testimonials

“What I am most proud of is having been able to verify, through my own experience, the value of collaborative work.  This is something that I’ve been researching and writing about for a long time. Through the use of the MIRO tool, the participants have shared ideas and proposals and have collectively enriched our knowledge. It has been an opportunity to learn and discover new strategies to share and collaborate with each other and also with the third sector.”

“The biggest benefit for me has been the opportunity to build collaborative relationships with peers in different disciplines, especially colleagues in my triad.  This opened my eyes to the commonalities of challenges we face and common solutions that we were moving towards.  It was interesting to be exposed to the CERL competences as a more formal set of processes based on best practice in the area of engagement through the curriculum.  Many of us had been using elements of these competencies but it was useful to have them presented as a framework.”

“The CIRCLET series continues to challenge me to rethink the way I teach and approach students: teaching is about more than conveying theoretical insights. It implies attention to the immediate application of those insights into concrete practice. In this way, not only the student, but also the university steps outside the boundaries of the campus. This is an added value for the student, the professional field, the lecturer and the university. CERL is a handy tool that offers the opportunity to get started with this innovative form of learning.”

“CIRCLET provided me with the opportunity to engage with colleagues across TU Dublin. I have been involved in CERL for a number of years, and sometimes you feel as though you are in a rut. In order to get feedback, I had to summate (which was difficult) what I do, why I do it and consider it in the context of student learning and engagement. And also from the perspective of the community. Engaging and getting feedback from colleagues from other disciplines is most beneficial (…) Arguably there are a number of times when it appears daunting.  Though the end result through student and community feedback is worth it.  It does create a ‘realness’ around what we do as lecturers, to see theory and learning from the classroom (virtual and face to face) being taken out into the community and used in a beneficial manner. “

Read the full interview in our blogpost.

“By the middle of the semester I have already learned a lot, even about my own professional field from the course project organized in CIRCLET at our science shop. I certainly learned more about how to design and manage a project within my course. Personally, it is much more enjoyable for me to teach with a community engaged project, it also requires a higher level of engagement from me though.”

“CERL is the perfect mix of research, teaching and making an impact which aligns closely of what motivates me to come to work every day. The opportunity to take part in the CERL module has enabled me to realise how I could put CERL into practice, from designing a CERL project, liaising with community partners, to reflecting on the outcomes, and, most importantly, creating a real impact on the community with students. Learning through a variety of resources, creating a screencast, and developing a visualisation using a collaborative online tool were some of the highlights of the experience that could also enhance my teaching and assessment practices. What I enjoyed most is the collegiality and support by other colleagues throughout and after the module for future collaborations!”

“Taking part in the module was a very enriching and tremendously useful experience for me, and also a transformative one in a way, I would say. I learned a huge amount and I was able to put much of the learning to use immediately, even if the course I was teaching at the time wasn’t directly related to community engaged learning or research. For example, I quickly made use of the many digital tools we were introduced to, I started using more diverse sources for the course, I gave students new kinds of assignments as well than before, and built on the learning about evaluation and reflection during the work with students.”

Read the full interview in our blogpost.