All Ireland Journal of Higher Education

Introduction to the Issue

Moira Maguire — 2024-03-31

“The Free Association Sessions”. Perspectives on a Novel Teaching Platform by Final Year Medical Students and Basic Specialist Trainees in Psychiatry.

John McFarland — 2024-03-31

Notwithstanding the many advantages of outcomes-based education within Psychiatry placements in medical school and Basic Specialist Training within the College of Psychiatry of Ireland, there is limited protected time for broad reflective practice that appreciates the complexity of working in the mental health setting. Furthermore, there are limitations to the current model of restricting reflective practice sessions to the Balint Group Format.

A novel programme of structured reflective practice was offered to students in the School of Medicine in The University of Limerick and trainees in the Mid-West Deanery. Six student and fourteen trainee participants were subsequently invited to provide perspectives on the programme via focus Groups. The study employed an inductive latent phenomenological approach for analysis of qualitative data.

Five major themes emerged: These related to the teaching environment, personal identity, complexity, awareness of cognitive dissonance and the structure of the sessions. There were a number of different perceptions, relating to the participants’ stage of training.

There was evidence that the structured reflective sessions created a comfortable environment, addressed hierarchy issues and facilitated wide-ranging opportunities for reflective practice, with an observed increased appreciation for complexity in Psychiatry. There was apparent tension between controlling content and facilitating the form of group process. Nonetheless, the structure appeared more approachable for medical students and those early in training.

Reach – A Mentoring Initiative in an Irish University

Violeta Morari — 2024-03-31

Munster Technological University (MTU) is a higher education (HE) institution in Ireland and one of five technological universities in the country. The university was established in January 2021, the result of a merger between two institutes of technology, Cork Institute of Technology (CIT) and the Institute of Technology, Tralee (ITT).
Once COVID-19 hit in March of 2020, every HEI in Ireland, including MTU, closed its doors and pivoted to online Emergency Remote Teaching (ETR). As a direct response to the unique challenges presented by the pandemic, MTU developed an academic mentoring initiative aimed at first and second year students. This initiative became known as the Reach Initiative.
This paper will outline the key elements of the Reach initiative and its contribution as a multi-disciplinary, academic-led mentoring and coaching programme developed and implemented during the COVID-19 pandemic.
This paper will also present initial findings of a survey that focused on students’ challenges during the pandemic and the role of the Reach initiative as a student support in their lives.

The Relationship Between Note taking, Revision, and Learning in Tertiary Education: A Review of Literature

Kathleen Carroll — 2024-03-31

The aim of this paper is to highlight the complexity and the central importance to academic
achievement of taking and reviewing notes at third level. Based on a review of international
literature the paper describes note-taking and reviewing as the process of encoding and
externally storing new material, for the purpose of advancing learning and attainment in
assessment. It outlines research on the benefits of typed versus handwritten methods of
note-taking, with the overriding outcome demonstrating that taking notes, either by longhand
or typing, produces superior results than not taking and reviewing notes. The remainder of
the review focuses on the status of note-taking instruction in third-level colleges and
universities. It is noted that despite the centrality of notetaking to educational success, and
the positive impact of instruction on taking notes, skills training and modelling are generally
not taught or embedded in the curricula in tertiary education. Furthermore, the paper
describes teaching strategies alongside linear and non-linear note-taking methods that have
been shown to encourage students to take and revise notes which has, in turn, led to the
enhancement of learning. The conclusion reviews the main points of the article and its
limitations, such as the reference to, but lack of detail on the influence of cognitive and
metacognitive functions on note taking. A further review of literature including the
examination of these factors would contribute to a deeper understanding of how note-taking
and revision increases students’ capacity for recall, comprehension, and knowledge.
Key words: encoding; external storage; instruction; linear and non-linear note-taking;
longhand and typing.

Post Pandemic Workplace Implications for Female Leaders

Roisin Catherine Donnelly — 2024-03-31

A significant body of research has documented the effect to which stereotype threat can be triggered by both the physical environment and by the use of various technology media. However, there is a dearth of research exploring the relationship between stereotype threat, defined here as “the concrete, real-time threat of being judged and treated poorly in settings where a negative stereotype about one’s group applies” (Steele, Spencer & Aronson, 2002, p.385), and video conferencing software features - specifically virtual backgrounds. This literature review suggested that this feature might, in certain circumstances, negatively affect the performance of groups not stereotypically associated with leadership roles. The review considered the use of video conferencing virtual backgrounds in order to discern if background images evoking gendered stereotypes of leadership can cue stereotype threat in female technology workers undertaking a leadership activity, thus negatively effecting performance. The review examined the relationship between performance on the leadership activity and exposure to gendered backgrounds on a video conference call, and the findings are applicable across organizations and higher education (HE) contexts. From this study situated in organizational workplaces, it can be argued that the issue of stereotype threat due to virtual backgrounds is also likely to exist in higher education contexts. Particularly since across many HE disciplines, instructors have adopted the use of video in instructional settings including face-to-face classrooms, blended learning environments, and online courses. Recommendations from the systematic literature review were provided for corporations and management professionals and can be extended to higher education institutions, with suggested amendments to support improved staff training and professional development outcomes.