Towards a National Understanding of Agile Curriculum: Sharing Perspectives

This National Forum webinar, open to the entire higher education community, will focus on the key features of an agile and innovative curriculum. The concept of agile curricula has come to prominence in recent years, not least through the HEA’s recent Human Capital Initiative Pillar 3, which has seen a Government investment of €197 million over the 5-year period, 2020 to 2024. Aligning with the significant related work on which institutions are now embarking, this webinar will begin a national conversation on how we understand the concept of an agile curriculum and what can be learned and shared across related projects and initiatives at national level.

HCI Pillar 3 (Innovation and Agility) has resulted in 22 large-scale collaborative projects being funded across the higher education sector. Through projects recommended under this pillar, ‘innovative methods of teaching and delivery will be promoted, so that learners will benefit from improved quality and more engaging ways of learning on enterprise-focused courses’. HCI Pillar 3 emphasises agility and expresses the strategic aim of government to enable institutions ‘to anticipate, understand and respond to emerging skills needs (…), to deliver new courses or adapt existing courses, so that institutions can more quickly respond to emerging developments in technology and enterprise’. Pillar 3 projects will enable institutions ‘to provide lifelong learning and upskilling opportunities’.

Speakers for this webinar are:

Chair, Dr Jim Murray (THEA and National Forum Board Member)

Prof Denise Rooney, Virtual Laboratories in Higher Education

Prof Denise Rooney is Head of the Department of Chemistry and Associate Dean of the Faculty of Science in Maynooth University. Prof. Rooney is Project Manager of the Virtual Laboratories in Higher Education HCI project. The initiative brings together five Higher Education Institutions: Athlone Institute of Technology, Dublin City University, Dundalk Institute of Technology and University College Cork with education technology providers, to develop courses in which a virtual laboratory experience is complemented with a real laboratory experience.

Prof Ann Ledwith, UL@Work

Prof Ann Wedwith is the Dean of Graduate and Professional Studies at UL with responsibility for growing UL’s postgraduate and professional programmes and improving the quality of the learning experience of these students. She leads the HCI funded UL@Work project that aims to build a flexible, technology-enhanced learning platform to respond to digitisation and the future world of work in close collaboration with enterprise partners.

Dr Deirdre Lillis, CONVENE: Transforming university-enterprise engagement for a co-created innovation and skills ecosystem in Dublin

Dr Deirdre Lillis is a member of the board of the Higher Education Authority, the Senate of the National University of Ireland, and Head of the School of Computer Science at TU Dublin, City Campus. Dr Lillis is Project Lead in TU Dublin for CONVENE. She leads the Convene programme which is transforming university-enterprise engagement (www.convene.ieLed by TU Dublin, in collaboration with the UCD Innovation Academy, supported by 36 long-standing enterprise partners, CONVENE will deliver a step-change in the skills and innovation needed to rebuild Irish enterprise for sustainability and resilience.

Dr Lynn Ramsey, Multi-campus Micro-Credentials Project, IUA

Dr Lynn Ramsey is Programme Lead for the Multi-campus Micro-Credentials Project led by the IUA. The project has four elements: Establishment of National Framework for Micro-credentials, Creation of an effective and sustainable system of Enterprise Engagement for Micro-credentials, Development of a digital portal for Multi-campus micro-credentials, Development of Micro-credentials programmes in each of the universities. Universities partners are DCU, TCD, UCD, MU, UL, NUIG, and UCC. The project Steering Group includes all seven universities and NUI, members of IUA and IBEC. In addition, a 14-strong Enterprise Advisory Group will partner with the project group throughout and beyond the project.

Mr Gareth Lee, Screen Skills Ireland (SSI)

Gareth manages Screen Skills Ireland (SSI), the Skills unit at Screen Ireland, the agency responsible for the development of the Irish film, television, and animation industry. SSI supports the sector through a range of CPD courses, funding schemes and other initiatives. Gareth also acts as an advisory board member for Animation Ireland.

Dr Kevin Marshall, Microsoft Ireland

Kevin Marshall is the Head of Education, Microsoft Ireland, where he leads a team of dedicated professionals committed to enhance the quality of Teaching & Learning using technology. He has represented IBEC on several committees, Teaching Council, National Council Curriculum and Assessment (NCCA) & Marino Institute of Education. He has a BA (Hons) Psychology, University College Dublin, an MSc Occupational Psychology, University of Hull and a Ph.D., Educational Measurement & Research, Boston College.

The National Forum is hosting two webinars focused on agile curricula as part of its 2021 national webinar series. The full 2021 webinar schedule can be viewed here. The April webinar, entitled Towards a National Understanding of Agile Curriculum: Sharing Perspectives on Developing Innovation and Agility, will include input from five HCI project teams who will each share an outline of their project and the features of innovation and agility that they hope to develop and embed. Employer perspectives on the features of an agile curriculum will also be shared. Through discussion and negotiation the webinar will capture the key features of an agile curriculum, working towards a shared understanding.

A Summary Programme for the webinar is below.

12.30-12.35

Welcome

Dr Terry Maguire, National Forum

Chair, Dr Jim Murray, THEA and National Forum Board Member

12.35-12.40

Context and Scene Setting – Dr Claire McAvinia, National Forum

Why is developing an understanding of what we mean by an agile curriculum important at this time?

12.40-13.00

Lightening Talks – HCI Project Leads

Prof Ann Ledwith – UL@Work

Prof Denise Rooney – Virtual Laboratories

Dr Lynn Ramsey – IUA

Dr Deirdre Lillis - CONVENE

13.00-13.10

Employer perspectives on the features of an agile curriculum

Dr Kevin Marshall, Microsoft Ireland

Mr Gareth Lee, Screen Skills Ireland (SSI)

1310-1325

Panel Discussion: All Speakers

13.25-13.30

Closing Remarks