PD Calendar 2020
FESS PD Calendar 2020 Autumn/Winter
The Further Education Support Service has put together a calendar of events for 2020 to support those working in the FET environment in DES funded providers. At the time of compiling the calendar, there remains uncertainty around offering face-to-face PD events. With this in mind we have focused instead on offering on-line webinars, workshops and clinics across a range of topics. Those who register for a place on one of the on-line events will receive a link, via e-mail, that will allow them access the event on the given date and time.
Please note: There is frequently a waiting list for attendance at FESS PD events. To ensure that the maximum number of people get the opportunity to attend a FESS PD event, please contact FESS (cpdcancellations@fess.ie) if you cannot attend a PD event that you have booked a place on. To allow FESS allocate the place to someone on the waiting list, please give a minimum of four working days notice.
Local Seminars: FESS also provides local, tailored PD events, on request. Some conditions apply. Further information is available here. Currently, only requests for on-line events can be facilitated.
eCollege: If interested in courses run through eCollege, click here for further information. In addition, please note, a new eCollege course, Moodle for Teachers, was launched in June 2019. Further information is available here.
The following is a list of the current themes and topics for the PD calendar:
August
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Reimagining your Course – The move to Blended Learning - FET practitioners including course co-ordinators, teachers, trainers, tutors involved in the delivery of blended programmes New date added
September
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An Introduction to Recognition of Prior Learning (RPL) - for FET staff working in coordination and quality assurance roles, FET teachers and trainers who have an interest in RPL.
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The Pedagogy of Online Teaching and Learning - for FET staff including course co-ordinators, teachers, trainers, tutors involved in the delivery of blended programmes.
- Online clinic(s) to support FET practitioners with blended learning - for FET staff including course co-ordinators, teachers, trainers, tutors involved in the delivery of blended programmes.
- Engaging FET Learners During Online Sessions - for FET Staff including teachers, tutors, trainers, co-ordinators, managers.
- Minding Ourselves: Uprooting the Roots of Stress - for FET Staff including teachers, tutors, trainers, co-ordinators, managers.
- An Introduction to Local Assessment for New Assessors - for those assessing learners for the first time, using locally devised assessment instruments.
October
- An Introduction to Local Assessment for New Assessors - for those assessing learners for the first time, using locally devised assessment instruments.
- Assessment through the UDL Lens - for FET staff including teachers, tutors, trainers, co-ordinators, managers.
- Working Interculturally, Promoting Integration - for FET Staff including teachers, tutors, trainers, co-ordinators, managers.
November
- Feedback to Learners on Summative Assessment Tasks - Assessors or those in a co-ordination and/or quality assurance role.
Reimagining your Course – The move to Blended Learning
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FESS has partnered with H2 Learning to provide an online learning opportunity for FET practitioners. As blended learning becomes more common place across the sector, this course will support educators in improving the quality of their online offerings to learners. The goal of the course is to help participants to create a plan for moving some elements of their course or module online. The course consists of a series of four online sessions that will allow participants to reimagine their course/module to include online learning. Participants will have a blended learning experience where they will participate in a mix of synchronous and asynchronous learning activities. Participants will initially undertake three asynchronous sessions in their own time and it is expected that each session will take up to 30 minutes. The three sessions are as follows: This live online workshop will be available to FET practitioners that have completed the previous 3 asynchronous sessions. It is expected that participants will have had time to reflect and begin planning their learning designs in advance of the live workshop. This session will take place on Zoom and will be between 90 and 120 minutes. The live online workshop will: Target audience: FET practitioners including course co-ordinators, teachers, trainers, tutors involved in the delivery of blended programmes Please note: Pre-booking is essential. Please do not book onto this course unless you are sure that you will attend / have approval to attend (if required). If an emergency arises, please inform us ASAP (cpdcancellations@fess.ie) as we operate a waiting list system and if time allows we can offer your booked place to another person. |
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| Date(s) | Time | Venue | |
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Ongoing from Wednesday 26th August |
Self-directed learning for the three asynchronous sessions Follow-up live online workshop details will issue to those who wish to proceed to the fourth workshop, which will be based on demand. |
Online Link to the event will be emailed in advance |
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Ongoing from Monday 14 September |
Self-directed learning for the three asynchronous sessions Follow-up live online workshop details will issue to those who wish to proceed to the fourth workshop, which will be based on demand. |
Online Link to the event will be emailed in advance |
An Introduction to Recognition of Prior Learning (RPL) |
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This online webinar will provide a number of considerations for staff in further education regarding Recognition of Prior Learning (RPL). This will include language, RPL in education, policy and practice, impact for staff, students and providers and curriculum development including learning and programme outcomes. The target audience for this event is: FET staff working in coordination and quality assurance roles, FET teachers and trainers who have an interest in RPL. Facilitation: This event will be hosted by FESS and facilitated by Deirdre Goggin, Recognition of Prior Learning/ Work Based Learning Development Officer, Cork Institute of Technology. Please note: Pre-booking is essential. Please do not book onto this session unless you are sure that you will attend / have approval to attend (if required). If an emergency arises, please inform us ASAP (cpdcancellations@fess.ie) as we operate a waiting list system and if time allows we can offer your booked place to another person. |
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Dates |
Time |
Venues |
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Friday, 4th September 2020 |
10.00 - 12.00 |
Online Link to the event will be emailed in advance |
The Pedagogy of Online Teaching and Learning |
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This event will consist of an online workshop where the facilitator will share her knowledge, experience and expertise on the pedagogy of teaching and learning in an online environment. The session will mirror the use of a range of tools while also addressing the pedagogical considerations of online teaching and learning including ensuring the creation of a social presence online, facilitating meaningful student engagement and collaboration, learning design, etc. The target audience for this event is: FET staff including course co-ordinators, teachers, trainers, tutors involved in the delivery of blended programmes. Facilitation: This event will be hosted by FESS and facilitated by Dr. Orna Farrell, National Institute of Digital Learning in DCU. Orna is Assistant Professor and Chair of the DCU Connected Humanities Programmes and her research interests include online teaching and learning, online student success and engagement and eportfolio based learning. Orna is principal investigator of the National Forum funded project #Openteach: professional development for online educators - a course which many FET online educators completed earlier this year. Please note: Pre-booking is essential. Please do not book onto this session unless you are sure that you will attend / have approval to attend (if required). If an emergency arises, please inform us ASAP (cpdcancellations@fess.ie) as we operate a waiting list system and if time allows we can offer your booked place to another person. |
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Dates |
Time |
Venues |
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Tuesday, 8th September 2020 |
10.00 - 11.30 |
Online |
Online clinic(s) to support FET practitioners with blended learning |
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Target audience: FET practitioners including course co-ordinators, teachers, trainers, tutors involved in the delivery of blended programmes Facilitation: Liz Hogan, Blended Learning Expert and members of the FESS team Please note: Pre-booking is essential. Please do not book onto these clinics unless you are sure that you will attend / have approval to attend (if required). If an emergency arises, please inform us ASAP (cpdcancellations@fess.ie) as we operate a waiting list system and if time allows we can offer your booked place to another person. Prior to each clinic, each participant will be emailed a link to attend. |
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| Date(s) | Time | Venues | |
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Wednesday 9th September 2020 | 16.00 - 17.00 |
Online Link to the event will be emailed in advance |
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Thursday 17th September 2020 | 16.00 - 17.00 |
Online Link to the event will be emailed in advance |
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Further dates at varying times will become available in September 2020 |
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Engaging FET Learners During Online Sessions |
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FET is experiencing an unprecedented period and scale of virtual interactions in the form of, classroom teaching, staff meetings, professional development webinars etc. Many students experience varying degrees of online fatigue, so the challenge is to find ways to keep them engaged and energised. This online workshop will show you how to use activity-based energisers that require no previous set up. They are all quick activities that can be used as required during an online session when students need a bit of a perk up to help to support concentration and engagement. During this session you will be invited to participate in an active way. Rather than just tell you about the activities we will do them together. It will be helpful to have your camera on for some parts of the session but it’s up to you to choose. The target audience for this event is: FET Staff including teachers, tutors, trainers, co-ordinators, managers. Facilitation: This event will be hosted by FESS and facilitated by Miriam O’ Donoghue. Miriam is the former National Manager of FESS and Director of the CDETB Curriculum Development Unit and now works as a freelance trainer and facilitator across a broad range of education related areas. |
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Dates |
Time |
Venues |
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Thursday, 10th September 2020 |
14.00 - 16.00 |
Online |
Minding Ourselves: Uprooting the Roots of Stress |
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At the root to a lot of unhealthy stress is irrational thinking. We are all thinking beings and we have an ‘internal dialogue’ going on in our minds, almost as if we are talking to ourselves. However, we only ever express a fraction of this thinking. These private thoughts directly impact on our feelings and consequently how we interact with others. When emotionally distressed we can make conclusions about ourselves, others and the world without recourse to the ‘voice’ of reason. This is why we do not all make the same sense of the same things. The very best of us are vulnerable to illogical, irrational and unhelpful thinking, particularly when emotional or under pressure. In a climate of increasing stress due to changes within the work environment we need to make the best possible sense of changes and challenges. This online webinar will demonstrated how thinking affects how we feel and behave. Participants will learn about unhelpful thinking and belief systems. They will learn how to become more rational and compassionate in their approach to work and life in general. Evidence- based strategies that are linked to positive mental health and help keep us positive during challenging times will also be taught. Please note: Pre-booking is essential. Please do not book onto this session unless you are sure that you will attend / have approval to attend (if required). If an emergency arises, please inform us ASAP (cpdcancellations@fess.ie) as we operate a waiting list system and if time allows we can offer your booked place to another person. |
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Dates |
Time |
Venues |
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Tuesday, 15th September 2020 |
10.00 - 12.00 |
Online |
An Introduction to Local Assessment for New Assessors |
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This online workshop will support the assessor working in a further education and training environment, where the assessor is required to develop local assessment instruments and related documentation. In advance of the workshop, a Powerpoint presentation with supporting documentation will be made available to those who have booked a place, with the expectation that they will review them prior to the workshop. The workshop will then facilitate new assessors to tease out the detail contained in the presentation and documentation. Those who log into the session will also be facilitated to ask questions and request clarification on issues relevant to their provision and/or context.
The target audience for this event is: those assessing learners for the first time, using locally devised assessment instruments. Facilitation: This event will be facilitated by FESS. Please note: Pre-booking is essential. Please do not book onto this session unless you are sure that you will attend / have approval to attend (if required). If an emergency arises, please inform us ASAP (cpdcancellations@fess.ie) as we operate a waiting list system and if time allows we can offer your booked place to another person. |
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Date |
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Venue |
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Wednesday, 23rd September 2020 |
10.00 - 12.00 |
Online |
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Thursday, 8th October 2020
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10.00 - 12.00 |
Online |
Assessment through the UDL Lens |
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This online event will introduce participants to Universal Design for Learning. We will explore approaches to making assessment more inclusive, through accessible assessment techniques and instruments. Examples of best practice from the FET sector will also be presented. The target audience for this event is: FET staff including teachers, tutors, trainers, co-ordinators, managers. Facilitation: This event will be hosted by FESS and facilitated by FESS, AHEAD, Carrie Archer, Professional Development Coordinator and TEL Mentor, CDETB and Ashley Stephens, Professional Development and Research Coordinator, KWETB. Please note: Pre-booking is essential. Please do not book onto this session unless you are sure that you will attend / have approval to attend (if required). If an emergency arises, please inform us ASAP (cpdcancellations@fess.ie) as we operate a waiting list system and if time allows we can offer your booked place to another person. |
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Dates |
Time |
Venues |
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Tuesday, 6th October 2020 |
10.00 - 12.00 |
Online |
Working Interculturally, Promoting Integration |
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The purpose of this two-part online workshop is four-fold. It will offer a number of opportunities:
The two-part workshop will be as participative and experiential as possible through the virtual medium of Zoom. In order to take account of people’s different experience of learning, and diversity of learning styles, the facilitators will use a variety of methods and resources. You will get the most out of the experience if you have access to a computer or a laptop for the duration of the Zoom sessions. The target audience for this event is: FET Staff including teachers, tutors, trainers, co-ordinators, managers. Participants must log in to both sessions. Facilitation: This event will be hosted by FESS and facilitated by Jacqui Gage and Zoryana Pshyk, Partners Training for Transformation. Please note: Pre-booking is essential. Please do not book onto this session unless you are sure that you will attend / have approval to attend (if required). If an emergency arises, please inform us ASAP (cpdcancellations@fess.ie) as we operate a waiting list system and if time allows we can offer your booked place to another person. |
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Dates |
Time |
Venues |
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Thursday, 15th October 2020 |
10.00 - 12.30 |
Online |
Feedback to Learners on Summative Assessment Tasks |
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The focus of this PD event is on supporting the assessor on giving meaningful learner feedback on summative assessment tasks. This event will supplement the resources already uploaded to www.fess.ie (https://www.fess.ie/assessment/feedback-to-learners). This event will consist of a synchronous webinar that will facilitate those booked into the event to ask questions with a view to teasing out the purpose, approaches, benefits and challenges associated with giving feedback to learners. The target audience for this event is: Assessors or those in a co-ordination and/or quality assurance role. Facilitation: This event will be facilitated by FESS. |
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Dates |
Time |
Venues |
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Monday, 9th November 2020 |
14.00 - 16.00 |
Online |
