"Learning communities serve many functions in education. They allow for the sharing of ideas, the standardisation of practices and the presentation of new solutions and insights. They can also enhance teamwork and collaboration, as well as reduce individual workloads within and across departments and schools. In the last 2 years the TLU have supported the creation and development of over 20 Learning Communities across MTU Cork. This session allowed them to share their experiences and gave those interested in developing their own LC an understanding of how the TLU can help support and fund their ideas."

"Learning communities serve many functions in education. They allow for the sharing of ideas, the standardisation of practices and the presentation of new solutions and insights. They can also enhance teamwork and collaboration, as well as reduce individual workloads within and across departments and schools. In the last 2 years the TLU have supported the creation and development of over 20 Learning Communities across MTU Cork. This session allowed them to share their experiences and gave those interested in developing their own LC an understanding of how the TLU can help support and fund their ideas."

"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."

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.

"CIT’s Teaching & Learning Unit (TLU) launched an inaugural call in 2018 to develop and support a number of Learning Communities (LCs) across the institute and is currently working with 13 emerging LCs from across the institute as a direct result of this call. LCs facilitate the exchange of good teaching and learning ideas amongst its members and provide a platform for professional discussions and sharing of practices. The main purpose of this session was to support our current cohort of (LCs) but was also useful to those who would like to learn more about the benefits of initiating and sustaining an active LC."

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"

"Vygotsky’s (1978) theory of social constructivism highlighted the importance of the contribution of others to every individual’s learning. With the increasing use of ICT and the internet, learning communities can expand beyond geographical limitations leading to new and exciting educational dimensions and learning opportunities across schools, colleges, communities and cultures. The term ‘learning community’ has become increasingly common in education usage and can mean many different things, from bringing members of the local community in to the college to collaborative learning among students or lecturers. Colleges today are complex, interwoven, interactive environments where learning flourishes when there is a spirit of openness and transparency and where lecturers are more likely to adopt a collegial approach incorporating shared leadership and authority thereby facilitating the work of the students. In colleges that are learning communities, everyone is a learner, and everyone is a teacher. This seminar explored how a coaching skill set can be used to enable learning institutions to develop the skills of enquiry, collaboration, sharing of practice and critically evaluate beliefs about teaching and learning. The overall aim of the seminar was to enhance the quality of professional communication and dialogue one of the four domains underpinned by the National Professional Development framework’s values. The seminar employed a blended learning approach involving experiential learning techniques complimented by facilitated debriefs, group discussions and short presentations. The main objectives of this seminar were that participants would have: Deepened their understanding of the nature and benefits of peer coaching. Gained a heightened awareness of how coaching skills can be used to enhance individual and group learning. Gained insight into how a departmental wide peer mentoring model is evolving in CIT. Increased their knowledge and expertise in the use of coaching skills in their professional roles. Have practiced their coaching skills in challenging situations. Constructed an action plan to utilise the workshop content to improve their peer coaching skills so they can better support their peers and engage in purposeful conversations regarding professional development, development of learning communities and communities of practice."

"This workshop aimed to increase awareness and understanding of the process of recognition of prior learning. Workshop participants were given an opportunity to share views and perspectives in a structured format. A broad outline of the benefits of RPL and the current national and European policy framework provided a backdrop for the consideration of the challenges posed in practice and CIT’s policy and practice in particular. The main objectives of this workshop were that participants would be able to: Demonstrate an understanding of the benefits of a recognition of prior learning process for individual learners, cohort groups, employers and higher education providers Evaluate the challenges posed by RPL processes for higher education providers including assessment and how they relate to their professional context Describe and locate CIT policy on RPL and identify the supports available for learners and HE staff"

CIT’s Teaching & Learning Unit (TLU) launched an inaugural call in 2018 to develop and support a number of Learning Communities (LCs) across the institute and is currently working with 13 emerging LCs from across the institute as a direct result of this call. LCs facilitate the exchange of good teaching and learning ideas amongst its members and provide a platform for professional discussions and sharing of practices. This workshop enabled these emerging LCs to: Showcase their vision and ideas for both their short- and long-term ambitions Show how their activities are influencing teaching and learning in their respective disciplines. An open invitation was extended to all CIT staff to attend what turned out to be a lively and thought-provoking session where they heard more about our LCs and found out how to: Develop a new LC or Create partnerships with existing ones

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.

"Is this your first year as a lecturer or have you been lecturing for several years already? Do you sometimes feel daunted or overwhelmed by the thought of the academic year ahead? Are there times you get that Groundhog Day feeling and wish you could do things differently? Are there aspects of your teaching and assessment practice that frustrate and annoy you? The Teaching and Learning Unit (TLU), part of the Office of Registrar and VP for Academic Affairs, was formed to support the work of the Registrar in a wide range of quality enhancement initiatives associated with teaching and learning. In this session, we aimed to: Introduce you to the TLU Team – who we are and what we do? Give an insight into the supports and services available from the TLU that can help you in your day-to day role from: Professional Development Opportunities such as our MA in Teaching & Learning in Higher Education and the variety of workshops and seminars we offer throughout the year Research and Funding Opportunities that you can access Resources we have developed in conjunction with experts in the field of teaching and learning Projects that we are pursuing Gain an understanding from you of any other ways you would like our help"

"Our classrooms have become more diverse and complex in terms of both student culture and ability, but the question is, do students see themselves reflected in our practice? This workshop provided participants with an introduction to UDL (Universal Design for Learning) as a model for Inclusive Practice that provides a framework to manage diversity to include all students. It explored the complexity that is implicit in the idea of inclusion especially when supporting students. Some practical tools and strategies were identified that benefit not only students with a disability, but all students in the long run. The workshop was targeted at all CIT staff, and participants: Gained an understanding of what is meant by inclusion and Universal Design for Learning Engaged in practical activities where consideration is given to how designing a learning environment that is inclusive of a more diverse student population. Used the UDL model to design an inclusive learning environment. Considered how to create an Inclusive campus Gained an insight of the work of CIT's Disability Support Service and their work on the use of reasonable accommodations in a more strategic and inclusive manner."

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

"How can we design assessment tasks, so they inspire our students to learn? How can we use assessment to enthuse our learners, and keep them engaged? What are the processes which underpin effective feedback and what are some of the barriers and challenges we face in helping students’ uptake of feedback? How can we approach feedback so that it is meaningful and useful to students, but manageable for ourselves? How far and in what ways do we involve students in the process of evaluative judgment, so they learn to see how they are going while they are working on tasks? These are some of the questions and issues that were explored and discussed in this interactive seminar on engaging students in assessment and feedback processes. Participants who attended this: Explored key principles underpinning the design of Assessment for Learning (AfL) in Higher Education (Sambell et al, 2013), which include assessment for and as learning; Discussed the benefits, challenges and strategies colleagues in different disciplines use to engage learners as productively as possible in assessment and feedback processes; Gained access to practical AfL resources, shared ideas with each other and considered pragmatic tactics to develop students’ assessment and feedback literacy."

"Miles Davis, musical creator extraordinaire, once asserted that sometimes it takes a long time to play like yourself. The 21st century’s complexity and uncertainty requires unprecedented cognitive, affective and operative flexibility, inquiry and creativity. As educators, we are for a short, albeit significant, time company on our students’ developmental journeys. We must be acutely aware of the increasing demands on our students to acquire the competence, capacity and capability to develop authentic life plans – to play like themselves - if our curricula are to support students meet the demands of the curriculum of life (Robert Kegan). The significant challenges for our students are thus challenges of the Self (awareness of values, deepest beliefs and purposes). To be good company on our students’ journeys educators should engage students qua persons; immersing them in teaching and learning environments that challenge and support such Self-development. Accordingly, educators must disrupt ourselves (Randy Bass), embedding an ontological dimension to our curricula so that we cultivate within our students the competence, capacity and capability to live life as inquiry. Scaffolding such reflective practice requires the cultivation of space for students to explore how (for instance) disciplinary understanding is shaping who they are becoming as they transition through formal education in preparation for transition out to (primarily) professional environments. As educators we hold a key to these existentialist doors through how encounters with curricula are designed. If an overarching purpose of Higher Education is framed as the cultivation of intentional learning capacity embodying ‘assessment as learning’ then educators must scaffold students to unlock these existential doors. This may be psychologically and developmentally difficult, but it is perhaps an imperative if students qua graduates are to successfully engage with the unknown, unknowns and unknown knowns of the 21st century. In this workshop, the facilitator shared his own experiments embedding reflective practice into his curricula. He sharde his experiences in designing, implementing and assessing student-centred reflective assessment performances (for example Critical Incident Analysis; Immunity to Change Maps; Picturing Your Future Self Diagrams; Transformative Learning Videos and Lived Experience Portfolios) that explicitly integrate knowing, doing and being; an integration of epistemology with ontology. The aims of this workshop were, to: Justify the concept of reflective practice as a key part of a student-centred curriculum Offer a rationale for reflective practice as a core component of assessment as learning Outline how to embed reflective practice into the curriculum Construct different ways of designing, implementing and assessing student-centred reflective assessment performances The through line of this workshop was to plant (or re-enforce) the seed that we qua educators ought to privilege our role as mentors enabling our students to sing their own ‘developmental’ songs, giving them the courage, to quote Miles Davis again, to don’t play what is there, play what is not there."

This seminar considered key theoretical perspectives on work-based assessment. It discussed: The nature of work-based learning and its role in: Developing key graduate skills The wider life-long learning society. Different approaches to work-based learning practice, including the new apprenticeship model. The context of learning, including the role and responsibilities of both the learner and the employer, with a focus on authentic assessment approaches that support individualised learning. Participants were encouraged to bring along module descriptors, related to learning in the workplace, so that these theoretical perspectives could be applied to practice. n the workshop component, participants, in small groups, discussed, critiqued and developed the methods and processes that they currently use to assess placements in their own disciplines. They were encouraged to examine the ways in which current theory and best practice could inform and develop their disciplinary approaches.

This session focused on plagiarism and provided guidance and advice on: Plagiarism What it is? How to detect it? What to do next, i.e. CIT’s Policy on Plagiarism? Strategies for preventing plagiarism. Overview of Turnitin in Blackboard, i.e.: How to interpret the originality report Turnitin’s product development roadmap How to educate students about plagiarism

Given the time of the year, with many immersed in the process of correcting exam scripts, there was no better time to consider how we correct exam papers, what we should consider when correcting exam papers and what we can learn from this process. This workshop: Discussed some issues around fairness and reliability when correcting exam scripts. Highlighted some recommendations for good practice when correcting exams Considered how student performance can be used to analyse the quality of the exam paper.

"Assessment is probably the most important thing we can do to help our students learn. Traditionally, our assessment practices tend to be summative, for the purposes of progression and completion, rather than formative, for the purposes of improving instruction and student learning. If assessment is to be an integral part of student learning, formative assessment must be at the heart of the process. Formative assessment refers to a wide variety of methods that educators can use to conduct in-process evaluations of student comprehension, learning needs, and academic progress during a lesson, module, or programme. Formative assessments help educators identify concepts that students are struggling to understand, skills they are having difficulty acquiring, or learning standards they have not yet achieved so that adjustments can be made to lessons, instructional techniques, and academic support. If we wish to use assessment as a tool to enhance student learning the provision of formative feedback is crucial. We need to help students understand not only where they have gone wrong, but also what they need to do to improve and when they have done well, we need to help them understand what is good about their work and how they can build on it and develop further. This workshop was aimed at all academic staff, whether new to the whole notion of formative assessment and feedback, or those who wanted to improve their feedback practice to students, or those looking for innovative ideas on how to enhance their current practices. It provided participants with an opportunity to think about the benefits of formative assessment and providing formative feedback to learners and an opportunity to examine some case studies of how this can be done in practice."

"Assessment is a complex, nuanced and highly important process and if we want students to engage fully, we must make it really meaningful to them and convince them that there is merit in the activities we ask them to undertake. To focus students’ effort and improve their engagement with learning, we need to take a fresh look at our current practice to make sure assessment is for rather than just of learning, with students learning while they are being assessed rather than it being merely a summative end process. We also need to ensure that we provide explicit and implicit messages to students and indeed all other stakeholders about how we assess. By the end of this workshop, participants had had opportunities to: Consider how to make assessment truly integrated with the learning process; Review what kinds of feedback can be helpful to students in achieving their potential; Discuss how to make assessment manageable without losing the learning payoff that fit-for-purpose assessment can bring."

How can we inspire our students to learn? How can we engage them, and keep them engaged? How best can we use the tools available to us in this digital age to enthuse them? What are the processes which underpin successful learning now? How can we ourselves be inspired and enthused, so that we enjoy our work as teachers more than ever? These are some of the questions that were explored in this interactive workshop on learning and teaching in the 21st Century. By the end of this workshop, participants had: Explored some answers to the questions above, and thought of better ones; Shared ideas with each other and with Phil; Discussed the need to re-invent feedback and assessment for the 21st Century

"If we want to improve students’ engagement with learning, a key focus of enhancement can be refreshing our approaches to assessment. Sometimes we need to take a fresh look at our current practice to ensure assessment is for rather than just of learning. In addition, we as educators in higher education understand the importance of giving good feedback to students, both to maximize achievement and to support retention. Research in the field suggests that good feedback has a significant impact on student achievement, enabling students to become adept at judging the quality of their own work during its production. In this workshop, the following aspects of assessment were considered: Fit for purpose assessment: designing assessments to promote student learning Assessing more students: ways of using productive assessment with large numbers Assessing first-year students well to promote retention Streamlining assessment: giving feedback effectively and efficiently"

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

"The power of assessment and feedback within the learning process has been recognised for many years and yet the paradigms that currently frame assessment leave students in a passive role and still largely focus on accreditation. This situation needs to be challenged through the development of assessment literacy of both staff and students which, in turn will make new approaches to assessment and feedback possible. This seminar discussed the nature of assessment literacy, why it is important, how it has the potential to reshape our thinking about assessment and feedback and how it supports the development of student learning. Participants were invited to take part in activities designed to allow them to share their expertise, review their practices and take away new ideas. The aim of the seminar was to: Explain the concept of assessment literacy Describe the contribution assessment literacy can make to supporting student learning Identify key initiatives that support the development of assessment literacy"

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!

"Universal Design for Learning is an educational framework based on research in the learning sciences, including cognitive neuroscience, that guides the development of flexible learning environments and learning spaces that can accommodate individual learning differences. This workshop focused on Universal Design for Learning (UDL) in CIT - if you are looking for ways to ensure that your classroom is as inclusive as possible and create a teaching and learning environment that is accessible to all, then this workshop helped to give you some tools and ideas on how to make this a reality! In the context of UDL, attendees: Examined and reflected on their own lectures and/or assessments Gained some insight into current best practice Obtained some practical and easy ways to create a more inclusive teaching and learning environment"

The prospect of correcting a pile of exam papers can be daunting. How do we ensure that we mark these fairly and consistently? This session will outline a process to help address these issues. As part of the session, we will discuss the value of an assessment rubric and a marking scheme, variation in marking and methods of minimising it.

In this session we will offer a hands-on tutorial on Web for Faculty and the process of entering marks using Web for Faculty. We will briefly look at each function, what the acronyms mean and outline how best to prepare for a Module Exam Board (MEB).

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.