These initiatives collectively critically inform good practice in the use of GenAI in higher education and the project outputs will continue to foster ethical and informed engagement with GenAI in higher education into the future delivering the best possible informed and responsible graduates into the workforce.

In the space of two years, GenAI technologies have become embedded in our society and continue to increase in prevalence,  as the technology advances and becomes more accessible. The impact on the education sector is very high , stimulating the necessity for change and for dedicated teams such as the GenAI:N3 network to support this evolution. This project is an excellent example of how expertise and significant collaboration from a community of educators can provide critical and practical supports and resources for colleagues in the rapidly changing area of GenAI technologies. These resources are multi-disciplinary and relate to all faculties and fields of study.

This project has successfully nundertaken the following initiatives:

• Establishing a national network across the TU and wider HE sector
• Creation of a GenAI:N3 national hub (website) with open and accessible Gen AI resources
• Development of an Assessment Re – design Framework and short online course for educators
• Development of Student Guidelines and accompanying short online course for students
• Facilitation of a series of ‘AI Play’ Workshops and Hackathons across the HE sector, both nationally and internationally
• Creation of an AI Tool and an AI Chatbot
• Production of a crowdsourced e-book to showcase outputs and learning from the project, expert articles, case studies, and resources
• AI Clinics for staff to drop in and discuss their issues and experiences with the technology

While this project initially directly involved the N-TUTORR partner institutions, the aim of creating broader impact on the HE sector was integral as national and international partners featured as guest speakers, consultants, and facilitators. This was a core consideration in ensuring all resources created for the project were Open and accessible through the project website. .

Also, the dissemination of knowledge was a critical aspect of this project, and this has been achieved through conferences both at home and internationally – with many examples across the TU collaborative group.

Over a timeframe of 4 months, educators from Technological Universities (TU’s) across Ireland, for the first time in the sector, collaborated to share knowledge and resources on Generative AI (GenAI) in higher education to ensure best practice and academic integrity. The project initiative included an innovative “GenAI Hackathon”, that ran across all TU campuses, introducing staff and students to GenAI tools, followed by “GenAI Play” workshops fostering significant discussions on its impact on educational integrity and ultimately, assessment redesign. The critical issue now as we move forward is literacy, and this project enacted a collegial combined approach to this literacy in the TU sector, while also ensuring adherence to the EU AI Act. ATU ran a very successful Hackathon in Nov 2024 and a series of onsite AIPlay workshops across 5 campuses, and are continuing rolling out these workshops to meet demand .

The feedback from these events was overwhelmingly positive, with staff welcoming information and support. Interestingly, students were also very engaged and interested in proper reliable guidelines and signposts and especially, guardrails. This guidance was greatly appreciated and facilitated through workshops, seminars, and expert international guest speakers.  In parallel, the group developed a crowdsourced GenAI eBook and a website containing valuable resources to support best practices. This novel innovative collaborative approach within’ the TU community, facilitated engagement with GenAI in higher education, promoting awareness, increasing educators’ knowledge and critical literacy around GenAI across many institutions. 

All Resources mentioned in this article are available at  the GenAI Website Link  : www.genai.ie ( Planned Completion date April 2025 )

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Picture a room buzzing with energy, where educators and students came together to shake up traditional assessment methods. That was the ATU Assessment Hackathon—a fast-paced, hands-on event that reimagined how we evaluate learning in the age of artificial intelligence (AI).

From LEGO® to Learning Outcomes

Breaking the ice with LEGO® Serious Play, participants build models that represent their educational philosophies, setting the stage for deeper discussions. This creative exercise encouraged open communication and paved the way for practical, scalable assessment strategies.

The Hackathon Unpacked

At its core, the ATU Assessment Hackathon was a melting pot of ideas, bringing together diverse minds to tackle the challenges of modern education. Participants engaged in Challenge-Based Learning (CBL), a hands-on approach that encourages collaborative problem-solving. Armed with a toolkit that includes CBL game boards, creating learning outcomes cards, and an A to Z deck of assessment types, teams brainstorm and prototype innovative assessment solutions.

Why It Matters

In an era where traditional exams often fall short, the hackathon offered fresh perspectives and ideas. By exploring diverse assessment methods, educators found new ways to capture student learning and skills more effectively. The event not only sparked conversation and innovation but also built a community dedicated to enhancing education.

The Big Ideas That Emerged

One of the most exciting outcomes of the hackathon was the Big Ideas publication—a collection of the innovative assessment concepts generated during the event categorised under Education Principles, Guiding Principles, Assessment Method and Lesson Plan. This publication showcases fresh approaches to evaluating learning, providing educators with inspiration and actionable strategies for the future. It stands as a testament to the creativity and collaboration that made the hackathon such a success.

In this special publication, we will share a collection of assessment briefs derived from a one-day assessment hackathon in Atlantic Technological University (ATU), where 100+ colleagues and student leaders undertook a challenge-based learning experience, to hack a big idea on tackling assessment in the age of Artificial Intelligence (AI). Source: https://issuu.com/atlantictechnologicaluniversity/docs/atu_assessment_hackathon_flipbook

Image 1: Big Ideas 

Join the Movement

The ATU Assessment Hackathon proved that when creative minds collaborate, real change happens. Whether you were an educator seeking fresh strategies or a student eager to contribute, the event showcased the power of collective innovation. The future of assessment may still be evolving, but one thing is certain—this was just the beginning.

For full detail on the hackathon see: ATU Assessment Hackathon Overview

The Challenge Learning Framework includes three interconnected phases: Engage, Investigate and Act. Each phase includes activities that prepare you to move to the next phase. There are opportunities within each phase for mini-exploration cycles and, if necessary, a return to an earlier phase. Supporting the entire process is an ongoing process of documentation, reflection and sharing. Source: https://www.challengebasedlearning.org/framework/

Image 2: Challenge Based Learning

Declaration: This blog was written with the assistance of ChatGPT, an AI language model, to refine ideas and enhance readability.

The post Cracking the Code: Inside ATU’s Assessment Hackathon: Create academically integral, authentic, and sustainable assessment for all in the age of Artificial Intelligence (AI) appeared first on Digital Ed.

What is DigitalEd?

DigitalEd.ie is an online knowledge platform that was created by a teaching and learning project team in ATU to provide academic and professional services staff with a resource to discover their digital capabilities and engage with courses, guides, and tools to enable them to teach online and support flexible learners effectively in higher education.  Whilst the platform was intended to support the ATU community, it is an open resource.

In 2021, ATU (formerly Galway-Institute of Technology) launched their first DigitalEd Conference to address the emerging impact of the global pandemic on teaching and learning practices.  Over 650 attendees engaged with the 5-day conference that covered how-to sessions around online assessment and student engagement, design thinking, online delivery, and utilising Microsoft applications.

This year’s DigitalEd Conference offering focussed on a variety of teaching and learning themes to include:

• Digital Transformation in Teaching & Learning
• Students as Partners in Teaching & Learning
• Embracing the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs)
• Academic Integrity and Artificial Intelligence

These conference themes align to the National Technological University Transformation for Recovery and Resilience (N-TUTORR) project for Ireland’s technological university sector, combining new technological universities and institutes of technology, who have formed a partnership to deliver a best-practice suite of initiatives and opportunities for the learner and staff development supported by necessary enabling technologies.

Benefits to Attending and Engaging in DigitalEd Conferences

• Make New Connections

Take advantage of the time you’ve dedicated to attend the event to meet new people inside and outside of your organisation.  Are you new to the organisation?  Do you have an idea that needs a sound board? Are you looking for a mentor? Introduce yourself to a keynote speaker, facilitator, presenter, or even your fellow attendees during a conference break – you never know what will come from meeting a new person!

• Learn about What’s Happening Inside and Outside of your Organisation

The only way to know about the hottest topics in your area of interest or the newest technology introduced to the HE sector is to be in the know.  Are you interested in learning about ePortfolios and how to embed them into your course?  You’ve heard about Artificial Intelligence and ChatGPT, but what is your organisation, and the wider HE sector, doing to address it?  Attend and engage in sessions that are relevant to your field of study or work to ensure you take away the relevant titbits of information and make the most of your time.  Participate in the interactive activities on offer during sessions.  Engage in discussions with other attendees to get their take on the information that is being presented.  Stay on for the Q&A portion of the sessions to find out what others are thinking and questioning.

• Explore Opportunities

One of the sweetest things about ATU’s DigitalEd Conferences is that there is a continuous range of teaching and learning topics covered in the conference programmes, so something for everyone.  Interested in learning about a new educational application to enhance student engagement in the classroom?  Have an idea for a teaching and learning project and looking for a funding stream to support your project?  Want to find out where you can avail of training for a new application that has been introduced to your organisation?  Review the programme to find out what sessions are of interest to you, attend the sessions, and take note of important contact details of those that you can reach out to for more information.

Conference attendance is on the rise each year since this gig started in 2021 – it’s never too late to jump on the knowledge bandwagon.  So just don’t attend the next DigitalEd Conference but pay attention to what can be of benefit to you!

Explore past and present ATU DigitalEd Conference outputs at:  DigitalEd Conferences – Digital Ed

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The Themed Hackathon format was a challenge-based learning experience which required students to immerse in the topic for a day and collaborate in groups to identify and creatively solve sustainable consumption issues on campus. 51 students participated in the event.

Prior to the Sustainathon workshop, the SDGs were introduced in class and the students also engaged in self-directed learning by exploring several resources on sustainability and specific 2030 targets in Ireland on food waste and waste generation. As well as that, students were asked to complete two pre-workshop activities:

• conduct short interviews with ATU students, ATU staff and someone outside of campus around the topics of food waste and waste generation on campus. 
• walk around/use the facilities on campus with a critical eye to identify and take note of issues/opportunities for us to become more sustainable on campus.

A few days later, the Sustainathon day experience began with an introduction to design thinking. From mid-morning to mid-afternoon students worked in groups on defining problems, brainstorming solutions, voting/selecting the most promising ideas and prototyping. These colourful activities (involving post-its, flipcharts, stickers, markers etc.) were facilitated by a design thinking/sustainability expert. The second part of the afternoon was the most exciting, with each group pitching/presenting their ideas. A panel of judges selected the 3 best presentations and the day concluded with an Award Ceremony.

Overall, the event was a success. All the participants agreed/strongly agreed that the experience contributed to their learning around sustainability. Favourite moments comprised the hands-on group work, applying the design thinking process and seeing their colleagues present their ideas. The main takeaways from the experience included the belief that ‘we can all reduce food waste’, that ‘there are many ways to be more sustainable and making changes in your daily life can have a large effect’, and that ‘young people can make a difference for sustainability’.

The Sustainathon event and the pre-workshop activities were a unique and different learning experience. By adopting a student-centred problem-based approach, the project encouraged a high level of engagement and creativity, and helped students recognise and fulfil their potential to contribute to society. The group format also stimulated a level of competition among students and provided a rich platform for peer learning.

The Sustainathon project was aligned to the government’s National Strategy on Education for Sustainable Development as it moved beyond just ‘teaching facts on sustainability’ into involving the students in developing innovative solutions to sustainability challenges that affect them directly. Learning interventions, such as the Sustainathon, can help students become more empowered to be community engaged, ethically conscious, professionally competent, and ultimately lifelong sustainability advocates.

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Learning design is a methodical approach to planning, developing and designing good learning experiences. Learning design is particularly important when planning blended and online learning experiences. Before the Covid-19 pandemic, online and blended learning design was quite a slow, tailored and quality orientated process. The large-scale pivot online due to the pandemic necessitated a different approach to learning design, speed, pragmatism and just in time support became key ingredients of emergency remote learning design. This meant that learning designers became the “first responders” during the great onlining due to the Covid-19 pandemic.

In this article, I describe the case study of the Digital Learning Design Unit (DLDU) based in Dublin City University (DCU) as an example of learning design and the work of learning designers during the time of Covid-19.

The Digital Learning Design Unit (DLDU) was formed swiftly in 2020 as part of DCU’s response to the pandemic. The unit was tasked with helping as many staff, modules and programmes to prepare for online delivery as possible in advance of the start of the academic year at the end of September 2020. With approximately five weeks to achieve this goal, the team developed a scrum approach to learning design combined with the ABC learning design model, which we called our rapid design approach.

The DLDU rapid design approach was a collaborative process which entailed four, two hour sessions over a two-day sprint which dedicated time for academic staff to explore and learn the pedagogical and technological approaches to effectively engage with hybrid learning. The sprints focused on hands-on tailored professional learning in a small group environment.

By the end of April 2021, the DLDU had worked with 442 DCU academic colleagues. In acknowledgement of the positive feedback and impact of the unit, a permanent learning design service has been created in DCU, incorporating the ethos, approach and people from the Digital Learning Design Unit.

Lessons Learned

In some respects, the pandemic was an enabler for higher education transformation. The pivot online, forced many educators to engage with online pedagogy, learning design and teaching, learning and assessment supported by digital tools. In this case study, the pandemic prompted a strategic approach to learning design for online blended and hybrid education. This strategic approach began as a temporary proactive measure to keep teaching and learning going but has now been cemented into a permanent strategy for online blended and hybrid education at our institution which will continue in the post pandemic environment.

Read the full article:

Farrell, O. (2022). Learning Design in the Time of COVID-19: The Digital Learning Design Unit Story. Open Praxis, 14(2), 162–171. DOI: http://doi.org/10.55982/openpraxis.14.2.485

Listen to a Podcast about the article:

Episode 11 of Lets Talk Education Research https://www.dcu.ie/instituteofeducation/lets-talk-education-research

Author profile: https://www.dcu.ie/policyandpractice/people/orna-farrell

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“eHealth is a term to describe a set of digitising technologies in the health domain. eHealth is an umbrella term and includes electronic health records, ePrescribing, and telehealth”

(HSE eHealth Ireland, 2023) eHealth Functions – eHealth Ireland

Over the past eighteen months I have become involved with a project which aimed to create an eHealth resource for patients who are scheduled to undergo a Robotic Assisted Radical Prostatectomy (RARP) procedure. This was with the project team consisting of Richard Holmes² ATU, and Marguerite Duggan³ Galway Clinic. This project was specifically looking at a subbranch of eHealth as defined by eHealth Ireland as ‘telehealth’. This is a type of eHealth resource, and the aim of this project was to create an online, accessible resource for patients and their support network to access digitally about three key stages of the RARP procedure: 1) Before 2) During 3) After. The aim was to have this be accessed at any time, with anyone i.e. the patients support network, and in its design be accessible for the audience. This project has several phases which are described below:

Phase 1 involved:

• Identification of the issue i.e. patients gap in knowledge of the RARP procedure.
• Researching what has been done within the medical field around addressing a gap in knowledge for patients who undergo a procedure.
• Running a pilot on the concept of additional support and information for the RARP procedure. This involved one to one meeting’s carried out by Marguerite Duggan who has completed a master’s around this project by organising this pilot. Due to COVID-19 these did have to be done online due restrictions around visiting hospitals.
• An evaluation of this pilot by gathering feedback from the patients who took part in these pilot information and support sessions.

Phase 1 Status: Completed.

Phase 2 involved:

• Expanding the research team and bringing in a learning technologist to lead the development and design of the telehealth programme for the RARP procedure.
• Organising, recording, and editing of professional videos involving staff who are involved in the RARP procedure in the Galway Clinic plus a patient recommendation for the information and support for the RARP procedure.

• Professional animations were also developed for self-care which patients and/ or their support network are required to carry out after the surgery. These animations demonstrate these tasks which is hoped will help the patient and their support network complete these tasks after their surgery.

• The project team worked together, and I (Kevin Cunningham – Learning technologist) worked on designing this RARP Patient Information and Support programme. The subject matter experts on the project team guided me and when a draft was developed, further evaluation was acquired from relevant staff in Blackrock Health Galway Clinic.
• Once all feedback was acquired and the final changes were made, this eHealth, telehealth programme i.e. RARP Information and Support Programme, was uploaded to a webpage so that this URL could be given to patients to pilot it.
• Evaluation surveys were created for patients undergoing the procedure which would be given several weeks after their surgery having been given access to the telehealth programme several weeks in advance of their surgery. In addition, patients who took part in the pilot in phase 1 were asked to review the telehealth programme and provide feedback via a survey to compare and contrast versus their experience with the in person i.e. online video calls, pilot which they were involved in for phase 1.

Phase 2 Status: Pilot in progress.

Phase 3 will involve (As of February 2023, this project is at the pilot stage of phase 2):

• This will include making amendments based on feedback gathered from patients as part of the pilot of this telehealth programme.
• Once all amendments have been made to the programme, this will be then added to the Galway Clinic website for use going forward for RARP patients and their support network.
• The project team will finalise other aspects of the project: Editing and finalising a professional video summarising this project and creating a generic version of this programme to be shared with public hospitals who perform this procedure also.
• Finally, and importantly, once the data has been collected, the team are hoping to put together a paper in the hope of publishing a peer reviewed paper on this project.

Feedback on this telehealth programme to date has been largely positive. This is generally because of how it can be accessed anywhere via a device connected to the internet and with their support network present. Those viewing it can do so at their own pace and think about the information which is being presented and may prompt them to have questions they may not think of on the spot had they not had access to the programme. The aim of this programme is to supplement the in-person hospital experience, not replace it or the support which is provided in this way. A key part of feedback while positive, does highlight this and it is something which perhaps could be communicated to the patient and their support network more effectively. This project has highlighted that it is possible to utilise software such as e-learning programme software for the purpose of supporting patients through certain procedures. This type of software is used extensively for various types of training: HSE Land, LinkedIn Learning and many other training platforms which utilise this commercially and even in public sectors for a variety of reasons. It has some limitations, but it can be utilised to enhance a person’s knowledge and awareness in relation to a particular topic and even for tasks, therefore, there is no reason why this cant be applied to medical procedures, especially if there are gaps in knowledge for a medical procedure.

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The symposium kicked off with an insightful keynote address from Professor Naomi Winstone. Naomi is a Professor of Educational Psychology and Director of the Surrey Institute of Education at the University of Surrey, UK plus an Honorary Associate Professor in the Centre for Research in Assessment and Digital Learning (CRADLE) at Deakin University, Australia. In her keynote presentation, Prof Winstone explored the potential future landscape of assessment and feedback in higher education, discussed the barriers and enablers to the development of practice.

The second presentation of the day was delivered by three lecturers from the BA in Sociology and Politics programme in ATU Sligo. Dr Susan McDonnell, Dr Maire Hanniffy, and Sinead Barrins discussed the development of assessment and feedback practices for the Sociology and Politics programme that align with real-world learning outcomes as identified by an industry stakeholders focus group.

The third presentation was delivered by Dr Bronagh Heverin, Lecturer on the BA in Law and Criminal Justice programme in ATU Donegal. This presentation discussed the introduction of ABC Learning Design Framework to the project and programme team through the participation in the Re-imagining Assessment and Feedback project. The participating academic staff evaluated their experience of implementing the framework and this was shared by the presenter.

The fourth presentation was delivered by four lecturers from the BSc in Medical Science at ATU Galway-Mayo. Dr Debbie Corcoran discussed the re-imagining of a practical assessment carried out as part of the Year 1 Microbiology assessment and the value of re-imagining assessment for students. Dr Trish O’Connell discussed the application of the Moodle Workshop Activity in Year 1 of the programme and for Year 2 and 3 she showed how authenticity can be built into the student experience. Brigid Hooban discussed the design and implementation of an assessment in a year 2 module that related to the ethical communication of patient results. The innovative nature of this assessment was discussed alongside the observed strengths and weaknesses. Finally, Dr Eleanor Rainsford discussed re-imagining laboratory reports for a Year 4 module on the Medical Science programme.

The final presentation of the day was delivered by the Re-imagining Assessment and Feedback project Research Assistant, Emma McDonald. This presentation outlined the research activities and findings from phase 1 of the project.

Through the project a new suite of Assessment Resources has been developed which was launched at the Symposium and can be accessed on the DigitalEd.ie Assessments Resources page.  The collection of the symposium recordings and slide decks, along with outputs from previous sessions can be accessed on the DigitalEd.ie Assessment Masterclass page.

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The Re-imagining Assessment and Feedback for Student Success project is a collaboration between Atlantic Technological University (ATU) Teaching and Learning Offices. The study is supported by the National Forum for the Enhancement of Teaching and Learning in Ireland and initially gained research ethics approval in GMIT, in 2021. The research study work to date has included a collaboration with three programmes across the three institutes: BA in Law and Criminal Justice (ATU Donegal Letterkenny), BA in Sociology and Politics (ATU Sligo), and BSc in Medical Science (ATU Galway City). Many data collection tools have been utilised to assess the current assessment practices across the three programmes and valuable information has been gathered about student experiences with assessment and feedback systems.

Setting the scene

To begin this research study, we conducted an audit and review of the current assessments used on each of the three programmes. The data collection process consisted of meeting with the project leads from each of the programmes to discuss the brief for the information we were hoping to collect from this process. They then shared the audit and review template with the academic staff from each programme to populate with their assessment details. This process was a key element in setting the scene for the project and understanding what assessment practices are used.

The next element we worked on was getting the students views on assessment and feedback. This consisted of two surveys, one for recent graduates and one for current undergraduate students. A list of both qualitative and quantitative questions was developed by the project team. The questions were designed to capture the student experience with assessment, feedback, and timing. The results from the surveys indicate that the area students were least satisfied with was the feedback system and that there is room for improvement. Through the surveys evidence has been gathered to support the statement authentic/real world assessments are having a positive effect on student engagement and experience. Following the surveys, a focus group session was run with number of students from each of the programmes. This session gave students the opportunity to expand on their views from the survey and give their suggestions to improve assessment and feedback for the future.

Project outputs

As part of the Re-imagining assessment and feedback project a series of masterclass sessions for all colleagues across ATU. This series was made up of four sessions: Making it real a masterclass with Kay Sambell and Sally Brown, Assessing Experiential Learning a masterclass with Rick Roe, Creating Feedback Opportunities within the curriculum a masterclass with Edd Pitt, and Development of Rubrics for Assessment a masterclass with Linda Suskie. Each of these sessions had great attendance and interaction from colleagues across the ATU.

Another element of this project was two showcasing sessions held in Sligo. For the showcase events academic staff on each of the programmes shared their assessment details with the project group and discussed their experience using these assessment. They also discussed the benefits of using these assessments for student learning and development, and shared grading information including rubrics. Student representatives from the programmes also had the opportunity to discuss their experience of partaking in these assessments.

From the Re-imagining Assessment project, a number of resources are being developed to guide and assist academic staff in the development and re-imagining of assessment strategies. These include a bank of resource guides and detailed information regarding how different assessment types could be used. An assessment page is being created to share all these resources.

An end of project symposium will be held on June 2nd 2022 in ATU Galway City. This event will be hybrid with both on-site speakers and virtual speakers. The purpose of the symposium is to showcase effective and innovative assessment strategies that are being used across ATU and to showcase the findings from the Re-imagining Assessment project.

RE-IMAGINING ASSESSMENT & FEEDBACK FOR STUDENT SUCCESS Symposium Programme

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In this special publication, colleagues from across the CUA share insights and innovations on their teaching and learning practice over the last two years. Many will touch on their experiences of adapting to remote learning and teaching during COVID, and also reflect on lessons learnt and plans for the future.

There are 20 interesting and engaging case studies, that have been prepared by 30+ contributors from across the CUA. The cases will be presented across eight themes including:

Theme 1: Building Digital Teaching and Learning Capabilities

Theme 2: Universal Design for Learning (UDL)

Theme 3: Transforming Assessment

Theme 4: Student Engagement and Technology Enhanced Learning (TEL)

Theme 5: Supporting Students in an Online Learning Environment

Theme 6: Supporting Academics in an Online Teaching Environment

Theme 7: Embedding Employability

Theme 8: Students as Partners and Co-creators

Please note: there is a short video available for each case study theme introduction. Go to www.DigitalEd.ie/Book where you can view each themed video presentation.

The journey will begin with the story of building digital teaching and learning capabilities in GMIT and the wider CUA with DigitalEd.ie knowledge platform, under the iNOTE project.

This will be followed by a case study on developing Universal Design for Learning in IT Sligo and plans to expand a UDL toolkit across the CUA.

Moving on to the theme of assessment, this will cover alternative assessment method experiences during COVID, the value of MS Lens and Socrative Pro for online assessments, a case on an applied visual immersive building regulation assessment, and the wide ranging benefits of ePortfolios as a transformative assessment and learning tool.

Exploring the theme of student engagement, we will learn about technology enhanced learning tools, that are having real impact in the digital classroom and how to foster transformational learning in higher education. One particular case study guides us in scaffolding learners in the online learning environment, and a further case study explores the value of engaging and assessing students through the use of the ABC Learning Design Framework. Interesting insights are shared by LYIT colleagues in the area of video imaging and the challenges of Virtual Learning Environment (VLE) standardisation.

Moving to the theme of student support, we learn about an innovative online course on the English language skills and how this is supporting international students across the CUA. In addition, a new Academic Writing Skills Badge, developed by the iNOTE team in IT Sligo is now beginning to gain traction across CUA programmes of study.

A stand out digital teaching and learning support initiative available to GMIT staff, is called the AMA Clinics (Ask Me Anything!) by the learning technology design team in the Teaching and Learning Office. Since May 2020, 400+ one to one clinics have been delivered. This case study will explore the challenges presented to the learning technology consultants and lessons learned to date.

On the theme of Employability, we will learn about the value of a new online Careers module and embedding employability in GMIT, and how this course will be shared across the CUA through the HigherEd 4.0 project and the new Technological University emerging.

Finally, under the theme of students as partner, two interesting cases will explore digital education initiatives in culinary education and a Power App for interactivity in Maths, supporting STEM online education.

On behalf of the DigitalEd and iNOTE project team, we would like to take this opportunity to express our sincere thanks to all the authors who have shared their teaching and learning experiences in this special DigitalEd book of cases. In addition, many thanks to the National Forum for the Enhancement of Teaching and Learning in Ireland, who have funded this publication, as part of the VIT&L celebration week 2021. 

Enjoy all the learning and teaching stories!

Dr Carina Ginty

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Prior to the pandemic, the Teaching and Learning Office in Galway-Mayo Institute of Technology (GMIT) were busy devising new ways of providing technical teaching and learning support services to academic staff within the institute. One such offering was to deliver more structured and regular assistance through bookable online one-to-one sessions with a Learning Technologist.

The pandemic brought with it the introduction of this new service called ‘Ask Me Anything’ (AMA) – offered initially to a small cohort in June 2020 before being rolled out to all staff in September for the start of the new academic year.

The AMA clinics are simply a 15-minute online one to one session with a Learning Technologist from the Teaching and Learning Office where staff can ask just about anything they like! Teaching and learning approaches, the Virtual Learning Environment, computer equipment, video conferencing, digital tools; no questions are deemed irrelevant or off limits.

Microsoft Bookings is the platform used to schedule the service across multiple timeslots over the course of the week which takes into consideration the personal calendars and availability of the Learning Technology team members. It provides the Microsoft Team meeting link and calendar entry for the client and the selected Learning Technologist.

From March 2020 to April 2021, this service has proven immensely popular with over 300 clinics booked. Feedback from staff indicated a strong demand to continue this service even when students return physically to campus. It has proven popular for many reasons. The obvious being that staff need ongoing support when using Moodle, MS Teams, and online tools to design and deliver effective instruction and assessments. Additionally, it was not surprising that the service also provided a sounding board to staff to talk through ideas and provided inspiration on how to implement them. Furthermore, the AMA service offered a friendly face and support to staff feeling the isolation of remote working and the frustration of having to get to grips with their new way of working.

An advantage of adding this type of support in addition to scheduled training and workshops was to create an environment for staff to ask questions. Before AMA’s staff may have been unsure who or how to ask or even, in some cases, been embarrassed or shy to ask prior to COVID-19. The pandemic likely gave impetus and cover to staff, who could now say ‘I’ve never had to do this before’ or ‘I have had no experience with this’. The AMA clinics created a space to simply ‘ask anything’ especially in a pandemic where there’s no such thing as a stupid question.

Apart from just providing a singular immediate benefit for the AMA participant, these AMA interactions helped to shape and guide our institute wide training as we, the Learning Technologists, heard first-hand the issues, frustrations, and needs of staff. Armed with this insight the delivery of timely and appropriate training materials became simpler and more effective.

The AMA clinics are open for booking all year round and have become a permanent fixture within the GMIT Teaching and Learning resources and support suite.

To learn more and book visit the GMIT TLO Office Internal Website and from there click through to the TLO Learning Technology Services page.

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