Elevate Ireland

Delivered in partnership with

Spotlight session 3: Recognising prior learning and enquiry‑based approaches in professional education 

Date & Time:
19 March 2026, 10:00-11:30 GMT

Outline:
This session brings together two complementary approaches that strengthen progression, authenticity, and professional development across higher education.

We first explore how recognising the prior learning of Non‑Commissioned Officers (NCOs) supports meaningful and accessible routes into higher education. The Higher Certificate in Leadership, Management & Defence Studies (LMDS) demonstrates how existing professional experience can be valued to enhance leadership capacity, career mobility, and progression opportunities for non‑traditional learners. The session will consider effective approaches to assessing experiential learning, designing inclusive pathways, and supporting employability within and beyond the defence sector.

Alongside this, we examine how the sustainable integration of Enquiry‑Based Learning (EBL) can enrich professional education. Through real‑world clinical scenarios, collaborative enquiry, and assessment of both process and product, EBL fosters critical thinking, confidence, and theory‑to‑practice coherence. Evaluation findings will be discussed, including its impact on authenticity, inclusivity, and the potential transferability of EBL across disciplines.

Institutions involved:
Education Pathways for Defence Forces Learners
South East Technological University
Dundalk Institute of Technology

Speakers:
Aisling Hutchinson (Education Pathways for Defence Forces Learner)
Anne Meaney (SETU)
Dr. Anita Byrne (DkIT)

Spotlight session 1: Widening participation: working in partnership with the Traveller community

Took place on 15 January 2026.

Outline:
Ireland’s National Access Plan 2022–2028 places Irish Travellers (Mincéirs/Pavees) at the heart of its widening participation goals, committing to a fourfold increase in Traveller enrolment by 2028. Through targeted initiatives, culturally responsive supports, and sector-wide collaboration, higher education institutions are working in partnership with the Traveller community to dismantle persistent educational barriers.

This webinar spotlights two leading examples of good practice. Join us to explore these innovative approaches and learn how higher education is driving real change for one of Ireland’s most marginalised communities.

Institutions involved:
University College Cork and University of Galway.

Speakers:
Róisín Birch (University of Galway)
Elaine Ryan (University of Galway)
Dr Nicola Ingram (UCC)

Spotlight session 2: Values, global citizenship, and professional identity

Took place on 19 February 2026.

Outline:
Values‑based education and Global Citizenship Education are increasingly central to how higher education enables students to develop as reflective learners and professionals. This session explores how institutions are embedding shared values, social responsibility, and professional identity development across programmes and disciplines to support student motivation, self‑awareness, and agency.

The webinar spotlights two complementary examples of good practice. At Munster Technological University, a values‑clarification intervention (Croí) has been scaled institution‑wide through open educational resources, cross‑school facilitator training, and systematic evaluation. This work is explored further in a recent Advance HE blog by Dr. Gwen Lettis on student enablement and sustainable facilitation of learning. At Hibernia College, a whole‑college approach to Global Citizenship Education is shaping Initial Teacher Education by integrating sustainability, social justice, wellbeing, and inclusive practice.

Institutions involved:
Munster Technological University and Hibernia College

Speakers:
Dr Fred Creedon (Munster Technological University)
Dr Gwen Lettis (Munster Technological University)
Patricia Nunan (Hibernia College)

Speakers

Call for Submissions

Our call for submissions for Advance HE’s Elevate Ireland series is now closed.

We will be featuring case studies in our Excellence Showcase digital publication, and we will invite selected authors to present their case studies in one of three online ‘spotlight’ sessions across the region.