1

Introduction

The LIN newsletter is back and its regular production will be led by the new LIN APD Coordinator Dr. Niamh Rushe. This edition contains:

An overview of the LIN project to date

A summary of LIN activities for 2010/2011

An overview of the LIN/NAIRTL Conference—it’s not too late to register!!

LIN Conference 2010

Headlines 1

Introduction 1

LIN/NAIRTL Conference

1

LIN Overview 2

‘Eye on’ starts again

3

LIN APD Coor-dinator

4

Inside this issue:

Volume 2 Issue 1 LIN Newsletter

HEADLINES

LIN APD modules running in 6 different institutes

Still time to register for LIN/NAIRTL Conference

Level 9 PG dip being developed for academic staff

LIN APD Coordinator appointed

The Third LIN Conference is happening this year from October 6th – 7th in the Royal College of Surgeons. This year, for the first time, the Learning Innovation Network (LIN) and the National Academy for Integration of Research, Teaching and Learning (NAIRTL) are hosting a joint annual conference. The theme of this conference is Flexi-ble Learning, which relates to providing learners with increased choice about where, when and how they learn. The aim of this conference is to encourage and support staff in Higher Education Insti-tutions to undertake innovative approaches to their curriculum design and course implementation to meet the challenges of flexible learning. There are three strands covering the overall theme of the conference. They are Technology Enhanced Learn-ing, Integrative Learning and Innovation in Integrating RTL. These themed sessions will run in parallel and will see 60 oral presentations from 37 different institutes. There will also be 80 poster presentations on the same strands. The Keynote speakers for this year’s event are Professor Richard Baraniuk, founder of Connexions, whose speech is entitled ‘The Open Education Revolution’ and Michael Hörig, Policy officer in the Higher Education Policy Unit at the European University Association, who will present a talk entitled ‘Flexible Learning: The European Con-text’. To register for this year’s conference please go to http://www.nairtl.ie/index.php?pageID=27&eventID=236

2

Page 2

LIN is gathering momentum! Since the establishment of LIN, seven 10 - credit CPD modules have been written

and piloted in various institutes. These modules and the lead institute in each are summarised in Table 1. So far

over 60 academic staff in 6 institutes have completed a 10 credit module. Furthermore, the module developed in

AIT has been run successfully in IADT. This project has been hailed as a huge success (Davies 2010) and work is

ongoing to build on this success.

Table 1

Table 2 summarises the LIN modules that are being run in institutes in Semester one throughout the country.

Three institutes are running modules that were first written and piloted in another institute. This process of

modules written and piloted in one institute being validated and run in other institutes is a hugely significant ac-

tivity for LIN and is something that will be further utilised as the project proceeds.

Table 1

The overall aim of the project is to ensure staff in all institutes will have the opportunity to complete the LIN

modules and can, if they wish, complete a LIN PG Diploma or use some LIN credits for exemptions on any other

HE Education qualification. Each module is recognised as a level 9 special purpose award. The pathways aca-

demic staff can take within LIN are demonstrated in Figure 1.

Summary of current activities for the LIN APD Project

New terms of reference for the LIN working group have been drafted

Participation from each institute has been sought and encouraged

LIN Conference October 2010

LIN Newsletter starts again

Validation for modules in various institutes is being sought

Validation for PG Dip is being processed

Eighth 10 credit module on Practice & Reflection in Teaching & Learning in HE is being piloted in LIT

Module Lead Institute

Learning and Teaching in Higher Education AIT

Mentoring WIT

Engaging in Educational Research Practice ITS

Formative Assessment and Feedback ITC

Technology enhanced learning LIT

Enquiry based learning ITB

Assessment and Evaluation WIT

LIN Overview

Institute Module

IADT Learning & Teaching in Higher Education

IT Tallaght Learning & Teaching in Higher Education

IT Carlow Formative Assessment & Feedback

DIT Technology Enhanced Learning

AIT (2 MODULES) Technology Enhanced Learning

Learning & Teaching in Higher Education

LIT (2 MODULES) Technology Enhanced Learning

Practice and Reflection in T&L in HE

3

LIN APD modules are open to academic staff from all HE institutes, pending availability of places. Completing a number of modules will ultimately lead to a postgraduate diploma in the area of teaching in higher education. The graphic below indicates how this major award could be achieved and how lecturers at different stages of their careers and with varying areas of interest could plan their postgraduate qualification. The baseline qualification is a level 9 special purpose award which can be achieved with the completion of one module.

Figure 1

Eye on Series starts again

Page 3 Volume 2 Issue 1

In each edition of Volume 1 of the LIN newsletter there was a feature article on one institute. These articles

were the ‘Eye on’ series and each of the 14 institutes featured at some point. The ‘Eye on’ feature will be run

again in this volume of the LIN Newsletter starting in the next edition. The first Institute to feature will be IT Sligo.

The LIN APD coordinator will be in touch with all IoTs to assist with the preparation of the ‘Eye on’ article.

LIN APD Coordinator

Dr. Niamh Rushe has joined the LIN team. Niamh will be working as the APD Coordinator and has a number of

responsibilities which include the production and circulation of the LIN newsletter. Niamh’s previous position was

the Manager for the Centre for Educational Development in IT Tralee. Over the next number of months she will

be in n touch with all institutes on LIN-related matters. C OR REMOVE OR PERSONALISE A LITTLE?

4

Institutes of Technology Ireland 1st Floor, Fumbally Square, Fumbally Lane, Dublin 8

LIN

Phone: 01 708 2900 Fax: 01 4736068 E-mail: niamh.rushe@ioti.ie

LIN conference

LIN/NAIRTL October 6th-7th Royal College of Surgeons “Flexible

learning http://www.nairtl.ie/conference

SEDA conference

SEDA Spring Teaching, Learning and Assessment Conference 2011 “Academics for the 21st Century’ Holyrood Hotel, Edinburgh from 5th-6th May 2011 http://www.seda.ac.uk/index.php?p=14-2&e=414

Reporting events in your institute

Every edition of the LIN Newsletter will have an upcoming events sec-tion. If there are any events in your institute that you would like in-cluded in this section please send details to niamh.rushe@ioti.ie and they will be in the next newsletter.

Upcoming events

Supporting Academic Professional Development

www.lin-ireland.ie

‘Teaching is the highest form of un-

derstanding’ Aristotle