" 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."

Are you tired of giving lectures and feeling like you’re the one doing all the work? Would you like to create a more positive learning environment for yourself where students are more involved and engaged in their learning? This was a highly interactive and engaging workshop that was divided into two parts to address these issues and provide some valuable insights into what can be done. Part one, involved discussions around: Why active learning could be part of your teaching What is active learning and what it might look like in your teaching context How you could engage in active learning in your classroom Some colleagues shared how they are currently using active learning strategies within their own teaching practice to engage their students in MTU Cork together with some other simple strategies that require little preparation. Part two, involved participants putting some of what they had learned into practice. They were asked to consider a module they teach and examine how they typically structure a lecture and what opportunities there are for students to engage during the lecture. They then redesigned their first lecture for this module to integrate some generally applicable AL strategies that they felt might work for them, their students, their discipline and the concepts they wanted their students to learn. To conclude, they were introduced to the Active Learning Movement, a new TLU initiative that will provide ongoing support to Lecturers should they be interested in implementing Active Learning (AL) strategies in their classrooms.

"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."

Assessment is probably the most important thing we can do to engage students in their learning. However, not all forms of assessment are created equal! Whilst there are many benefits of using authentic assessment approaches and providing feedback, teaching staff can face challenges in terms of large class sizes and their own constraints around resourcing and time. This session was an interactive workshop for staff which focused on redesigning assessments to make them a more authentic experience for students whilst ensuring they are manageable from a staff perspective. Participants were invited to send any assignment briefs, or past exam questions that they would like help with redesigning so that they are more authentic, prior to the session. A selection of these were then used as “live” cases at the session. Contact bali@cit.ie for more information.

Are you curious about how coaching can be applied in the context of higher education? Have you heard about MTU Cork’s Coaching in Higher Education course? If so, then this is the seminar for you!! Since 2019, MTU Cork staff have been offered the opportunity to attend our European Coaching and Mentoring Council (EMCC) accredited Coaching in Higher Education course and potentially achieve individual EMCC Foundation Level Coaching Accreditation through this programme. To date, the above course has been run 6 times and has attracted over 90 staff from both academic and professional management support areas. The course runs over 5 weeks and typically takes place on Friday afternoons, it consists of 5 modules with each module requiring a weekly commitment of 2.5 hours, and planning is underway for the next iteration which will take place in semester 2. The goal of this session was to raise awareness of how coaching principles and skills can and are being used in MTU Cork and to gain some insights from the following colleagues who have already participated in the course: Gail Cotter Buckley, Tourism and Hospitality, MTU Cork Sarah Culhane, Accounting and Information Systems, MTU Cork Dr. Ciara Glasheen Artem, Orchestral Studies, MTU Cork Catherine O’Mahony, Tourism and Hospitality, MTU Cork Michelle Collins, Marketing and International Business, MTU Cork They spoke about their experience and shared: Why they decided to enrol in the course What they learnt from the experience How they are applying what they’ve learned to their teaching, learning, assessment and student engagement practice And, of course, participants also had the opportunity to pose a few questions of their own. .

The World Health Organisation defines health as “a state of complete physical, mental and social well-being and not merely the absence of disease or infirmity”. In direct alignment with this holistic ethos, ‘A Healthy MTU’ (AHMTU) is a campus health promotion initiative that aims to maximise the health and wellbeing of all MTU students, staff and indeed the extended university community. To date, the initiative has been informed by a designated programme of research that has endeavoured to investigate the complex determinants of health within university settings. The overarching purpose of this event was to challenge traditional models of health, and to discuss the inextricable links that exist between health, education, social equity, inclusion, organisational cultures and broader societal determinants. The event encompassed an overview of empirical evidence that has been gathered to date by the AHMTU Research Team, pertaining specifically to the health and wellbeing of MTU staff. In addition, the event aimed to challenge attendees to consider the international ‘Healthy University’ movement, and its aligned initiatives such as AHMTU, as a powerful, synergistic force to contribute towards the creation of a more diverse and inclusive higher education landscape.

"Ireland’s reception system for asylum seekers is known as Direct Provision. Under the Direct Provision system, people are accommodated across the country in communal institutional centres or former hotel style settings. The vast majority of the centres are managed on a for-profit basis by private contractors. In this session, we heard from Fiona Finn , CEO of Nasc, about the work of Nasc and we also heard from two of Nasc’s clients about their stories and the challenges they have faced, because of living in Direct Provision. In addition, we were treated to a short Palestinian cookery demonstration from Izz and Eman’ Alkarajeh, who previously spent time in Direct Provision on arrival in Ireland but have since leaving opened the amazing Izz Café in Cork City!"

"Following the disappearance of Sarah Everard, and the news of her subsequent murder, a post by social media influencer Lucy Mountain with the green WhatsApp message on a white background simply reading “text me when you get home xx” went viral with many women taking to social media to share their personal stories about feeling scared and unsafe in public. This workshop was an interactive 90-minute workshop dealing with the following topics: What is consent, the law and consent? What are the barriers and things that help communicate consent? How to give consent and skills for resisting pressure? Sexual harassment, what it looks and sounds like? What to do if you witness /are being harassed? Where to get support?"

"Diversity in the workplace has become a popular topic of conversation in recent years, as more progressive movements and views have permeated society and culture. At this point, the need for and benefits of more workplace diversity regarding gender, race and sexual orientation has been well documented. However, age is one dimension of diversity that is equally important in a learning and working environment. This event celebrated “Age” and offered an insight into generational differences while featuring inspiring talks and experiences of successful MTU professionals. By removing the lens of age as a way to view and label individuals, you can shift the focus to their abilities, skills, experience, and knowledge, where it belongs."

"White Irish Travellers are an Irish ethnic group, making up almost 1% of the Irish population. Travellers have their own unique culture which was based on travelling around the country. As a society Ireland needs to work in partnership with Travellers to address the issues that face the Traveller community, such as education, housing and health. There is a need for public services to respect the cultural and ethnic identity of Travellers when they access services. Less than 1% of the Traveller population progress to third level education. The session was delivered in two parts as follows: Part 1: Denise Baker, a CIT postgraduate, whose thesis was on traveller education and who works with the Traveller community presented her research findings. Part 2: Traveller Cultural Awareness Training (TCAT) was delivered by Traveller Community Workers who have been trained in facilitation skills to deliver the programme. The aims of the TCAT programme are: To raise awareness of Traveller issues To provide information on Traveller culture and how this impacts on educational opportunities To identify the main barriers experienced by Travellers in accessing education To identify ways of moving forward to improve access and uptake of education"

"Every year, people from all over the world travel to different countries in Europe to work and study. Ireland is the destination of choice for some, particularly international students, with its reputation for having a high-quality education system, being English speaking and being a friendly and welcoming destination. But what’s it really like being an international student? Hear, first-hand from our panel of current and former international students about their experiences, the benefits they perceive of being an international student and the challenges they faced and had to overcome."

"There is often a misconception that due to our history of colonisation, racism does not take place in Ireland, but this is not true. Racism has existed in Ireland for a long time and it is important to educate ourselves about the different types of racism that people can experience in order to actively work to be anti-racist in our daily lives. This event was an opportunity to hear from members of the black community in Ireland who shared their personal stories of growing up, living and working in this country, their experiences of identity and racism, and their views on what needs to be done to make Ireland a more inclusive society."

"When a woman goes through the menopause, the symptoms can have a devastating effect on her work life, social life, and relationships. Women going through the menopause often find that they are met with a lack of understanding and empathy in their workplace. Misunderstanding and lack of information about the menopause contribute to everything from dips in employee performance to loss of employees. It is important therefore that organisations make every effort to give their employees the tools necessary to ensure an understanding of the menopause is firmly embedded at all levels within an organisation."

Providing learners with feedback is known to be one of the most impactful things we can do to enhance learning, it can also be very time-consuming. Often it also seems that learners are not acting on that feedback. This session will explore issues with feedback, and ways in which learners can be provided with feedback that are both efficient and effective for us. We will discuss the ‘power of words’ and explore the value of commenting constructively on assignments and assessments.

In this session we will look at ways to structure an exam paper, consider ways to write good quality questions and what a good marking scheme and model answer might look like. Exemplars and examples will be used to explore aspects of what a “good” exam question might look like.

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.

"Designing and managing in-class discussions is more challenging than the pause procedure or minute paper, but there is convincing evidence that collaborative learning works. This session will model an in-class discussion and discuss some of the evidence that supports this strategy."

"The spacing effect refers to the process of spacing a topic that is to be learned over time, rather than teaching the topic in an intensive session. The implication for our modules is that rather than teaching all of LO1 in weeks 1 and 2 (for example) we should consider if it is possible to divide the topic and teach some in week 1 and then revisit (perhaps in greater depth) later on in the semester. The topic is then spaced out over the semester. The available evidence tells us that this is a more effective strategy. This session will explore this strategy in more detail and present some of the evidence that supports this strategy"

"Having students retrieve information from long-term memory on a regular basis, is known to have a positive impact on learning. This is especially true when learners need to put a bit of effort into that retrieval process. Hence providing opportunities for learners to take tests (e.g. computer based multiple choice tests) can be a very effective strategy. This session will examine some of the evidence in favour of testing and discuss options for using this strategy."

"The generation effect refers to a broad range of techniques that require learners to generate information on a topic e.g. create a presentation or predict an outcome. There is a growing body of evidence which shows that having learners generate information is more effective than if they simply read the information. This session will review this body of evidence and discuss ways in which we could incorporate this strategy into our day-to-day teaching."

"The teaching strategy peer instruction was popularised by Eric Mazur to support the teaching of physics to undergraduate students at Harvard and is now one of the most widely used instructional strategies in undergraduate physics education. It has wide applicability outside of the physics discipline. This session will demonstrate peer instruction in action and discuss some of the evidence in favour of its effectiveness."

The pause procedure and minute paper are two simple teaching strategies that can be introduced into any lecture. This session will provide examples of their use in action and point to some evidence of their effectiveness.

Instructors often state that they provide lots of feedback but to little effect. This session will explore some of the reasons why this may happen and outline options for engaging students with assessment and feedback. In particular, providing choice, opportunities to apply feedback and cultivating trust are all known to encourage students to engage with the assessment processes.

Quality feedback (i) recognises what is good (ii) identifies limitations and (iii) suggests how the work could be improved. Shifting feedback responsibility from instructors to learners. Self-assessment & peer-assessment

While presenting learners with the assessment criteria and standards is good practice - they don’t necessarily result in learners developing a good understanding of the criteria and standard. This session explores the importance of dialogue around assessment and how a shared understanding of assessment requirements can be developed by applying rubrics to exemplars.

If our learners are to become more independent and develop the capacity to assess their own learning they must know what the assessment criteria and standards are. This session presented different types of assessment rubrics. Examples of different rubrics or marking sheets were presented so that these can be critiqued, and good practice identified.

This session explored staff attitudes towards assessment. The session focused on presenting an overview of assessment models that encourage, support and develop independence, self-regulation, etc. Components of these models were then explored in detail in later sessions.

This session explored staff attitudes towards assessment. The session focused on presenting an overview of assessment models that encourage, support and develop independence, self-regulation, etc. Components of these models were then explored in detail in later sessions.

Getting feedback from our learners is important because it is the only way we can determine if our teaching methods are effective. On a day-to-day basis we can use a variety of short classroom assessment techniques to determine if our learners are “getting it”. While we can put a lot of time and effort into making our lectures clear and well organised, that the pace is right, etc. it is only by asking students that we find out if they are perceived that way or not. Simple mid-term evaluation forms are highly effective as they can be acted upon and changes made to enhance the quality of the lecture. Examples of commonly used end of semester evaluation forms will also be highlighted.

A lecture is only effective if the majority of the class understand the material. Yet, asking a class “Do you understand?” is often ineffective, for a variety of reasons, including social anxieties and the fact that learners may not realise what they don’t understand. This session will explore the types of questions we should be asking our learners and the types of questions to avoid. Certain ways of asking questions are also much more effective and less threatening than others. The session will provide examples of these techniques in action.