Headlines In this issue: LIN 2011 Call for Abstracts - Update

Headlines
LIN Conference 2011—Call for Abstracts
Douglas Thomas to present Keynote address for LIN 2011
Eye on IT Carlow
LIN 2011 Call for Abstracts
Enhancing the Learning Experience:
Learning for an
Unknown Future (Barnett,
2004).
LIN Conference 27 October
2011
Call for papers and posters
The Learning Innovations 4 th
Annual Conference takes
place in DIT Bolton St on 27
October 2011. The conference
theme is Enhancing the
Learning Experience: Learning
for an Unknown Future
(Barnett, 2004) and there
are three sub themes:
The first year experience
Diversity of the learner
experience
Staff development for
learning / Innovation in
teaching and learning
The conference will have a
keynote speaker and then
papers. Each paper session is
15 minutes long with 5
minutes for questions. Posters
will be displayed and are
to be A1 size.
This is the call for abstracts.
We are seeking 300 word
abstracts on the theme or
sub-theme of the conference
for either papers or
posters. We are particularly
interested in papers that
reflect practice and issues of
the Institutes of Technology/
DIT in relation to the
themes.
The Learning Innovation
Network (LIN) is the network
of academic professionals
from higher education that
support academic professional
development (APD)
for staff in the Irish higher
education sector. The LIN
conference running since
2008 provides a forum for
practice and theory in higher
education to meet.
The conference keynote
speaker is Douglas Thomas
and his talk is Cultivating the
Imagination in a World of
Constant Change: Learning
Strategies for an Unknown
Future. For more information
on the keynote
speaker please see the conference
website.
Abstract submission is
through the online conference
system, which can be
accessed through
www.lin.ie. Please register
and submit your abstract
there by 30 June. Abstracts
will be peer-reviewed and
you will know by 20 August
if your paper or poster has
been accepted. If accepted
for a paper participants will
be asked to submit a 2500 -
3000 word paper by 15 October.
If you are interested in reviewing
abstracts for the
conference please indicate
that when you register. Reviewers
have to be available
to complete the review process
by 5 August 2011.
We look forward to receiving
the abstracts and an interesting
and stimulating
conference this coming October.
Important dates
30 June 2011 Submission of
abstracts
20 August 2011 Notification
of acceptance of paper or
poster
15 October 2011 Submission
of paper /poster (pdf), author
biography and photograph
for conference website
27 October 2011 Conference
In this issue:
Headlines 1
Call for Abstracts 1
Keynote Speaker 2
Conference Location
2
Eye on IT Carlow 3

Keynote Speaker
Douglas Thomas has been a professor
at the Annenberg School for Communication
and Journalism at the University
of Southern California since 1993. He is
the author or editor of five books, including
his most recent work A New
Culture of Learning: Cultivating the Imagination
for a World of Constant
Change (with co-author John Seely
Brown).
During his time at USC, he has focused
his research on radical cultures of
learning at the intersections of technology
and culture, beginning with the
underground worlds of computer hackers
and virus writers. He has studied
the open source programming community
as well as a decade long ethnographic
research project of the culture
learning in and around computer
games.
In addition to studying gamers and
gamer culture, Professor Thomas
worked with colleagues at USC and
Indiana University to design and produce
two educational video games as
well: The Redistricting Game (with
Chris Swain, USC) that allowed players
to understand and analyze the inner
workings of political redistricting and
gerrymandering and Modern Prometheus
(with Sasha Barab, IU), an interactive
retelling of Mary Shelley’s Frankenstein,
which helped students understand
and analyze ethical decision making
in the world of technology and science.
His research has been supported by the
MacArthur Foundation, the Lounsbery
Foundation, and the Annenberg Center
at USC, and focuses on the transformation
of learning, knowledge, education
and global civic engagement in the
digital age. He is founding editor of
Games & Culture: A Journal of Interactive
Media, a quarterly international
journal that aims to publish innovative
theoretical and empirical research
about games and culture within the
context of interactive media. His books
include: Hacking Culture (University of
Minnesota Press, 2002), a study of the
cultural, social, and political dimensions
of computer hacking, Reading Nietzsche
Rhetorically (Guilford Press,
1998), an examination of the role of
representation in the philosophy of
Friedrich Nietzsche, Technological Visions:
The Hopes and Fears that Shape
New Technologies (with Marita Sturken
and Sandra Ball-Rokeach, Temple UP,
2004) and Cybercrime: Law Enforcement,
Security and Surveillance in the
Information Age (with Brian D. Loader;
Routledge, 2000. His current projects
include Power, Play, and Performance:
Studying Virtual Worlds, an examination
of player culture and community in
massively multiplayer online games and
Play and Politics: Games, Civic Engagement,
and Social Activism.
Douglas Thomas—LIN 2011 Keynote
Speaker
LIN Conference Location— Bolton Street Campus, DIT
One of DIT’s most historic buildings,
Bolton Street, was specifically designed
and built for technical and technological
education in 1911, on the site of
what was once the European Hotel.
Since then, and up to the present
day, it has been a centre of leading
edge technological education in the
Faculties of the Built Environment and
of Engineering. Located in Dublin’s
north inner city, Bolton Street is within
minutes of shopping areas in Henry
Street and Parnell Street, as well as the
old city markets and the newly refurbished
Smithfield. Among the facilities
provided on campus are the gymnasium
in Linenhall, which is equipped with
resistance and cardiovascular training
equipment, and the multi-purpose
sports hall in Bolton Street.
Map indicating Conference location—Bolton Street Campus, DIT
Page 2 May 2011

ON IT Carlow
IT Carlow takes Lead on Re-positioning Assessment for Learning
Carlow was lead on the SIF 2 ERA Re-positioning Assessment for Learning Project in collaboration with DKIT, ITB and ITT.
Nine projects across 6 disciplines redesigned, implemented and evaluated new assessment practices in 2010
Page 3 May 2011

NDLR projects @ IT Carlow
Eight projects received funding for local and national NDLR
Learning Resource Projects in 2010/11. Check out resources
developed by academic staff at Carlow
Nicola Cantwell - The Virtual Pharmacy A collection of resources
which can be used by pharmacy technician students
as revision/study aids created with Articulate
https://dspace.ndlr.ie/jspui/handle/10633/30827
Owen Brady - Production Line Design & Control for Business
Students A resource for operations management created
with Flip video http://vimeo.com/20781646
Susan Brennan & Martin Meagher - FASTER: Bank Reconciliation
Statements. A resource for financial accounting
students created with Articulate
http://cop.ndlr.ie/LINCS2010/itcarlow/FASTER/index.html
For more information on NDLR Projects contact
Damien Raftery, e Learning Development
Officer Damien.Raftery@itcarlow.ie
IT Carlow Students Achieving Success in 2010/11
Henry Hickey graduated with the highest
achieving marks on the Higher Certificate
in Construction and was also
awarded “The 2010 BAM Contractors /
CIOB –Student of the Year
Award”. This award is sponsored by
BAM Contractors in conjunction with
The Chartered Institute of Building
(CIOB)
Academic Scholarships
2011
On Tuesday, 22nd March 2011, IT Carlow
was delighted to present 44 talented
students with Academic Scholarships
across a range of courses. These
Academic Scholarships were awarded
to students who achieved the highest
Leaving Certificate/FETAC points score
in their chosen course at IT Carlow.
It was a special evening of achievement
with representatives from counties all
over Ireland, including Carlow, Waterford,
Kerry, Kildare, Wexford, Laois,
Dublin, Galway, Monaghan, Cork and
Leitrim.
Research on Teaching & Learning
Two research papers have been published recently by IT Carlow academics:
Monks, Alan (2010) 'Adapted PBL practical exercises: benefits for apprentices',
Journal of Vocational Education & Training, 62: 4, 455 — 466
http://dx.doi.org/10.1080/13636820.2010.533789
O’Broin D & Raftery D (2011) ‘Using Google Docs to Support Project-based Learning’
All Ireland Journal of Teaching and Learning in Higher Education, (AISHE-J) 3
(1)
http://ojs.aishe.org/index.php/aishe-j/issue/view/3
“The outcome was very encouraging
and indicates
that the adapted PBL format,
significantly developed
and refined, is worth
pursuing as a delivery
strategy option for apprentice
course provision.”
TLC joins forces with the Army
The Army is developing a BA in Military Studies in partnership with IT Carlow.
The programme will develop the knowledge, skills and competencies of soldiers
and airmen.
A team from the Teaching and Learning Centre facilitated a series of workshops
with the Defence Forces on curriculum design and writing learning outcomes.
Page 4 May 2011

Deterring Plagiarism – LIN workshop
Jude Carroll’s Key Points for Deterring Plagiarism:
Design out the easy cheating options by changing essay/ assessment task every year
Change your assessment to coursework that integrates theory, practice and experience
Teach academic writing skills and practice them with students before assessment
Use a range of strategies to identify ‘not the student’s own work’
Institute policies and procedures are fair, fast and efficient
Jude Carroll an expert on plagiarism was a recent speaker in IT Carlow’s International Educator
Series – this particular workshop was sponsored by LIN.
Academic Staff Learning and Teaching Graduates 2010
Over the last four years 70% of academic
staff at IT Carlow have participated
in CPD workshops and seminars.
These campus-wide events bring lecturers
together to share ideas across subjects
and disciplines. They also help lecturers
to enhance their teaching skills,
to expand their repertoire of teaching
and assessment methods, and to gain
new perspectives on teaching, learning
and curriculum design.
In 2010 sixteen academic staff graduated
with PG Cert and Diplomas in 3 rd
level Learning and Teaching from DIT
and NUIM.
For more information on Teaching and Learning initiatives at IT Carlow contact:
Anne Carpenter, Coordinator Teaching & Learning Centre Anne.Carpenter@itcarlow.ie
Damien Raftery, eLearning Development Officer Damien.Raftery@itcarlow.ie
Page 5

Date for your Diary October 27th
LIN Conference 2011— DIT Bolton Street
Enhancing the Learning Experience: Learning for an Unknown Future
(Barnett, 2004)
The first year experience
Diversity of the learner experience
Staff development for learning / Innovation in teaching and learning
Keynote
Cultivating the Imagination in a World of Constant Change: Learning Strategies
for an Unknown Future by Douglas Thomas
Closing date for abstracts June 30th 2011 (see page 1)
For more information go to www.lin.ie or mail lin@ioti.ie
www.lin.ie
Supporting Academic Professional Development
+353 (0)1 7082920
lin@ioti.ie