National Forum Seminars

The National Seminar series gives many of those working in higher education the opportunity to connect with colleagues throughout the sector and to focus on shared interests in both the research and practice of teaching and learning enhancement. The series also creates opportunities to hear from national and international experts in different areas of teaching and learning.

Applications are now open for the 2017-2018 Seminar series.  Click here  or email Dr Deirdre Ryan deirdre.ryan@mic.ul.ie for more details.

The Seminar Series (2016-2017) aligned with and attempted to answer the following questions emerging from the sector in relation to assessment OF/FOR and AS learning:

• How can students become more engaged with assessment enhancement?
• How can academic departments, staff and programme leaders be supported to collaborate around assessment enhancement?
• Are there policies that need to underpin assessment enhancement?
• How can the curriculum and the learning environment be designed to enhance assessment?

MIC was sucessful in gaining funding to host three seminars. Congratulations to the individuals/teams who led these bids.

1) Rethinking Assessment and Feedback in Higher Education: Opportunities and Challenges

Seminar Convenor: Margaret O’Keeffe, Department of Arts Education & Physical Movement

The workshop was facilitated by Professor Dai Hounsell, Emeritus Professor of Higher Education at the University of Edinburgh where he was the founding Director of the Centre for Teaching, Learning and Assessment (1985-94), Professor of Higher Education (2000-12), and University Vice-Principal with responsibility for enhancing teaching and learning (2008-12) and advising on assessment and feedback (2012-14). Most recently (2014-16) he has been Visiting Professor in the Centre for the Enhancement of Teaching and Learning at the University of Hong Kong, advising and helping to coordinate a University Grants Committee-funded Communities of Practice project concerned with two themes: wise assessment and feedback, and internationalising teaching-learning and the curriculum.

Professors Hounsell’s expertise in the field supported delegates to reflect on the implementation of effective feedback strategies to support teaching and learning in Higher Education. The challenges of implementing feedback within different disciplines and group sizes was addressed, along with an exploration of how institutions can develop students’ capacity to engage and learn from feedback. Professor Hounsell drew on his rich experience in supporting the development of sustainable and effective assessment policies and practices at institutional level.

2) Exploring third level assessment practices: Supporting successful transitions and student retention

Seminar Convenors: Dr. Aisling Leavy, Dr. Brendan O’Keeffe, Margaret Nohilly and Miriam Hamilton

The seminar brought together stakeholders from second and third level education.

In her opening address MIC’s Dr Miriam Hamilton discussed the importance of enabling students to become active learners.  She also noted the need for constructive approaches at second and third level.  Ms Karol Sadleir, the Director of Assessment for the Junior Cycle and Mr Norman Emerson of the NCCA (National Council for Curriculum and Assessment) emphasised the need for reform of modes of assessment in order to give effect to any curricular reforms.  They spoke about recent innovations in the promotion of classroom-based assignments and oral communication.  Newly-introduced approaches in Irish education include increased student ownership of assessment and greater opportunities for student reflections on their learning and progression.

Pictured above (L-R): Dr Mags Nohilly, MIC; Dr Aisling Leavy, MIC; Dr Brendan O’Keefe, MIC; Dr Miriam Hamilton, MIC; Norman Emerson, NCCA; Gwen Moore, MIC; and Karol Sadleir, JCT Support Service

3) Assessment in Teacher Education: Placement in Further Education

Seminar Convenor: Dr Cathal de Paor, Senior Lecturer, Director of Continuing Education

The context for FET practitioner qualifications in the North – both initial and continuing professional development (CPD) – provided the context for the seminar with the following key points emerging:

• Assessment for learning can be promoted whereby students are their own assessors, and where they monitor their own learning, ask questions and use a range of strategies to decide what they know and can do, and how to use assessment for new learning
• This differs from ‘assessment for learning’, which is more about the supervisor using evidence about students’ knowledge, understanding and skills to inform subsequent supervision conversations

A number of criteria for observation received attention, for example,

• A need to maintain interest and for learners to make maximum progress – short episodes help here
• Poor engagement is a sign that lesson is pitched at the wrong level, inappropriate expectations, poor materials, relationship with class
• Too low a challenge leads to misbehaviour and boredom; too high to disengagement and apparent apathy
• Managing the verbal post-observation interaction requires a high level of awareness, expertise, skill and tact on the part of the supervisor who has just observed the lesson and who must afterwards create the conditions for the appropriate professional, social and personal support.

Angela Whiteside & Celia O’Hagan who facilitated the NF Seminar Assessment in Teacher Education: Placement in Further Education
with Dr Cathal De Paor (Seminar Convenor), Karina Ryan, and Dr Gwen Moore, Director of Teaching and Learning