Greetings from India and the new Chair! These are exciting times for Physics Education. The eupho... more Greetings from India and the new Chair! These are exciting times for Physics Education. The euphoria of the world-wide celebration of the International Year of Physics (IYP) is still with us. Our Commission and its activities have been center stage as we had tremendous opportunities to work towards fulfillment of our objectives. The IYP brought closer all stakeholders; those in schools, universities, research laboratories, national societies, government, science museums and other nonformal agencies engaged in the area of physics education. Of particular significance has been the international solidarity. Several international organizations worked collaboratively to setup spectacular global events with large scale participation form across the world. There was something for everyone.
Educational research for many academic staff may be regarded as an additional layer on top of a v... more Educational research for many academic staff may be regarded as an additional layer on top of a very intense work schedule. The chances of integrating authentic enquiry into education practice in a collaborative and supportive environment can depend on many variables including time and resources. This case study paper demonstrates how a small group of researchers are maximising emerging technologies to enhance educational research experiences in a flexible yet systematic way.Experiences are presented through the lens of a supervisor and four research students undertaking level 9 and 10 educational research. The case study explores three key sub themes including collaboration, collecting and analysing data and research management.A collaborative web-based workspace was established for each of the four research projects using a free cross-platform compatible system called Dropbox. This allows the research teams to share, synchronise, and edit the most up to date version of files. Proj...
International Journal of Innovation in Science and Mathematics Education, 2012
Progress in nanoscopic materials research requires observation and understanding of the molecular... more Progress in nanoscopic materials research requires observation and understanding of the molecular arrangements of materials by using capital-intensive equipment such as Electron Microscope (SEM and TEM), and other types of spectroscopy. There is also a great need for teaching data analysis and essential technical skills for experimentation using complicated analytical instrumentation capable of providing information about nanoscale physical, chemical and functional properties. Teaching for characterisation of these new materials and devices to fully understand the physical, structural and functional properties is of great importance. This paper addresses this demand, which led to the development of the web-based multimedia-teaching package called Nanolab. The paper illustrates the experiences of implementing Nanolab as a pilot site utilising: (a) a web-based technology for delivery; (b) text, graphics, sound, Authoware, Flash MX for interactivity; (c) a number of video links to spec...
The recent publication of the 'Hunt' report (2010) has articulated a vision for higher ed... more The recent publication of the 'Hunt' report (2010) has articulated a vision for higher education which recognises the importance of active engagement, learner-feedback, technology- enhanced learning and generic skills development. A National study on graduate competences (NAIRTL, 2009) also highlighted the importance of integrating global generic competences into the curriculum. The challenge, however, for many higher education institutions will be in devising a coordinated roadmap to achieve this learning environment. This paper describes a science programme's experiences of embracing and implementing this vision through an outcomes-led, enquiry based learning strategy. This has required investment from management and staff in designing new learning environments with round tables, computer hubs, flip charts as well as the administrative task of coordinating timetables to enable interdisciplinary team teaching. The paper explores using examples how the science team radic...
In recent years, there has been an increased emphasis surrounding in-employment education and tra... more In recent years, there has been an increased emphasis surrounding in-employment education and training for the upskilling of the workforce. Online learning is becoming a dominant delivery method in workplace-learning settings across organizations of various sectors and of varying sizes. Its key advantage is its capability to enable employers to upskill their workforce by providing the flexibility for 'when, 'where' and 'how' employees can engage in lifelong learning. (David, et al., 2012). This study portrays the development of a suite of educational upskilling programmes delivered using blended learning to address the skill shortages of the biopharmaceutical industry in Ireland. Using Design Based Research (DBR) methodology, intensive collaboration occurred between the researcher, members of industry and the academic providers to develop four online industry-focused educational training programmes ranging from NFQ level 6 to level 9. These programmes are current...
Greetings from India and the new Chair! These are exciting times for Physics Education. The eupho... more Greetings from India and the new Chair! These are exciting times for Physics Education. The euphoria of the world-wide celebration of the International Year of Physics (IYP) is still with us. Our Commission and its activities have been center stage as we had tremendous opportunities to work towards fulfillment of our objectives. The IYP brought closer all stakeholders; those in schools, universities, research laboratories, national societies, government, science museums and other nonformal agencies engaged in the area of physics education. Of particular significance has been the international solidarity. Several international organizations worked collaboratively to setup spectacular global events with large scale participation form across the world. There was something for everyone.
Educational research for many academic staff may be regarded as an additional layer on top of a v... more Educational research for many academic staff may be regarded as an additional layer on top of a very intense work schedule. The chances of integrating authentic enquiry into education practice in a collaborative and supportive environment can depend on many variables including time and resources. This case study paper demonstrates how a small group of researchers are maximising emerging technologies to enhance educational research experiences in a flexible yet systematic way.Experiences are presented through the lens of a supervisor and four research students undertaking level 9 and 10 educational research. The case study explores three key sub themes including collaboration, collecting and analysing data and research management.A collaborative web-based workspace was established for each of the four research projects using a free cross-platform compatible system called Dropbox. This allows the research teams to share, synchronise, and edit the most up to date version of files. Proj...
International Journal of Innovation in Science and Mathematics Education, 2012
Progress in nanoscopic materials research requires observation and understanding of the molecular... more Progress in nanoscopic materials research requires observation and understanding of the molecular arrangements of materials by using capital-intensive equipment such as Electron Microscope (SEM and TEM), and other types of spectroscopy. There is also a great need for teaching data analysis and essential technical skills for experimentation using complicated analytical instrumentation capable of providing information about nanoscale physical, chemical and functional properties. Teaching for characterisation of these new materials and devices to fully understand the physical, structural and functional properties is of great importance. This paper addresses this demand, which led to the development of the web-based multimedia-teaching package called Nanolab. The paper illustrates the experiences of implementing Nanolab as a pilot site utilising: (a) a web-based technology for delivery; (b) text, graphics, sound, Authoware, Flash MX for interactivity; (c) a number of video links to spec...
The recent publication of the 'Hunt' report (2010) has articulated a vision for higher ed... more The recent publication of the 'Hunt' report (2010) has articulated a vision for higher education which recognises the importance of active engagement, learner-feedback, technology- enhanced learning and generic skills development. A National study on graduate competences (NAIRTL, 2009) also highlighted the importance of integrating global generic competences into the curriculum. The challenge, however, for many higher education institutions will be in devising a coordinated roadmap to achieve this learning environment. This paper describes a science programme's experiences of embracing and implementing this vision through an outcomes-led, enquiry based learning strategy. This has required investment from management and staff in designing new learning environments with round tables, computer hubs, flip charts as well as the administrative task of coordinating timetables to enable interdisciplinary team teaching. The paper explores using examples how the science team radic...
In recent years, there has been an increased emphasis surrounding in-employment education and tra... more In recent years, there has been an increased emphasis surrounding in-employment education and training for the upskilling of the workforce. Online learning is becoming a dominant delivery method in workplace-learning settings across organizations of various sectors and of varying sizes. Its key advantage is its capability to enable employers to upskill their workforce by providing the flexibility for 'when, 'where' and 'how' employees can engage in lifelong learning. (David, et al., 2012). This study portrays the development of a suite of educational upskilling programmes delivered using blended learning to address the skill shortages of the biopharmaceutical industry in Ireland. Using Design Based Research (DBR) methodology, intensive collaboration occurred between the researcher, members of industry and the academic providers to develop four online industry-focused educational training programmes ranging from NFQ level 6 to level 9. These programmes are current...
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Papers by Etain Kiely