Teaching + Learning

The Learning, Teaching + Assessment Strategy has been developed to enable IADT to review and enhance learning, teaching and assessment across the Institute. It considers IADT’s mission and places it in the context of higher education. It embodies the values that are fundamental to IADT and reflects the three pillars of enterprise, creativity and technology. The strategy outlines the philosophy of learning, teaching and assessment at IADT.

The Learning Teaching + Assessment Strategy was developed by the Teaching and Learning Committee, sub-committee of Academic Council. The strategy was originally developed and adopted in 2008, a revised strategy was adopted by Academic Council in October 2010. The current Learning, Teaching + Assessment Strategy runs from 2014-2019 and is the third iteration of the strategy.

Context:
Learning, teaching and assessment in IADT take place in the national and international context of higher education. It embodies principles of fairness, equity and natural justice. The Learning Teaching + Assessment Strategy links to IADT’s Strategic Plan. It embodies the principles stated in the IADT Learner Charter. IADT aims to be a research-informed higher education institution and research is required to enable the Institute’s teaching programmes to be excellent and relevant.

The national context for higher education is that of the agenda for quality in Teaching + Learning, flexible provision, knowledge gain, enhancing social inclusion, raising skills levels and promoting economic regional and cultural development. The international context is that of mobility, international and Erasmus exchanges.

The legal obligations are those stated in the Qualifications and Quality Assurance (Education and Training) Act (2012) for programmes that meet the standards of the National Framework of Qualifications (2003) and have ‘procedures which are fair and consistent for the assessment of . . . learners’ (2012, p. 36). The emphasis on programme learning outcomes, assessment and flexuble modes of delivery have been reflected in the programmes developed by each faculty.

Plagiarism is basically using someone else’s ideas without acknowledgement and can be defined as:
The presentation of another person’s words, ideas, arguments, concepts or designs as though they were your own. Plagiarism refers to all media, printed or electronic including images and software.

Plagiarism is a serious challenge to academic integrity. IADT aims to help students to reach their potential through the provision of a supportive, vibrant and challenging learning environment. Plagiarism has no place in the IADT learning environment. IADT have developed a policy (below) which has been put in place to help and inform both students and staff about plagiarism and how it can be managed and preferably prevented.

The Teaching + Learning committee aims to enhance the quality of learning, teaching and assessment across the Institute by providing academic leadership for the continued development of excellence in academic practice.

The Teaching + Learning committee is committed to:

reviewing existing practice in teaching, learning and assessment and draw from all the disciplines in the Institute
​principles of universal design
disseminating best practice within specific fields of enquiry by investigating teaching and learning strategy
advising on staff training and development and co-ordinating and leading teaching and learning efforts across the Institute
​linking to wider teaching, learning and assessment initiatives internally and externally
​developing the scholarship of teaching at IADT

Teaching + Learning at IADT is supported by the Teaching and Learning Committee, a sub-committee of Academic Council. The Teaching + Learning committee meets monthly during the academic year. It develops and reviews policies as requested by Academic Council and works on relevant strategic objectives set out in the IADT Strategic Plan 2014-2017. It organises staff development for Teaching + Learning in association with the Staff Training Learning + Development Officer Mary Anne O’Carroll. It runs a Teaching + Research showcase in June (with the Research + Development Committee) and takes the lead on teaching and learning projects across the Institute. It supports Teaching + Learning and elearning.

The Teaching and Learning Committee supports teaching and learning at IADT by:
– Ensuring that books and journals about teaching and education are available through the Library. For an initial list please see the IADT Teaching Pack.
​– Organising workshops, seminars and webinars on teaching and learning in association with HR.
​– Running accredited courses in teaching and learning. The Athlone Institute of Technology Certificate in Learning and Teaching, a 15 credit Level 9 Accredited Part-time Course has run since 2009. IADT has run its own Accredited Part-time Courses in Technology Enhanced Learning and Assessment and Evaluation since 2012.
​– Supporting presentation at conferences on teaching and learning.

For further information about teaching and learning at IADT please click on the IADT Teaching Pack. If you have any questions or queries please see the Committee chair.

Blackboard is IADT’s Virtual Learning Environment (VLE). It supports and complements teaching and student learning at IADT. Lecturers can use the VLE to provide course material online, while students can access course content, communicate with lecturers as well as participating in online assessments, discussions and evaluations. All the students and staff in IADT are enrolled on Blackboard. Students are automatically enrolled on the relevant modules in Blackboard when they register on Banner.

Students and staff have access to their own courses and few cross institute Blackboard courses. You can access Blackboard through the same username and password you use to access the Institute computer network.

Log on to Blackboard by clicking here.

This is a guidance document for writing programme and module learning outcomes. It explains what learning outcomes are, and their benefit to lecturers and students. It explains the difference between programme, stage and module learning outcomes and provides examples of each. It also offers advice on how to constructively align learning outcomes and assessment criteria, click here to open the guide.

The Institute has validated the following modules from the LIN Postgraduate Diploma in Teaching and Learning at Athlone Institute of Technology

– Certificate in Learning and Teaching (15 ECTS),
– Certificate in Assessment and Evaluation (15 ECTS) and the
– Certificate in Technology Enhanced Learning (15 ECTS).

In 2015-2016 there are 8 students on the Certificate in Learning and Teaching, and 7 students on the Certificate in Assessment and Evaluation. We have staff from a range of IADT programmes and we are delighted to be joined by colleagues from Sallynoggin College of Further Education and St Nicholas Montessori College. We are running the Certificate in Technology Enhanced Learning from February to June 2016.

IADT is delighted that Cliona Flood and Joachim Pietsch from the Department of Technology and Psychology were awarded the Postgraduate Diploma in Learning and Teaching at Athlone Institute of Technology in September 2015. Congratulations to them both. They join David Quin from the Department of Film and Media as graduates of the postgraduate diploma.

IADT is delighted to be a member of the National Forum. Our National Forum associates are Dr Therese Moylan and Dr Andrew Power, IADT Registrar.