Citations for President's awards for excellence in Teaching & Learning - 2018

President's Awards for Excellence in Teaching 2017-2018
1
President’s Awards for
Excellence in Teaching 2017/2018

2
Teaching Support Category
This category recognises those who make an outstanding contribution to
the support of teaching without being ‘front line’ teaching staff.

Bernadette Dowling
Faculty of Science & Health
Bernadette is an incredibly
conscientious person who has an
encyclopedic knowledge of DCU
policies and procedures. In many
people this could translate into being
overly cautious and reluctant to change
but this was not the case with
Bernadette. Although she always
ensured that things were done the
'correct' way, she was always open-
minded and willing for us to innovate
and streamline processes where
necessary.
Without someone like Bernadette working in the background,
decision making could easily become inconsistent and unfair.

Nuala Lonergan
Open Education
Nuala is a great asset to the university – something
acknowledged by all I studied with.
Nuala provided exceptional support
throughout my Masters studies at DCU
and was extremely helpful with any
queries, providing excellent advice and
support to both fellow students and
myself…I was apprehensive about
presenting given I had relatively little
experience but Nuala provided
encouragement and supported me
throughout the process. On the day of
my presentation, Nuala made the
experience far less daunting.

Michelle Smyth
Open Education
Michelle Smyth is responsible for
managing the marketing and recruitment
of our online DCU Connected students.
Her work involves organising Open
Days, promoting innovative course
offerings and showcasing the best of
online learning at DCU in
advertisements and promotional videos.
Michelle also provides administrative
support for a network of tutors employed
from across Ireland to teach individual
modules.
Put simply, Michelle’s work is crucial to supporting teaching
and the wider success of DCU's online offerings.

Willie O’Sullivan
Information Systems & Services
Willie O'Sullivan works in the ISS
department in the role of IT Customer
Support as the Audio Visual (AV)
technician responsible for managing
technology in DCU classrooms. He has
earned huge respect across the entire
university for his handling of the
previously-aging AV equipment and
helping to ensure that interruption in
classes due to AV issues were
minimised.
Willie also works on investigating new teaching technologies
that will be used in classrooms and contributes hugely with ideas
and improvements.

7
Teaching Support Category Winner
The recipient of the Teaching Support award is…

Willie O’Sullivan
Information Systems & Services
Willie is an integral part of the successful
working of the ISS service desk and
knows how to apply this knowledge in a
busy work environment. He understands
clearly that he is dealing with people
first and technical issues second and
on numerous occasions we have
received very positive feedback from
academics regarding his performance.
Willie has always gone above and beyond what is necessary to
assist me in doing my job. Nothing is ever too much trouble, and
he has been instrumental in improving the accessibility of lecture
theatres for staff and students with disabilities…I can’t praise
Willie highly enough for his work.

9
Team Award
This category provides an opportunity to recognise core staff teams that
provide an exceptional, innovative or transformational contribution to the
student experience.

Next Generation Management (NGM) Team
Maura McAdam, Grace Fox, Terry O’Brien, Gerry Conyngham, Jennifer Farrell, Jona Kalemi
DCUBS

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NGM Team
The NGM Team always went above and beyond for myself and
my peers to ensure the best learning experience possible
throughout the course of my MSc in Management.
Some of the activities and qualities where I believe the NGM
Team really demonstrated teaching excellence include:
• Passion and enthusiasm for the subject area they were
teaching.
• Feedback on assignments that pointed out areas for
improvement.
• Teaching strategies that encouraged creativity and critical
thinking.
• Empathy, encouragement and understanding to all students.
DCUBS

Susan Marron, Dr Bronagh McGrane, Dr Frances Murphy, & Dr Maura Coulter
Physical Education Team
School of Arts Education & Movement

13
Physical Education Team
During the past number of years the Physical Education Team have
demonstrated excellence in teaching, assessment and research-
informed teaching. The PE Team have also shown partnership with
several agencies nationally and internationally, as well as the
ability to attract funding to support new innovations in teaching.
They also exemplify the spirit of being a ‘team’ in every sense,
working collaboratively and cooperatively, while allowing scope for
individual interests, strengths and complementary research
pursuits.
One student describes “active & engaging lessons, very obvious
passion and dedication, compassionate, helpful and
understanding”.
School of Arts Education & Movement

Paul Grimes, Dr Lorraine Harbison, Dr Thérèse Dooley, Dr Maurice OReilly,
Dr Aisling Twohill
Primary Maths Education Team
School of STEM Education, Innovation & Global Studies

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Primary Maths Education Team
I wish to nominate staff responsible for delivery of primary
Mathematics Education in 2017/2018 for the novel approach
they initiated in working with BEd4 students taking the Major
Specialism in Mathematics…The team redesigned the format of
delivery and assessment in the module in supporting small
groups of students to collaboratively plan, implement, present
and evaluate a mathematics project, with an emphasis on
specialist students working with their non-specialist peers.
The students used the entire St Patrick’s Campus as a
flexible learning space. Activities included going on a Maths
Trail, engaging in a problem-solving workshop, working with new
learning resources, exploring how maths is used in real
workplaces, etc. Members of the team attended each of these
sessions outside of scheduled contact hours to offer the
students their support.
School of STEM Education, Innovation & Global Studies

Dr Claire Gubbins & Ruth Finnegan
DCUBS MBA Programme

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Dr Claire Gubbins & Ruth Finnegan
During my time on the MBA programme Claire Gubbins ensured
that the highest of standards were adhered to. Examples
include; bringing in guest lecturers, holding career days,
constantly engaging with the class to ensure they got sufficient
support, asking for feedback on how to improve the course,
always reiterating the importance of an 'evidence based'
approach.
Ruth Finnegan deserves a nomination because she is a key
asset within the department. I constantly emailed and phoned
querying information on timetables, examinations etc. and Ruth
always was on hand, never getting frustrated and being very
polite and pleasant in each interaction. Her organisation, her
professional and polite manner means she is the ideal person to
administer various components of the programme. A genuine
and trustworthy person.
DCUBS MBA Programme

18
Team Category Winner
The recipient of the Team Award is…

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NGM Team
The NGM module is valued hugely by alumni,
employers, and external bodies… . The aim
is to develop meta-cognitive skills that allow
students to become innovative, critical thinkers
as well as adaptive, flexible and pro-active in the
management of projects.
The design of the module allows students to customise their
learning to meet their own specific abilities and needs, building
specific competencies to enable each individual student to put in
place their own personal development plan. Delivering all the
material and supporting the students with the depth and duration of
engagement in this module requires significant time and creativity
by the delivery team – well above the nominal workload hours
allocated for the module.
DCUBS

20
New Lecturer/Tutor Category
This category recognises relatively new lecturers and tutors for achieving
excellence in teaching and learning

Dr David Collins
School of Biotechnology
Dave is very good at cutting to the
point with lecture material. He also
provided great visual explanations when
explaining engineering principles that the
class couldn't get their heads around.
He is a strong advocate of teaching
material that you will remember after
the exam rather than learning it off just
for the exam.
Last year when I was looking at postgrads and what they were,
Dave met up with me and really fleshed out what these
programmes were. He explained financially and academically
what I would be looking at. This took a huge weight off me.

Dr Lisa van der Werff
DCUBS
This course could have been sooooo
boring. Who wouldn’t fall asleep on a
lecture about research methodologies?
But no! Lisa made it interesting. I don’t
know how but she did. She has a really
quirky way about her that invites you to
be enthusiastic. So in a nutshell, I have
nothing to add about the strengths of
the module except its greatest strength
is Lisa.
Her ambition is to equip students to be independent
researchers, to move beyond the simple narrative of quantitative
versus qualitative, to embrace more novel approaches and that is
certainly evident in the aspirations of our students.

Nicola Broderick
School of STEM Education & Global Studies
Nicola is so to the point and
extremely clear about how to do tasks
with the children. She is constantly
trying to find out if we understand
throughout our lectures/seminars.
During my placement, she was so
helpful and supportive of the students
and answered all of our emails if we
needed her advice.
She is a wonderful teacher, who is extremely passionate about
what she teaches. She is so inclusive towards everyone in the
classroom and gives great ideas for school placement.

Dr Jules Gaspard
School of Law & Government
Jules made lectures engaging and
informative without being awkward
about it.
His approach to teaching was
completely different to other lecturers…
He encouraged discussion and debate.
His passion was evident from the start.
Approachable and keen to help students develop critical thinking
by providing 'thinking outside the box' images in class. Really
awesome PowerPoint for every class.

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Academic Category
This category recognises all the nominees who have excelled in their
teaching and learning practice at DCU.

Dr Aisling De Paor
Life as a law student in DCU would not
be the same without Aisling! Her
dedication is astounding and her
enthusiasm enthralling, but it is how
much she cares about her students and
their success that sets her apart. Her
teaching is the epitome of excellence!
Aisling first and foremost creates an environment with her
students that encourages discourse and open dialogue and
allows us to feel as though she is approachable. This alone
means her students are very forthcoming in gaining feedback
from her.

Dr Janine Bosak
DCUBS
Janine is passionate about teaching as
evident from her engagement with
students inside and outside of the
classroom. She aims to promote deep
learning and critical inquiry. To do so,
she combines the dissemination of the
latest research findings with creative in-
class simulation experiments.
Janine is an extremely approachable and conscientious mentor
as well as lecturer. She offered me no end of opportunities to
prepare and present on a topic of my choosing throughout her
module in order to help me developmentally and to address any
gaps I might have in my CV.

Dr Jane O’Kelly
School of Policy & Practice
Dr O'Kelly has always been a first
adopter of technology and her mastery
of these tools has enabled her to deliver
complex ideas and theory related to
professional competencies.
She has an experiential teaching
methodology: always involved in class
discussion and activities which when
teaching between 9am and 10am is
imperative.
My experience in the four years of the degree was made a lot
easier with Jane as not only our tutor but our supervisor and her
support has kept me enthusiastic when I often felt like giving up
the course.

Gerry Conyngham
DCUBS
Gerry was exceptionally passionate
about the area of data analytics and
this was portrayed greatly through the
excellent standard of lecturing by himself
and the NGM team.
Beyond even the area of data analytics
and the digital world, Gerry helped with
many other areas of the module and was
always highly approachable with any
other issues experienced.
Excellent and highly constructive feedback always given, had a
skill of simplifying things so to ensure myself and my peers
completed assessments to the best of our abilities.

Dr Dónal O’Brien
DCUBS
The motivation for this nomination is
based on Dónal O’Brien’s recent
introduction of Global Virtual Teams.
This innovative, blended approach
exposes students to different cultures
and norms apparent within their
multicultural team. Ultimately students
must grapple with the real-life issues
that become quickly apparent in
managing team projects in a
technology-based international setting.
According to one student “Dónal allowed a sense of autonomy in
our work which promoted innovation and in-depth reflection, he is
very passionate about his teaching”.

Dr Jenny Lawler
School of Biotechnology
For the Masters module that Jenny
taught, she made the topics very
applicable to the overall Masters
content. This gave me a good
understanding of how the material
linked into other topics being taught.
Her method of working through
questions and problems that could
occur in industry was beneficial and
showed the practicality and relevance
of the topics she was covering.
This was my first engineering module to ever take, and no
question ever felt too small or basic for her to explain. She
was able to make the material understandable for a non-engineer
like myself.

Dr Aileen Pearson-Evans
SALIS
In 2012, Dr Aileen Pearson-Evans
created the SALIS LanguaCulture
Space (LCS) and she has been
managing it since. The aim is to create
intercultural awareness, openness and
an interest for diverse cultures
among students, and to create a
space in which students can learn
through self-organisation, responsibility
and creativity. From the very first day of
each semester, Aileen starts recruiting
volunteers.
The amount of time, effort and creative energy she has put into
the LCS is outstanding and has created a vibrant space which
some of the students went as far as describing as “home”.

Dr Justin Rami
Justin's overall approach to teaching is
one of dedication and commitment to
the engagement and knowledge of the
students and to the overall focus of our
education and training degree. There is
an implicit respect and equality in his
sessions that empowers both the
students and the lecturer to co-
construct knowledge and learning for
all.
Justin has spent many years teaching and researching in the area
of assessment and feedback. His constant engagement with
practice-driven research provides a clear basis for his mastery of
the subject. Justin believes strongly in the link between teaching
and learning and research and his work reflects this.

Dr Diarmuid Torney
I am nominating Diarmuid in particular
because of his use of simulations to
teach the topic of climate change and
sustainability. He has integrated an
elaborate simulation exercise modelled
on the UN climate change negotiations
into his modules. During the 3.5-hour
exercise, students represent a
country/region and negotiate with other
delegations on decarbonisation targets.
The simulation has, without fail, been hugely popular among
students, who quickly internalise the roles assigned to them and
gain deep insights into global climate politics through
participative learning.

Dr Catherine Mulryan-Kyne
Catherine’s pioneering research in co-
operative group teaching methodologies
remains very influential in current
Mathematics Education courses.
Catherine still blends the personal and
professional when teaching. She delivers
content in engaging ways to 400+
students, using a wide range of
techniques, from technology to
storytelling.
Catherine continues to support colleagues in delivery of modules on
Reflection and Analysis of Teaching, holding regular briefings and
sharing sessions. She works tirelessly to involve new members
of staff in this process…she is a highly valued and loved colleague!

Dr Artemisa Jaramillo
DCUBS@PNU
Artemisa acted as project co-ordinator of
the first year multi-discipline project
#getsaudimoving. All students were
required to collect survey data and
based on their findings, create a video
on the project theme. Students were
encouraged to record “their journey from
a sedentary to a healthy lifestyle” in mini
documentaries which serve now as
testimonials of student involvement.
A key feature is the effort taken to give students access to key
industry players, so they are motivated, realising right from year 1
of their programme that their skills are applicable and of value in the
workplace.

Dr John Nolan
DCUBS
For my part, I would have been dreading
Accounting as a subject and John's
teaching method made the content
accessible, interesting and professionally
practical. For trickier calculative aspects,
his use of online tutorials and step-by-
step videos stands out for me as one of
those most practical steps taken by a
lecturer to ensure transfer of learning. Too
often, lecturers give content and it's up to
the student whether they get it or not.
John is extremely conscientious in making sure learning
happens, using post-class e-mails to summarise key learnings,
as well as being very responsive to 1:1 e-mails.

Dr Ethna Regan
School of Theology, Philosophy & Music
Dr Regan, who teaches in the area of
theology, human rights, and ethics, is
committed to helping students learn in
a meaningful way. She is an engaging
lecturer, but is intentional about
fostering conversation and dialogue
in the classroom around these very
important and timely issues.
Dr Regan has developed and leads a service learning
component to the study of theology and religion, where students
get hands-on experience by taking part in a placement focused on
issues of social justice (poverty, housing, food and shelter, etc.)
This hands-on approach to learning, and commitment to bridging
theory and practice, stand out in Dr Regan's approach.

Anne Kirwan
School of Nursing & Human Sciences
I have had Ann as a lecturer since first
year and I have never heard a bad word
said about her. Her teaching style of
always trying to involve and engage us
within the class shows how much she
wants us to do well. Anne engages with
all students during lectures by walking
around the lecture hall, asking
questions, telling us her personal
clinical experiences and relating them
to the material in her lectures.
Anne is extremely helpful with all aspects of the programme, any
issues arising on clinical placement or whilst in college she is
always very obliging and will help in any way she can. She is fair
and makes a tough course bearable. I love Anne!!

Dr Cathal Gurrin
School of Computing
Cathal went above and beyond in
teaching Web Design last semester.
His classes were not only engaging but
also extremely practical and
informative. The class was scheduled
for 3 hours on Mondays and finished at
7pm and yet nearly every person in the
class would always attend.
Extremely engaging and knowledgeable lecturer. Explained
material very well. Cathal is a fantastic lecturer and is a credit
not only to himself but to DCU also.

Dr Ciarán Dunne
SALIS
Ciarán Dunne is exceptional at
teaching. He is extremely passionate
about the module and really tried to get
everyone involved and everyone’s
opinions. It was one class I know CCS
thoroughly loved and never wanted to
miss. If we ever had a question he
would ensure it was answered properly
and that we understood after asking.
Took the time out to make each student in our small class feel
comfortable settling into first year, asked students how we would
improve the course or our experiences. Very genuine, friendly and
a lot of help throughout the year.

Joanne Lynch
DCUBS
The most engaging and demanding
lecturer I have experienced in DCU
which lead to a great learning
experience. Joanne pushed me out of
my comfort zone in terms of
challenging myself for presentations
and weekly class participation. I feel I
have developed myself as a person as
a result of the standards she sets in
order to succeed in her class.
Joanne motivated everyone in the class to work as hard as they
could and her knowledge of the topic was so strong that she
inspired the class…One of the best classes in the MSSM
Masters Programme!

Professor Eugene O’Riordan
School of Mathematical Sciences
Eugene has a perfect blend of
educational knowledge and
personality which aids his teaching. His
knowledge in his field is surely incredible
but he has the ability to teach basic
Mathematics in an engaging and
accessible manner, and wants his
students to succeed. He is approachable
if one experiences issues or has
questions and actively seeks out
interaction from the class as this is a
sign that the class are engaged and
understanding what is being taught.
Clearly has a genuine interest in the education of his students and
wants them to get the highest quality degree they possibly can.

Dr Louise Hopper
Louise is professional but still manages
to show that if a student has any
problem she is there to help. I find
statistics so much more interesting
because of her and she also managed
to motivate me to work even harder. I
believe she gets her students to do
their job properly but manages to keep
a warm environment in the class which,
in my opinion, is extremely important.
Research methods is the one subject that most students have a
fear of and her guidance and teaching method is so encouraging
that our perspective on the subject has changed.

Martin Molony
School of Communications
Martin made getting up for an early
lecture something to look forward to.
He was extremely helpful, answered all
questions and was responsive to
emails. He took the fear and anxiety
away from presenting and performing in
front of groups, and was always warm
and welcoming.
His genuine love for communications is evident in his work,
how he conducts his classes and how he speaks to his students.
It was Martin's clear dedication and passion for the course that
attracted me to the course and subsequently led me to choose it
as my first choice on my CAO application. It was the best decision
I have ever made.

Professor PJ Byrne
DCUBS
Dedicated, real world teachings from a
lecturer who believes in and facilitates
learning.
He made a relatively boring module
very interesting and alive. PJ is very
knowledgeable and friendly and seeks
for students to learn as much as
possible.
Guest speakers and in-class working scenarios really helped in
gaining an understanding of the course content! Further to this the
utilisation of almost weekly CA submissions meant that all
students kept on top of their work and developed their
understanding of the content on a gradual basis.

Dr Sandra Cullen
School of Human Development
Sandra allows our opinions on certain
topics to be heard in the lectures and
does not force her view upon us and
is interested in what we have to say.
She creates a very positive
environment during the lectures and
always keeps the student's well-being
in mind. She lectures us in Religious
Education where she is aware of the
pluralistic nature of our group.
Sandra is one of the most open-minded people I have ever met.
She is always inclusive and aware of her own strengths and
weaknesses as a person and a teacher. She is an incredible
role model to student teachers. She makes Religious Education
appealing and interesting to learn about.

Sean Duffy
Sean made each class fun, interesting
and inspiring. He managed to make
students look forward to attending his
lectures each week (even when it was
him teaching for 4 hours in a row!). His
method of teaching using personal
experiences, humour and interactive
discussions made it much easier to
learn and retain the module theory.
No class is ever dull or uneventful, we look forward to hearing
what he has to say….He makes himself available to us at all
times.

49
Distinctive Teaching Approaches
The special award for distinctive teaching approaches goes to …

Dr Ciarán Dunne
SALIS
It was one lecture that after completion,
I felt I really understood and can take
the knowledge with me throughout life
and that was all down to Ciaran Dunne.
I also had him for LC116 and he was
equally exceptional in that so I know he
is genuinely passionate about
teaching. It makes a huge difference
for the students.
He is an excellent lecturer who is engaged with the students. He
is able to make everyone comfortable and encourage
participation, critical thinking, and interest in what is discussed.

51
Distinctive Assessment & Feedback
Approaches
The special award for distinctive assessment and feedback
approaches goes to …

Dr Justin Rami
Justin teaches on the module
assessment and feedback and his
entire approach to the teaching of this
module is consistent with the principles
of constructivist learning. Students on
this module learn by doing: they
design, implement and critique their
own and their peers’ assessment
throughout the course of the module.
He continually encourages and facilitates meaningful one-to-
one feedback with students during and after the module.
Justin believes in the transformative power of education and the
need for educators to act as models of good practice.

53
Distinctive Innovation in Teaching
The special award for distinctive innovative approaches to teaching
approaches goes to …

Dr Dónal O’Brien
DCUBS
The combination of team work, reflective
practice, technology usage and subject
expertise makes the ‘Global Virtual Teams’
module truly unique. All business schools
and participants were aligned in terms of
learning objectives, assessments and
delivery. When you factor in the geographic
spread of these universities, time
differences and cultural nuances this was a
considerable feat.
As one student remarked “Dónal was very engaged with the module
and his enthusiasm for it rubbed off on us students. He was always
fully prepared for lectures and managed to seamlessly integrate a new
module into INTB final year”.

55
New Lecturer/Tutor Category Winner
The recipient of this award is …

Dr Jules Gaspard
I am nominating Jules because he has
made both my first and second semester so
easy to enjoy. I honestly look forward to his
lecture every week. I initially viewed it as a
tedious chore to be learning about the
American Political System, but I soon
realised that Jules' method of teaching,
charisma and passion would make me love
the subject.
His seminars were consistently engaging,
full of variety and always thought
provoking.
Gaspard will affect many students’ views on
the world of politics in its many forms due to
his compelling style of lecturing.
Enjoyable classes, sharp suits and positivity - what more is needed!

57
Overall Academic Winner
The recipient of the overall award in the academic category is …

58
Dr Aisling De Paor,

Dr Aisling De Paor
Even the most disinterested of students
would find it hard not to be engaged by
Aisling’s teaching style!
Without Aisling … BCL students
wouldn’t be prepared to leave college
as they would not be a fully rounded
law student.
It is clear from the extra time and effort that Aisling puts in that she has
a clear passion for the bettering of her students and is something
that pushes and encourages her students to gain marks higher than
they might have thought they were capable of achieving.

Dr Aisling De Paor
Aisling is a motivational and
inspirational lecturer, one who
encourages and promotes self
development in the lecture hall and
outside. This nomination was
promoted by my desire for Aisling to
receive this award in recognition of
her tireless dedication to her
students.
Myself and my group of friends lost one of our friends very tragically last
year, and Aisling was such a tremendous support to us during and after
that time. It was certainly not expected by anyone that Aisling would
assume this role. She is no doubt a fantastic lecturer, but also a great
person and her kindness and empathy is something I will always
remember and be grateful for.

Thank you for attending the
Presentation of the President’s Awards for
Excellence in Teaching 2017-2018
9th May 2018
The Gallery at The Helix
61

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