Innovation in Collaboration: DIT Students Learning With Communities.
The posters in this collection were prepared by DIT lecturers over the last number of years to showcase the collaboratively designed, course-based, credit-bearing projects which they coordinated between their students and underserved community partners. These projects cover a range of disciplines and levels of study in DIT, and involve work with a range of community partners (charities, NGOs, local communities, DEIS schools etc.). These projects are designed for the mutual benefit of all participants, and some involve community-based learning (or service-learning), while others are community based research (or Science Shop Projects). These projects are supported by DIT's Access and Civic Engagement Office. Further information on these projects can be obtained by contacting the programme for Students Learning With Communities at slwc@dit.ie.
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Tourism: Destination and Product Marketing Planning: Glasnevin Trust Museum, Glasnevin, Dublin.
Catherine Gorman
The objective of this project was to produce a tourism marketing plan for Glasnevin Trust Museum, Glasnevin, Dublin, Ireland. Tourism students worked with the Trust to develop possible plans.
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Tourism Heritage and Culture Trains in Kilmainham and Inchicore, Dublin.
Catherine Gorman
Students on this project liaised with local community members in order to develop a number of themed posters and two videos focusing on their ideas for the development of Heritage and Cultural trails in the Inchicore and Kilmainham areas of Dublin.
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Good Design Stems From Effective Collaboration Between the Designer and the Client.
John Green
Poster with professional practice advice on graphic design. This programme aims to augment the visual skills developed at undergraduate graphic design level, with a range of conceptual, technical and management skills that are appropriate for the professional practice of graphic design.
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Chemical Sciences in the Community
Claire M. McDonnell
Students in the School of Chemical and Pharmaceutical Sciences have been involved for many years in collaborative projects - from giving talks in schools to running workshops for children in youth projects, and from conducting chemical risk assessments to hosting science showcases – with a wide range of community partners.
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Community Based Research by Applying Chemistry
Claire M. McDonnell
Students have been involved in several chemistry research projects with communities: breath and urine testing for alcohol with the Garda Road Safety Unit; a long-term study of soil Quality for a Grangegorman Community Garden; and work placements with Wells for Zoe, a charity based in Malawi, including soil and water testing, and development of teaching materials for science.
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Early Childhood Education Students Give Drama Workshops to Nursery Children
Jass McEvoy
Poster with details of DIT students' workshop with nursery school children. 1st and 2nd year Early Childhood Education students prepare and facilitate drama classes in St Brigid’s Day Nursery local to the College as part of their Drama Education course. The nursery children range in ages of two to four years and are grouped into small groups of 6 to 9 children in each group. The sessions last for 30-50 minutes and for the duration of the drama education class teachers hand over completely to the students.
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Gaelic 4 Girls: a Partnership Approach to DIT Student and Local Community Development
Sinead McNulty
This is a collaborative project between Dublin Institute of Technology, the Ladies Gaelic Football Association and Dublin City Council, providing students with the opportunity to qualify as gaelic football coaches and referees, and providing girls in inner-city clubs with coaching by DIT students.
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Redesigning Studio Apartments for Sheltered Accomodation Using Colour Theory
Kerry Meakin
First year interior Design and Furniture Students study colour theory as part of a second semester module on colour and perception, and as part of this brief worked with older residents in Dublin City Council housing in Raheny and Kilbarrack to collaboratively produce colour palettes and mood boards that the older people could use at home.
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Manufacturing and Design Engineering Students : Database With MAIN
Leah Mitchell
Poster displaying details of project in conjunction with Men Alone In No-Man’s Land (MAIN), a support group for men in Dublin city. Third year students in the B Eng (Honours) Manufacturing and Design Engineering course at Bolton St completed a project in conjunction with Men Alone In No-Man’s Land (MAIN), a support group for men in Dublin city.
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Manufacturing and Design Engineering Students St. Mary's Hospital, Phoenix Park.
Leah Mitchell
Poster with details of project to improve ease of movement for Kirton Stirling chairs in St. Mary's Hospital, Phoenix Park, Dublin. Third year students in the B Eng (Honours) Manufacturing and Design Engineering course at Bolton St. completed a project in conjunction with St. Mary‟s Hospital, Phoenix Park. The staff in St Mary‟s were experiencing difficulty in moving the Kirton Stirling chairs (pictured above). These chairs are used to transport elderly patients from one location to another. High levels of vibration were.experienced by patients using the chairs, while significant force by staff, was necessary to push the chairs across uneven ground.
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Breaking Barriers, Creating Connections: A physical Environment Action plan for the Northwest Inner City.
David O'Connor
Poster detailing spatial planning project on Northwest inner city Dublin. The project commenced with a community and cultural profile which examined the historical and socio-economic context of the study area. This was in order to gain an understanding of the area and its spatial planning context
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BSc Spatial Planning and Environmental Management Public Spaces Survey
David O'Connor and Dublin Institute of Technology
Poster displaying Public spaces survey. As part of the module on Data Collection and Analysis, in March 2010, 2nd year BSc Spatial Planning and Environmental Management students carried out an ethnographic survey of four key public spaces within the LifeLine catchment. Using a mixture of questionnaire survey and observational data, students measured usage levels, behavioural patterns and user opinions about the spaces.
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Reaction Time Measurement application: Road Safety
Aidan O'Dwyer
Poster displaying details of Reaction time measurement application in road safety.
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Primary School Children's Vision Screening Project
Veronica O'Dwyer and Sandra Harrington
In the final year of the BSc in Optometry, students work with children in local schools to do vision screenings, supervised by DIT lecturers. This project enhances students’ experience of working with children, and ensures that any local children with eye problems are swiftly referred to a specialist.
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Student as Teacher: Computing Projects in Local Schools.
Ciaran O'Leary and Dublin Institute of Technology
Poster displaying computing ininner city Dublin schools.
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Primary School Children's Vision Screening Project, Mozambique
Aoife Phelan
Students on the BSc in Optometry who volunteer with the Mozambique Eyecare Project do vision screenings with local children, supervised by DIT lecturers. These screenings are accredited as part of the students’ learning, and benefit both the children and the students.
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Urban Community Gardening: Motivation for Participation and the Impact on Fruit and Vegetable Intake
Christina Purcell, Noelle Corrigan, and Sheila Sugrue
This was a collaborative project between two DIT students and Dublin Community Growers, investigating the relationship between involvement in community gardening and eating fruit and vegetables.
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Law In Society and the Irish Penal Reform Trust.
Mary Rogan
Poster with details of law students working in the community. The School of Social Sciences and Law is committed to a socio-legal focus in its programmes and in research. Law in Society enables students to gain a practical understanding of the links between law and social change or social problems. At the same time, students can use their developing skills of legal research in a ‘real-world’ context. The module also aims to increase students’ understanding of the ethical dimensions of legal practice and to promote interest in giving something back to the community
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First Year Product Design Students
Carmel Rooney and Gregor Timlin
As part of the BSc (hons) Degree in Product Design, first year students combined the skills learned in the Communication and Design Modules to work with the Dypsraxia Association of Ireland, to develop concept designs for objects to facilitate everyday living for people with dyspraxia.
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CliC News: a News Website for Children
Kate Shanahan
CliC News is a collaboration between the DIT Access and Civic Engagement Office and the School of Media, DIT. Students in Journalism plan, edit, and write articles for an interactive news website for primary school children, fostering literacy and computer literacy among the children, as well as an engagement with current affairs.
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Small Spaces Big Living: a Community Housing Project
Barry Sheehan
Interior and Furniture Design students taking Construction Studies worked with older people resident in Dublin City Council housing in the North Central area, to develop low-cost suggestions for improvements to the interiors of their apartments.
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Laptops4Africa: Fundraising by First Year Computer Science Students
Leslie Shoemaker
This project involved computing students developing and running fundraising activities to support the work of Wells for Zoe in Malawi, providing clean water to communities. The students developed a range of transferable and professional skills from this project.
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OCD Ireland:Fundraising by First Year DIT Engineering Students
Leslie Shoemaker
Groups of students were asked to develope and execute a fundraising activity to assist the activities of the OCD Ireland an organisation providing support to people with obsessive compulsive disorder, body dysmorphic disorder and trichotillomania.
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Second Level School Visits by DIT Engineering and Science Students
Leslie Shoemaker
The purpose of this project was to help secondary school pupils understand what is involved in studying Science and Engineering at third level, and to help DIT students in these areas develop a range of professional and communication skills.
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Community Dietetics
Sheila Sugrue
The aim of this project was to link groups of 3 to 4 final year students with community projects interested in participating where a specific nutrition need would be identified and addressed collaboratively.