TEU Update December 5 2024
Monday 9 December, 12:00
Online via Zoom
This session is aimed at DCU module co-ordinators/lecturers and will show them how to set up their Loop Gradebook to ensure the correct grade visibility, weighting, and overall calculation of student coursework grades. It will also demonstrate the Grades Transfer process to transfer student's Loop grades as their coursework total to the student information system, Banner.
Registration is essential. Session will be recorded and circulated afterwards.
This session will also be repeated on Monday 13 January 2025.
Reminder - the deadline for submissions for the DCU Strategic Alignment of Teaching and Learning Enhancement (SATLE) Funding call has been extended to 5 p.m. on December 13th. Information on the process, including the application form and guidelines to help your application, can be found at the links provided.
Next semester, DCU Teaching Enhancement Unit (TEU) are offering staff the opportunity to join a Supported Journey towards achieving Fellowship of AdvanceHE. With support from TEU staff, peers, and colleagues who have previously been awarded Fellowship, the Supported Journey will guide participants through the application process.
This cohort will run from January to March 2025, with draft deadlines in March, and final submission to Advance HE in April. The Journey is open to all staff who teach and/or support learning.
To join, please complete the application form. Please note, we ask for Head of School/Department approval as relevant.
Don’t miss out on this fantastic opportunity to gain formal recognition of your teaching and learning practice! Email maeve.odwyer@dcu.ie with queries.
Date: Wednesday, 8th January 2025 at 2-3 pm
There is increasing emphasis in higher education that a process of reflection helps to evidence learning and make sense of an educational experience. A range of evidence-based theoretical approaches to reflection as an important aspect of teaching and learning has emerged from the literature (Harvey, Coulson and McMaugh, 2016). Yet the very idea of reflective practice can send a chill down the spine of some students and educators. Come to this online session where we will attempt to discuss and demystify the process with some practical tips, approaches, and models that you can apply in your own context. Note that this short introductory session in the new year will be geared very much toward those who are new to using and assessing reflections in their teaching.
Reference
Harvey, M., Coulson, D. and McMaugh, A. (2016) ‘Towards a theory of the Ecology of Reflection: Reflective practice for experiential learning in higher education’, Journal of University Teaching and Learning Practice, 13(2). Available at: https://doi.org/10.53761/1.13.2.2.
During Semester 2, DCU, in collaboration with the National Forum for Teaching and Learning, will offer all staff the opportunity to complete the Digital Badge in Education for Sustainability.
This is a six week course, involving a total of 25 hours learning time.
The six sessions will take place over Zoom on Wednesdays at 1pm beginning on the 5th February. Each session will last one hour. Participants will also be required to complete pre-session tasks and group reflections. Optional, in-person sessions will be hosted on the Glasnevin and St Patrick’s campuses.
The course has been designed to meet the needs of staff at DCU. Sessions will focus on a range of issues: sustainability and sustainable development; education for sustainable development; sustainability competencies; integrating ESD into modules and programmes; and integrating ESD into assessment.
Participants can also choose to complete a further two weeks to receive the ‘facilitators badge’.
While registration will formally open in the new year, it would be great if interested staff could complete this form.
Get ready for semester two
Take some time to ensure you have access to all the Spring 2025 Loop module pages which you are teaching on.
Remember—teacher access to Loop is controlled solely by Banner. You need to be listed as an “Instructor” (or “Primary Instructor” if module coordinator) on Banner in order to get access to your Loop module page. Neither TEU nor ISS can assist with this as it is a faculty process. Therefore please liaise with the relevant person in your faculty office to ensure you have the requisite access to the requisite Loop module page.
Coursebuilder no longer has a relationship with Loop so it does not matter if staff are listed as co-ordinators/teachers there—for Loop, staff must be listed as “Instructors” in Banner in order to get Loop access.
If there is more than one instance of your module (i.e. more than one CRN), you need to confirm that with your faculty office and confirm you are listed as an instructor on one or more of the CRNs
Importing material to your module page
To import, go to your new page for Spring 2025, and on the page top menu, choose: More > Course Reuse > Import (from the dropdown menu). Follow the steps to locate last year’s page and select the material from it which you wish to import. You can also watch this video on the Loop Staff Support Page for a step-by-step guide.
Student enrolment to Spring 2025 Loop module pages
Student access to Loop module pages is controlled by their registration on the relevant module CRNs. Staff should not manually enrol students to their Loop module pages. Anyone who did so in September for their Autumn 2024 page was because of the exceptional circumstances which arose due to the move to Banner. Lecturers should not manually enrol students to their Loop module pages for next semester or into the future.
Requesting an ad-hoc page
Do you have multiple Loop pages for your module, with different CRNs (Course Reference Numbers)? Or do you have a singular Loop module page (e.g. for a consolidated module) but would prefer sub-pages to organise your material by strand? If so, we can create such ad-hoc pages to meet your needs (or indeed a page for other requirements such as staff training, etc). Please log a request for an ad-hoc page via this form and one of the Loop Support Team will be in touch.
Loop Enhancement Project 2025
Preparation is underway for the Loop Enhancement Project, summer 2025. This will see Loop upgraded to the latest version of the Moodle software, and Loop Reflect to the latest version of Mahara software, bringing with them new features and user interface enhancements. In consultation with faculty ADTLs, Loop will be offline for up to three days from 17 June 2025 onwards. Loop Reflect will be offline at a point to be determined in late June/early July, following a successful Loop upgrade. More information about the enhancement project and reminders to staff and students about the June downtime will be communicated regularly and well in advance during the semester ahead.
If you require assistance or guidance with teaching and learning or Loop related matters, avail of the below methods.
Support for technical issues
For Loop technical queries, go to help.dcu.ie. You can also attend one of our regular online Loop drop in clinics, details in the TEU calendar. The drop in clinics are particularly useful for more complex queries. The Loop Staff Support Page also provides a comprehensive range of resources on Loop and Zoom. For new users, the enrolment key for this page is ‘staff’.
Advice on using technology for Teaching and Learning
If you are looking for advice on developing your teaching practice, including but not limited to the application of technology, please contact the TEU team teaching.enhancement@dcu.ie. We will endeavour to respond to you as soon as possible.
Consultancy request form
Interested in requesting a workshop or more extended consultation on a specific topic? Use this consultancy request form.
