Social Media in the Lecture Theatre

I'm in search of your thoughts on social media in the classroom.

I've been asked to deliver a workshop this Summer regarding the use of social media in teaching at higher education (and in particular, in the sciences). It's very general and aimed at beginners to social media.

Of course there is lots I could talk about from my own experience and elsewhere. However, I really want to get at the diverse methods people are employing with social media in the classroom, lecture theatre, laboratory and field course.

From twitter to facebook, youtube to blogger. How are you employing social media in your classroom? Have you heard of people doing innovative things with social media for teaching?

I'll use a snapshot of the examples during the workshop and will pull everything together in a blog post later in the Summer.

There are a few ways you can contribute:

• Tweet me your ideas, links and thoughts at @blogscience using the hashtag #scisocialmedia. If it fits into a tweet- great. Shows the power of microblogging. If not, 
• Email me here with your thoughts and views.
• Leave a comment at the end of this post.

"commitment will be tested further in the difficult years to come"

In a wide-ranging speech at the Royal Irish Academy today, the Minister for Education and Skills, Ruairí Quinn, TD has outlined his plans for the third-level sector in Ireland.

You can read the full text of the Minister's speech here.

The Minister struck a positive note with regard to the Irish higher education sector and was confident that it could be a crucial part of Ireland's recovery from difficult economic realities. Quoting Vere Foster, the 19th Century educationalist and philanthropist, the Minister recalled that "a nation's greatness depends on the education of its people".

Minister Quinn outlined the positives as they are and noted that these achievements owe much to "the strong commitment and ethos of public service of those working in and leading our higher education institutions". The Minister made clear in his speech however that "this commitment will be tested further in the difficult years to come".

In terms of entry to third level, the Minister rightly recognised that the system needs to change. Simply going directly from the Leaving Cert to college is no longer the reality for many entrants to the sector and that needed to be recognised with a rethink of the CAO system:

"We have to think in terms of how we manage for a more diverse cohort of students, with new levels and forms of demand for flexible learning and non-traditional routes of entry", said the Minister.

Minister Quinn also recognised the effect that the "points race" was having on student development at second level. Any changes made at second level could well be undermined if we do not address "the demands and pressures that the current points system places on both teachers and students".

Announcing a review of admissions procedures to third-level, the Minister was clear: "We need to be prepared to think in terms of radically new approaches and alternatives to the current arrangements". I'm not sure if we should hold our breath!

In terms of the third-level sector itself, it is to be welcomed that the Minister has made a clear statement on the integration of research with teaching and learning. "In sustaining [a] broad base of knowledge", the Minister said "I want to be clear about the expectation that all teaching staff will be research-informed or research-active and that all researchers will be active in teaching". Hear! Hear!

Funding for third-level is another one of those political hot potatoes and there seems to be little light at the end of the tunnel: "I have asked the Higher Education Authority to undertake further work on the sustainability of the existing funding framework over the course of this year". So no change there then!

The minister welcomed and backed the idea of the Institute of Technology sector forming new Technological Universities in an "organic" manner and said that he would be endorsing the need for third-level institutions to have autonomy over their operations, while at the same time, balancing this with the "requirements of public accountability for performance".

There is much to contemplate in the Minister's speech.

Some intitial thoughts on the Hunt Report

The National Strategy for Higher Education document or the "Hunt Report", as it is known was published on Tuesday, January 11th.

The lengthy document covers a range of topics in the higher-ed sector; from access to third-level to standards in teaching and funding for the sector.

The 110-plus paged report, compiled by the Higher Education Strategy Group, led by Dr. Colin Hunt, was delayed for some months, although a draft version of the report had been in the public domain for some time.

So, what do I think?

Well, judging by the draft version and an early look at the final version, the document seems to have high aspirations, but the authors themselves recognise that much of the recommendations they make will be dependent on securing increased funding for the third-level sector.

That aside, the report makes a number of recommendations which are to be welcomed:

• Teaching and Learning - the report rightly emphasises the importance of appropriate teacher training for third-level teachers. The report recommends that ,"academic staff should make full use of the range of pedagogical methodologies available to them and be qualified as teachers as well as in their chosen discipline". As the authors of the report rightly point out; teachers at other levels of the education system require qualifications - from primary to secondary. Other professions such as medicine, dentistry, law and engineering all have rigorous standards and it is  not unreasonable that teaching staff in the third-level sector should also need to be suitably qualified.

• Funding - As unpalatable as it may be for some, there is now a growing recognition that some form of user-contribution is required to ensure a steady stream of exchequer funding for the sector. The report states that a requirement for students or graduates "to directly share in the cost of their education, reflecting the considerable private returns that they can expect to enjoy" is now "the only realistic option".

• E-learning - The report notes that conventional teaching methods "will increasingly be complemented by e-learning (including podcasting and online discussion groups), self-directed learning, problem-based learning, and collaborative projects.” This is due recognition for those in the sector who are pioneering the use of Web 2.0 technology in third-level teaching.

• First-Years - I've written previously about the problems students face in their first year in college when they are making the transition from the often rote learning of the Leaving Certificate to the very different culture at third-level. The Hunt report focuses particularly on the problems of first year, stressing that it should "serve as a 'foundation of learning activities entailing more enquiry-based formats and engendering employability and lifelong learning outcomes". The report specifically warns against over-specialisation in the early years of an undergraduate degree.

Whit the final version of the Hunt Report now published, its size will require some reading and analysis to see just what it is saying about third-level education in Ireland. From this early reading, it seems there is much that can welcomed in the report. However, as the authors recognise, there are significant funding issues which need to be overcome if all the recommendations are to be implemented.