My Biography

I have been involved in online and blended learning at several universities in the Netherlands including Maastricht University and Delft University of Technology since 2013 before returning to Ireland and joining SETU as an Instructional Designer and Guest Lecturer in September 2021.

I have a solid theoretical background in technology enhanced learning, having completed a second masters’ degree in this subject matter in 2019. I believe I have benefitted significantly from the accelerated learning experience due to the pandemic, not only in the context of academic online and blended education, but also as project manager of the TU Delft Minecraft Virtual Campus launched late last year to boost connectedness among socially distant students.  My main focus is on pedagogy in the online domain and I have recently been appointed to the European HUB Squad on micro-credentials which seeks to promote growth and awareness of micro-credentials in Europe.

Research

I have a keen interest in conducting research on the effectiveness of teaching and learning in virtual immersive environments with a focus on pedagogy and learner perceptions. I co-ordinated the construction of the Delft University of Technology Minecraft campus which sought to connect geographically distanced students and harness the pedagogical affordances of this environment. More recently I have been looking into ways of integrating Gather.Town, a virtual 3D conferencing tool which allows users to interact with each other and the environment, into accredited courses at SETU.

I am involved in several European projects on micro-credentials and have published papers on micro-credentials focusing on design and pedagogical considerations as well as accreditation and am currently an EU Hub Squad member for micro-credentials development.

Publications:

Face-to-face to online: PhD academic writing @Maastricht University

Scaling the Recognition of Prior Learning for greater access and inclusion for lifelong learners

Using digital learning to foster digital competencies of basic skills teachers; Establishing a pathway for accreditation

Exploratory Research Report on Professional Development for Teachers of Basic Skills.

Micro-credentials & Digital Badges: Definitions, Affordances and Design Considerations for Application in Higher Education Institutions

Using digital learning to foster digital competencies of basic skills teachers; establishing a pathway for collaborative micro-credential development as part of an Erasmus+ project

Teaching

I currently lecture on the Masters of Education in Teaching and Learning on the Blended Learning module in Existing & Emerging Technologies and have lectured in Academic Writing and Online Education in Maastricht University.

Professional

I hold two masters degrees in education related subjects and have been lecturing and working as an eLearning developer for the last 10 years in various universities in the Netherlands and Ireland. I have experience in online and blended education development and am currently engaged in the development of 6 micro-credentials s for the European Basic Skills Network project, an Erasmus+ initiative which seeks to evolve the teaching practices of FET practitions in Europe.