Partnering through Open Courses: A National Model for Sustaining Engagement and Community with the PD Framework for all who Teach in Irish Higher Education.

Authors

Roisin Donnelly, Technological University DublinFollow
Colin Lowry, Technological University Dublin
Theresa Maguire, National Forum for the Enhancement of Teaching and Learning, IrelandFollow
Caitríona Ní Shé, Technological University DublinFollow

Author ORCID Identifier

https://orcid.org/0000-0001-9053-6375

Document Type

Conference Paper

Rights

Available under a Creative Commons Attribution Non-Commercial Share Alike 4.0 International Licence

Disciplines

5.3 EDUCATIONAL SCIENCES, *training, *pedagogy, *didactics

Publication Details

Ed-Tech Winter Conference, January 2021

Abstract

Throughout 2019-20, the National Forum have embraced workingin partnership with higher education institutions and organisations to grow its nationally recognised Open Courses suite of professional development (PD) opportunities for the sector. These have involved forging partnerships in the development of Open Courses with AHEAD and UCD in the large-scale implementation of Universal Design of Learning(UDL), IUA Campus Engage in Community Engagement Learning and initial work taking place with QQI on the Professional Standards Framework.These new partnerships have evolved on the basis of the success of the integration of nationally recognised digital badgesinto the Open Courses platform. This national-level badge ecosystem, in existence since 2017, and developed for all academic and professional staff who have a teaching role,consistsof 15 courses on popular teaching and learning topicsmade availablein three delivery modes: face-to-face/blended; fully online; self-study.Such PD opportunitiesoffer participants adynamic blend of autonomous study and live networking opportunities, with authentic professional instruction that can be appliedimmediately in theirteaching and learning practice.The integrated suite of Open Courses wasdesigned as an entry route to staff engagement with the PD Framework1as well as enhancing PDthrough digital badging. The key to understanding these credentials is not so much the technology or the badging, it is more the PD pathways that national recognition can provide.

Recommended Citation

Donnelly, R., NiShe, C., Lowry, C., & Maguire, T. (2021). Partnering through Open Courses: A national model for sustaining engagement and community with the PD Framework for all who teach in Irish higher education. Ed-Tech Winter Conference, January.