Launch of professional development planning project for staff

PROGRESS project officially launched

LYIT have officially launched their professional development planning project, PROGRESS: Professional Growth for Equity, Sustainability and Success. PROGRESS is a research project supporting professional development planning for all staff at LYIT and is funded by the National Forum for the Enhancement of Teaching and Learning in Higher Education.

LYIT PROGRESS Launch, with Paul Hannigan, Dr Lynn Ramsey and Dr Eilis Flanagan.
Dr Lynn Ramsey, Director of Equality, Diversity and Inclusion, said, ‘The project ensures student engagement in the planning process and is helping us to understand how staff professional development positively impacts students’ experiences of success in higher education’.

LYIT PROGRESS team, Dr Lynn Ramsey, Dr Eilis Flanagan and Sheila Giblin pictured with Majella McBride and Ken Brown, two of the four staff winners of the Shop LK vouchers, awarded for participation in the PROGRESS survey. Winners not present were Vicky O’Rourke and Humphrey Murphy.

The research outputs include the PROGRESS model, which is an evidence-based framework to support professional development planning in Higher Education, a bespoke Partnership Mentoring programme involving students and staff and a Bring Your Own Device (BYOD) Teaching and Learning Model. All staff were surveyed about their professional development. Lead researcher with PROGRESS, Dr Eílis Flanagan, said that ‘There has been excellent engagement in the research from staff and the data highlight their priority needs for professional growth as well as how upskilling and building professional networks impact student engagement in education’. Further, the first cycle of the BYOD initiative impacted positively on student learning and engagement in Science education while the first cohort of our student mentors begin their mentoring role with staff mentees this month.

The team in Teaching, Learning and Student Engagement will host a seminar on 28 May 2020 entitled Making Connections: Research and Professional Development. Findings from the PROGRESS research will be presented at this event, with the keynote address provided by Professor Merrilyn Goos, EPI*STEM Centre, University of Limerick.

22 Jan 2020