CAVE
Cultures, Academic Values and Education
The group subscribes to a concept of education as a process directed at human flourishing, integrity and truth. Human flourishing is enabled or hindered by historical, cultural, linguistic and socio-political factors. Integrity acknowledges that education finds its expression in informed human agency not just in statement and assertion. Truth as the goal of all modeling, approximate knowledge and partial understandings remains the dynamic for all educational encounters and endeavours. Our emphasis on culture (material and non-material) is linked to that of exploring the values and principles (tacit or otherwise) through which education is attains different forms of expression and practice. Our Current Focus the group will undertake both funded and non-funded research that inquires into educational initiatives, processes and results that have as their aim or intention a view consistent with the position outlined above. In the first years the group focus will be on higher education. Research themes include exploring global, European, national and local:
- higher educational projects aimed at culturally informed educational initiatives aimed at the promotion of human well-being, development and democracy;
- the ‘out-comes’ or results of formal higher education on subsequent work-life, continued education, life-decisions, values and attitudes;
- educational encounters in higher education, educational leadership, community and adult education.
Current Projects in CAVE
- “Academic lives” project: One paper from this project has been submitted to the journal Higher Education Research and Development (HERDSA) and is under review another has been accepted for the ECER conference in Cadiz in September 2012
- “Mature Students” project write-up to follow Academic Lives project in 2012. Data collected and collated.
Recent Publications in CAVE:
Andrew Loxley has a chapter with Tom Farrelly of Tralee IT in the recently published Jackson, A. and O’Doherty, C (eds.) (2012) Community Development in Ireland. Dublin: Gill and Macmillan. David Limond and Aidan Seery have chapters in the recent Walsh, B. (ed.) (2012) Degrees of Nonsense: the demise of the university in Ireland. Dublin: Glasnevin. John Walsh has also had a paper accepted for publication by Irish Historical Studies on educational policy.
Seminar on 'Investment in Education' to mark 50 years since the launch of the 'Investment in Education' took place on Wednesday 28th November 2012 in Neill / Hoey Theatre, Long Room Hub, Trinity College. The seminar was hosted by Cultures Academic Values and Education research group from the School of Education. Further details of the seminar can be found here [PDF].
Seminar on the National Strategy for Higher Education
A half-day seminar on the national strategy for higher education (otherwise known as the Hunt report) was recently hosted by the CAVE research group. The seminar was held in the Sutherland Centre, IIIS, Arts Building on Thursday 19 April 2012.
The CAVE seminar attracted a wide range of participants from various Higher Education institutions, state agencies and other stakeholders, with over 60 people attending the event. The seminar was designed to meet a widespread demand within the Higher Education community for greater debate and critical analysis of the major reforms proposed by the Hunt report.
The seminar featured two panel discussions, the first one on ‘Who pays for college?’, moderated by Professor Maria Slowey (Director, Higher Education Research Centre, DCU). The discussion was led by Mike Jennings (IFUT), Ryan Bartlett (Trinity Students’ Union), Tony Donohue (IBEC) and Dr. Erika Doyle (Trinity Research Staff Association). This session saw a lively debate on the possible return of third-level student fees, the wider societal costs in underfunding higher education and the absence of adequate career structures for early stage researchers.
The second panel discussion, chaired by Dr. Patrick Geoghegan (Senior Lecturer, TCD) focused on the ‘Student Experience’. The panel included Dr. Mary-Liz Trant (Higher Education Authority), Dr. Austin Hanley (Athlone IoT), Dr. Aidan Kenny (TUI) and Martin McAndrew (Graduate Students’ Union). The session saw a wide-ranging discussion on the value of the national student survey, with concerns over how such a survey would be implemented; the importance of the student voice in developing detailed recommendations based on the Hunt report and the need for a broader view of student participation taking account of the overall institutional experience.
The final session of the seminar involved workshops on Teaching and Learning and Research, facilitated by Dr. Ciara O’Farrell and Dr. Aidan Seery respectively. The workshops allowed a more in-depth exploration of various issues raised in the earlier sessions.
The full seminar programme is available here. The seminar was the subject of detailed blog posts here http://www.cearta.ie/2012/04/snarking-the-hunt-i/
The seminar provided a valuable forum for an open and inclusive discussion of the Hunt report, taking account of its implications for staff, students and other stakeholders within the system.
The organisers would like to record our thanks to the contributors, session chairs, postgraduate volunteers and all those who participated on the day.
John Walsh
Andrew Loxley
Aidan Seery
Principal Staff
Dr Andrew Loxley |
Dr Aidan Seery |
Dr John Walsh |
Current PhD and D.Ed Research within CAVE
| John Paul Sheridan | The Religious Identity of Primary School Student Teachers |
| Conn O Maoldhomhnaigh | Higher Educational institutional reform: the case of Trinity College |
| Tom Noone | Critical Thinking in Undergraduate Nursing Students |
| Austin Hanley | The Development of Research Centres in Higher Education |
| Patricia Slevin | Understandings of disadvantage in Teacher Education Students |
| Aidan Kenny | The Changing Face of Academic Labour in Irish Higher Education |
| Martina Creehan | The First-Year Student Experience in Institutes of Technology |
Mark Kearns |
Mature Student Experiences in Irish Higher Education |
| Pauline Egan | Adult Learners in a Community Context |
| Thomas Dwyer | Retention and Experience in Institutes of Technology |
| Fiona Dowling | Assessing the Value of Postgraduate Education in Graphic Design |
Connor O’Donoghue  |
Masculine Identities in Undergraduate Students |
| Sharon Harris Byrne | The Socialisation and In-culturation experiences of International Students in Irish Higher Education |
Convenor: Dr. Aidan Seery seerya@tcd.ie