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Ireland's schooling population has significantly diversified in the last 15 years. Despite the growing body of research on migrant and minority ethnic students' experiences, we still know relatively little about their relationships with peers and teachers. This paper draws on data collected as part of a wider study, informed by critical race theory (CRT), about the higher education (HE) experiences of minoritised ethnic students, involving interviews with 25 students across seven HE institutions in Ireland. 11 had attended school in Ireland, and this paper examines their schooling experiences including their 1) identity battles in not being recognised as Irish, 2) experiences of racist bullying and inadequate responses of teachers, and 3) construction as 'deficient' learners, including regarding HE progression. From a CRT perspective, the findings are examined in the context of exclusionary constructions of Irishness, and the urgent need for anti-racist education in Ireland for students and teachers. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This paper uses the thick description of one recent experience – the closure of the Common Room Club at University College Dublin – to highlight the gap that exists between rhetoric and reality at institutions of higher education in Ireland and beyond. I argue that common rooms have always been part and parcel of the 'invisible university'. They provide the infrastructure to support what has been called the 'lifeworld', sustaining both the communicative experiences of their members and providing vital venues for visitors who are through them more readily drawn into the communicative life of colleagues. As unique spaces within much larger institutions, common rooms form both a protected shield and also a porous social community against the encroachment of the university system's instrumental action and reasoning. However, recent changes in higher education have accelerated the pace of change and the quest for top-down modernisation. As a reaction, and almost by default, the common room has taken on a new function for faculty, staff and visitors and turned into a place of encounter between people and ideas critical and often opposed to managerialism, bureaucratisation and the mindless emulation of higher education's fads and foibles. At University College Dublin, this new role did not remain unnoticed by the University management and triggered an extreme reaction – enforced closure. My paper closes by dwelling on an important question that points into an uncertain future: is it possible for any institution that purports to be a centre of higher learning to either quell or attempt to 'manage' lifeworld experiences and sceptical voices for any length of time? In other words, can a university still fulfil its very function and expect loyalty without allowing 'voice' (A. O. Hirschman) to be heard? [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Professional placements are integral to social work education and provide formative but variable learning opportunities for students. As social work programs expand and requirements for placements increase, settings where a social worker may not be employed are increasingly utilized, risking further variability of student experience. This paper reports on qualitative responses to two open-ended questions in a cross-sectional survey conducted with social work students from four universities on the island of Ireland. Questions included (1) what students found most helpful in assisting their learning, and (2) what would have improved their learning during placement. A six-step approach to thematic analysis was used to analyse qualitative data from 427 responses to question one, and 355 responses to question two. Four key pillars of practice learning were identified: enabling relationship(s); 'real world' practice opportunities; structured teaching and learning; and academic-practice alignment. Drawing on these findings, the paper presents a framework for integrated learning which promotes students' capacity for active inquiry in practice. Linked processes of relational knowing and structured teaching and learning emerged as integral to knowledge acquisition and professional development on placement. Findings re-established the significance of the supervisory relationship and relationship-based learning. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This paper reports on data obtained during semi-structured interviews with students who had recently experienced a guided inquiry approach to learning ordinary differential equations (ODEs) in a service-taught module. Previous research identified the strengths and weaknesses of similar cohorts of students. The results from that research informed the design of an intervention (15 guided inquiry tutorials) which sought to improve the outcomes for students taking a subsequent version of the module. This paper reports on the data gathered during interviews with these students that describe their perceptions of the guided inquiry approach used. The students noticed the change in emphasis toward conceptual understanding that the intervention was trying to instil. They cited the change in questioning style most frequently as being where they saw this change, but also noted the prevalence of group work and change in interaction pattern as keys to its success. Thus, by probing students' opinions in this way, we find validation for a guided inquiry approach to teaching ordinary differential equations in third level that emphasizes active learning and lateral interactions among students. The students' personal goal orientation and the goal structure of the learning environment are also discussed. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

In 2010 a mathematics curriculum was introduced in Irish second level schools entitled 'Project Maths' (PM). It aimed to refocus second level mathematics teaching and learning away from an over emphasis on procedural mathematics towards problem solving and real understanding [Department of Education and Skills (DES). (2010). Report of the Project Maths implementation support group. ]. This paper aims to examine the performance of 1st year undergraduate students' procedural and problem solving skills after the introduction of PM. A diagnostic test was developed to determine students' skills in each area and findings demonstrated that students perform statistically significantly better in the procedural skills in mathematics when compared to problem solving skills. These findings raise concerns around the lack of anticipated improved problem solving skills of a cohort of students exposed to this style of teaching and learning. The paper raises discussion surrounding the intended and actual teaching and learning taking place in second level classrooms along with consideration for the potential role of learned helplessness and the literacy issues. Recommendations are made for follow up qualitative research with stakeholders in mathematics education to better understand the 'why' of the results presented here. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The character of professional development offered to those who teach in higher education is changing. There is a shift towards the adoption of more flexible, work-based, apprenticeship models, where experiential routes are increasingly valued. This paper seeks to understand the factors that impact engagement in academic professional development. A quantitative study reveals that experience, years of service, and discipline have little impact on educators' professional development preferences, nor on the recognition of individual needs and contextual nuances to ensure optimal engagement in academic professional development. We demonstrate that it is not possible to profile professional development pathways in these ways, thus strengthening the evidence base for a flexible approach to it. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This paper explores the implications for higher education of the emergence of new industries, driven by technological changes. The pace of technology-driven changes creates significant challenges for the alignment between the skill needs of industry and provision by higher education. Drawing on concepts from neo-correspondence theory, we examine the emergence of the FinTech sector. We present data from two structured interviews with 28 employers based in Ireland. What emerges from this study, is that the type and level of skills required by industry is changing faster than ever before. The level of competence required in hard skills is decreasing, as in-house training and continuous professional development requirements increase. However, there is a greater expectation that graduates will have advanced soft skills. Skill shortages exist, not because of poor industry-higher education relationships but because of a lack of understanding of employers' perceptions, preferences, and expectations. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

In this paper, we report on the outcomes of a survey of students across 12 higher education institutions in Ireland and the UK. Participants were asked to give their views on what tutors should do and not do when they are providing Mathematics Learning Support to students. We present the categories that emerged from an analysis of student responses, including tutor behaviour, teaching methods, content knowledge and management items. We discuss the implications that these responses have for tutor selection and training, how they relate to mathematical pedagogy and we consider the high expectations that students appear to have for tutors, who are providing this supplemental support. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

In recent years, and particularly with the emergence of cultural history, historians of education have begun to adopt a wide variety of theoretical approaches to their scholarship. Notwithstanding this, cultural historical activity theory (CHAT) remains underutilised in the field of history of education, despite being employed widely in other domains of education research. This paper illustrates the way in which CHAT offers a valuable framework for identifying and illuminating broad sweeps of change in education at local, national, and international levels, specifically by interrogating a strike initiated by female students in a religious-run teacher training college in Ireland in the 1970s. What is particularly remarkable about that strike is that these women activists were protesting at a time when Irish society was at its most conservative, when Church control was at its zenith, and when women's rights were most restricted. Yet, these women activists were not rising up against the male dominant hegemony. Rather, they were rising up against the female religious managers of the college. Our use of CHAT, thus, focused on patriarchy perpetuated by women on women. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Purpose: This paper aims to explore the experiences, attitudes and expectations of higher education managers in relation to the increased use of metrics. Specifically, the authors examine a system of metrics which was introduced as part of the process for establishing Technological Universities in Ireland. Design/methodology/approach: A total of 12 managers were interviewed. The authors present data from the interviews in which the authors explore: the previous use of metrics; the impacts of the introduction of metrics; and the future use of metrics. A mix of narrative structuring and thematic analysis is used. Findings: The introduction of metrics evokes a mixed reaction from the managers. The metrics allow performance in a range of activities to be measured, assessed and benchmarked. However, there are both direct and indirect impacts of the transition to a metric-based system, which the authors explore using six themes. Originality/value: The authors apply the Academics Responding to Change model proposed by Trowler (1998) as the theoretical lens. This helps to capture the complex mix of direct and indirect effects that metrics can have on activities both at an individual and institutional level. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Feedback is the key ingredient from which we grow. This paper contributes to the literature on student feedback in higher education, specifically within work-based learning. It provides an overview of the usability, utility and impact of a freely available feedback tool, the 5 min feedback form (5MFF). The 5MFF was constructed for use within physiotherapy and is being utilised across clinical placement sites in Ireland. The generalisability of its structure allows for transferability across healthcare professions and other work-based disciplines. A multi-site cross-sectional study utilising convenience sampling across a diverse range of placement settings was conducted. Physiotherapy students, practice educators and practice tutors were surveyed on their experience and perceptions of the 5MFF. Findings indicate strong agreement in relation to ease of use, speed of completion and the form's ability to structure and provide timely feedback. Results support its capacity to encourage feedback prioritisation, identify strengths and weaknesses, direct learning, modify behaviours and facilitate the achievement of goals and objectives. Through facilitating collaborative dialogue the 5MFF supports the feedback conversation through raising awareness of student challenges or practice educator and tutor concerns. Utilisation of the 5MFF during physiotherapy clinical education supports effective feedback delivery and enables a positive feedback process. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]