Higher Education In Ireland Research Articles

Perceptions of Open Educational Resources by Teaching Staff in Higher Education in Ireland

The aim of this study was to evaluate the impact of Emergency Remote Learning on the perceptions of Open Educational Resources. This was achieved by comparing the perspectives of academic teaching staff in this research with those documented in pre-COVID-19 studies. A total of 105 participants from 16 institutions in Ireland were surveyed using a combination of quantitative and qualitative questions. The findings indicate that the shift to Emergency Remote Learning has not significantly diminished the perceived barriers to Open Educational Resources. Instead, it has brought forward fresh concerns about the implications of Open Education on conventional teaching methods. Although a national policy would grant individual institutions the autonomy to devise courses in line with their mission and strategy, the outcomes of this study highlight the need for practical assistance, training, and guidance at an institutional level.

‘I’m a troublemaker’: the need to focus on early-career academics’ experiences of sexual harassment in Ireland

The issue of sexual harassment of early-career academics in Ireland has recently been brought to the fore through the mainstream media. Little research has been undertaken, however, on highlighting and documenting such experiences, leading to a lack of awareness and dearth of specifically targeted initiatives for this cohort. The authors, themselves early-career academics, attempt to highlight this problem by sharing data generated through focus group interviews with early-career academics, who reported experiences of sexual harassment in the context of challenges they faced in their work environment. The data presented here are shared to highlight these issues as being more common among early-career academics than believed. The authors call for further research to be undertaken focusing on early-career academics in order to raise awareness of such issues and for more resources to be developed to prevent and respond to sexual harassment and violence in higher education in Ireland.

From Philosophy to Praxis: A Framework for Investigating Equality, Diversity and Inclusion Manifestation in Higher Education Institutions

This paper outlines the development of a comprehensive Equality, Diversity and Inclusion (EDI) manifestation framework for higher education institutions (HEIs). Following a comprehensive and broad literature review, which included philosophical EDI antecedents and emergent EDI practices in higher education in Ireland, a focus group methodology was adopted to induce a cogent EDI manifestation framework. The highly structured framework can be used to systematically and critically assess EDI manifestation in HEIs across two major dimensions or axes: locus (from global to local) and manifestation (from philosophy to praxis). Future work will seek to apply and validate the framework in HEIs to determine the nature of EDI manifestation in practice.

Feeling valued: the interplay of assistive technology and identity

Purpose The aim of this study was to explore the impact of AT in identity for students with disabilities in higher education and if/how this changes over time. Methods Using a longitudinal qualitative research design, semi-structured interviews were conducted with students with disabilities (n = 13) in higher education in Ireland on two occasions during an academic year. A trajectory approach to longitudinal analysis was employed. This involved the use of matrices and identification of a through line for the study, which connects participant change over time. Results The through line identified was feeling valued, which was central in the negotiation of identity over time across three themes: feelings of autonomy and competence; claiming disability; and feeling like you belong as a student. AT impacted experiences across the three themes which subsequently promoted or undermined students’ sense of value. Reciprocally, feeling valued influenced use and perceptions of AT. Factors specific to a higher education context were also identified which influenced meanings attached to AT over time. Conclusion Creating an environment where students feel valued is key in promoting use of and positive perceptions of AT. This should form an integral part of AT and disability policy in higher education.

Navigating a male dominated domain: experiences of female STEM students in higher education in Ireland

ABSTRACT It is well established that female participation in STEM diminishes at all stages of the education pipeline. National policy in Ireland is focussed on initiatives to address the STEM gender gap from early years to the end of secondary school (age 18/19) education. However, strategy in higher education is limited, with gender equality policy primarily aimed at staff and the broader institution. This qualitative research study, involving in-depth interviews with 21 female STEM students provides new insights into the experiences of female students who choose mathematics-intensive STEM fields (physics, computer science, engineering, and mathematics), where the gender gap is most pronounced. The aim of the study was to identify how a predominately male-dominated STEM course and environment influenced female students’ experiences. Prior to entering university, participants held high self-concept and interest in STEM. Using a situated expectancy-value theoretical lens to interpret the data, the research found that unconscious gender bias in university led female students to feel undervalued by their male peers. This negatively impacted their self-beliefs and interest, resulting in female students feeling more pressure to perform and less willing to participate in the learning environment. The implications for policy, practice, and future research are considered.

“Last orders, please!”: The disappearance of communicative spaces at universities

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?

A Human Capability Perspective on the Progression of Low-SES Students to Higher Education in Ireland and the UK

This article focuses on targeted programs for low-SES students in two selective universities: Trinity College Dublin, the University of Dublin, Ireland (Trinity Access Programmes/TAP) and the University of Oxford, UK (Lady Margaret Hall Foundation Year/LMH FY). The programs were collaborative developments, as examples of the potential of learning and adaptation across geographical contexts. It poses two questions: (a) How did the admissions processes in both universities change to target low-SES students? (b) How do social and academic support services for low-SES students, provided by two universities, contribute to the development of student capabilities? The article draws on the capability approach as the evaluative lens used to explore the two programs. Findings indicate (a) innovative approaches to socio-economic assessment in both programs, resulting in effective targeting of low-SES students, (b) the scaling of the programs beyond their initial remit and (c) the emergence of specific student capabilities through their engagement in the programs.

A whole-campus approach to technology and inclusion of students with disabilities in higher education in Ireland

The increasing demand for equitable higher education necessitates changes in how to consider and develop inclusive university settings. Using a systems-thinking lens, this article examines the whole-campus approach to technology and inclusion of college students with disabilities in Ireland. In-depth interviews with students with disabilities and other stakeholders representing higher education, non-profit organizations, and government bodies uncovered critical areas and dynamics for understanding and building institution-wide capacity for overcoming barriers to technology and access, and creating a systemic culture of inclusion in higher education. Five themes were identified: equity of technology-based access; shared responsibility and accountability; staff knowledge development; institutional commitment and management; and student partnership. The study indicated that embedding guidance, recognition and expectations for universal design, technology-inclusive practice, and meaningful input of students with disabilities across all areas of university life would help to cultivate more equitable higher education for all. Points of interest The whole-campus approach to technology and inclusion recommends that all aspects of university life are fully accessible and inclusive to all. Creating settings across institutions that can be accessed and used by all, to the greatest extent possible, and developing staff’s responsibility and skills for technology and practices that include students with disabilities are important areas for further action. Greater recognition of teaching and professional development for inclusive education is required. Promoting assistive technologies and teaching and learning approaches for inclusion in terms of their wide-reaching benefits and diversity, rather than focusing exclusively on disability, may be a promising step towards making inclusion mainstream. Fully including students with disabilities in making decisions on matters that affect their experiences and technology in college is necessary to support inclusion across university campuses.

Social engagement: Hearing the experiences of disabled students in higher education in Ireland

Research on the experiences of disabled students in higher education in Ireland has focused primarily on barriers to their transition and academic experiences post entry. Their wider social engagement experiences have yet to be explored. Early and ongoing social engagement has been found to be particularly beneficial for non-traditional students leading to the creation of sense of belonging and greater student retention. There has been limited consideration of this area within Irish policy or research. As a disabled researcher with a human rights perspective. I adopted a qualitative framework which combined the transformative paradigm with the bio-ecological model. This approach enabled me to place the voice of the student at the center of the research whilst examining the system around them. The research upon which this article draws upon the findings of research carried out by a disabled researcher which brought together data from 65 participants, with representatives from 19 Higher Education Institutions (HEIs) across the Republic of Ireland using a four-phased, sequential, and concurrent qualitative data collection methodology. This paper focuses on the disabled undergraduate student cohort from this research (n = 23) and the theme of social engagement. The key findings under the theme of social engagement included, (i) Social engagement was highly valued and recognized as being vital to the formation of connections that resulted in a sense of belonging. (ii) The majority of disabled students reported being socially engaged, yet almost all reported barriers to their social engagement. (iii) A lack of disability awareness, inaccessible physical infrastructure, peer, and staff attitudes, negatively impact upon students’ sense of value, ability to maintain friendships, and develop a sense of belonging. (iv) There was little evidence of structures or a strategic approach to disabled students’ social engagement. These findings resonate with international research which demonstrated that disabled students face a range of systemic barriers to their social engagement in higher education. The implications of this research point to a failure of national and institutional policy to adequately consider the social engagement opportunities of disabled students within higher education.

Developing a national database for higher education student counselling services: the importance of collaborations.

Student counselling services are at the forefront of providing mental health support to Irish Higher Education students. Since 1996, the Psychological Counsellors in Higher Education in Ireland (PCHEI) association, through their annual survey collection, has collected aggregate data for the sector. However, to identify national trends and effective interventions, a standardised non-aggregate sectoral approach to data collection is required. The Higher Education Authority funded project, 3SET, builds on the PCHEI survey through the development of a national database. In this paper, we outline the steps followed in developing the database, identify the parties involved at each stage and contrast the approach taken to the development of similar databases. Important factors shaping the development have been the autonomy of counselling services, compliance with General Data Protection Regulation, and the involvement of practitioners. This is an ongoing project with the long-term sustainability of the database being a primary objective.

Counter stories: life experiences of refugee background mature students in higher education in Ireland

ABSTRACT Refugee Background Mature Students, with many having come from the global South to seek asylum, form a minority group in higher education. This qualitative study uses a Critical Race Theory framework to examine the lived experience of four Refugee Background Mature Students from Angola and Nigeria with a focus on microaggresions, the everyday occurrences of racism. On campus, their learning is informed by past experiences, asylum systems, including time spent in Direct Provision. Repeated microaggressions in Direct Provision silence or attempt to silence in the face of power. These students encounter the assaults of further microaggressions on campus, horizontally from peers and vertically from lecturers. These negative experiences occur in tandem with support from individual academics they meet during their degree courses. The unevenness of experience suggests that higher education institutions need to incorporate the specific needs of RBMSs across an institution to fully support diversity on campus.

Development of a National Student Mental Health and Suicide Prevention Framework for Higher Education in Ireland

Development of a National Student Mental Health and Suicide Prevention Framework for Higher Education in Ireland

The Internationalisation of higher education in Ireland and its impact on language policy: a qualitative document analysis

This paper studies the effect of internationalisation in Irish higher education on the language element of policies and strategies, and provides an insight of the current approaches towards language in higher education. The author explores the language-related trends over time in national public records, as well as the current linguistic targets reflected in European, national and institutional strategies by means of Qualitative Document Analysis (QDA). The evaluation shows a shift from the focus on inward mobility and the efforts for meeting international students’ linguistic needs, to an internationalised higher education system that requires the expansion of outward mobility and domestic students’ linguistic repertoire. Although Irish higher education institutions (HEIs) present the perfect context for becoming leaders in linguistic internationalisation practices, the scant consideration given to language in institutional strategies together with the lack of explicitness in existing national strategies result in language prevailing as a major issue for both, international and domestic students.

Assistive technologies, educational engagement and psychosocial outcomes among students with disabilities in higher education

Purpose Increasing numbers of students with disabilities are accessing higher education each year, yet little is known about their assistive technology (AT) needs and its influence on relevant outcomes. The aim of this study was to examine met/unmet AT needs on educational engagement, academic self-efficacy and well-being and the impact of AT use in the areas of competence, adaptability and self-esteem for students with disabilities in higher education in Ireland. Methods One hundred and eleven students with disabilities completed a cross-sectional online survey comprising the College Learning Effectiveness Inventory, the Student Course Engagement Questionnaire, the Self-Efficacy for Learning Form Abridged, the Psychosocial Impact of Assistive Devices Scale, and the Warwick-Edinburgh Mental Well-Being Scale. Results AT use was found to have a positive psychosocial impact in the areas of competence, adaptability and self-esteem. Those whose AT needs were fully met scored significantly higher on academic self-efficacy, well-being, and on 4 of the 10 educational engagement subscales compared to those who had unmet AT needs. Met/unmet AT needs were not predictive of educational engagement. Conclusion These findings highlight the importance of AT from both educational engagement and psychosocial perspectives for students with a wide variety of disability diagnoses. The wide-reaching benefits of AT must be considered by governmental departments when making funding allocations to disability services within higher education institutions. Implications for rehabilitation Students with disabilities can face many additional challenges within the higher education environment. Findings from this research show that access to appropriate assistive technology can support students’ educational engagement, increase well-being and academic self-efficacy and have a positive impact in the areas of competence, adaptability and self-esteem. Disability and Assistive Technology Officers in higher education should be cognizant of both the educational and psychological benefits of assistive technology across diverse students with various disability diagnoses. Policy makers should consider the wide-reaching benefits of assistive technology when making funding allocations to higher education institutions.

Bored bluestockings and frivolous flirts: dynamics of gender and the experiences of the first female students of Queen’s College Cork, 1879–1910

ABSTRACT The campaign for women’s access to higher education in Ireland in the late-nineteenth century was understated, characterised by committees, middle class concerns and wrangling over legislation. The earliest female university graduates in Ireland were demure, hardworking and performatively feminine. This paper examines how the campaign for women’s higher education in Ireland, and the first female third level students in Ireland, responded to contemporary ideology regarding gender roles. It suggests that the first female university students in Ireland were engaged in a delicate balancing act, seeking access to previously forbidden male-dominated spaces, yet simultaneously attempting to preserve their femininity and respect decorum. This paper will also analyse the gender geography of third level institutions, and the way in which the separate spheres ideology was mapped onto universities.

Student views on transition to higher education in Ireland: Challenges, impacts and suggestions

AbstractThis paper examines students’ perspectives on the main transitional challenges experienced when commencing higher education. It explores which students are most affected by the transition and is the first paper to provide an overview of student recommendations to help improve the transition in an Irish context. The study involves large‐scale surveys and focus groups across four higher education institutions and explores a range of transitional challenges (including academic, social and course‐specific aspects). Over 1,100 student suggestions to improve transition are analysed and many of these recommendations could be easily implemented beyond Ireland. Ten overall recommendations are made which include, among others, specific supports for mature students and those with longer commuting distances, course‐specific introductory skills modules to be given by current students, a first year ‘starter’ pack with course‐specific orientation materials, and the introduction of a student‐shadowing programme for prospective students.

Student perspectives on integration in part-time, flexible higher education in Ireland;’we don’t socialise here’

ABSTRACT Despite efforts in Ireland to increase the number of part-time students in Higher Education, there was limited growth over twenty years 1997–2017. Part-time featured in widening participation strategies; however, this mode of learning has orientated towards employability. Retention of part-time students remains a problem for Higher Education. This paper draws on findings from an empirical study and explores factors that encouraged integration amongst on-campus part-time, flexible students in Higher Education Institutions. Findings indicated that students persisted in their studies despite encountering challenges. Students reported a sense of belonging at programme and department level; however, this did not equate with inclusion within the Higher Education Institutions. Students continue to experience difficulty in accessing supports and facilities. The limits of an interactionist model were explored from the perspective of non-traditional students. Tinto’s model of integration does not translate straightforwardly to part-time flexible students who were not socialising on campus but were committed to completing the programme.

Socioeconomic Disparities in Unmet Need for Student Mental Health Services in Higher Education.

Mental health problems are highly prevalent among college students in many countries. However, evidence suggests that many at-risk students do not receive professional help. We aimed to understand which students are most likely to have unmet need for mental health services. Given increasing and widening participation in higher education, we focused attention on disparities by socioeconomic background. We analysed data from a recent survey of over 6000 students enrolled in higher education in Ireland. Using three separate measures of mental health problems, namely stress, anxiety, and depression, we developed and modelled an indicator of unmet need. We found that students from the lowest social class and students with the greatest difficulty in making ends meet have higher rates of unmet need overall, but that these disparities disappear once we control for mental ill-health. For those with mental health problems, unmet need is shown to be independently higher for students who are younger, male, heterosexual, and studying for a Ph.D. We also found a strong independent association between unmet need and self-stigma, as well as considerable differences in unmet need across institutions. Socioeconomic disparities in unmet need are driven by higher rates of mental ill-health among those from lower socioeconomic backgrounds. Our findings have implications for the targeting of services, as well as the provision of information about mental health and associated services.

The lived experience of toxic leadership in Irish higher education

PurposeThe purpose of this paper is to reveal the lived experience of toxic leadership for a cohort of 11 individuals who work, or have worked, in the field of higher education in Ireland. Drawing on national and international literature, as well as the testimonies of a cohort of academic and administrative staff, the study considers the impact of this negative management style on these individuals as well as upon the organisation itself.Design/methodology/approachA total of 11 self-selected individuals (four males and seven females) were interviewed for this pilot study. Data from the semi-structured interviews were organised thematically and analysed with the support of the computer software package MAXQDA®.FindingsThe results show that the experience of toxic leadership was profound for the interviewees across a number of contexts. They reported adverse physical and psychological impacts as well as detailing the repercussions for their respective career trajectories as they endeavoured to safely navigate their often-hostile work environment. Human resources departments within their respective institutions were the focus of considerable criticism by the interviewees who highlighted, what they saw as, the inherent contradiction/tension between the perceived roles and responsibilities of such departments in addressing or resolving interpersonal work-related disputes.Originality/valueThe findings expand on the extant scholarly literature on toxic leadership in higher education and, for the first time, offer a revealing insight on this phenomenon within the Irish context.

Entrevista a Catherine Cronin

Entrevista a Catherine Cronin Interview Catherine Cronin