• NDLR Institutional Co-ordinator: Miriam Allen, Learning, Teaching and Technology Unit

DIT projects which have been awarded funding to develop learning resources/elearning materials this year.

Title: Scaffolding First Year Learning in Chemistry with E-Tutorials

Subject: Chemistry

• “The purpose of this project is to develop a suite of bespoke online chemistry tutorials targeted to assist students who have not completed chemistry at Leaving Certificate level settle into their first year on their programme of study. “ [M.Seery, DIT]

Title: Development of E learning Material for a Final Year Module in a Level 8 Science Course

Subject: Optometry

• The DIT BSc Optometry module “Modern Topics in Optometry” includes a topic called “Refractive Surgery”. To facilitate theory and assessment of this newly introduced topic, an e-learning course will be developed. The learning outcomes for this topic include the ability to carry out pre and post operative assessments on refractive surgery patients. [C.E.McDonnell, DIT]

Title: Development of Active Learning Based Tutorials to Support First Year Physics PBL Students

Subject: Physics, PBL

• “This project aims to develop active learning physics tutorials to support Problem Based Learning (PBL) physics classes.  These active learning tutorials will be based on physics education research literature and will involve peer instruction, discussion and demonstrations. “ [R.Howard, DIT]

Title: Assessment, Development  and Consolidation of Advanced Skills in  Engineering Mathematics

Subject: Mathemathics, Engineering

• In a survey of almost 300 Engineering students (Carr, Ni Fhloinn 2007)  it was shown that a large percentage struggled with key skills in maths and tended to avoid questions relating to differentiation and integration.”
  

• This project aims to measure the extent of this problem and attempt to begin to address it, by developing an Advanced Maths Diagnostic exercise, and setup an online test that would encourage students to revise( or in many cases learn for the first time) many of the key Skills required for 3^rd and 4^th year level 8 courses.” [M.Carr , DIT]

Title: RoboSumo: design and construct an ultra low-cost robot

Subject coverage: Engineering

• For the last four years, the School of Electrical Engineering Systems in DIT has delivered a teaching module called Engineering Design and Practice – informally referred to as RoboSumo.
  

• It's a project-based learning module, in which students (in teams of three) build small, autonomous and ultra low-cost robots which compete in a “wrestling” competition at the end of the semester. 
  

• The module has proven to be a remarkable success on several fronts - it provides a very effective platform for learning core engineering skills; it's a great introduction to group-based project work; and robot building is a task that our students really enjoy and become absolutely engrossed in.
  

• Over the last year, planning and initial work has been done to capture the knowledge accumulated about running this module in a form that would facilitate other people adopting it elsewhere. The LIP funding will support the development of the learning resources that can be used by others to run the module. [T.Burke, D. Dorran and D. Berry, DIT]

Title: Development of a web based Toolkit for Managers

(HR Skills Programme – Effective Discipline & Grievance Handling)

• The toolkit is being developed for use by managers as a follow up from the HR Skills training programme on the new Institutes of Technology Discipline & Grievance procedures.  The intention is that this toolkit would be a useful resource that managers could refer to in order to refresh on the learning from the training course and also to prepare for dealing with a Discipline or Grievance situation that they may be facing.

• Through the toolkit they would be able to link to the procedures, to useful tips, to other relevant material and also to video role plays of various scenarios. The toolkit could be made available to each Institute through the HEA net. [P.Kenna, DIT]

Title: Elicitation of Knowledge

Subjects: Computer Science, Information Literacy

• The resource will be a set of learning objects intended for use by students studying systems analysis and design to learn, practice and improve their skills in knowledge elicitation. Learning objects will cover how to identify research sources, subject area experts, referencing and citation, plagiarism and ethics. The resource will make use of the main research sources of computer science such as ACM and IEEE to illustrate all topics. This will help inculcate students into the terminology, language and style used in computer science research.  [D. Lawless, DIT]

Title: Development of Open Courseware for Applied Energy Systems Lecture Modules

Subjects: Applied Energy Systems, Fluid Mechanics and Thermodynamics

• Usable and re-usable learning materials will be made widely available that will relate to the areas of Applied Energy Systems, Fluid Mechanics and Thermodynamics.

• Tables and diagrams will be made available that can be freely included in lecture notes or in examination papers or provided as additional materials at examinations. [J.McGovern, DIT]

Title: Digital library of basic skills in laboratory medicine

Subject: Medicine

• The aim of this project is to create a digital library of instructional videos covering best practice in the most commonly used techniques of biomedical science. This will lead to the creation of ‘visual-standard operating procedures’ which will be of great value for students in revising key practical skills.  [S.Meaney, DIT]

Title: DIT LIP Articulate Competition  

• Along with having a call for LIP funding in DIT, we are also currently running monthly competitions to win a copy of Articulate Studio Pro to develop a resource. The first winner is Ziene Mottiar who will use Articulate to develop a resource of support materials for students doing dissertations.  

Title: The  DI (Dissertation Information) Module: Using Articulate to enhance the dissertation experience

• The on-line module will have information such as schedules, guidelines, sample dissertations which attained the highest marks in previous years and videos of students experiences. But in addition I want to make the module as interactive and lively as possible and this is where I am hoping to use Articulate. I would also like to include a quiz for them to be able to check that they do know how to reference before they start writing the dissertation.[Z.Mottiar, DIT]

This year the DIT is a partner in four separate collaborative projects. Two of these are recipients of 2010 LiNCS funding, namely the MyRI Bibliometrics project and the Webinar Series. Current collaborative applications are:

CELLT: Chemistry – Enhanced Laboratory Learning & Teaching

Subject: Chemistry

• In collaboration with Trinity College (Lead partner), Dublin Institute of Technology, University College Dublin, and Dublin City University, this project aims to assess chemistry laboratory experiments from a learner’s perspective. A two day session will be run on 8^th and 9^th June 2010 where each partner performs, under observation, a set of experiments with students followed by evaluation sessions.
  
• Experiments will be video-recorded. A collection of learning resources will be developed based on supporting materials and the outcome of the two days including pre-labs, procedures, results and assessment.
  
• Interactive and multimedia resources will be developed using Articulate Studio. This project is a collaboration between academics aligned to the Chemical & Physical Science Community of Practice. 

DINE: Directory of Irish Networks and Educational events for third level

Subject: all third level 

• In conjunction with National University of Ireland, Maynooth (Lead partner), Dublin Institute of Technology and Trinity College.
  
• The project brings together 3 CoPs namely, TelCoP, EduCoP and ISCoP and we will look at ways to develop as a SMARTCoP in the future.
  
• This project is simply to map existing networks, events and initiatives related to learning and teaching in third level and provide a directory-like resource for the sector. The resource will be web-based with an annual printed version. This project will be dependent on funding. 

Online & Interactive Events (webinars)

Education and Academic Support

• This project is hosted and lead by the Institute of Technology, Sligo with support from TCD and DIT. Weekly live interactive sessions to improve skill levels in a variety of learning and teaching subjects will be broadcast.

Development of inventory resources for use in online virtual environments

Subject: various - teaching

• DIT validated the module “Virtual Environments: Is one life enough?” in 2008 and began delivering undergraduate classes in the online virtual environment known as Second Life in 2009. In 2010 DIT recreated the Aungier Street campus in Virtual Dublin in Second Life to provide a more suitable space for the validated module and to encourage more staff to consider teaching and training in this environment.
  

• There has been demand from within the DIT and externally for more resources for the second Life environment and LIP funding will be used to support the development of same. Note: The module “Virtual Environments: Is one life enough?” won the Jennifer Burke Award in 2010 and the Second Life environment will be made available to all NDLR users. [C. Igbrude, J.OConnor]

Action Accounting – Beyond the Basics

Subject: Accountancy

• ‘Action Accounting’ is a cross faculty project with the ultimate aim of developing and delivering student centred e-learning activities to enhance the learning experience of first year accountancy students. The project was initiated in 2008 after lectures discussed a link between their struggling first year students / high levels of examination failures / retention rates.
  

• They also recognised the need to cater more adequately for students who have specific learning disorders such as dyslexia, as well as those for whom the traditional lecture environment is a barrier to learning. This LIP funding will be used to create a further suite of activities under the “Beyond the Basics” title. [A.Luby, T.Kiely, DIT]

Developer:  Miriam Allen

Title: Articulate & Learning Resource Development in Information Literacy

Subject Coverage: Library & Information Skills; Chemical & Physical Sciences; Articulate

• Overview: Demonstration of Articulate modules in Information Literacy, Chemistry and in Physics and Information on using Articulate for development of digital Learning Resources.

Name of Exhibitor/Creator of LR: Paul Robinson

Subject Coverage: Mathematics Service Teaching, Educational Technology

• Overview: Showcase the work of the Mathematics and Statistics Service Teaching Community of Practice over this academic year.