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Mr. Kevin O'Connor

Learning Technologist (Academic Practice)
      
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Mr. Kevin O'Connor

Learning Technologist (Academic Practice)

 Kevin.OConnor@tcd.ie

 


Kevin works as a Learning Technologist in the Centre for Academic Practice where he supports staff with implementing technology and digital pedagogies in their teaching practice. His role involves researching current and emerging trends in digital education and supporting strategic initiatives to enable next-generation teaching and learning. He storyboards, designs and develops interactive presentations, videos and professional development material for projects and Academic Practice's online resources and modules. He also contributes to the development and delivery of seminars, modules and programmes to support staff professional development in digital teaching and learning. Prior to joining the Centre for Academic Practice, Kevin worked for nine years in the eLearning and the Teaching & Learning IT teams in Trinity where he provided support for and implemented enhancements to Blackboard Learn, Collaborate, Panopto and other learning technologies. Kevin co-ordinated Blackboard's annual upgrades and managed projects in 2022 and 2023 to modernise Blackboard's help resources and user interface before leading a pilot of Blackboard Ultra - a more modern interface and user experience at the module level in Blackboard. He also developed an extensive programme of webinars, workshops and resources to help staff use Blackboard effectively and provided consultancies for staff running high-stakes online assessments throughout 2020 and 2021. His research and teaching areas include virtual learning environment adoption in higher education, the flipped classroom, using technology to support reflective practices, virtual classrooms, online module and assessment design, social-constructivist approaches to professional development and technology self-efficacy. Kevin completed the MSc in Technology & Learning in the School of Computer Science and Statistics in 2017. His dissertation examined how interactive online scenarios can be used for professional development to increase the use of active learning tools (such as blogs and journals) within virtual learning environments.
Byrne, J., Hamill, D. and O'Connor, K, Enhancing digital teaching skills in higher education: using pedagogy over technology in professional development', 14th annual International Technology, Education and Development Conference, Valencia, Spain, 2-4 March, 2020, edited by L. Gómez Chova, A. López Martínez, I. Candel Torres IATED Academy , IATED Academy, 2020, pp8074 - 8079, Notes: [ISBN: 978-84-09-17939-8 ISSN: 2340-1079 ], Conference Paper, PUBLISHED  DOI
Flynn, S., Purser, L. Bowles,N., Byrne,J., Hamill,D., O'Connor, K., Lowney, R., Stone, S., Molloy, K., Moloney, D.,Munro, M., O'Connor, M., O'Reilly, M., O'Mara, T. and O'Callaghan, C., Enhancing Digital Capacity in Teaching and Learning in Ireland: a national approach, European University Association European Learning & Teaching Forum, Utrecht, Netherlands, 13-14 February, 2020, EUA, 2020, Notes: [ISSN: 2593-9602], Conference Paper, PUBLISHED  URL
  


  


Sample Research and Presentations -Using Generative AI to Create Banner Images in Blackboard Ultra (Blackboard Irish User Group, 2023) -Hosting Blackboard User Guides " A Content Collection Approach (Blackboard Ultra User Group, 2023) -Enhancing Digital Teaching Skills in Higher Education: Using Pedagogy Over Technology in Professional Development (J. Byrne, D. Hamill, K. O'Connor - INTED2020 Proceedings) -Using an Interactive Scenario-Based Guide to Introduce Instructors to Journals, Blogs and Collaborate Ultra (Blackboard Teaching & Learning Conference Manchester, 2018) -Creating Interactive Staff Training Material for Virtual Classrooms (EdTech Dublin, 2016) Research Expertise -Virtual Learning Environment adoption -The Flipped Classroom model -Using technology to support reflective practices -Virtual classrooms -Social-constructivist approaches to professional development -Technology self-efficacy Technical and Instructional Design Expertise -Online and blended module design -Instructional Design models such as ADDIE (Analyse, Design, Develop, Implement, and Evaluate) -Learning Management System administration and customisation -Video production e.g. Camtasia -Adobe Creative Suite -Interactive content e.g. Articulate 360 and SCORM (Sharable Content Object Reference Model) packages