Steering Committee

The Facilitate network is managed by a steering committee with a membership drawn from a range of Irish tertiary institutions.

Co-Chair: Michael Wride, University of Limerick

Co-Chair: Marek McGann, Mary Immaculate College

Treasurer: Yvonne Delaney, University of Limerick

Members: Anita Byrne (Dundalk Institute of Technology), Irene Hartigan (University College Cork), Siobhan Murphy (UCC), Norma O’Leary (student representative; UCC).

Michael Wride is Transformative Pedagogies Lead in the Centre for Transformative Learning at the University of Limerick. Mike’s back ground is in Biological science, having previously worked as a lecturer in the Zoology Deopt at Trinity College Dublin. Mike’s teaching and research interests lie in the areas of international academic development, along with transdisciplinary and creative and transformative approaches to teaching and learning.

Marek McGann is a lecturer in the Department of Psychology at Mary Immaculate College His background is in enactive cognition, exploring the relationships between living systems, their bodily activity, and the roles that their bodies and environment play in their cognitive function. He has been exploring project- and problem-based learning in his own practice for several years .

Yvonne Delaney is  a qualified accountant and has over 15 years of Senior Management experience in Project Management, Materials Management, Supply Chain Management and Managerial Finance. Yvonne joined the University of Limerick in 2002 and has focused on the continuous professional development of frontline managers. Yvonne uses Problem Based learning to aid this development.

Irene Hartigan is a Lecturer in the School of Nursing & Midwifery at University College Cork. In 2006 while undertaking a Masters programme in Trinity College Dublin Irene also gained a teaching qualification as a Registered Nurse Tutor (RNT) with An Bord Altranais. Irene is committed to integrating various teaching methodologies while simultaneously challenging student thinking

 

Anita Byrne is a Midwife Lecturer and Programme Director for Midwifery at Dundalk Institute of Technology. She is a qualified nurse, midwife and tutor with the Nursing and Midwifery Board of Ireland (NMBI). Anita introduced PBL/EBL to midwifery education in DkIT in 2009 and she has designed implemented and facilitated PBL/EBL modules on both undergraduate and postgraduate midwifery programmes since then.

Siobhan Murphy (UCC) is a Registered General Nurse (RGN) with a strong clinical background particularly in the areas of orthopaedic and peri-operative nursing. While undertaking a Masters programme in UCC she also gained a teaching qualification as a Registered Nurse Tutor (RNT) with An Bord Altranais (The Irish Nursing Board).

Norma O’Leary (UCC) is the student representative on the steering group and has played a major role in the Network & Discipline fund project awarded to PBL Facilitate by the National Forum for the Enhancement of Teaching & Learning in Higher Education. Norma is currently a postgraduate student in Speech and Language Therapy.

Former Members:

Pat Deeny (University of Ulster)

Kay Hack (AdvanceHE)

Lorna Dodd (Maynooth University)Bob Lawlor (Maynooth University)

Terry Barrett (UCD)

Emma O’Brien (Mary Immaculate College)

Alison Farrell (co-founder) (Maynooth University)

Deidre Connolly (Trinity College Dublin)

Aine McKillop (Ulster University)

Carol Barron (Dublin City University)

The steering committee are deeply indebted to all of the above former members for all the work they put in over the years as well as for all they help they have continued to give even after stepping down.