June International Society for Design and Development in Education Takes Place at NUI Galway

NUI Galway’s School of Education recently hosted the 14^th Annual Conference of the International Society for Design and Development in Education (ISDDE). The ISDDE is one of the preeminent international research communities for educational technology and design, and for researchers and practitioners interested in the design, development and evaluation of educational resources, learning environments, curricular materials and technologies, particularly in the STEM areas.

The International Society for Design and Development in Education  was formed to provide a coherent professional community for educational designers internationally, and to help augment the impact of design-based research on educational practice.

The conference theme this year was that of ‘Culture and Educational Design’, reflecting the importance of the broader social, cultural and physical environs in the participatory and principled design of educational innovations and technologies.

The conference maintained the traditional highly participatory and working focus of previous ISDDE conferences, with delegates collaborating on salient design questions and topics across five key strands: Designing Assessment; Designing Professional Learning; Designing Instructional Materials; Designing for Diverse Learners; and Designing for Learning with Technology.

Organised and chaired by Dr Tony Hall, Dr Cornelia Connolly, Dr Eílis Flanagan and Jim Lenaghan of the School of Education, the four-day conference hosted delegates from across the globe, including the US, Australia and Europe.

The conference this year featured keynote lectures from: Professor Sarah Moore, University of Limerick; Dr John Breslin, NUI Galway; Professor Merrilyn Goos, University of Limerick; Dr Anna Walshe, National Council for Curriculum and Assessment; Professor Zalman Usiskin, University of Chicago; Dr Michael Hogan, NUI Galway; Professor Akihiko Takahashi, DePaul University Chicago; and Professor Kaye Stacey, University of Melbourne.

During this year’s conference, two NUI Galway staff members were elected Fellows of the Society, Dr Eílis Flanagan and Dr Cornelia Connolly. Dr Flanagan is a post-doctoral researcher in the School of Education in English and Mathematics education, and Dr Connolly is a lecturer in the School of Education and joint programme Director of the BA Mathematics and Education.

A short video of highlights of the conference can be found on the School of Education’s YouTube Channel: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=dvqY3zUGSko&feature=youtu.be.

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