Support for Teaching & Learning activities
at UCC: Presentation to SHEQA
Delegation
Professor Grace Neville, Vice President for Teaching and Learning, UCC;
Dr. Marian McCarthy, Co- Director, Ionad Bairre, The Teaching and Learning Centre,
UCC
April 7, 2011
University College Cork – the Context
• University College Cork – a constituent university
of the National University of Ireland (NUI) – one
of 7 in the Republic of Ireland. Located in Cork
City in the province of Munster – a southern port
city with a population of c. 200,000.
• UCC founded in 1845. Strong research profile.
Student population of 18,000, 20% of whom are
graduate students and 2,000 of whom are
international students. A third of our staff are
from overseas.
Ucc context
Ionad Bairre : The teaching
and learning centre
“Where Finbarr taught let
Munster learn”
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The four Colleges of UCC
Four Colleges
• College of Arts, Celtic Studies and Social
Sciences
• College of Business and Law
• College of Science, Engineering and Food
Science and Technology
• College of Medicine and Health Sciences
Extract from UCC’s Strategic Plan 2009-2013
“ [UCC gives] parity of esteem to teaching, learning and
research…
High quality research-led teaching is at the core of our
mission. We will enhance innovative and inclusive
teaching and learning activities and strengthen the
fundamental linkages between research, teaching and
learning. We will maximise opportunities for students’
intellectual and creative development so that our
graduates are effective as lifelong learners and inquirers.
We will provide access to the best affordable learning
facilities where students and academics will work in
communities of scholarship; where opportunities are
created for all students to engage in and be challenged
by appropriate scholarly activity from their first year of
undergraduate studies; and where students will enjoy the
highest possible quality learning experience…”
Research and Teaching
“We need our best scholars to be our teachers, and we
need them to give the same creative energy to teaching
as they give to scholarship. We need to identify, support,
and reward those who teach superbly. There is no
antithesis between teaching and research. Great
teaching can in fact be a form of synthesis and
scholarship.”
(Frank Rhodes “The University and its Critics” in W.G. Bowen and
H.T. Shapiro (Eds) Universities and Their Leadership Princeton,
1998)
Support for Teaching and Learning
“This support often takes quite small forms as well as large
ones: setting aside spaces where faculty from within and
across fields can convene and exchange ideas and
practices …. ; providing modest budgets for food and drink
that can nurture the bodies as well as the souls of
participants; finding ways to make the collaborative
intellectual and creative work of team teaching an attractive
option; providing recognition and reward for scholars of
teaching that are comparable to those afforded more
traditional scholars; setting the expectation that teachers
gather evidence of their students’ learning that goes beyond
the students’ responses to end-of-course evaluations”.
(Lee Shulman’s Foreword in Mary Huber and Pat Hutchings The
Advancement of Learning San Francisco: Jossey-Bass, 2005).
Support for Teaching and Learning
in UCC
1. Ionad Bairre – The Teaching and Learning Centre
2. The Teaching and Learning Teams:
a) A small number of key people who assist with the
running of the accredited programmes & lunchtime
seminars
b) A large cross-university team of people from units
central to the teaching & learning agenda
3. Reporting academically via a sub-committee of UCC’s
Academic Council (1 & 2a)
4. Reporting administratively via the Vice-President for
Teaching & Learning (1 & 2a)
Support for Teaching in UCC
Practical steps taken in UCC to demonstrate parity of
esteem between teaching and discipline-based research:
• Accredited Postgraduate Certificate, Diploma and Masters in T&L
• Module for postgraduate students who teach (5 credits)
• Support sessions (usually, lunchtime seminars) on T&L ‘open to all’
(leading to dissemination of research on teaching and learning from
faculty from different disciplines.
• President’s Awards for Excellence in Teaching & Awards for
Research into Innovative Forms of Teaching
• Explicit recognition of teaching in promotions
• Regular “Quality Review” of teaching by departments
• UCC-led National Academy for the Integration of Research and
Teaching and Learning (NAIRTL)
Professional Development:
Certificated Courses for Teaching Staff
• Postgraduate Certificate in Teaching and Learning in
Higher Education
• Postgraduate Diploma in Teaching and Learning in Higher
Education
• M.A. in Teaching and
Learning in Higher
Education
Professional Development:
Support for Teaching and Learning
Lunchtime Seminars (open to all)
• Regular 2-hour
lunchtime sessions
• In 2009/10 over 220
UCC staff attended a
T&L session
• Examples of topics:
– Using technology in the
classroom
– Reflective practice
– ‘The Student Voice’
– Developing online learning
Lunchtime seminars held on Learning
Technologies
Another example of a T&L lunchtime seminar on
Learning Technologies: Interactive whiteboards
Institutional recognition for commitment to
Teaching in UCC:
President’s Awards for Excellence in
Teaching
(applications are internally & externally reviewed)
Awards for Research
into Innovative Forms
of Teaching
(same assessment process)
Certificated courses for staff
Since 2004 (not inc 2010/11 registered figs):
• 217 staff have completed the Postgraduate Certificate in
Teaching and Learning in Higher Ed
• 111 have completed the PG Diploma
• 32 have completed the Masters, with dissertations on a
wide range of topics e.g. integrative learning; legal
education; the use of ICT in language learning.
• Staff who completed the various courses are from all 4
UCC Colleges and all major disciplines– Medicine, Law,
Business, Arts, Science, Engineering etc. as well as at
all levels – Professors, Senior Lecturers, Tutors etc.
The Postgraduate Certificate
The council room
The Course
• The Postgraduate Certificate in
Teaching and Learning in
Higher Education :
• TL 6003: Theories of
Teaching, Learning and
Assessment
• TL 6004: Practice Approaches
to Teaching, Learning and
Assessment
• 24 contact hours
• 24 study hours
• Each course is worth 30 ECTS
Credits
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Programme Learning Outcomes
• Learning Outcomes (Postgraduate Certificate)
On successful completion of this programme, students should be
able to:
• Recognise teaching as a valid form of research and
scholarship;
• Participate in discussions on teaching, learning and
assessment as a community of scholars;
• Design modules based on principles of studentcentred learning;
• Critique planning and teaching practice in the light of
student learning/feedback;
• Engage with a diverse, multi-cultural student
population;
• Hold a professional commitment to teaching and
student learning.
Assessment as sotl opportunity
Introducing SotL : First
Term
• Methods of assessment :
• Reflective essay on the
theme: “A teacher affects
eternity, he can never know
where his influence stops”
• A reader-response
approach to the reading of
three key articles on SoTL (
Bass, Schon and Shulman)
• A CAT scan – the muddiest
point /the minute paper
The Course Portfolio as a
method of inquiry and of
documentation
• The Hutchings (1998) model:
• Faculty select a course they
are interested in and review it
under three headings
• Course Design
• Teaching /Enactment
• Student Learning /Results
• All assessments have a rubric
which faculty get in advance
• Faculty volunteer to share their
portfolio entries in the second
term
• Throughout faculty engaged in
discussion
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The postgraduate Diploma
The class of 2009
The Course
• TL 6005 : Disciplinary
Approaches to Teaching
and Learning
• TL 6006 : Diversity in
Student Learning
• 24 contact hours
• 24 study hours
• 30 ECTS credits
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Programme Learning Outcomes
• Learning Outcomes (Postgraduate Diploma)
On successful completion of this programme, students
should be able to:
• Investigate their teaching as an integral, ongoing part
of their research;
• Appraise what is distinctive and integrative about their
disciplines in promoting student learning;
• Generate new approaches to teaching, learning and
assessment to maximise student learning;
• Evaluate module design to harness diversity and
integrative learning;
• Value the contribution of students in developing
research, teaching and learning.
Assessment : Assidere – to sit
beside
self & peer review of
practice
The Inquiry Portfolio
bernstein
• Professors make a video of
their classroom practice and
decode this according to a
specific set of signs/criteria,
guided by a rubric outlining
these . This must be peer
reviewed by a critical friend
and the class
• Professors write a
discursive essay on Lee
Shulman’s concept of
Signature Pedagogies,
relating this to their own
discipline and the video of
practice
• Professors write a course
portfolio focusing on one
question they wish to research
• They write three memos
documenting the research
• Defining the question
• Developing a hypothesis and
research method
• Presenting the findings
• Then a Reflective piece on the
portfolio process and its
implications for their practice
and research
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The Masters programme
The First Masters Class
2007
• The Masters in Teaching
and Learning in Higher
Education
• TL 6001: Research
Methods
• TL 6002: Dissertation
• In the first term there are a
a series of sessions on
research methods - which
are lead mainly by the
faculty through their
research presentations
• The focus in the second
term is on researching and
writing the dissertation
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Programme Learning Outcomes
• Learning Outcomes
On successful completion of this programme, students should be
able to:
• Identify and apply principles of a Scholarship of Teaching and
Learning (SoTL) approach in the college classroom;
• Critically evaluate their teaching in the light of their students'
learning;
• Design a research project around a teaching and learning issue;
• Apply appropriate research methodologies to harness data about
student learning;
• Write a thesis on a teaching and learning issue to a professional
standard, equivalent to that of a publishable paper;
• Communicate effectively with other scholars in the field of
teaching and learning;
• Peer review their teaching within a SoTL community.
Courses for Postgraduate students
• PG6003 – 5 Credits “Teaching and
Learning for Graduate Studies”
• ‘SIF’ grants from the Irish Government
enabled this provision – collaboratively
delivered by Ionad Bairre with UCC’s
Graduate Studies’ office & with 2 other
higher education institutions
Scholarship and Teaching
For an activity to be designated
as scholarship, the
American Association for
Higher Education suggests
that three characteristics are
needed:
• It should be public
• It should be susceptible to
critical review and evaluation
• It should be accessible for
exchange and use by other
members of one’s community
•
(Lee Shulman, in P. Hutchings The
Course Portfolio 1998)
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Theoretical Lenses facilitating
SoTL: Multiple Intelligences
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The Dimensions of Disciplinary
Understanding
Knowledge: ( What ?)
What questions do experts ask?
What do they need to know about?
Forms (How Expressed?)
How do experts communicate?
What are the tools of the discipline?
Methods: (How?)
How do experts find out?
Purposes (Why?)
Why do they do what they do? What is the goal?
How do experts use what they know?
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A rubric should reflect the four dimensions of
understanding, thereby showing students not just what
they should know, but why they need to know it and how
they can show understanding.
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National Co-operation
• Publications and scholarship
• Networks e.g. the Teaching & Learning Strategic Plan
was drafted in consultation with internal and external
stakeholders, such as:
– Cork Institute of Technology
– Cork City Vocational Education Committee
– National Association of Principals & Deputies (second
level education)
• The National Academy for Integration of Research
Teaching & Learning (NAIRTL)
Bologna Implementation

Ireland top of scorecard 2008 and second in
2009
Publications
Bologna: Qualification Recognition and Staff
Mobility – Proceedings of the 1st and 2nd
Symposia in the NAIRTL Bologna Series
Writing and Using Learning Outcomes: A
Practical Guide
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
International Summer School 2010 (attracted
delegates from 28 countries)
Annual Conferences
2007 UCC International Perspectives on
Teaching and Learning in Higher Education
2008 WIT Teaching and Learning in Higher
Education – Challenging Assumptions
2009 TCD Research-Teaching Linkages:
Practice and Policy
2010 RCSI Flexible Learning
2011 NUIG Intellectual Engagement
2012 TCD Threshold Concepts
International Co-operation
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Europe: UCC was a member of the European University Association’s
Quality Culture initiative on Teaching and Learning – (Learning Outcomes)
in 2005/6.
Collaborations with European universities through summer schools and
visits
U.S.A. UCC is a member of the U.S. based Carnegie Foundation’s CASTL
(Carnegie Academy for the Scholarship of Teaching and Learning)
Institutional Leadership programme.
UCC works with researchers in Project Zero in the Harvard Graduate
School of Education on projects such as Multiple Intelligences, Teaching for
Understanding etc.
Australia: research collaborations on SoTL (Brew, Boud…)
South America (Chile) Introducing Learning Outcomes and their
implications for Teaching, Learning and Assessment
Publications and Scholarship: Extensive publications in NAIRTL books
and proceedings and articles in journals and books internationally on
Scholarship of Teaching and Learning, Teaching for Understanding and
Multiple Intelligences Theory
Ionad Bairre: Select Publications
• Cronin, J., Higgs, B., McCarthy, M. and McKeon, J. (2010) In at the
Deep End: Postgraduate Students’ Experiences of Teaching and
Learning in Higher Education: University College Cork: NAIRTL
• Higgs, B. and McCarthy, M. (2005) Active learning: From lecture
theatre to field work. In G. O' Neill, S. Moore & B. McMullin, (eds)
Emerging Issues in the Practice of University Learning and
Teaching (pp. 37-44). Dublin: All Ireland Society for Higher
Education.
• Higgs, B. and McCarthy, M. (2008a) Introduction to poster
presentations. In N. Ryan (ed.) International Perspectives on
Teaching and Learning in Higher Education (pp. 60-64). University
College Cork: NAIRTL.
• Higgs, B. and McCarthy, M. (eds) (2008b) Emerging Issues 11: The
Changing Roles and Identities of Teachers and Learners in Higher
Education. University College Cork: NAIRTL/EDIN.
Select Publications 2
• Higgs, B. and Potter, J. (eds) (2008) In at the Deep End: Starting to
Teach in Higher Education. University College Cork: NAIRTL.
• Higgs, B. and Murphy, J. (eds) (2009) Teaching and Learning in
Higher Education: Challenging Assumptions. University College
Cork: NAIRTL.
• Higgs, B., Ryan, N. and Kilcommins, S. (eds) (2010) Making
Connections: Intentional Teaching for Integrative Learning.
University College Cork: NAIRTL.
• Hyland, A., McCarthy, M. and Higgs, B. (2007) Fostering,
recognizing and rewarding scholarly teaching at university college
cork: three perspectives. In C.O’ Farrell (ed.) Teaching Portfolio
Practice in Ireland: A Handbook. Dublin: Centre for Academic
Practice and Student Learning (CAPSL).
• Hyland, A. and McCarthy, M. (2009) Multiple intelligences in ireland.
In J. Q. Chen, S. Moran and H. Gardner (eds) Multiple Intelligences
Around the World. San Francisco: Jossey –Bass.
Select Publications 3
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McCarthy, M. (2002) Where finbarr taught, let munster learn. In N. Lyons, A.
Hyland and N. Ryan, (eds) Advancing the Scholarship of Teaching and
Learning Through a Reflective Portfolio Process: The University College
Cork Experience (pp. 27-32). University College Cork: The Staff
Enhancement and Development Committee.
McCarthy, M. (2004) Reflections on a mentoring programme in a university
context. In A. Hyland (ed.) University College Cork as a Learning
Organisation (pp. 43-50). University College Cork: The Staff Enhancement
and Development Committee.
McCarthy, M. and Higgs, B. (2005) The scholarship of teaching and its
implications for practice. In G. O' Neill, S. Moore and B. McMullin (eds)
Emerging Issues in the Practice of University Learning and Teaching (pp. 510). Dublin: All Ireland Society for Higher Education.
McCarthy, M. (2008a) Poster Presentations. In N. Ryan (ed.) International
Perspectives on Teaching and Learning in Higher Education (pp 64-138).
University College Cork: NAIRTL.
McCarthy, M. (2008b) Teaching for understanding for lecturers: Towards a
scholarship of teaching and learning. In Emerging Issues 11: The Changing
Roles and Identities of Teachers and Learners in Higher Education (pp.
101-115). University College Cork: NAIRTL/EDIN.
Select Publications 4
• McCarthy, M. (2008c) The scholarship of teaching and learning in
higher education: An overview. In R. Murray (ed.) The Scholarship
of Teaching and Learning in Higher Education (pp. 6-16). Berkshire:
OUP/ McGraw - Hill.
• McCarthy, M. (2010a) The Arts in education as an integrative
learning approach. In B.Higgs, S. Kilcommins and T. Ryan Making
Connections: Intentional Teaching for Integrative Learning (pp115127). University College Cork: NAIRTL.
• McCarthy, M. (2010b) Certification as a sotl process: some steps
along the way. In Research – Teaching Linkages: Practice and
Policy: Proceedings of the National Academy’s Third Annual
Conference (pp. 139-144). University College Cork: NAIRTL.
• McCarthy, M., Neville, G., Higgs, B., and Murphy, J. (2010) From dry
ice to plutarch’s fire: The integration of research and teaching and
learning. In R. Kennedy and S. O’ Flynn (eds) Medical Education:
The State of the Art. New York: Oxford: Nova Science.
Teaching and Learning in Higher
Education: Bibliography
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Bernstein, D., Burnett, A., Goodburn, A & Savory, P. (2006). Making Teaching and
Learning Visible: Course Portfolios and the Peer Review of Teaching. Bolton, MA:
Anker Publishing Co.
Blythe, T. (1999) The Teaching for Understanding Guide
Cross, K. P. (1996). Classroom Research: Implementing the Scholarship of
Teaching. San Francisco: Jossey- Bass.
Hetland, L. (2002). Introduction to TfU video resources, Harvard: Project Zero
Classroom, 1-5.
Hutchings, P. (ed.), (1998a). The Course Portfolio: How Faculty Can Examine Their
Teaching to Advance Practice and Improve Student Learning, Washington, DC:
American Association for Higher Education (AAHE).
McKinney, K. (2004). The scholarship of teaching and learning: Past lessons, current
challenges and future visions, in C. Wehlburg & S. Chadwick- Blossey (eds.) To
Improve the Academy: Vol 22. Resources for Faculty, Instructional and
Organizational Development (pp.3- 19). Bolton, MA: Anker.
McKinney, K. & Jarvis, P. (2009) Beyond lines on the CV: Faculty applications of their
SoTL research. IJSoTL, Vol.3. No 1.
Shulman, L (2004) Teaching as Community Property: Essays on Higher Education
Wiske, M. (1998) Teaching for Understanding: Linking Research with Practice
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Assessment in Higher Education:
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Angelo, T.A., Cross, K.P. 1993. Classroom Assessment Techniques: A Handbook for College
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Demetriou, A., Valanides, N. (2009). A Three-Level Theory of the Developing Mind: Basic
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(Eds). (2009). Intelligence, Instruction, and Assessment. US N.J:Routledge
Gardner, H. 1991. The Unschooled Mind. New York: Basic Books
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http://wideworld.pz.harvard.edu
Web sites
http://www.thinkinggear.com/tools/rubrics.cfm
http://learnweb.harvard.edu/ALPS/thinking/docs/rubricar.htm
http://opd.mpls.k12.mn.us/Dimensions_of_Understanding2.html
More information at:
• Office of the Vice-President for Teaching & Learning, UCC
www.ucc.ie/en/PresidentsOffice/SeniorManagement/tandl/
• Ionad Bairre, UCC’s Teaching & Learning Centre
www.ucc.ie/en/teachingandlearning/
• The UCC-led National Academy for the Integration of Research and
Teaching & Learning
www.nairtl.ie