National Seminar Series 2020/21

Reporting Template

Event Title: Professional Development Framework: Digital Portfolios and

Communities of Practice
Event Date: 20th May 2021
Event Code: 60
Event Organiser (EO): Dr Kate Dunne/Dr Pauline Logue
EO Email/ Tel: Kate.dunne@gmit.ie / 091 742660

Theme(s): Tick
 Professional Development of all Those Who Teach
 Student Success
 Teaching and Learning in a Digital World
 Teaching and Learning Enhancement Within and Across Disciplines

Key Speaker(s): Margaret Keane, Maynooth University

Host Institution: GMIT
Venue: Online (MS Teams)
Institutions Represented: GMIT, Maynooth University, IT Sligo.

Delivery Format: Tick

 Face-to-Face Only
 Online Only
 Blended Delivery
No. of Participants: No.
 Online 65
 Face-to-Face

Key insights from the day (bullet points):

 Opening Address (Dr Orla Flynn – President, GMIT); embedding professional development
in the GMIT curriculum.
 Keynote speech (Margaret Keane – Maynooth University); national perspectives on
professional development followed by a detailed case study of the embedding of
professional development framework in Maynooth University using PebblePad.
 Professional Development Framework Portfolio (PDFP) Showcase (Dr Kate Dunne);
presentation of portfolio outputs from the GMIT embedded professional development
framework module.
 Discussion Forum (Dr Pauline Logue (facilitator), Dr Roisin Donnelly (National Forum),
Margaret Keane (Maynooth University), Dr Carina Ginty (GMIT) & Dr Kate Dunne (GMIT))
 Feedback form (Dr Kate Dunne); broader suite of open course badge being rolled out by
the National Forum as part of professional development were discussed.
 PACT Digital Badge conferring (Dr Roisin Donnelly – National Forum); recipients of the
badge were those who successfully completed the GMIT Profession Development
Framework Portfolio module.
 Closing Remarks (Dr Paddy Tobin – Head of School); thank you and commitment of GMIT
to engage with all future professional development initiatives with the National Forum

Author: Dr Kate Dunne & Dr Pauline Logue Date: 04/06/2021

 National Seminar Series 2020/21
Reporting Template

and HEI partners.

Key contributions from the seminar to the theme (Max 250 words):
The key contributions from the seminar to the professional development of all those who teach
included:

 Showcased the high standard of digital portfolios that may be produced by candidates
who reflected on their professional developing using the National Forum’s PACT
framework.
 Encouraged participants to consider their own professional development journey, and the
opportunities offered by HEI modules and the National Forums PACT open course.
 Demonstrated the success of embedding the National Forum’s PACT framework into the
curriculum of two HEIs.
 Explored the similarities and differences in introducing professional development to the
curriculum by means of two case studies namely, GMIT and Maynooth University.
 Illustrated how professional development can be incorporated as a sustainable part of a
HEI’s offering to its staff, including within a diploma in T&L and/or within a masters in T&L
pathway.
 Helped reinforce the value of and the expansion of the national PD Framework
community of practice through dialogue.
 Informed participants about the five domains with the National Forums professional
development framework.
 Provide an opportunity to participants to learn about current and emerging professional
development open courses being offered by the National Forum.
 Embodied a collegial approach, on the part of the National Forum, in relation to HEI
adaptations of the National Forum courses to specific professional development contexts,
allowing maximum flexibility.

What we plan to do in the future building on this event (Max 250 words):
Building on from our NSS event we plan to do the following:

 Continue to develop our relationship with the National Forum. This will include continuing
to support the national roll-out of the PACT open course as guest speakers (as in April
2021).
 Promote professional development in GMIT, the CUA, nationally and internationally
through publications and conference presentations.
 Continue to deliver the Professional Development Framework Portfolio module as part of
the MA in T&L. Offering that out to our CUA partners and beyond.
 Engage with and help grow a sustainable national/international professional development
community of practice.

Author: Dr Kate Dunne & Dr Pauline Logue Date: 04/06/2021

 National Seminar Series 2020/21
Reporting Template

Gathering Participant Feedback

All seminar attendees should be asked to provide feedback on the event. This can be done online
through distribution of the following link:

(National Forum Seminar Series – Participant Feedback

https://www.surveymonkey.com/r/NSS202021

Or, through distribution of the hard-copy Participant Feedback Form below.

Please confirm which approach you have taken: Tick

 I distributed online feedback link
 I distributed hard-copy feedback forms

A summary of the feedback you receive should be provided in the Participant Feedback Summary
Form below. For access to feedback submitted online, please contact nss@teachingandlearning.ie.

Author: Dr Kate Dunne & Dr Pauline Logue Date: 04/06/2021

 National Seminar Series 2020/21
Reporting Template

Participant Feedback Form

Event Title:
Event Date:

Q1 Overall, how would you rate your experience of the seminar, where 10 indicates an
excellent experience and 1 indicates a very poor experience (please circle)?

1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10

Q2 Would you recommend this seminar to a colleague (please tick)?

Yes No

Comment

Q3 Given your score above, can you elaborate on the positive aspects of the seminar?

Q4 Given your score above, what aspects of the seminar could be improved?

Q5 Based on this seminar, what are the key changes, if any, that you plan to make
to your teaching, learning and/or assessment practices, either immediately or in the
future?

Many thanks for taking the time to give your feedback

Author: Dr Kate Dunne & Dr Pauline Logue Date: 04/06/2021

 National Seminar Series 2020/21
Reporting Template

Participant Feedback Summary Form

Event Title: Professional Development Framework: Digital Portfolios and
Communities of Practice
Event Date: 20th May 2021
Event Code: 60
Event Organiser (EO): GMIT

Number of Participants: 65
Number of Responses: 30

Q1 Overall, how did the participants rate the experience of the seminar, where 10 indicates
an excellent experience and 1 indicates a very poor experience (please circle)?

(Please provide a summary of responses)

1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10

Q2 What proportion would recommend this seminar to a colleague?

% Yes 100 % No

Comment

Q3 What were the positive aspects of the seminar?

Seminar Content (direct quotes)

 The ability to actually see real eportfolios by showcasing to see what exactly they entail (mentioned by approx.. 1/3 of
respondents).
 Fascinating dissemination of the topic.
 Great advice and sense of community.
 Clear, positive summary of all the wonderful work done in GMIT in Professional Development Framework: Digital Portfolios &
CoPs.
 Great sharing of the testimony of the power of using ePortfolios to evidence PD structured around the NF PD Framework.
 The seminar was fantastic and gave a wonderful overview of many experiences. I have been inspired to continue work on my own
e-Portfolio and on my own PD journey.
 Impressed with the personal reflections.
 It is obvious from looking at the fantastic portfolios the benefit of working within a triad - so I think across campus communities
development would be inspiring and a fantastic development.
 Good reference to how portfolios can be used and implemented in practice.
 Discussion (in the chat as well as by the presenters) to engage with creating ePortolios was very useful.
 Very well structured, encourages teamwork (The Triads) and excellent feedback in a safe learning environment.
 Very interesting listening to experiences of colleagues and their journey both as academics and students.
 Insightful listening to people's experiences of platforms as this will help me in my own approach to using platforms.
 It was so informative. Lovely to see the professional development of colleague. Good to see that is available within the college
also.
 Very good examples of work happening that aligns to recognised NF professional Development recommendations. good examples
and ideas of the benefits of portfolios and how to include them in practice.
 Background theory & clear exemplars given.
 Excellent speakers and nicely paced presentations with excellent examples
 It was a very encouraging seminar

Author: Dr Kate Dunne & Dr Pauline Logue Date: 04/06/2021

 National Seminar Series 2020/21
Reporting Template

 Huge cross discipline focus which is so badly needed.

Running of seminar (direct quotes)

 Excellently structured and run.
 The moderators and contributors were simply excellent, great engagement and support for all strands of the conversation.
 Well moderated panel discussion.

Q4 What aspects of the seminar could be improved?

Seminar Content (direct quotes)

 Maybe a bit more on Communities of Practice - as this was in the title, and one of the main reasons I joined, but it was only
mentioned in passing on occasion.
 Not quite sure how this fits into the overall National Forum framework & opportunities. A link to provide context for people new
to the forum would be valuable.
 More detail on assessment of portfolios and on how to reflect.
 Ongoing programmatic review to ensure approach is benchmarked with other professional development (industry) requirements.
 I needed a more basic explanation of some of the terms used and more information about how to access resources.
 Process could be drawn out further with regard to experience - maybe more of a conversation between lecturers and students
rather than a presentation.
 Take a portfolio, talk about its parts, how it was constructed, examples of good, bad, excellent portfolios

Running of seminar (direct quotes)

 Run it again
 Time was too short - a good indication of the webinar!! some aspects were rushed, and particularly the panel discussion would
have benefitted from much more time - with more input / questions from participants.
 More time given to discussion

Q5 Based on this seminar, what are the key changes, if any, do the participants
plan to make to their teaching, learning and/or assessment practices, either
immediately or in the future?

Participant key changes (direct quotes)

 Learn more about reflection/ try and implement more reflective practice
 Think about PD portfolios and got feedback on the questions so follow up on that re art e portfolio, which is my research practice
as well as my teaching
 Considering taking on the module (4 respondents)
 Bring the eportfolio to student level and include imbed to current modules and programmes
 I certainly intended to further study the topic and see it embedded across courses in the school I work in.
 Would like to embed NF Framework in my own institution.
 Refocus on a more holistic, student-involved focus on teaching and learning and a continued focus on my own self-development
and development of my e-Portfolio.
 Revisit my personal Philosophy - Participate in further education /badges
 Explore use of portfoilos and how I could use in my teaching and to become more involved in COP
 Going to look into weebly and start moving my portfolio in a digital platform. Have already engaged with national forum reflective
practice in teaching and would like to continue to practice this reflection in a useful/workable space
 Ongoing participation in life long learning - Thank you all
 Consider planning more
 Reflecting on Triad purpose.
 Try and do this programme with the intention of introducing it into my own education classes
 Update my portfolio - this is most challenging as it is something that can easily be put on long finger. Also act on my action plan!

Author: Dr Kate Dunne & Dr Pauline Logue Date: 04/06/2021