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Dr. Sharon Flynn

BSc, MSc, PhD

 
researcher
 

Biography

Sharon is Project Manager for Enhancing Digital Capacity in Teaching and Learning in Irish Universities, a 3 year project funded through the Higher Education Authority Innovation and Transformation Programme. She works closely with senior academic leaders across the university sector to develop, pilot, review and roll out an ambitious staff development programme to enhance the digital confidence, skills and competences of those who teach in Irish universities.

Sharon is a successful hybrid academic with more than 23 years of experience working in higher education in Ireland. Before joining the IUA she was the Assistant Director at the Centre for Excellence in Learning and Teaching at NUI Galway, where she focused on academic staff development and lead a team of learning technologists. She has been an Associate of the National Forum for the Enhancement of Teaching and Learning in Higher Education and a member of the Professional Development Expert Group. She started her academic career as a lecturer in the Discipline of Information Technology at NUI Galway. She has a PhD in Computing Science from the University of Glasgow.

Research Interests

I am interested in the use of technologies for teaching and learning.

I also carry out research in the area of Academic Integrity and Student Plagiarism.

Peer Reviewed Journals

  Year Publication
(2018) 'A Module on Learning Technologies for Teachers in Higher Education'
Flynn, Sharon (2018) 'A Module on Learning Technologies for Teachers in Higher Education'. Italian Journal of Educational Technology, 26 (1):119-129 [DOI] [ARAN Link] [Details]
(2009) 'Toward a summative system for the assessment of teaching quality in higher education'
Tim Murphy, Iain MacLaren and Sharon Flynn (2009) 'Toward a summative system for the assessment of teaching quality in higher education'. International Journal of Teaching and Learning in Higher Education, 20 (2):226-236 [Details]
(2006) 'On Formal Specification of Software Components and Systems'
Sharon Flynn and Dick Hamlet (2006) 'On Formal Specification of Software Components and Systems'. Theoretical Computer Science, 161 :91-107 [DOI] [Details]

Book Chapters

  Year Publication
(2015) 'Learning Technologists: changing the culture or preaching to the converted?'
Sharon Flynn (2015) 'Learning Technologists: changing the culture or preaching to the converted?' In: The Really Useful #EdTechBook. England: CreateSpace Independent Publishing Platform. [ARAN Link] [Details]
(2010) 'Becoming an educational developer: A reflection on the journey, challenges and rewards'
Sharon Flynn (2010) 'Becoming an educational developer: A reflection on the journey, challenges and rewards' In: Creating a Profession - Building Careers in Educational Development. England: SEDA. [Details]

Conference Publications

  Year Publication
(2013) International Conference Plagiarism across Europe and Beyond
Sharon Flynn (2013) Teaching staff concerns about academic integrity and their implications for staff development International Conference Plagiarism across Europe and Beyond Brno, Czech Republic, [Details]
(2010) Fourth International Plagiarism Conference
Sharon Flynn (2010) Using Turnitin with large classes to support writing Fourth International Plagiarism Conference [Details]

Published Reports

  Year Publication
(2015) Learning Resources and Open Access In Higher Education Institutions in Ireland.
Risquez, A; Farr, F; O'Keeffe, A; Bruen, C; McAvinia, C; Desmond, Y; Rooney, P; Flynn, S; Moloney, D; Ryan, D; Marcus-Quinn, A. (2015) Learning Resources and Open Access In Higher Education Institutions in Ireland. National Forum for the Enhancement of Teaching and Learning in Higher Education, Dublin. [ARAN Link] [Details]

Conference Contributions

  Year Publication
(2019) 28th ICDE World Conference on Online Learning,
Flynn, Sharon (2019) Enabling Change: Enhancing Digital Teaching and Learning in Irish Universities. [Oral Presentation], 28th ICDE World Conference on Online Learning, Dublin, Ireland , 04-NOV-19 - 07-NOV-19. [Details]
(2018) Turnitin Academic Integrity Roadshow,
Flynn, S (2018) Getting the most out of turnitin: support for your academic integrity policies. [Invited Oral Presentation], Turnitin Academic Integrity Roadshow, Dublin , 21-MAY-18. [Details]
(2018) 18th Durham Blackboard Users Conference,
Sharon Flynn (2018) The Good, the Bad and the Ugly of digital competency development. [Keynote Address], 18th Durham Blackboard Users Conference, Durham, UK , 04-JAN-18 - 05-JAN-18. [Details]
(2017) Integrating ICT in Higher Education - Galileo Festival 2017,
Sharon Flynn (2017) The Teacher Training Programme at NUI Galway. [Keynote Address], Integrating ICT in Higher Education - Galileo Festival 2017, Universitá di Padova , 12-MAY-17 - 12-MAY-17. [Details]
(2016) Blackboard Teaching & Learning Conference,
Flynn, S; Horan, C (2016) Online Results Entry using the Grade Journey Tool. [International Refereed Conference], Blackboard Teaching & Learning Conference, Groningen, Netherlands , 06-APR-16 - 08-APR-16. [Details]
(2015) Kaltura Connect Education Virtual Summit,
Sharon Flynn (2015) User Engagement and Learning Outcomes: How NUI Galway is Changing the way Students Learn Inside and Outside the Classroom. [Invited Oral Presentation], Kaltura Connect Education Virtual Summit, New York , 28-MAY-15 - 28-MAY-15. [Details]
(2014) BBWorld,
Sharon Flynn, Fionn Delahunty and Darren Kelly (2014) Student as Producer: Developing a Campus Mobile App for Students by Students. [Invited Oral Presentation], BBWorld, Las Vegas, NV , 15-JUL-14 - 17-JUL-14. [Details]
(2012) Kaltura Education Video Summit,
Sharon Flynn (2012) Supporting the use of video for teaching and learning (in the Blackboard LMS). [Invited Oral Presentation], Kaltura Education Video Summit, New York, USA , 06-DEC-12 - 06-DEC-12. [Details]
(2011) Assessment Matters – original assessment for original student work,
Sharon Flynn (2011) Supporting Academic Integrity Through Teaching and Learning. [Invited Oral Presentation], Assessment Matters – original assessment for original student work, The Higher Education Academy, York , 31-MAR-11 - 31-MAR-11. [Details]

Professional Associations

  Association Function From / To
British Computer Society Member and Certified IT Professional /
National Forum for the Enhancement of Teaching and Learning in Higher Education Associate /

Consultancy

  Client Description
National Forum for the Enhancement of Teaching and Learning in Higher Education
Member of Professional Development Expert Advisory Group
Higher Education Academy - Academic Associate
To undertake a good practice review of The Open University’s (OU) plagiarism policy and processes.  

Committees

  Committee Function From / To
Learning, Teaching and Assessment Member /
Quality and Innovation Committee Member /
Plagiarism Committee Chair /

Education

  Year Institution Qualification Subject
1997 Glasgow University PhD Computing Science

Teaching Interests

I co-ordinate module CEL263: Learning Technologies as part of the PG Dip in Academic Practice, offered to academic staff at NUIG.

I also contribute to the PG Cert in Teaching and Learning in Higher Education on topics related to technology and to academic integrity.

I regularly run workshops on aspects of teaching and learning including: Academic Integrity; Flipped Classroom; Video in Teaching and Learning.

I oversee the running of technology workshops around the use of technologies in teaching and learning, in particular related to the use of the Virtual Learning Environment on campus.

Modules Taught

  Term/Year Module Title Module Code Subject / Desc
Semester 2 Teaching Online CEL6102
Semester 1 Learning Technologies CEL263