TLC Newsletter
Newsletter - November 2019
04/11/2019
“When all the others were away at Mass
I was all hers as we peeled potatoes.
They broke the silence, let fall one by one
Like solder weeping off the soldering iron:
Cold comforts set between us, things to share
Gleaming in a bucket of clean water.
And again let fall. Little pleasant splashes
From each other's work would bring us to our senses.”
- Seamus Heaney, Irish poet, playwright and translator (1939-2013)
Each month we will share with you some considerations for your teaching practice, some design and tech resources and a calendar of upcoming Teaching and Learning (T&L) events. But we’ve also reserved a place for your valuable input; we would love to hear about what you are doing in your classroom to help your learners learn and, with your permission, to share this in subsequent editions, thereby building a community of learners.
We very much look forward to hearing from you! - The TLC team
Learning, Design & Technology Resources
(Resources for consideration)
TELU - Open online resources for teaching with technology
TELU is an Irish collection of free open online micro-learning courses ("Micro-Lessons") designed to help busy educators use technology to support their teaching and learning.
Mostly 5-10 minutes long, explore and find one you are interested in!
More information, click here
For more suggestions, and locally-produced multimedia resources, see the eLearning section of the TLC Staff Hub in Blackboard.
Teaching and Learning Reflections
(Items to consider for your teaching practice)
The Slow Professor
This weekend, we put the clocks back and gained time…and then just spent it again.
So maybe we need to slow down and rethink our practice. Berg and Seeber’s (2016) Slow Professor Manifesto calls on all those in academia to reclaim a more balanced rhythm of work which, they proffer, has been hitherto eroded by the instrumental view of corporatization, which itself has ultimately sped up the clock with its barrage of relentless demands for efficiencies, economic justifications and measurability.
They envisage a more humanistic education, where Slow Professors will act ‘…purposefully, cultivating emotional and intellectual resilience’ (p. xviii), ultimately restoring a sense of community, conviviality and collegiality. This is a movement which is thoughtful, considered and creative. It advocates that we make time to ‘enjoy teaching’, to ‘pause’, to ‘breathe’, to ‘laugh’, to ‘listen’, and to ‘talk to one another’.
And before you say ‘we’re far too busy, we don’t have time for this’, remember, the Slow movement is not a call for lethargy or procrastination, nor is it suggesting a lackadaisical approach to academic work, but rather it is a stark reminder that we have the power to deliberate rather than accelerate…to take back some of that time for ourselves and for each other…before it’s too late.
Berg, M. and Seeber, B.K. (2016). The Slow Professor: Challenging the culture of speed in the academy. Toronto: University of Toronto Press.
Calendar of Events
(Upcoming Teaching and Learning Events)
European Distance Learning Week
Virtual Event: 11-15 November 2019
During the European Distance Learning Week, you will have access to daily online webinars and panel sessions of expert scholars and practitioners presenting a variety of cutting edge open and online learning topics, from innovations in design to open educational research.
Learn more here
Take a tech break!
30 mins of learning tech.
A new series of short technological workshops will continue through November.
Each week we will showcase a different topic, system, tech, resource which you may want to consider implementing in your teaching. The informal workshops will last a maximum of 30 minutes and will include tech demos and discussion. There will be two sessions per week, Mondays and Thursdays, both covering the same topic so if you miss one, why not come along to the other. Simply drop in, bring a coffee and talk tech!
Date: Monday 11th November
Time: 1.00pm - 1.30pm
Location: A204 - LRC
National Forum Seminar Series
There will be a seminar on Clarifying the Role of the Work Placement Tutor/Preceptor, organised by Nicola Cantwell (DSH) on Thursday, 7th November 2019 from 9:30 – 15:30 in room A204.
The seminar will focus on the role of the work placement tutor/preceptor in providing an effective placement setting for students in the pharmacy industry.
For more details and to register for this event, please go to Eventbrite
The seminar is part of the National Forum for Teaching & Learning Seminar Series for this academic year.
Masters in Teaching & Learning: Graduation
MA in Teaching and Learning Graduates at the recent IT Carlow Conferring Ceremony
Launch of the Irish National Digital Experience (INDEx) Survey
IT Carlow's INDEx Survey was launched recently by David Denieffe and Thomas Drury
The purpose of the INDEx Survey is to understand more about the digital experiences and expectations of students and staff who teach both here at IT Carlow and across Irish higher education. All students and staff who complete the survey will contribute to the evidence that informs important decision-making around digital teaching and learning within IT Carlow – and will influence the future enhancement of digital teaching and learning across the Irish higher education sector.
(The National Forum for the Enhancement of Teaching and Learning in Higher Education is co-ordinating the running of the survey across Irish higher education institutions, see more info here)
Full details of the survey will be sent by email to all staff and students – please take 5-10 minutes to fill in the staff survey and encourage your students to fill in the student survey.
Data Enabled Student Success (DESSI) Workshop
Date: Wednesday 27th November
Time: 2.00 - 4.30pm
Location: A204 LRC
Data is becoming widely recognised as an invaluable resource for institutions, staff and students. It can help to predictively identify students that may be struggling, it can give teaching staff a better understanding of their students' learning and engagement and it can empower all of us to make informed, actionable decisions in real time. Maximising the value of this tool requires a strategic, whole-of-institution approach. The purpose of this highly participative workshop, facilitated by the National Forum for Teaching and Learning, is to give you an opportunity to reflect on how data can help you, your institution and, most importantly, your students by looking at the following questions:
- What do we mean by student success?
- What are our values as an institution?
- What are the steps that underpin an effective data strategy?
- What data sources exist and what kinds of questions can we use them to answer?
An email will be sent closer to the time regarding bookings for the workshop.
Teaching and Learning Enhancement Funding: 2020
On 08th October, IT Carlow, through the Teaching and Learning Centre, submitted a range of applications and proposals to the National Forum for funding in 2020. An international panel reviewed all of the submissions from the participating Irish HEIs.
More information on the Strategic Alignment of Teaching and Learning enhancement funding click here
We received official feedback on 31st October and we are delighted to announce that all of the projects submitted from IT Carlow have been approved and these projects will commence in January 2020. Well done to everyone involved.
Over To You
TEL (Technology-Enchanced Learning) us your story
We'd love to hear from you.
In 200 words or less, share your thoughts and experience of TEL that you are using with your learners.
For example, tell us how you are using it, what your students like about it, how effective it is in supporting learning and whether or not you believe it has applications in other contexts.
If you are happy to share your piece (either with or without your name/dept/section), we will include it in a subsequent issue of the newsletter.
Our First Contribution
Talbert, R. (2017) Flipped Learning: A Guide for Higher Education Faculty
This is a clear introduction to flipped learning. Talbert (@RobertTalbert and blog) is refreshingly honest about both his failures and successes with flipped learning. He documents how to start with flipped learning, drawing both on the literature and his experiences. After an accessible and comprehensive introduction to flipped learning, he explains a practical step-by-step framework for implementing a flipped learning approach for teaching both a module and an individual lesson. He distinguishes between basic learning objectives to be accomplished by students in the individual space (the initial guided exploration of new content) and advanced learning objectives to be collectively achieved in the group space (for active engagement with peers to extend and deepen understanding). Flipped learning thus enables more individual lecturer and peer support when working with more difficult concepts and content. This book provides a practical basis for anyone interested in using this approach.
Link to the ebook click here
Link to the book click here
Contact Us
If you would like more information on the Teaching and Learning Centre email TLC.cw@setu.ie or follow us on Twitter
