Presentation for the BFUG WG Peer Learning Activity: Professional Development in Higher Education

1. Staff Development for Enhancing Digital
Teaching and Learning: Lessons Learned from
the Irish Experience during the Pandemic
Dr Sharon Flynn, EDTL Project Manager, Irish Universities Association
#IUADigEd

2. 1. About EDTL
2. Planning for Effective Digital Teaching
3. GSPPDC Open Course
4. Review of CPD
5. Lessons Learned

3. 1. About EDTL

4. About EDTL: Funding
• Funded by the Irish Higher Education Authority (HEA), €3 million
• 4 year project, 2019-2022
• Led by Irish Universities Association (IUA)
• Involving 7 Irish Universities
Dublin City University, Maynooth University, Trinity College Dublin,
University College Cork, University College Dublin, University of Galway,
University of Limerick

5. About EDTL: Objectives
• Enhance the digital attributes of all Irish university graduates
• Enhance the educational experiences of all Irish university students
through the mainstreamed and integrated use of digital technologies
as part of the teaching and learning process.
In order to achieve these, a third is necessary
• Enhance the digital skills of those who teach in Irish universities

6. Organisation
IUA
Project
Manager
Dublin
City
University
Maynooth
University
NUI
Galway
Trinity
College
Dublin
University
College
Cork
University
College
Dublin
University
of
Limerick
TU Dublin
IUA Project Manager
+ Supports
Steering Group
Project Team &
Interns

7. About EDTL: 4 Guiding Pillars
Not
starting
from zero
Pedagogy
first
Discipline
focus
Students
as Partners

8. 2. Planning for Effective Digital
Teaching

9. Photo by Amanda Chen on Unsplash

10. Planning for effective
remote teaching during
Covid-19: The EDTL
Approach for Modules

12. https://edtl.blog/the-edtl-approach/

13. 3. Getting Started with Personal
& Professional Digital Capacity

14. Getting Started with Personal & Professional Digital Capacity: Online Course & Digital Badge

16. Some details
• 6 week course, approx. 25 learner hours
• Mostly self-paced, 3 live webinars (recorded)
• Unit 1 = self reflection (DigCompEdu)
• Units 2,3 = explore & demonstrate a new skill
• Units 4,5 = plan a digital enhancement
• Unit 6 = claim your badge (produce evidence within a peer triad)
• Does not provide technical training, rather imparts a structure for
individual exploration and development

17. Facilitator Training
• 5 additional learner
hours for the
facilitator badge

18. Open course materials
• 2 national rollouts (21 new facilitators)
• Embedded into institutional accredited CPD
• Offered as stand-alone non-accredited formal CPD
• Materials available to download from NFETL and EDTL websites

19. 4. Review of CPD Opportunities

20. Review of CPD opportunities
• Snapshot of CPD opportunities across 7 universities
• Compiled based on submission of steering group, desk research and
follow-up conversations
• Carried out in Q2 2019 – baseline data
• Repeated in Q2 2022 – what has changed?
What changes were a direct or indirect impact of EDTL?
What changes were influenced by Covid-19?

21. Typology of CPD
(From: National Professional Development Framework for all
Staff who Teach in Higher Education)

22. Support for Unstructured, Non-accredited
CPD
• Range has expanded in all universities since 2019, clear evidence of
impact by EDTL at institutional level
• Use of embedded and localised EDTL resources
• Increase in resources available at discipline level
 Response to pandemic
 Evidence of local conversations on T&L happening

23. Structured, Non-accredited CPD
• Range has expanded in all universities since 2019, clear evidence of
impact by EDTL
• National Forum open courses are being offered locally, sometimes
embedded within accredited programmes
• Getting Started with Personal & Professional Digital Capacity has been
promoted and has had enrolments from all university partners

24. Accredited CPD
• Very little change at programme level
• At module level, there is evidence that EDTL has impacted on new
modules (MU, UCC) or new module content (UG, TCD)
• Anecdotally, academic staff are more interested in one-off workshops
or short courses, than committing to full accredited programme.

25. 5. Lessons learned

26. • Reward/Recognition is important
• Align with European/national frameworks
• Build on existing expertise
• Build capacity in professional staff
• Meet people where they are at
• Involve students
• Potential of discipline/programme approach
• Have (and share) a vision and be ambitious