International Conference on Engaging Pedagogy

Brett is a lecturer in the Faculty of Computing Science at Griffith College Dublin. He holds a PhD in Computer Science from University College Dublin where he also completed an MSc in Computational Science. Brett’s undergraduate degrees are a BA in Physics and a BA in Computer Science from Drew University, NJ, USA. He is particularly interested in how fundamental concepts of computation and information theory impact the education of students in all disciplines.

Kevin is a Senior Lecturer at Griffith College Dublin. Having completed a BSc and MSc in Computer Science at University College, Dublin, he began lecturing at GCD in 1994. He left in 2002 to take up a position as researcher in the School of Computer Science and Statistics at Trinity College Dublin. Having since returned to lecturing at GCD, he continues his involvement with his research group at TCD in the area of virtual machines and compiler optimisation. Kevin holds a PhD in Computer Science from Trinity College, Dublin.

Fiona is Head of Lecturer Support and Development in Griffith College Dublin. Her background is in Business and Human Resources, and she has a BA and MA in Business. Recently she completed a Masters in Learning and Teaching in Higher Education and is currently pursuing an Ed.D in Queens University. Her areas of interest and research include teaching and assessment methodologies and approaches, teaching resources including technological supports.

Dr. Susan Bergin, Department of Computer Science NUI Maynooth received a National Award for Excellence in Teaching in 2009 from the National Academy for the Integration of Research, Teaching and Learning (NAIRTL). Susan is a member of the Centre for Telecommunications Value-Chain Research and the Callan Institute, NUI Maynooth. Her research interests include computer science education, text mining, machine learning, statistical analysis and related software development.

Larry McNutt BSc (Hons), HDipEd, M.Ed(Hons) FICS, is currently Head of School of Informatics and Engineering at the Institute of Technology Blanchardstown, Dublin, which he joined at its establishment in 1999. Prior to joining ITB, Larry was Senior Lecturer in the Institute of Technology Tallaght, Dublin and spent a number of years as an academic staff member at Southern Cross University Australia. He has also lectured at Dublin City University, Capella University in the US and at the Letterkenny Institute of Technology in Ireland. A Fellow of the Irish Computer Society, his research interests and publications include distance education, educational technology, instructional design and computer science education. Larry has served as an external examiner at the Waterford Institute of Technology, Cork Institute of Technology and University College Dublin. He is currently involved in a number of collaborative research projects in the e-learning area funded by the Higher Education Authority – Strategic Innovation Fund. Larry is a regular presenter at national and international conferences and workshops. He has recently completed his EdD studies at the National University of Ireland Maynooth where his work explores the habitus and field of educational technology. Further details on this project are available on http://www.mosceal.com/ or http://mosceal.pbworks.com or contact Larry directly.

Leo Casey is Director of the Centre for Research and Innovation in Learning and Teaching (CRILT) at National College of Ireland. Leo is also Programme Director for the Postgraduate Diploma in Learning and Teaching and the MA in Learning and Teaching.
CRILT is home to the National E-Learning Laboratory (NELL) a usability research facility specialising in e-learning improvement. The Centre is also leading the current Blended Learning Strategy at NCI.
Leo’s research interests are e-learning and pedagogic design, digital literacy and competences for the 21str Century workplace. In 2008, Leo, with others, undertook research funded by the Department of Education and Science on Digital Literacy in Irish Primary Schools (DLIPS).
In 1996 he founded AV Edge Ltd. – the focus was initially on educational television and subsequently, with the support of business investors, AV Edge diversified into e-learning and multimedia products and international markets. Later he worked for ThirdForce as Head of Skills for Life.
Leo has recently completed his PhD on the topic of e-learning and the experience of adult learners and new technology (NUIM) he also has an MA in Education (DCU) and a BSc. and H Dip Ed (UCD).

David graduated from University of Limerick with a BA (Hons) in Law and Accounting in 2002. Since then, he has also received a HDip and MSc in Computer Science, both from University College Dublin. He is currently working towards a PhD in Computer Science at University College Dublin, where his research interests include Multi Agent Systems and Information Retrieval. He also lectures part time in the Department of Computing Science, Griffith College Dublin.

Ruairi graduated from Dundalk Institute of Technology in 2006 with a BA (Hons) in Communications in Creative Multimedia, and received an MSc in Multimedia Systems from Trinity College Dublin in 2007. Ruairi has worked as a web developer and multimedia designer for a number of years before joining the Computing Science faculty in 2007.

Angela has been a lecturer in Griffith College for the past sixteen years. She graduated from UCD having studies economics and maths. She has lectured extensively in a range of subjects across faculties. Her main areas are economics, quantitative methods, statistics and taxation. Angela is currently pursuing a doctorate in education and hopes to graduate in 2014.

Rosario is a Lecturer in the School of Languages and Literatures at University College Dublin and a University Fellow in Teaching and Academic Development. Her research interests are in the area of student assessment and learning. She is currently leading a Fellows research project aimed at the enhancement of student learning within the University’s modularised curriculum. She is completing a major research study on Assessment of student learning in Hispanic Studies at universities in the Republic of Ireland: the practices and views of academics and students.

Fergus is a researcher with the Centre for Cybercrime Investigation in University College Dublin. He has taught numerous courses in computing and mathematics in UCD, GCD, and Fudan University in Shanghai using both traditional means and also teaching purely online courses. Prior to joining the Centre for Cybercrime Investigation Fergus was the Course Director for the undergraduate programmes in the Faculty of Computing Science in GCD. Fergus’ research interests include the detection of online crime / fraud, information retrieval, machine learning and effective means of teaching mathematics to undergraduates.

Dr Jen Harvey is DIT Head of Lifelong Learning based in the Teaching and Learning Centre, Mount Street, Dublin 2. She has many areas of interest and expertise, including ELearning Research and Development, E-Portfolios, Education and Technology and Training and Education.

Dr Pauline Connolly is a Leadership and Management Consultant in the Institute of Public Administration. Her primary focus is on developing the leadership capacity of middle and senior management in the public sector. She is interested in exploring new ways to develop managers in their role. Prior to joining the IPA, Pauline was employed as a lecturer and year head. She taught on both undergraduate and MBA programmes. Her subjects included Organisational Management, Employee Relations and Strategic Human Resource Management. Pauline has published widely in both international peer-reviewed journals, national publications such as Irish Business Review, and Irish Journal of Management. She has co-edited a book and has several chapters in books to her name. Her research interests span management practices and values, entrepreneurship and the hospitality industry.

Henry McLoughlin is a senior lecturer in the School of Computer Science and Informatics in University College Dublin. His research focuses on mathematics and programming and specifically how to teach these topics to students. He has been involved in web-based training research since its inception in the early 90s. He is a Fellow of Teaching and Academic Development in UCD.

Dr Brian Bowe graduated from Dublin Institute of Technology with a Technician Diploma in Applied Science (Physics) in 1993 and with a first class honours BSc in Physics and Mathematics from Trinity College Dublin in 1995. Spent four years as a postgraduate student in DIT’s School of Physics, and submitted a PhD to Trinity College, Dublin in June 1999. Appointed Learning Development Officer at the DIT Learning and Teaching Centre in September 2004. Pedagogical research interests are primarily in problem based learning.

Orla Hanratty Since graduating with a Bachelor of Education and MSc in IT and Education from Trinity College Dublin, Orla has worked in third level education with a role in the professional development of teaching staff. She is currently working in NUI Maynooth and is involved in the development and delivery of programmes for lecturers and postgraduates who teach. Her interests include reflective practice and supporting early career academics in their teaching, and she has published in these areas.

Professor Wallace Ewart is a former Pro-Vice Chancellor of the University of Ulster, Dean of Business and Management, and Director of Informatics. He is an expert in the areas of Communication and Information Technology, with particular experience in the education, training and library sectors. His board appointments have included the Training and Employment Agency and the NI Growth Challenge, and he currently provides consultancy support to educational bodies in the UK, Ireland and Asia.

Dr Sharon Flynn is the Assistant Director at the Centre for Excellence in Learning and Teaching (CELT) at NUI Galway, where one of her responsibilities is to lead the Learning Technologies team in exploring, piloting and evaluating new technologies for teaching and learning. Prior to joining CELT, Sharon was a full-time lecturer in the Information Technology department, NUI Galway, for more than 10 years, during which time she developed a strong interest in educational issues and in using IT to support teaching in Higher Education.

Stephanie Donegan is the Education Development and Quality Manager in Institute of Technology, Sligo. In her role she is responsible for examinations, conferring, academic policies and procedures and the development of education across the Institute.

Rosemary Cooper is responsible for the Centre for Learning and Teaching at the Institute of Technology, Tallaght, Dublin 24. She has many areas of interest, including the use of technology in education, Academic Professional Development, Academic Supports for Learners, (including the transition into and out of Higher Education), and developing Emotional Competence in learners.

Professor Conrad Lashley is the Professor of Leisure Retailing at Nottingham Business School in Nottingham Trent University. Commercial research has largely been concerned with a range of employee management issues relating to the licensed retail sector and his publications cover human resource and service quality issues with a particular focus on empowerment. He also has research interests and publications in hospitality management education with particular reference to student learning styles. Recent books include Empowerment: HR strategies for service excellence, Organization Behaviour for Leisure Services and Hospitality: a social lens He is series editor of Butterworth Heinemann’s Hospitality, Leisure and Tourism series.

Dr. Brian Nolan is Head of Department of Informatics at the Institute of Technology Blanchardstown, Dublin in Ireland. His research interests include computational approaches to speech and language processing; computational linguistics; linguistic theory at the morphosyntactic-semantic interface, argument structure and valency, event structure in language, and the architecture of the lexicon. His educational research interests range over elearning, digital content creation and learning object design. His linguistic work has been in the functional linguistic model of Role and Reference Grammar and he has published extensively internationally. Recent computing/computational linguistic research has concentrated on: 1) The development of a framework and supporting application suite for mobile and distributed command and control of robotic devices using speech recognition as the core enabling technology; 2) The development of a rule –based Arabic to English machine translation engine that uses Role and Reference Grammar as the linguistic model supporting an interlingua bridge. More recently, Dr Brian Nolan was awarded significant funding for a SIF Cycle 2 collaborative ICT / Linguistics project of three years duration with Dr. Lorraine Leeson of the Centre for Deal Studies, Trinity College, Dublin. Dr. Brian Nolan is currently authoring a book, for publication in 2010 by Equinox in London, on the linguistic structure of Irish entitled: ‘The structure of Irish: A functional account’.

Myra has overall charge of Nottingham Business School’s tourism and heritage management teaching. She specialises in the supervision of PhD students in this field and is also involved with project and dissertation supervision within DBA, MBA and various undergraduate programmes. Myra’s interests include heritage management, cultural tourism, world Heritage sites and sacred sites. She has an academic career of more than 30 years which has included research, consultancy and training projects in sub-Saharan Africa (mostly Namibia but also Lesotho, Botswana and South Africa) funded by Wenner-Grenn, Leakey Foundation, University grants from Oxford, Leicester, Nottingham Trent University, etc. She recently completed EU funded (Euro 466,000) ESPON research project 1.33 ‘The role and spatial effects of cultural heritage and identity’ (2004-2006) as part of a transnational group of 12 European Universities led by Ca’ Foscari University, Venice. Visit the ECP Espon Contact Point Luxembourg website. Myra is Fellow of Royal Geographical Society and the Royal Society of Arts as well as a member ICOMOS UK Cultural Tourism/World Heritage Committee and Reviews Editor of the International Journal of Heritage Studies, member of the Editorial Boards of the European Journal of Science and Theology, Geoarchaeology, Journal of Heritage Tourism, and Tourism Review.

Professor Allan A. Gibb B.A. PhD, OBE has worked in the field of Small and Medium Enterprise (SME) and Entrepreneurship development for over 30 years. His experience, interests and publications cover virtually all aspects of this field, from the development of enterprise culture at all levels in education, to business start up, survival and growth, to large company restructuring and entrepreneurship and to the training and development of all those stakeholders who impact upon the creation of entrepreneurship. He has worked in over 80 countries throughout the world ranging from the so-called ‘developing’ to transition and developed economies. He is well known internationally as a speaker and author. His great interest is in bridging the gap between concept and practice.

is Head of Teaching and Learning at UCD School of Mathematical Sciences. Patrick took up the post of lecturer in Statistics at UCD in 1999 having previously held the role of Government Statistician at the Central Statistics Office, Dublin for 4 years. He holds a BSc (hons) and MSc in Mathematical Physics from UCD and a PhD in Statistics from Karolinska Institutet, Stockholm and UCD. His research interests vary from econometrics to radon mapping and he retains a strong interest in research in Statistics Education being an active member of the International Association for Statistics Education.

Claire is currently a Learning Technologist in the Centre for Teaching and Learning at NUI Maynooth. Her role is to work with colleagues across the university in the adoption and use of e-learning in their disciplines, and particularly to support their use of the Moodle virtual learning environment. She has previous experience from a wide range of projects using new technologies for learning and teaching in universities. She has also taught in courses related to e-learning at undergraduate and postgraduate levels. Her interests are in educational technology generally, but particularly in computer-assisted language learning (CALL), new ‘literacies’ for students, and the impact of technologies on the working practices of people in universities.

Mike graduated from University College Cork in 1986 and 1988 with a B.Sc. (Hons) and M.Sc. (Hons) in Computer Science. After spending a number of years working in the Software Industry, he joined Athlone Institute of Technology in 1996 as a Lecturer in Software Engineering with responsibility for Requirements Engineering, Software Test, and Software Quality Management. Mike recently completed the Postgraduate Diploma in Higher Education at NUI Maynooth in 2009 and now also lectures on the Certificate in Learning and Teaching course run by his college. He currently supervises two postgraduate students with the research focused on Neural Networks and Machine Learning.

Majella holds an MSc in Hospitality Management from the Dublin Institute of Technology, a BA in Hotel and Catering Management from the Galway – Mayo Institute of Technology, and a Certificate in training and development from The Chartered Institute of Personnel Development and the Dublin Institute of Technology. She has worked in the hospitality industry at senior management level and was an instructor with Failte Ireland prior to joining GCD.

Kay O’Sullivan is Course Director for the Higher Diploma in Arts in Music Education at The Leinster School of Music & Drama (LSMD), which is a constituent school of Griffith College. She has over twenty years experience in music education, firstly at the Cork School of Music, later as founder of Cork City Music College and more recently as Curriculum Development Manager at the LSMD. She has served on the National Executive of the Irish Association of Youth Orchestras and of the Irish Association of Music Schools. She is currently pursuing doctoral studies at King’s College London

Robbie is deputy head of the Journalism and Media Communications faculty at Griffith College Dublin. Between 1999 and 2007 he was a board member of Inter Trade Ireland and was Sinn Fein General Secretary from 2003 to 2005. He was appointed in 2009 to a Cross Sector Advisory Forum set up by the First and Deputy First minster of the Northern Ireland Assembly to review and make recommendations for addressing problems arising from the economic crisis. Robbie’s academic interests are multidisciplinary crossing: general economic policy in Ireland; political communication; business development in the creative and communication sectors, media and communication policy issues as well as innovation and best practice in third level education. He is currently undertaking study for a PhD at Queens University Belfast.

Neil is the founder and College Director of the College of
Computer Training (CCT), Ireland. Neil’s qualifications include a BA
in Psychology, and the Dublin City University MSc in Work &
Organisational Psychology. He has overseen the HETAC and FETAC
accreditation processes of CCT’s Computing and Business programmes. Neil’s main area of interest and research include teaching and assessment methodologies and approaches, and teaching resources including technological supports.

John is the Head of the School of Computer Science and Informatics at University College Dublin where he also lectures on the BSc in Computer Science and the MSc in Forensic Computing and Cybercrime Investigation. He is actively researching in the areas of Intelligent Information Retrieval, Computational Linguistics and Machine Learning and is widely published in these areas. John has also served as the vice president of the Irish Federation of University Teachers.