This paper explores the Centre for Insurance, Risk and Data Analytics Studies (CIRDAS) as a case study of online adult education which offers flexible upskilling and reskilling opportunities to employees across the Irish insurance sector. It explores how CIRDAS's agile programme development enabled flexible entry, exit and progression routes for…

Learning designers became the "first responders" during the great onlining due to the COVID-19 pandemic. In this innovative practice article, we share the experiences of a team of digital learning designers created to support the university community's pivot online. This project adopts a case study methodology. The case study of the…

Eighteen people from different countries sat in a circle of chairs in a room facing the Sea of Moyle, some having traveled far to reach Ballycastle, Northern Ireland, for a week of learning about skillful responses to conflict and living better together across differences. Addressing the group, which included the authors, was Colin Craig, founder…

The management and coordination of classroom teaching continues to be a challenge, particularly as enrollment trends suggest that class sizes are growing. In the past, many faculty have divided their large classes into smaller groups to incorporate experiential exercises. In this article, we discuss the challenges of managing an experiential…

Scholars have developed original pedagogical approaches to impart the knowledge and skills required for professional life in the area of peace and development. Experience-based learning, simulations, games, and role-plays have been used with positive results. Yet most efforts tend to overly simplify and narrow down the learning experience in…

The Faculty of Lifelong Learning at the Institute of Technology Carlow co-created a Level 8 Certificate in Prevention, Partnership and Family Support with Tusla, the national Child and Family Agency. The part time programme was aimed at Child and Family Support Network (CFSN) members in Co. Carlow. The overall approach taken throughout this…

Appreciating that a significant amount of assessment-related literature has focused on the 'what' of assessment (i.e. what to assess), 'the systematic use of assessment to improve learning remains the exception rather than the rule' [Wiliam, D. (2018). Assessment for learning: Meeting the challenge of implementation. "Assessment in Education:…

Concise, clear and comprehensive snapshots of vocational education and training systems in EU, Iceland and Norway: this is what the Cedefop Spotlight on VET series offers. Building on individual country Spotlights, this publication provides an overview of VET systems with their distinctive qualities, such as main accession and progression routes…

Education programs can help families of trans young people to accept and support a trans family member. However, little has been written about the design and development of such programs. This article seeks to fill this gap in the literature by detailing the design and development of an education program for families of trans young people. A…

Higher Education Institutions (HEIs) in the Republic of Ireland have been called to widen participation in language learning by the government's "Languages Connect Strategy." The challenge is to increase the level of participation from 4% to 20%. Moreover, a recent nationwide study has revealed a grassroots demand for language provision…

Aim: Initially, this paper delves into the connection between Irish society and Project-Based Learning (PBL) and curriculum, exploring how this connection has influenced the evolution of Digital Spaces (DS). It positions the origins of the Transition Year Program (TYP) in Ireland within the context of societal and political changes that are…

The COVID-19 pandemic is an unanticipated event that has exposed human fragility in an interconnected and interdependent world. While impacts are of a global magnitude, they have been felt at the most local of levels. Across the world pupils' daily lives and experiences have been directly impacted by government-imposed measures and restrictions…

Within the parameters of the new Erasmus programme, this Blended Intensive Programme (BIP) combines virtual exchange with physical mobility. There were three institutions involved in this project: Letterkenny Institute of Technology, Ireland, Hochschule Bremerhaven, Germany, and Malaga Healthcare College, Spain. The virtual exchange ran for five…

This article offers a global overview of the burgeoning field of micro-credentials and their relationship to lifelong learning, employability and new models of digital education. Although there is no globally accepted definition of micro-credentials, the term indicates smaller units of study, which are usually shorter than traditional forms of…

Graduates of international business (IB) programs are facing a complex dynamic world in which they need both specific and generalist knowledge they can activate in socially negotiated situations. Their competencies must go beyond narrowly applying knowledge, which requires open minds, transferable social competencies, and skills for crossing…