective of this workshop was to raise awareness about dyscalculia among the MTU community and identify best practice approaches to support our students with dyscalculia. Following universal design for learning (UDL) principles that promote increased accessibility in teaching and learning we hope that this raised awareness will in fact benefit all students who interact with maths and numbers as part of their studies at MTU Cork. A major focus of this workshop was on ways in which lecturers or tutors can support students with Dyscalculia to succeed. Hilary Maddocks has worked for many years supporting such students at Loughborough University. The student perspective was also presented as we heard from an MTU Cork student about her experiences of learning with Dyscalculia, and the DSS gave some background."

Deep Learning refers to the cognitive skills and academic knowledge that students need to succeed in the 21st century. These skills include critical thinking, problem solving, communication, collaboration and learning to learn. The mastery of these skills will enable students to think flexibly and creatively, transferring and applying their learning from one context to new situations. This seminar looked at how one academic in CIT, Dr Anna Dynan, Accounting & Information Systems has used PeerWise, a free online platform, to provide a space where her students can collaboratively create, answer, discuss, and evaluate practice questions with peers and has thereby helped her students engage with unit concepts more deeply and critically. In this seminar, participants gained an understanding of: How PeerWise can be used to engage students and enhance their learning outcomes. The impact this approach can have on student engagement and learning The student view on this collaborative approach to learning Advice/best practice/tip & tricks when using PeerWise in your module.

"This aim of this seminar was to promote informed thinking about how assessment is conceived and practiced at third level with a view to greater alignment between teaching, learning and assessment. It allowed lecturers and academic managers to discuss and share good practice while also considering how current assessment procedures in place in their institutions might be enhanced to improve student learning, progression and success. Assessment for learning is one of the most powerful ways of improving student learning and achievement. Formative assessment, done well, improves student self-regulation and awareness of what needs to be done to enhance their learning, is forward focused and motivational. Participants considered how enhancing learning, teaching and assessment alignment can improve learning for different student cohorts and group sizes in times of limited resources and increasing accountability. The workshop element of the seminar gave participants the opportunity to share and take away some practical ideas and techniques that they could use in their classes. Participants in this seminar: Reflected upon the relationship between teaching, learning and assessment for learning Considered the challenges of effective management of assessment from an institutional, teacher/lecturer and student perspective Reflected on how assessment design, integration with the curriculum, marking and feedback could best be supported Discussed, shared good practice and considered current assessment procedures and how they might be enhanced with different student cohorts/group sizes Considered some practical/ impactful assessment for learning techniques that they may like to use in the future"

Cork Institute of Technology and Griffith College Cork came together to organise this seminar to examine digital teaching tools for Mathematics in Higher Education. The focus of this seminar was to explore and champion effective digital tools and technologies in the teaching of Mathematics in Higher Education in Ireland and to create an opportunity for networking and initiation of collaborative relationships in this area. It provided hands on experience of educational technology in Mathematics for participants and provided a forum for exploring challenges, exchanging ideas and disseminating practices. Talks/workshops included: Dr Maria Meehan, UCD, who discussed her experience of the use of technology in teaching Mathematics. CIT’s Technology Enhanced Learning Department who discussed Teaching Mathematics using virtual and augmented reality. Lightning Talks from participants who use education technology in their Higher Education Maths classroom/lecture who shared their experience with others Parallel Workshops on Mathematics e-assessment using Numbas catering for beginners and more advanced users.

Within CIT, mathematics and statistics play a key role in almost every programme and most students will encounter mathematics/statistics related modules at some point in their studies. Some programmes, especially those in the Faculty of Engineering & Science, are highly mathematical in nature and will contain many mathematics and statistics modules integrated from the start to end of the programme of study, whilst others have slightly less mathematical content, but any mathematics and statistics modules taken are continually relied upon over the duration of the programme. Frequently, however, mathematics lecturers find that students struggle with understanding when and where the mathematics that they are being asked to learn will be used in their chosen programme and in their future profession. In addition, because a lot of mathematics modules are taught to diverse groups of students there is little chance to show students problems applied to their own specific field of study. Therefore, mathematics can appear to them to be an abstract subject, separate from other topics encountered during their programme of study. In an effort to address this problem, members of a learning community established in CIT’s Department of Mathematics and Department of Civil, Structural and Environmental Engineering, applied for funding from the Teaching and Learning Development Fund to develop relevance-orientated problems for students from different disciplines so as to support students to understand the importance of mathematics in their chosen field at an early stage of their degree and career. As a starting point for this project, the Department of Mathematics and Department of Civil, Structural and Environmental Engineering have initiated a pilot project to develop a bank of contextual materials for their students to enable them to better understand the role of mathematics in their chosen programme. This seminar was considered primarily to be of interest to staff in the Department of Mathematics and Department of Civil, Structural & Environmental Engineering as theirs is the first cohort of students for whom such resources are being developed. However, it was thought that it should also be of general interest to all staff so that they can see the type of work being done, the benefits of developing these types of resources and perhaps initiate their own department’s future collaboration with the Department of Mathematics. This seminar consisted of the following: • Talks: o Maths in Structural Engineering Seán Carroll, Chartered Structural Engineer, Assistant Lecturer Department of Civil, Structural & Environmental Engineering, CIT o Contexts & Concepts: A Case Study of Mathematics Assessment for Civil & Environmental Engineering Dr J.P. McCarthy, Lecturer, Department of Mathematics, CIT o Maths in Engineering: Perspectives of a Bridge Engineer Michael Minehane, Chartered Senior Engineer at RPS Europe, where he works on the design, inspection assessment and rehabilitation of bridges and large civil structures. He graduated from Cork Institute of Technology in 2010 with a BEng (Hons) in Civil, Structural & Environmental Engineering, and in 2011 with an MEng in Advanced Structural Engineering. He is a part-time lecturer at Cork Institute of Technology since 2015 where he delivers a module on BIM for Infrastructure. • Contributions from several speakers, including: o Dr Clodagh Carroll, Lecturer, Department of Mathematics, CIT o Dr Violeta Morari, Lecturer, Department of Mathematics, CIT • Some short videos emphasising the centrality of mathematics within Civil, Structural & Environmental Engineering which have been developed will be presented

“Students learn a great deal by explaining their ideas to others and by participating in activities in which they can learn from their peers” (Boud, 2001). Peer Learning can significantly assist students in the transition into and throughout higher education and strongly motivates learning and enhances student success. This workshop explored the role of Peers in providing a holistic, value-added and enriched student experience. It provided answers to some of the following questions: What is the role of the Peer? How do you select Peers to be involved in structured support? What are the boundaries? What will be the benefits? This workshop was interactive and encouraged participants to consider different approaches to using Peers to support students."

The literature review is a core component of many, if not all, final year programmes at third level. Despite the importance of this, many undergraduate students are not given the instructional tools to complete the onerous tasks of organising and planning a literature review. This seminar presented results of a pilot study initiated by the Department of Biological Sciences with over 100 final year undergraduate life science students. These students attended a 1-hour weekly instructional lecture as part of the literature review module. The seminar was targeted at academic staff and focused on: What tools were made available to students How well students engaged with the tools What the learning experience was for both lecturers and students How this approach could be modified across different disciplines

"This seminar introduced participants to the flipped classroom: a pedagogical model used to engage students in active learning, where there is a greater focus on students’ application of conceptual knowledge rather than factual recall. In particular, this seminar showcased some of the results from the Flipped Classroom Initiative that ran in CIT during the semester. It was a chance for participants to engage with colleagues within the institute who have participated in this initiative and to gain valuable insight into their experiences. The aims of this seminar were to: Explain the concept of a flipped classroom Explain the advantages/disadvantages of the flipped classroom approach Understand how the flipped classroom approach can be applied to a variety of disciplines"

"At this seminar participants were given an opportunity to explore approaches, strategies and methodologies for creating and maintaining a classroom environment which promotes learning. Topics such as the use of learning environment checklists, positive behavior interventions and dealing with the disruptive student were discussed. The workshop examined the work of educators such as Ken Bain, Phil Race and Bill Rogers as well as drawing from expertise from within CIT."

"Assistive technology (AT) tools and resources were once meant for students with learning disabilities, but there is clear, documented proof that these tools are beneficial to everyone. This session introduced staff to the various AT that can be used by both students and staff to support academic study including dictation, mind mapping and narration technologies. In addition, some useful learning resources, developed within the CIT Disability Office, were shared that can be used to support all students not just those with disabilities."

The DSS are developing Learning Support resources such as biteszie videos on study skills to help you and will continue to update these as more are created - we hope you find them useful!

The DSS are developing Learning Support resources such as biteszie videos on study skills to help you and will continue to update these as more are created - we hope you find them useful!

The DSS are developing Learning Support resources such as biteszie videos on study skills to help you and will continue to update these as more are created - we hope you find them useful!

The DSS are developing Learning Support resources such as biteszie videos on study skills to help you and will continue to update these as more are created - we hope you find them useful!

"A variety of phrases have been coined to describe a critical shift in mission and purpose of higher education. Barr and Tagg (1995) expressed the change as a move from an ―Instruction Paradigm‖ in which universities delivered instruction to ―transfer knowledge from faculty to students‖ to a ―Learning Paradigm‖ in which universities produce learning through ―student discovery and construction of knowledge.‖ Huba and Freed (2000) used the phrase ―learning- centered assessment‖ to emphasize transition in the focus of instruction and assessment from teaching to learning. The following description of student-centered instruction provides another starting point for conversations about student-centered learning:"

Many lectures can be designed to follow a similar structure and being aware of this structure can help you to design effective lectures. In this session we will look at some recommended practices for structuring a typical lecture. A central aim is to engage those students that attend so that learners leave with the feeling that the lecture was worth attending.

"Team based learning (TBL) is an instructional method that puts students into roles of greater autonomy and responsibility for their learning. Groups are collections of individuals. Teams are groups who have developed a shared purpose and sense of collective responsibility. Groups evolve into teams when an instructor creates the proper conditions for effective collaboration. Well-designed tasks plus strategic course design create the conditions and environment that teach group members to listen to one another, value each other's contributions, learn from mistakes, rein in ineffective behaviour, and eventually trust in the team's ability to outperform any given individual. Tom outlined how weekly individual lab exercises were replaced with a semester-long team project and the impact that has had on student learning."