Staff Directory - Breda O’Brien

My Research

My current research seeks to capture students’ experiences of their teachers at both post-primary and Higher Education (HE) level in Ireland. The quality of teaching is critical to student engagement and retention as they make the transition from post-primary to HE. Teachers and students interact on a daily basis and what the teacher does and say really can make a difference.

This research focuses on contrasting effective teaching characteristics and behaviours in post-primary and HE. It is proposed that the results of this study can be shared across education divides namely post-primary and HE. Clear goals and structures can be put in place to encourage quality teaching. This may provide an opportunity for the best teachers to emerge and to find ways to help teachers that struggle. A framework will be proposed to engage students through quality teaching initiatives.

Teaching Experience

I have been a lecturer in the School of Business since 2003  and deliver modules on a range of undergraduate and postgraduate courses in the School of Business and the School of Education, including:

• Masters of Arts in Management of Education: Financial Management

• Bachelor of Business Studies (Hons): Financial Accounting, Cost Accounting, Management Accounting Techniques, Teaching skills

• Bachelor of Business: Management Accounting 1 and 2

• Higher Certificate in Business: Management Accounting 1 and 2

Supervision of post-graduate dissertations:

• Masters in Accounting

• Masters in Business Studies in Internationalisation

• Masters of Arts in Management in Education

I am a member of the Teaching and Learning committee in WIT where our primary remit is student engagement. An aspect of this committee’s remit is to constantly challenge our systems and policies and to ensure that students are achieving their full potential.

Prior to 2003 I taught Accounting, Economics and Business at post-primary level and have been a State Examinations Commission Assistant Examiner for Leaving Certificate Honours Accounting.

My Professional Experience

I worked for two years at Farrell Grant Sparks Accountancy practice Dublin and one year in industry before entering the field of Education

Other

School of Business Schools Liaison Co-ordinator:

• I am responsible for the promotional development of the WIT School of Business to second-level schools in the South-East. My key achievements in this role are:

• Co-ordination and running of the WIT/ Business Studies Teachers Association of Ireland(BSTAI) Junior Certificate Awards 2005-present

• Co-ordination of School visits to 45 second level schools in South East

• The design, development and distribution of a promotional brochure for WIT School of Business aimed at Transition year students

• Promotional DVD for WIT School of Business

• Organisation and facilitation of ‘Business in the classroom’ forums where teachers from second-level, lectures from third –level and industry practitioners have brainstormed to find best methods to teach business in the classroom.

Contributions to external community

• Guest speaker at Interreg conference (2004) on ‘Financial support to SME’s in Ireland and Wales’ My expertise on the venture capital market was shared with the Welsh  and Irish attendees who were representing their respective enterprise boards

• Presentation of hard copy of my venture capital thesis to Intertrade Ireland

• Delivered  a presentation on venture capital and Bank Finance for Irish SME’s to the South East Enterprise platform programme

• Involved in the set-up of the Life-fibre Bakery Company

• State Examinations Commission Assistant Examiner

Research Publications

• O’ Brien, B. & Iannone, P. (2013)“A study of Accounting Students’ Engagement through quality teaching initiatives: Exploring the post-primary/ higher education divide’’ paper for the Irish Academy of Management conference in September 2013

• O’ Brien, B. (2003) An Analysis of the investment criteria used by Irish venture Capitalists, IAFA conference ,QUB

• O’ Brien, B. (2003) Financial support to SME’s in Ireland and Wales, Interreg Conference 2004

• Paper submitted to The Irish Accounting Review for publication (April 2006) O’ Brien, B. (2003) An Analysis of the investment criteria used by Irish venture Capitalists

• Presentation of hard copy of thesis on The Irish Venture Capital Market to Inter-trade Ireland

• IAFA annual conference 2004-2012

• BAA Accounting Education 2004/2005/2006

• Accounting Education colloquium California 2005

• Student engagement in the classroom Feb 2012 lecture Professor Sally Brown