Open Courses

Online Course: Getting Started with Personal & Professional Digital Capacity
2022-05-23 - 2022-09-09
23 May – 2 September (All Participants) | 5 – 9 September (To complete Facilitator training)
The National Forum for the Enhancement of Teaching and Learning in Higher Education are delighted to announce that the fully online Getting Started with Personal & Professional Digital Capacity Open Course will run this summer in partnership with the IUA-led Enhancing Digital Teaching and Learning (EDTL) project team.
Following a successful rollout in late 2021, the course has been reviewed and revised, and will be offered in a highly flexible mode, over an extended time period, during the summer.
What: This 6 unit course is designed to place you on your digital development pathway, by supporting you to reflect on your own strengths, needs and goals in the digital learning environment, as well as those of your students. Using a pedagogy-first approach, you will identify some key areas for personal development in the digital space and use structured tools for planning technology-based learning activities.
Available to: Staff currently working in Higher Education or Further Education and Training in the Republic of Ireland. Places allocated on a first come first served basis. Participants should be teaching or in a role that supports student learning, where it is possible to plan and evaluate a digital teaching enhancement.
When: The course will launch on Monday 23 May, and will support participants to engage in their own time over the summer months, with a deadline for completion in early September. This will give all participants an opportunity to develop and practice news skills, and to plan a digital teaching enhancement for the new academic year.
For those who wish to complete the facilitator training, this will take place in the week of 5 September.
Workload and Format: The workload for the course is 25 learner hours, plus 5 for the facilitator training. There will be three scheduled synchronous webinars, which will be recorded for anybody who can’t join live.

Date (week of)

23 May
Welcome webinar and introduction to Unit 1

30 May
Webinar introducing Units 2 & 3

20 June
Webinar introducing Units 4 & 5

The main content of the course (Units 1-5) will be introduced within the first 5 weeks, and participants can spread the workload across the summer to suit their own schedule and commitments, with a deadline for completion of 5 September.
Note: The course is designed to support reflection on your own strengths, needs and goals in the digital learning environment, and to identify key areas for development in the digital space. It is light in content and does not provide technical training, but rather imparts a structure for individual exploration and development.
Facilitators: the course will be facilitated by members of the EDTL project team and by facilitators who completed the training in the first rollout of the course.
For any enquiries contact: Sharon Flynn, sharon.flynn@iua.ie
Expression of Interest
This call for expressions of interest is now closed.

Online: PACT Commitment to Professional Development
2021-10-20 - 2021-12-02
We are delighted to announce that Dundalk Institute of Technology and Dublin City University are teaming up in partnership with the National Forum for the Enhancement of Teaching and Learning in Higher Education to facilitate the Digital Badge for PACT in a fully online format from 20 October 2021 for six weeks.
This open course is designed to place you on a professional development (PD) pathway, and is setting you up for completing a PD portfolio for the future. Professional development is something you will do every day of your life without even thinking about it; however, being conscious of the development you undertake will allow you to record this and develop in a systematic and authentic way. This open course recognises the importance of placing PD into a demanding academic schedule, and considers strategies for both how to embark on PD and self-manage the process. It is designed to encourage you to be proactive in order to begin the process of developing your current role, achieving greater satisfaction and effectiveness in your current work or taking a new career direction.
If you would like to become a facilitator for this course, to run it in your own institution, a further commitment of five learner hours will be required, in addition to attendance at two extra webinars
About this Badge
The National Professional Development Framework has been designed to guide staff who teach in higher education to plan, develop and engage in professional development activities. The aims of the PACT badge are to familiarise you with the PD framework, to encourage you to use the PD framework to develop effective PD strategies, and to develop your PD learning community. We encourage you to be proactive in developing your professional role and a Professional Development Portfolio (PD Portfolio) that documents your PD journey.
Participants on this course will:

Reflect on what is involved in making a commitment to your own Professional Development
Explore and demonstrate familiarity with the national Professional Development Framework
Be informed by others who have already used the PD Framework and Identify key actions from these conversations for your own PD practice
Identify ‘next steps’ – moving from reflecting on PD to undertaking it

Course Schedule
The open course involves approximately 25 hours over the 6 week period, beginning 20 October 2021, with an optional 5 hour add-on over a 2 week period for those interested in becoming future facilitators of the open course themselves.
This is a facilitator-led course and weekly live sessions will be held each week to guide you through the course and learning material. All sessions will be recorded for those who are unable to attend. The facilitators for this course are Michelle Cowley-Cunningham (DkIT) and Edel Gallagher (DCU).

Expression of Interest
Spaces on this iteration are limited and cannot be guaranteed.

Expression of interest for this Open Course is now closed.

Online Course: Academic Writing Practice – Participant & Facilitator Training
2021-10-11 - 2021-11-15
In this Open Course, participants will explore academic writing, specifically writing processes for themselves and their students, and the integration of writing into teaching pedagogies across the disciplines.
To complete the course and gain the nationally-recognised digital badge, you will need to commit to a total of 25 learner hours, spread over six weeks. The course will start on Monday 11th October 2021 with an Introduction Webinar. Participants who have successfully completed the AWP open course digital badge can opt to complete the AWP Facilitator’s digital badge.
You will be given activities to complete during the week. Some activities will be completed individually but many will require online collaboration with other participants. You will participate in peer triad groups within which you will support each other on your journey through the Academic Writing Practice Open Course.
When: This course runs from 11 October – 15 November 2021. Register your interest for the course at the end of this page.
Course Schedule

Topics
Date (week commencing)
Overview

Topic 1
Monday 11th October
Introducing Course
Live Webinar on Monday 11 October, 4 pm, Individual Activity and Triad meeting

Topic 2
Monday 18th October
Literacy Narrative & Processes
Explore Tutorial, Individual Activity and Triad meeting

Topic 3
Monday 25th October
Writing to Learn
Explore Tutorial, Individual Activity and Triad meeting

Topic 4
Monday 1st November
Writing in the Disciplines
Explore Tutorial and Individual Activity

Topic 5
Monday 8th November
Repurposing and Planning
Live Webinar on Monday 8 October, 4 pm, Individual Activity and Triad meeting

Topic 6
Monday 15th November
Course Completion
Individual Activity and Triad meeting

*The AWP Facilitators course will continue for two weeks following the above schedule.
This fully online course with will be delivered in partnership with University of Limerick, Maynooth University, Letterkenny Institute of Technology, Hibernia College and TU Dublin. The Academic Writing Practice facilitator team are Ide O Sullivan (UL), Alison Farrell (MU), Adeline Cooney (MU), Deirdre McClay (LyIT), Irene O’Dowd (Hibernia), Maria-Jose Gonzalez (TU Dublin) and Tara Giddens (UL).
Expression of Interest
Expression of interest for this Open Course is now closed.

Online: The L2L Joint Digital Badge – PACT Commitment to Professional Development for Librarians
2021-10-04 - 2021-11-15
To complete the course and gain the nationally-recognised joint digital badge, you will need to commit to a total of 25 learner hours, spread over six weeks. The course will start with a lunchtime webinar at 12.30-1.30 on Monday 4th October 2021. During this webinar you will meet the facilitators who will outline how the course will be supported over the following six weeks. You will be given activities to complete during the week and every Monday between 12.30 and 13:30 a webinar will take place to reflect on the week’s activities and introduce the topics for the following week.
Some activities will be completed individually but many will require online collaboration with other participants. You will form peer groups to support each other on your journey to achieve the L2L Joint PACT badge.
There is no need to worry if you have never used the online tools before, facilitators will be on hand with tips and support throughout the course.
The final webinar will be held on Monday 8th November, after which you will complete the course, in collaboration with your peer group, and achieve the nationally-recognised joint digital badge.
How can I become a facilitator?
If you would like to become a facilitator for this course, to run it in your own institution or library, a further commitment of five learner hours will be required, in addition to attendance at two extra webinars, on Mondays [Dates tbc] at 12.30 to 1.30pm.
How do I sign up?
This course is fully booked at present, however we are operating a waiting list here

Webinars

Date
(12.30-1.30pm)

Overview

Introduction Webinar

Monday 27th September

Introductions and preparations

Week 1
Monday 4th October
Reflection on previous PD and current digital skills

Week 2
Monday 11th October
Triads & ePortfolios

Week 3
Monday 18th October
Understanding PD Frameworks: National Forum & PK&SB
Reflective practice for librarians

Week 4
Monday 25th October
Getting to grips with the NF PD Framework. Cycle of evidence based reflection & learning types

Week 5
Monday 1st November
Taking stock of the frameworks & Community of Practice

Week 6
Monday 8th November
Collaborating with your triad/ ePortfolio &
Claiming your badge

Facilitator Webinar
Monday 15th November
‘Paying it forward’ Obtaining a PACT Facilitator’s Badge
