Meitheal: Ag Obair Le Chéile | Centre for Digital Education
'Meitheal' is the Irish word for coming together to help each other out. It embodies the idea of community and collaboration. For pronunciation see the following link: meitheal
'Ag Obair le Chéile' means working together. For pronunciation see the following links: ag | obair | le chéile
The Meitheal strand then is about learning what UCC as an educational organisation needs and understanding the wider national and international context in which we work and learn. The CDE works to help inform learning and teaching policies based on this knowledge. In this strand, we share the relevant policies that shape digital education in UCC.
UCC Digital Education Plan
UCC's first Digital Education Plan was agreed in May 2023, and is set out on an internal UCC SharePoint site as a live collaborative project between all stakeholders. The plan provides guidance as to how we intend to employ technology in support of our academic mission, which remains to deliver education principally as a campus-based university.
UCC's Digital Education Plan is organised around four Digital Education Principles:
- UCC promotes digital education approaches to enhance pedagogy-informed, largely campus-based learning, teaching and assessment experiences.
- UCC encourages the use of digital education tools and resources to support the delivery of student-centred, equitable education, incorporating Universal Design Principles.
- UCC encourages the adoption of appropriate digital education approaches to address learning and teaching challenges posed by new technologies.
- UCC supports the enhancement of students’ digital literacy.
A PDF version of the Digital Education Principles can be found here: UCC Digital Education Principles
Digital Education Policies
The CDE is represented on a range of range of committees and working groups across the university, including:
- The Digital Education Leadership Forum
- IT Steering Group
- 3ELT – Existing and Emerging Educational Learning Technologies Group, reporting to the Academic Council Teaching and Learning Committee.
- The Digital Badge Subcommittee of Academic Development and Standards Committee
- Academic Programme and Regulations Programme Approval boards where online components are included in new programmes submitted for approval
The CDE was a key member of the VLE Selection Group that chose Canvas as UCC's institutional virtual learning environment in 2018. In 2023, the CDE led the tendering and purchasing of UCC's first live audience engagement platform, Vevox. In 2023/24, the CDE is participating in the Video Content Management System tender process.
Some relevent UCC policies relating to Digital Education include:
- 2021 - Thematic Review: Teaching and Assessing with Technology
- 2021 – OVPLT townhall consultations with Staff and Students
- 2021 – Digital Education for Teaching project findings
- 2021 - UCC Assessment Framework
- 2023 – Digital Education Plan
- 2023 - UCC Digital Master Plan 2023 – 2028
- 2023 - Policy for recording live teaching to assist student study
- 2023 - Reasonable Accommodations Policy for Students with Disabilities
Digital Badges
The CDE started issuing digital badges in 2016 as a pilot project. Since 2016, UCC has been engaged locally, regionally and nationally in developing and delivering innovative digital badge initiatives. The delivery of digital badges directly addresses the university’s strategic goal of ‘Delivering research inspired teaching and learning with a world class student experience’. Within UCC, a digital badge is a non-credit bearing micro-credential awarded to earners in an online format. It is a means for the university to recognise non-accredited learning that supports the values and attributes the university seeks to foster. A digital badge is awarded by the university once an earner demonstrates competence in pre-agreed learning outcomes. The badges refer directly to the university’s seven essential values of Creativity, Responsiveness, Transparency, Scholarship, Freedom of Expression, Integrity, Equality, Diversity and Respect. These badges can be issued to UCC staff and students and non-UCC personnel.
UCC is the first University in Ireland to put in place a clear Governance and Operational Policy (see below) for immediate use in the development and issue of externally facing, non-credit bearing digital badges. The quality and standard of UCC’s Digital Badges are monitored by the Digital Badge Subcommittee (DBSC) which is overseen by the Academic Development and Standards Committee (ADSC).
Learning Analytics
The CDE established and led a Learning Analytics Lite project in 2022 to better understand how learning analytics might benefit UCC students. The aim of Learning Analytics is to provide information on the learning process which can be used to gain insights and understanding to better support students in their educational journey.
Learning Analytics tells the story of when learning has occurred and can be used to:
- Identify Students who need help.
- Inform Changes to Teaching Practices.
- Initiate Teaching Interventions.
- Illustrate insights into Learning Experience.
- Improve Student Experience.
As a result of the Learning Analytics Lite project, the CDE created a series of web resources providing case studies and guidance for UCC staff.