Biography
I am an Associate Professor of Language Education at the School of Education in Trinity College Dublin. My research interests lie in the area of language teaching and learning and technology enhanced learning. I am particularly interested in the use of computational, corpus and network science methods to examine language data. I am currently academic director for Learnovate, the research and innovation centre focused on educational technology funded by Enterprise Ireland and hosted in TCD.
My background is in language and computation. I hold a degree in French and Italian, a Masters in Theoretical Linguistics and a PhD in Computer Science. In industry, I have worked on machine translation and speech synthesis products in the language domain as well as prototypes for network management systems in the telecoms domain. I teach and supervise masters and doctoral research in the area of language teaching and learning and technology enhanced learning.
Publications and Further Research Outputs
Peer-Reviewed Publications
Aibhin Bray, Ann Devitt, Joanne Banks, Sergio Sanchez Fuentes, Marta Sandoval, Katerina Riviou, Darren Byrne, Mags Flood, Jean Reale, Silvia Terrenzio, What next for Universal Design for Learning? A Systematic Literature Review of Technology in UDL Implementations at Second Level, British Journal of Educational Technology, 2023, p1 - 26, p22
Writing and Learning: What Changed with Digitalization? in, editor(s)Otto Kruse, Christian Rapp, Chris M. Anson Kalliopi Benetos, Elena Cotos, Ann Devitt and Antonette Shibani , Digital Writing Technologies in Higher Education: Theory, Research, and Practice, Switzerland, Springer, 2023, [Ann Devitt, Kalliopi Benetos, Otto Kruse]
Otto Kruse, Christian Rapp, Chris M. Anson, Kalliopi Benetos, Elena Cotos, Ann Devitt and Antonette Shibani , Digital Writing Technologies in Higher Education: Theory, Research, and Practice, Switzerland, Springer, 2023
Catherine O'Reilly, Ann Devitt and Nóirín Hayes, Critical thinking in the preschool classroom - A systematic literature review, Thinking Skills and Creativity, 46, 2022, p101 - 110
Mengdi Wang, Ann Devitt, Juan Gao, Ciarán Baurer, Computer mediated communication and task-based learning for adolescent learners of Chinese as a foreign Language in Ireland: An eBook task design under the adaption of Bridge 21 technology-mediated learning model, Proceedings of the XXIst International CALL Research Conference, the XXIst International CALL Research Conference, edited by Jozef Colpaert, Yijen Wang, Glenn Stockwell , 2022, pp117 - 125
Wang, Mengdi and Devitt, Ann, A Systematic Review of Computer-Mediated Communications in Chinese as a Foreign Language from 2008 to 2022: Research Contexts, Theoretical Foundations and Methodology, Affordances and Limitations, Language Teaching Research, 2022
Ann Devitt and Colm Ross, Transitioning family literacy programmes online: reflections on case studies from Ireland during Covid-19 lockdowns, Research and Practice in Adult Literacies (RaPAL), 105, 2022, p21 - 27
Quantitative Research Methods in, editor(s)Declan Fahie, Shane Bergin , The Student Guidebook to Doing your Research Project , Dublin, Ireland, UCD Press , 2022, [Aibhín Bray, Joanne Banks, Ann Devitt]
Aibhín Bray, Joanne Banks, Ann Devitt and Eilís Ní Chorcora, Connection before content: using multiple perspectives to examine student engagement during Covid-19 school closures in Ireland, Irish Educational Studies, 40, (2), 2021, p431 - 441
Media/ting Educational Reform: Junior Cycle Reform in the Media in, editor(s)Damian Murchan & Keith Johnston , Curriculum Change within Policy and Practice - Reforming Second-Level Education in Ireland, Switzerland, Palgrave Macmillan, 2021, pp61 - 81, [Ann Devitt]
Ann Devitt, Response to Flavin on Disruptive Innovation and Technology Enhanced Learning: Affordances for Disruption, The Psychology of Education Review, 45, (1), 2021, p35 - 37
Colm Ross, Maria Kennedy, Ann Devitt, Home School Community Liaison Coordinators (HSCL) Perspectives on Supporting Family Wellbeing and Learning During the Covid-19 School Closures: Critical Needs and Lessons Learned, Irish Educational Studies, 40, (2), 2021
Mengdi Wang, Students' intercultural sensitivity development through telecollaborative Chinese language learning on Zoom: a case study of Irish students at the beginning-level of Chinese language, CALL and professionalisation: short papers from EUROCALL 2021, EUROCALL 2021, Paris, 26-27th August 2021, edited by Naouel Zoghlami, Cédric Brudermann, Cedric Sarré, Muriel Grosbois, Linda Bradley, and Sylvie Thouësny , Research-publishing.net., 2021, pp279 - 284
Ann Devitt and Chelsea Whittaker, Evaluation of the Kinia-Suas Remote Reading Buddy Program 2021, Dublin, TCD, September, 2021
Opportunities and challenges in the reform of Junior Cycle language curricula in, editor(s)Murchan, D & Johnston, K. , Curriculum Reform within Policy and Practice: School and system change at second-level in Ireland., London, Palgrave, 2021, pp105 - 124, [Devitt, A. & Ó Murchadha, N.]
Ann Devitt, Colm Ross, Aibhín Bray and Joanne Banks, Parent Perspectives on Teaching and Learning During Covid-19 School Closures: Lessons Learned from Irish Primary Schools, Dublin, Trinity College Dublin, July, 2020
Aibhín Bray, Eilís Ní Chorcora, Jen Maguire Donohue, Joanne Banks and Ann Devitt, Post-primary Student Perspectives on Teaching and Learning During Covid-19 School Closures: Lessons learned from Irish Students from schools in a Widening Participation Programme, Dublin, Trinity College Dublin, August, 2020
Ann Devitt, Aibhin Bray, Joanne Banks, Eilís Ní Chorcora, Teaching and Learning During School Closures: Lessons Learned. Irish Second-Level Teacher Perspectives, Dublin, Trinity College Dublin, July, 2020, p1 - 93
Adopting Assessment for Learning (AfL) in Higher Education: Implications for Technology Deployment in, editor(s)Stuart Allen, Kim Gower and Danielle Allen , Handbook of Teaching With Technology in Management, Leadership, and Business., USA, Edward Elgar Publishing Inc., 2020, pp1-400 , [Brady, Mairead, Fellenz, Martin and Devitt Ann]
Nic Réamoinn, S and Devitt, A., Children's perspectives on the use of robotics for second language learning in the early years of primary education: a pilot study, CALL and complexity - short papers from EUROCALL 2019, Eurocall, Louvain-la-Neuve, Belgium, 28-31 August 2019, edited by Fanny Meunier, Julie Van de Vyver, Linda Bradley, and Sylvie Thouësny , Research-publishing.net, 2019, pp321 - 326
Wang, M., Bauer, C. and Devitt, A., Computer mediated communication for adolescent learners of Chinese as a Second Language in Ireland: systematic review and needs analysis, CALL and complexity - short papers from EUROCALL 2019, Eurocall, Louvain-la-Neuve, Belgium, 28-31 August 2019, edited by Fanny Meunier, Julie Van de Vyver, Linda Bradley, and Sylvie Thouësny , Research-publishing.net, 2019, pp391 - 396
Liston, J. and Devitt, A. , Development Education in Initial Teacher Education; Learning from TCD project , Ubuntu Assembly meeting 2019, , portlaoise, 10th Jan 2019, 2019
Carola Strobl, Emilie Ailhaud, Kalliopi Benetos, Ann Devitt, Otto Kruse, Antje Proske, Christian Rapp, Digital Support for Academic Writing: A Review of Technologies and Pedagogies, Computers and Education, 2019
Brady, M., Fellenz, M.R., & Devitt, A., Using a theory-based online simulation game to support student learning: Unintended consequences with obvious and hidden lessons for adopters, The All Ireland Journal of Teaching and Learning in Higher Education, 11, (2), 2019, p1 - 17
Mairead Brady, Ann Devitt and Rachel Kiersey, Academic staff perspectives on technology for assessment (TfA) in higher education: a systematic literature review, British Journal of Educational Technology, 2019, p1 - 19
Rachel Kiersey, Ann Devitt and Mairead Brady, Staff Use of Technology-Enhanced Assessment in Higher Education: A Systematic Review, Dublin, National Forum for the Enhancement of Teaching and Learning in Higher Education, October, 2018, p1 - 48
Denise Burns, Ann Devitt, Gerry McNamara, Joe O'Hara and Martin Brown, Is it all memory recall? An empirical investigation of intellectual skill requirements in Leaving Certificate examination papers in Ireland, Irish Educational Studies, 2018
Carola Strobl, Emilie Ailhaud, Kalliopi Benetos, Ann Devitt, Otto Kruse, Antje Proske, Christian Rapp, Online support for academic writing: A review of technologies with special attention to the needs of non-native writers , Eurocall 2018, Jyväskylä, Finland, 22-25 August 2018, 2018
Liston, J. and Devitt, A. , Integrating Development Education in teacher education: An evidence-based approach to designing a Continuing Professional Development resource to support the work of pedagogy lecturers , Ubuntu Dialogue Day 2018 'Pushing the Boundaries of Knowledge and Understanding of Development Education', University College Cork, 25th May 2018, 2018
Ann Devitt, Joe Condon, Gene Dalton, Jane O'Connell and Melanie Ní Dhuinn, An maith leat an Ghaeilge? An analysis of variation in primary pupil attitudes to Irish in the Growing Up in Ireland study, International Journal of Bilingual Education and Bilingualism, 21, (1), 2018, p105 - 117
Brady Mairead and Devitt Ann, Symposium: A Guide to Curricular Redesign with an Assessment for Learning and Technology Perspective", August 2018, In:Academy of Management Conference (USA) Teaching and Learning Conference, 2018, Chicago
Bootstrapping Learning in a Chinese Beginner's Classroom in, editor(s)Yang Lu , Teaching and Learning Chinese in Higher Education: Theoretical and Practical Issues, Abingdon, OXON, Routledge, 2017, pp157 - 177, [Ann Devitt and Weiming Liu]
Felicia, P., Neil Peirce, Mairead Brady and Ann Devitt(ed.), Irish Game Based Learning Conference, Proceedings of the 6th Irish Conference on Game-Based Learning, Trinity College Dublin, 6th, 1-2 September, 2016, 1-334 p
Devitt, A and Brady M., , Autonomy And Challenge In Simulation Games For Marketing Education, Irish Game based Learning Conference, Trinity College Dublin, 1st and 2nd Sept, 2016, pp1-4
Jameson, E. Brady, M., and Devitt, A, Towards A Framework For The Evaluation Of Digital Game-based Learning At The Third Level, Irish Game based Learning Conference, Trinity College Dublin, 1st and 2nd Sept, 2016, pp1-3
Gene Dalton and Ann Devitt, Gaeilge Gaming: Assessing how games can help children to learn Irish, International Journal of Game-Based Learning, 6, (4), 2016, p22 - 38
Kearns, M., Devitt, A., and Brady M., , Utilising an Assessment for learning (Afl) approach with large student cohorts in higher education settings,, ECER 2016, European Conference on Educational Research, University College Dublin, August 23 -26h, 2016, pp1 - 3
Knowledge, Belief and Practice in Language Teacher Education: Integration and Implementation of Threshold Concepts over a teaching career in, editor(s)Land, R., Meyer J.H.F. and Flanagan, M.T. , Threshold Concepts in Practice, Rotterdam, Taipei & Boston, Sense Publishers, 2016, pp309 - 320, [David Moroney, Eugene McKendry, Ann Devitt]
Gene Dalton and Ann Devitt, Irish in a 3D World: Engaging Primary School Children, Language Learning and Technology, 20, (1), 2016, p21 - 33
Brady Mairead, Ann Devitt, Patrick Geoghegan, Conor O'Flanagan, David Clince, Ryan Kane, Michael Burns, Camille Julien-Levantidis, When Competitiveness Overshadows Learning. A Case Study Of A Digital Game Based Learning And Assessment Initiative In A Third Level Setting., Proceedings of the 6th Irish Conference on Game-Based Learning, Irish Game based Learning Conference, Trinity College Dublin, 1st and 2nd Sept, edited by Felicia, P, Peirce, N, Brady, M and Devitt, A , 6th, 2016, pp1-6
Gene Dalton and Ann Devitt, The best of both worlds - drawing together gaming and virtual worlds for children's language learning, Eurocall 2015 (European Association for Computer-Assisted Language Learning Conference), Padova, Italy, 26-29 August 2015, 2015
Ann Devitt,Melanie Ní Dhuinn, Brendan MacMahon, Multilingualism challenges and opportunities in the Irish Post-primary education sector, American Educational Research Association Conference, Chicago, US, 16-20 April , 2015, pppponline
Devitt, A. Brady M., Lamest, M., Dalton, G., Newman N and S Gomez , Serious Games in Marketing Education: Developing Higher Order Cognitive Skills through collaboration in a Simulation Game, , INTED 2015, 9th International Technology, Education and Development Conference, Madrid, March , 2015
Dr. Ann Devitt, Gene Dalton, Melanie Ní Dhuinn, Jane O'Toole ad Dr. Joe Condon, "Is maith liom Gaeilge". An analysis of variation in primary pupil attitudes to Gaeilge in the Growing up in Ireland study, focusing on the Teacher factor., ESAI 40th Annual Conference. "Educational Research and Practice in times of Transition: Looking to the Future", Maynooth University and Carton House , April 2015, 2015
Ann Devitt, Semantic connectivity and high utility words in core reading program corpus, Society for the Scientific Study of Reading 2015 Conference, The Big Island, Hawaii, 15-18 July, 2015
Mairead Brady, Ann Devitt, Markus Lamest, Stephen Gomez, Winner takes all? The role of gamification in learning and Higher Order Processing, Academy of Marketing Conference, Limerick, Ireland, 7-9 July, 2015
Bauer C., Devitt A. and Tangney B, The alignment of CMC language learning methodologies with the Bridge21 model of 21C learning, European Conference on Computer Assisted Language Learning (EUROCALL), Italy, edited by F. Helm, et al. , Research-publishing.net, 2015, pp44 - 50
Ann Devitt, Markus Lamest, Mairead Brady, Nicki Newman & Stephen Gomez, Marketing simulations: experiential learning in a simulated serious game for higher-order cognitive development, The Association of Business Schools 4th Annual Learning, Teaching and Student Experience Conference, , York, UK, April, 2015, pp1 - 3
Ann Devitt, Marita Kerin, and Helen O'Sullivan, Threshold Concepts and Practices in Teacher Education: Professional, Educator and Student Perspectives, Fourth Bienniel Conference on Threshold Concepts: From personal practice to communities of practice, Trinity College, Dublin, 28-29 June 2012, edited by Catherine O'Mahony, Avril Buchanan, Mary O'Rourke and Bettie Higgs , NAIRTL, Ireland, 2014, pp129 - 132
Weiming Liu and Ann Devitt, Using Reciprocal Peer Coteaching to developing learner autonomy: an action research project with a beginners' Chinese class, Language Learning in Higher Education, 4, (2), 2014, p489 - 505
David Moroney and Ann Devitt, Knowledge, Belief and Practice in Language Teacher Education: Integration and Implementation of Threshold Concepts over a teaching career, 5th Biennial International Threshold Concepts Conference, Durham, UK, 9-11 July, 2014
Activating empathy: Language teacher training through a Chinese course in, editor(s)Linda Mingfang Li and Minjie Xing , Innovation and Consolidation in Learning and Teaching Chinese, London, Sinolingua, 2014, pp74 - 85, [Weiming Liu and Ann Devitt]
Ann Devitt, Joe Condon, Gene Dalton, Jane O'Connell, Melanie Ní Dhuinn, An maith leat Gaeilge?: An analysis of variation in primary pupil attitudes to Gaeilge in Growing Up in Ireland study, Growing Up in Ireland Annual Research Conference, Dublin, Ireland, 26 November , 2014
Gene Dalton and Ann Devitt, Computer Games for Langauge Learning: The child's perspective, European Conference of Computer Assisted Language Learning (EuroCALL), Groningen, the Netherlands, 2014
Ann Devitt and Eugene McKendry, Threshold Concepts in Language Teacher Knowledge: Practice versus Policy, Annual meeting of the American Educational Research Association, Philadelphia, 3-7 April 2014, 2014, pponline
Ann Devitt and Eugene McKendry, Threshold Concepts in Language Teacher Education: the voice of the professional, Educational Studies Association of Ireland Annual Conference, Athlone, Ireland, 10-12 April 2014, 2014
Gene Dalton and Ann Devitt, Learning Irish in a virtual world: Can new technologies be effective in bridging the motivation gap in the child's language learning experience at school?, International Association of Applied Linguistics European Junior Researcher Meeting, Dublin, Ireland, 2013
The role of students in a power sharing context: A study of the development of a Chinese teacher's identity. in, editor(s)Linda Mingfang & Xing, Minjie , Developing Pedagogies for Teaching Chinese as a Foreign Language in Higher Education, London, Sinolingua, 2013, pp45 - 54, [Weiming Liu and Ann Devitt]
Weiming Liu and Ann Devitt, Autonomous Learners and Transformative Practitioners: The implementation of collaborative peer teaching in a language teacher training course, The International Journal of Adult, Community and Professional Learning, 19, (1), 2013, p27 - 36
Ann Devitt and Khurshid Ahmad, Is There a Language of Sentiment? An Analysis of Lexical Resources for Sentiment Analysis, Language Resources and Evaluation, 47, (2), 2013, p475 - 511
Gene Dalton and Ann Devitt, Focus on form in a virtual world: Unlocking communicative competence in children learning Irish as a second language, Conference of the Computer Assisted Language Instruction Consortium (CALICO), Big Island, Hawaii, 21-25 May 2013, 2013
Ann Devitt and Marita Kerin, Crossing the Threshold in Initial Teacher Education: Identity and Competencies , The European conference on educational research, Istanbul, 10-13 September 2013, 2013
Ann Devitt, Marita Kerin, Helen O'Sullivan, Threshold Concepts and Practices in Teacher Education: professional, educator and student perspectives, 4th Biennial Threshold Concepts Conference, Trinity College, Dublin, 28-29 June 2012, 2012
Ann Devitt, A New Apprenticeship in Language Teacher Education, AERA 2012 (Annual Meeting of the American Educational Research Association 2012), Vancouver, British Columbia, Canada, 13-16 April 2012, 2012
The use of peer teaching in a Chinese classroom in, editor(s)Dian Huang and Minjie Xing , Innovations in Teaching and Learning Chinese as a Foreign Language, London, Sinolingua, 2012, pp145 - 154, [Weiming Liu and Ann Devitt]
Ann Devitt, Elizabeth Oldham and Marita Kerin, Beginning a career of learning about learning: a case study of student teachers in an initial teacher education programme in Ireland, Teachers' Life-cycle from Initial Teacher education to Experienced Professional: 2011 ATEE Annual Conference, Riga, 26-30 August 2011, edited by Irēna Zogla and Lūcija Rutka , Association for Teacher Education in Europe, 2012, pp283 - 296
Liu, W. & Devitt, A., The role of the native speaking student-teachers in a collaborative peer teaching context, The 10th BCLTS International Symposium on Learning Chinese as a Foreign Language in Higher Education, University of Central Lancashire, UK, 11July - 13 July, 2012
Weiming Liu and Ann Devitt, Autonomous learners and transformative practitioners: the implementation of peer teaching in a language teacher training course, Nineteenth International Conference on Learning, The Institute of Education, University of London, London, UK, 14 to 16 August 2012, 2012
Weiming Liu and Ann Devitt, Action research and Chinese teacher training, The 11th International Conference on Chinese Language Teaching, Xi'an, China, 16-17 August, 2012, 2012
Ann Devitt, Marita Kerin, Helen O'Sullivan and Elizabeth Oldham, Thresholds Concepts and Practices for Teacher Education: a different lens or just a new pair of drapes, ESAI 2012 (37th Annual Educational Studies Association of Ireland Conference), University College Cork, 29-31 March 2012, 2012
Ann Devitt, Lexical cohesion in the language of science textbooks , ECER 2011 (European Conference on Educational Research), Berlin, Germany, 13-16 September 2011, 2011
Liu, W. & Devitt, A., Peer Teaching and Teaching Chinese, 1st Interdisciplinary Linguistics Conference, Queen's University Belfast, UK, 14-15 October 2011, 2011
Ann Devitt, Sean Devitt, Marita Kerin and Elizabeth Oldham, Back to school: how becoming a reflective learner impacts on practice, European Conference on Educational Research 2011, Berlin, Germany, 13-16 September 2011, 2011
Devitt, A., Girvan, C., Liu, W., McLoughlin, H., Vocabulary Development in a Virtual World: the Role of Virtual Realia, EUROCALL Conference 2010 (European Association for Computer-Assisted Language Learning, Bordeaux, France, 8-11 September 2010, 2010, ppCD-ROM
Ann Devitt and Khurshid Ahmad, The language of emotion and financial news, XVI European Symposium on Language for Special Purposes (LSP07), Hamburg, Germany, 27-31 August 2007, edited by Walther von Hahn, & Cristina Vertan, , Peter Lang, 2010, pp40 - 49
Ann Devitt and Khurshid Ahmad, Sentiment Analysis and the Use of Extrinsic Datasets in Evaluation, Language Resources and Evaluation Conference (LREC 2008), Marrakech, Morocco, 28-30 May, 2008
Ann Devitt, 'Arrangement and a method relating to performance monitoring', European Patent Office, pct/ep2007052168, 2007
Ann Devitt and Khurshid Ahmad, Sentiment Polarity Identification in Financial News: A Cohesion-based Approach, Annual Meeting of the Association of Computational Linguistics (ACL 2007), Prague, Czech Republic, 25-27 June, 2007
Javier Baliosian, Franciose Sailhan, Ann Devitt and Anne-Marie Bosneag, The Omega Architecture: Towards Adaptable, Self-Managed Networks, Workshop on Distributed Autonomous Network Management Systems (DAMNS 2006), Dublin, Ireland, 16 June 2006, 2006
Ann Devitt and Boris Danev, 'Arrangement and method for network management', European Patent Office, pct/ep2006069436, 2006
Javier Baliosian, Huw Oliver, Epifanio Salamanca, Boris Danev, Ann Devitt and Gerard Parr, Self-configuration for Radio Access Networks, Proceedings of 7th IEEE Workshop on Policies for Distributed Systems and Networks (Policy 2006), London, Ontario, Canada, 5-7 June 2006, 2006
Javier Baliosian and Ann Devitt, 'Method for forecasting unstable policy enforcements ', European Patent Office, 067560482-1244 PCT/IB2006051771, 2006
Javier Baliosian and Ann Devitt, Forecasting Unstable Policy Enforcement, IEEE International Conference on Systems and Networks Communications (ICSNC 2006), Tahiti, French Polynesia, November 2006, IEEE, 2006, pp37
Ann Devitt, Boris Danev and Katarina Matusikova, Constructing Bayesian Networks Automatically using Ontologies, Second Workshop on Formal Ontologies Meets Industry (FOMI 2006), Trento, Italy, 14 December 2006, 2006
Ann Devitt, Joseph Duffin and Robert Moloney, Exploiting network topology in mining sequential patterns from telecommunications alarm data, MineNet Workshop at SIGCOMM 2005, Philadelphia, USA, August 2005, 2005, pp179 - 184
Ann Devitt, Joseph Duffin and Robert Moloney, 'Network alarm management', European Patent Office, pct/se2005002014, 2005
Ann Devitt and Joseph Duffin, Topographical Proximity: Exploiting Domain Knowledge for Sequential Data Mining, Temporal Data Mining Workshop at ICDM 2005,, Houston, Texas, November 2005, ACM Press, 2005, pp33 - 40
Ann Devitt and Carl Vogel., The Topology of WordNet: Some Metrics, Proceedings of the Second International WordNet Conference - GWC2004, Brno, Czech Republic, January, 2004, 2004
Ann Devitt and Carl Vogel, Using WordNet hierarchies to pinpoint differences in related texts, Ontologies and Information Extraction Workshop at EUROLAN 2003, Bucharest, Romania, August 2003, 2003
Non-Peer-Reviewed Publications
La diversité est un espace qui nous inclut tous : concevoir l"identité, l"appartenance et la langue durant la petite enfance in, editor(s)Brahim Azaoui Frédéric Torterat , La petite enfance au prisme du divers " Plurilinguisme et multimodalité de la crèche à l"école maternelle, Grenoble, France, PUG Presses Univeristaires de Grenoble, 2024, [Ann Devitt, Máire Mhic Mhathúna and Nóirín Hayes]
Brendan Tangney, Aibhín Bray, Ann Devitt, Carina Girvan, Eilís Ní Chorcora, Jen Maguire Donohoe, Joanne Banks, Kevin Sullivan, Lisa Keane, Philip Byrne, Rónán Smith and Cliona Hannon, Trinity Access - Project Overview, TARA, Trinity Access, Trinity College Dublin, December, 2021
Aoife King (ed), Rita Duffy, Caitríona Lally, Jacob J. Erickson, Donna Lyons et al., What the Pandemic Means: Perspectives from the Trinity Long Room Hub Covid-19 Blog Collection, 2021, - 1-56
Nóirín Hayes & Ann Devitt, Literacy On The Couch, 2020, -
Jennifer O'Sullivan, Maria Clara Fiorentini & Ann Devitt, Literacy in the kitchen, 2020, -
Ann Devitt, Literacy on the Mobile, 2020, -
Jennifer Liston & Ann Devitt, Literacy in nature, 2020, -
Colm Ross & Ann Devitt, Literacy with Two Languages, 2020, -
Ann Devitt, Literacy on Devices, 2020, -
Ann Devitt, Literacy On The Loose Webinar, 23 April 2020, In:Literacy On The Loose Webinar, 2020, Online
Mary Flanagan & Ann Devitt, Literacy On Television, 2020, -
Marita Kerin, Coteaching Music in the Primary School: Teacher Perspectives, TCD, 2019
Marie-Therese Batardiere (UL), Anne Brindley (GMIT), Kristin Brogan (IT Tralee), Frances Carr (The Old Schoolhouse Montessori School), Ann Devitt (TCD), Tanya Flanagan (St Farnan's, Co. Kildare), Aine Furlong (WIT), Barbara Geraghty (UL), Mary Ann Kenny (IT Blanchardstown), Deirdre Kirwan (Scoil Bhride, Dublin), Agnieszka Matys (Polska Szkola SEN, Dublin), Niamh Nestor (UCD), Susanna Nocchi (DIT), Conny Opitz (TCD), Frederique Rantz (PPLI), Mary Ruane (IRAAL), Christiane Schönfeld (UL), Sarah Smyth (TCD), Margot Spencer (UCC), Riana Walsh (IT Tallaght), OVFL Response to DES Consultation on Foreign Languages in Irish Education, 2014
Nicki Newman, Ann Devitt, Markus Lamest, Mairead Brady & Stephen Gomez , Marketing Simulation Research Report for Pearson UK. , London, 2014, p1 - 20
Ann Devitt, New spaces in language education: language learning in a virtual world, ESAI (Educational Studies Association of Ireland) Annual Conference 2010, Dundalk, Ireland, 26 March 2010, 2010
Research Expertise
Projects
- Title
- Digital Family Literacy: using digital technologies to support literacy of parents and children
- Summary
- The over-arching goal of this project is to use technology to improve the literacy skills of parents with literacy learning needs through a family digital literacy programme. This project will focus on parents in families with children in stages 1 and 2 of primary school (junior infants to second class). The specific literacy focus will be the constrained literacy skills which are key components of the Junior Primary Language Curriculum (NCCA, 2017). The over-arching goal will be addressed through the following research questions: 1. What are the individual and family literacy practices of families where a parent has literacy learning needs, in particular focusing on the uses of and access to technology? (See Work Package 2: Family digital literacy survey) 2. What technologies to support literacy are effective in developing constrained early literacy skills (e.g. letter knowledge, phonics)? (See Work Package 3: State of the Art Review in Technology to support early literacy) 3. Can these technologies, employed in a family literacy programme, support family literacy practices and develop the literacy skills of both parents and children? (See Work Packages 4 and 5 below to design and evaluate a family digital literacy module using an experimental research design)
- Funding Agency
- IRC
- Date From
- 1 Sept 2019
- Date To
- 1 Sept 2021
- Title
- Blended Learning in Schools: A Universal Design Approach
- Summary
- The purpose of this project is to empower teachers to develop pedagogical competences for establishing effective and engaging learning experiences in a digital space, whether as part of a blended experience or wholly online. With the consortium partners from Ireland, Greece, Belgium and Spain, representing a mixture of second-level teachers and education researchers, we will address the common aim of harnessing UDL to achieve 'an EU-wide common understanding of how to make distance, online & blended learning effective, inclusive & engaging' (a strategic priority of the EC Digital Education Action Plan 2021-2027). The project will address two key areas: inclusion and digital pedagogical competences, with the main target group being second-level teachers. The approach will be based on the Universal Design for Learning (UDL) framework (Cast.org), an inclusive approach to teaching and learning that offers all students an equal opportunity to fulfil their potential. This framework offers students different options for accessing, building and internalising learning. It guides teachers to provide multiple means for students to: a) engage with; b) represent; and c) action/express their learning. A key output of this project is to provide a digital overlay to the UDL framework to scaffold teachers' implementation of UDL principles in remote/blended contexts, such as during school closures. The other project outputs will flow from the development of this digital overlay, to provide further layers of supports for teachers to adopt digital learning principles of UDL. These include: a self-evaluation tool for teachers to identify aspects of the digital UDL framework with which they require support; an associated learning model to support teachers' creation of digital, UDL activities that include a focus on key skills and competences; Open Educational Resources to scaffold implementation of the framework; and a professional development module which will focus on Area 5 of the DigCompEdu Framework: empowering learners through accessibility and inclusion, differentiation and personalisation. These tools will aim to support teachers and schools to develop inclusive strategies for the digital provision of teaching and learning in their own educational context, with an overarching goal of ensuring high levels of student engagement notwithstanding the mode of content delivery.
- Funding Agency
- EU
- Date From
- 1/5/2021
- Date To
- 30/4/2023
- Title
- Enabling Technology Enhanced Assessment OF/FOR/AS Learning in Higher Education: The Evidence
- Summary
- This project assumes a view of assessment that is embedded and integral to teaching and learning and where assessment data is used by both staff and students to progress learning towards learning goals that are explicit and shared. It will focus on assessment as a measurement and record of learning, ultimately for accreditation (summative) as well as assessment as a tool for both teachers and students to evaluate and progress learning (assessment for learning). Assessment as learning focuses on the student as an actor in the assessment process, setting success criteria, peer and self-assessing, and using these activities to progress their learning. The Digital Roadmap identifies a clear need to prioritise the development of high-impact and best practices within the learning environment 'that leverage the potential of digital technologies to support student learning and substantially contribute to evidencing pedagogical excellence'. (Digital Roadmap, p49). Technology offers great potential in the area of assessment, opening opportunities for experiential learning, collaborative learning, speedy or instant feedback and among a range of possible affordances. However, the reality of incorporating technology into institutional structures and of transforming pedagogical practice to embrace the possibilities of technology can be fraught with difficulty. The aim of this project is to conduct a systematic literature review and meta-analysis to synthesize and summarize previous literature and to identify best and next practices through a depth of understanding of prior research in this domain. Incorporating both a quantitative and qualitative perspective. This will provide a holistic overview of research findings, generating a solid evidence base for professional transformation in this domain.
- Funding Agency
- Irish Research Council
- Date From
- 9/1/2017
- Date To
- 9/1/2018
- Title
- Semantic connectivity: a new computational framework to investigate distributional properties of language which optimise second language acquisition
- Summary
- This project is a computational corpus analysis of semantic connectivity in general language and second language learner data to explore the hypothesis that Small World Network (SWN) properties that hold in lexical knowledge bases are not just an artefact of language representations but may be a causal factor in second language acquisition. Research has shown that humans are highly sensitive to distributional properties of language data and that this impacts on language acquisition. This will be the first systematic corpus analysis of second language acquisition data which focuses on semantic connectivity, leveraging the powerful distributional regularities of SWNs, and has the potential to open a new dimension in the field of language acquisition.
- Funding Agency
- Fulbright Commission
- Date From
- 1/1/2016
- Date To
- 1/7/2016
- Title
- Threshold Concepts in Language Teacher Education (TC4LTE)
- Summary
- Threshold Concepts (TCs) have emerged over the last ten years as a useful metaphor and tool for curriculum design and research with work conducted in higher education settings. TCs are defined as those without which it is not possible to engage in the practices and discourse of a discipline, in this case language teaching. This project aims to identify threshold concepts for language teacher education and the conditions that facilitate the learning of these concepts. The project incorporates the voice of professionals in the field articulating key moments of learning in their careers and the voice of the student teacher articulating their learning over the course of their initial teacher education programmes. The project aims to draw on the broad experience of language teachers North and South to identify threshold concepts for language teaching and to examine the degree and manner of integration of threshold concepts within ITE programmes North and South.
- Funding Agency
- SCoTENS
- Date From
- September 2012
- Date To
- August 2013
- Title
- Automatic analysis of text in French, German and Spanish
- Summary
- Sourcing, testing and building graphical user interface for text analysis tools for French, Spanish and German.
- Funding Agency
- Enterprise Ireland
- Date From
- 2009
- Date To
- 2009
- Title
- Creating the feedback loop: assessment for learning and student voice integration in JS Bess course with 150+ students
- Summary
- This project targets one of the greatest problems in higher education: how to respond in a timely and optimal manner to the learning needs of large student cohorts. In large lecture environments it is difficult for lecturers to assess what students are learning and what they are not. This project will implement an Assessment for Learning (AfL) approach in a Junior Sophister Marketing module with 200 students to act as a template for using AfL in higher education. An Assessment for Learning approach puts the student at the centre of their own learning experience, assessing their current state of knowledge and setting the direction for the learning experience within the module. AfL is an on-going, integral part of the learning process. It includes teacher, peer and self assessment. It is learner-driven and focused on enhancing student learning. This project will use a range of methods to build this AfL culture: clickers for quickly assessing integration of core concepts, exit passes to collect key questions for students, KWL (know-want to learn-have learnt) activities on blackboard. The goal here is to bring in the students as co-creators of their module and directors of their learning by responding to their learning trajectories.
- Funding Agency
- Trinity College Dublin
- Date From
- Oct 2015
- Date To
- Oct 2016
- Title
- Continuity of Education in Ireland during the Covid Pandemic
- Summary
- This primary objective of this project is to capture teachers experiences of online teaching and learning and student engagement during the current school closures. The key deliverable from this project is a policy brief on barriers, enablers and effective practices to the Working Group on Continuity of Learning. We structured the survey to ensure we capture differences across different school types and regions. The expertise of the research team in educational technology and educational disadvantage will allow us to provide clear policy recommendations in terms of engagement, pedagogy and technology in response to the study findings. The project was completed within a very short timeframe and directly to the policy body coordinating the response of the school system.
- Funding Agency
- TCD
- Date From
- 1/5/2020
- Date To
- 1/9/2020
- Title
- ALPACA Feasibility Study
- Summary
- Enterprise Ireland funded Feasibility study for a digital tool for early literacy screening and monitoring to help teachers, principals, speech and language therapists, and educational psychologists solve the problem of assessing young children's early literacy skills in a time efficient manner
- Funding Agency
- Enterprise Ireland
- Date From
- 1/11/2020
- Date To
- 1/3/2021
- Title
- Virtual, Augmented Reality and aI in Education for Diversity (VARIED)
- Summary
- Coordinator support grant for Horizon project to HORIZON-CL2-2021-TRANSFORMATIONS-01-05 call. VARIED is an innovative approach to integrate emerging technologies in education, which places inclusion at the heart of pedagogic use, technical development, teacher education and policy recommendations; in order to foster 21st century skills and more personalised learning. The goal of this project is thus to design, implement and evaluate an enabling framework for integrating emerging technology into classroom settings to establish engaging, inclusive and effective learning experiences. This framework aims to assist teachers in designing contextually relevant learning experiences and reflects the shifting role of the teacher to one which spotlights the teacher as designer and facilitator of learning.
- Funding Agency
- Enterprise Ireland
- Date From
- 13/07/2021
- Date To
- 13/4/2021
- Title
- Family Digital Literacy Provision Survey
- Summary
- The National Adult Literacy Agency (NALA) is a charity that supports adults with unmet literacy, numeracy and digital literacy needs. We were commissioned to design, deploy and report on a survey on family literacy provision. Family literacy works with adults, both with and without their children, to improve and support the literacy-learning environment for everyone. Family literacy activities are usually educational programmes that support parents and caregivers (for example, grandparents, guardians) with developing and maintaining literacy. The survey aimed to find out about family literacy and learning projects and services in Ireland, outside of Education and Training Boards (ETBs). In particular the survey aimed to collect data on programmes and activities, learning materials used and resources and supports needed. The findings will inform NALA's understanding of family literacy in Ireland to develop its future work and resources.
- Funding Agency
- NALA (National Adult Literacy Agency)
- Date From
- 1/12/2021
- Date To
- 1/5/2022
Recognition
Representations
Member of Editorial Board for British Journal of Educational Technology
External Expert for European Commission research programmes
Reviewer for Language Resources and Evaluation journal
Reviewer for AERA (Annual Conference of the American Educational Research Association)
Reviewer for Irish Educational Studies journal
Member of Program Committee for ACL (Association for Computational Linguistics)
Member of Program Committee for EMNLP (Empirical Methods on Natural Language Processing)
NWO (Netherlands Organisation for Scientific Research) Humanities Research Proposal Reviewer
External Examiner PhD Queen's University Belfast
Reviewer for ARJ (Action Research Journal)
External Expert for Research Foundation Flanders (FWO)
Learnovate Academic Director: non-executive position, guiding the establishment of research and technology priorities, supporting the development of the centre's research and technology talent and team, creating strong academic linkages within Trinity and across institutions
Management Committee Member of European Network for Combining Language Learning with Crowdsourcing Techniques (enetCollect) CA16105
Awards and Honours
Commendation in Provost's Teaching Excellence Awards
Fulbright TechImpact Award
Commendation in Provost's Teaching Awards
Memberships
Member of Educational Studies Association of Ireland
Member of IRAAL (Irish Association for Applied Linguistics)
Member of Association of Computational Linguists
Member of AERA (American Educational Research Association)