Instances of academic misconduct have increased globally over the last couple of decades, threatening the integrity of higher education institutions. A particularly worrying aspect of this upward trend of misconduct is the proliferation of online tools and services for cheating, including contract cheating companies that target students and offer to complete their assignments for a fee. It is, therefore, vital that we raise awareness of these issues and support our students to maintain their academic integrity.

This symposium, co-hosted by CIRTL and the Skills Centre, took place during National Academic Integrity Week on 20^th Oct. 2022 and featured:

• Opening remarks (Paul McSweeney, Vice President for Learning and Teaching)
• Keynote presentation on Courageous Conversations as part of a Restorative Justice and Responsive Regulation Approach to Academic Integrity (Professor Cath Ellis)
• Launch of the Fostering Academic in Learning and Teaching Digital Badge (Loretta Goff)
• Panel discussion with Digital Badge contributors – Alan Morrison (Engineering), Catherine O’Sullivan (Law), Daniel Blackshields (Economics), Stephen O’Riordan (SU Education Officer) – and Cath Ellis, moderated by Catherine O’Mahony (CIRTL)

CIRTL and the School of Education were delighted to welcome colleagues to UCC as part of the Innovative Teacher Education through Personalised Learning (INTERPEARL) Erasmus+ Strategic Partnership project. The aim of the partnership is to develop, implement, test and transfer innovative practices of personalised learning within teacher education systems. This aim will be achieved through the development and implementation of a personalised learning conceptual framework which will bring innovative changes to teacher education curricula, methods, tools and assessment practices.

As part of their work on the TAP (Transforming Assessment Practices in Large Enrolment First Year Education) Erasmus+ Capacity Building Project, CIRTL were delighted to welcome a delegation of senior management representatives from several Palestinian universities and the Accreditation & Quality Committee to UCC in May 2019.

CIRTL hosted a one-day workshop for postgraduate teachers on the 5^th September 2019.

UCC was one of five universities to share in nearly €7m of European funding under the Erasmus+ Programme Key Action 2 Capacity Building in Higher Education.

Professor Laurence Malone, Fulbright Specialist with CIRTL will host a lunchtime seminar on Tuesday 26th March 2019.

Implementation of Universal Design principles in Teaching & Learning promotes inclusivity and equity while also ‘future-proofing’ your teaching. As our classrooms and lecture theatres become increasingly diverse, our practices must also adapt to reflect the changing landscape of higher education.  Universal Design for Learning (UDL) is an educational framework based on research in the learning sciences, including cognitive neuroscience, which guides the development of flexible learning environments that can accommodate individual learning differences and cater for the wide range of diversity in our lecture rooms. This CPD course will give you an introduction to the concept of Universal Design for Learning and invite you to review and update your own Teaching and Learning practice.

Critical thinking is consistently identified as a core outcome of third-level education; however, it is often the case that both students and educators are left unsure of the mechanics behind such skill and knowledge transfer. 

Recent research shows that different forms of engagement are related to how academics define undergraduate research. This workshop will provide participants with the opportunity to share ideas and practice in engaging undergraduates in various forms of research and inquiry.

What is the impact of assessment on university teaching and learning in circumstances where all student work is graded? 

UCC were delighted to welcome the 20 international delegates participating in the third consortium meeting of the Transforming Assessment Practices in Large Enrolment First Year Education (TAP) Erasmus+ project.

Eportfolios are a flexible, dynamic way in which students can document their learning over time. The added convenience in being online is that artefacts created as part of learning can be used across multiple purposes. In the Certificate in Teaching and Learning in Higher Education, students have been using the eportfolio system Pathbrite as a way of collecting evidence of their learning. As the students in this program are also teachers, the eportfolio serves the purpose of both learning and teaching repository.

A sunny UCC campus welcomed the 37 international delegates participating in the kickstart meeting of the Assessment Tools for HE Learning Environments (ASSET) Erasmus+ project.

Engaged pedagogy begins with the premise that students want an education that is meaningful, that encompasses the whole person and ignites their passion. It recognises the importance of connecting student learning to real world examples, and of helping the student to connect theory to practice and their lived experiences, so that they become reflexive, critical thinkers.

The CIRTL seminar presents examples of engaged pedagogies being employed in two different disciplines, but the learning from these practices are relevant to all disciplines. These case studies will focus on two key areas:

• student focussed learning and public engagement in the music history classroom, including empowering students to conduct individual and group research, and to present their research findings in engaged (and engaging!) public concerts and websites
• bedside teaching as the means by which students learn how to think and how to perform like doctors. In this example all stakeholders are involved in the learning process in the hospital setting whether in Cork University Hospital or in a rural hospital in Peru.

A growing diversity in the student population creates new challenges for teachers every day. Universal Design for Learning UDL is a framework for learning that assumes variety among students and works to address the individual needs of each student. It works to create curricula as diverse as the students it serves, and provides equal opportunity to all students. Applying the principles of UDL to course goals, methods, materials and assessment will assist teachers address the individual needs of a diverse group.

Active learning is about engaging students in the learning process as active participants and ‘activating’ students to take charge of their own learning. There are multiple examples of how to enhance student learning through active learning approaches and this CIRTL seminar will focus on two key topics:

• the opportunities provided through Technology Enhanced Learning to support active learning approaches with a focus on Blackboard 
• the use of multiple means of action and expression for students across differing years of study to activate learning

The ethical treatment of participants is one of the most important considerations for any researcher. For those hoping to conduct research on their teaching, the particular ethical considerations unique to research in Teaching and Learning may be new to many.

An international conference focused on embedding research in the undergraduate curriculum took place in London last week. It ran over 3 days and attracted more than 300 delegates. The conference was co-organised by University College London, the University of Adelaide and McMaster University, all of whom have a particular interest and expertise in growing curriculum-wide approaches to research-based education.