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Duquesne University & University of Ulster

International Programme in
Educational Technology

“Setting Everyone Up For Success”

Linda Wojnar

Most extraordinary educational initiatives begin from expressed or written needs, also known to instructional designers as a needs assessment. When new initiatives are nurtured and supported with the best of intentions by every member involved in the process, it becomes possible to achieve outcomes that would otherwise be thought to be impossible.

Parts of three issues of the United States Distance Learning Association’s Journal will be dedicated to telling a story of an innovative Master’s Degree in Educational Technology: Distance Learning that is offered at Duquesne University in Pittsburgh, PA.  A common curriculum in educational technology was delivered through a partnership between Duquesne University and the University of Ulster in Northern Ireland.  The April, June and August issues will feature the following content areas:

April Issue-administration and groundwork that made the initiative possible and testimony to the first course taught by faculty from the University of Ulster (Timeline March 2000-February 2001);

June Issue-academics, the holistic approach to the instructional design of the Distance Learning programme, the Pittsburgh Residential component, and the commitment of the Dean of the University of Ulster to send two faculty members to the United States to maintain continuity of instruction for all participants (Timeline March 2001-December 2001);

August Issue-academics, culminating stages of the programme highlighting excerpts of participant course work, synchronous and asynchronous transcript dialogue, case stories, photos, graduation and final programme assessment and evaluation (Timeline January 2002-July 2002).

Joint efforts of collaboration and ongoing support of administrators and academic leadership from Duquesne University, the University of Ulster, the Western Education Library Board, the Department of Education for Northern Ireland and the intermediary organization of the Ireland Institute of Pittsburgh were the unified strength throughout the entire programme.  Since the beginning of the partnership, Duquesne University and the University of Ulster have continued to speak with one voice and a shared vision of academic leadership.

The uniqueness of the writing for each issue features authors unfolding their personal journeys through each phase and through each course.  Authors comprise administration, academic personnel and course participants.  Through their eyes, their words and their experiences, the readers will learn about the successes and the opportunities that arose through challenges.  The authors hope that through their stories and successes that others will be inspired to initiate similar cross-cultural partnerships.  The entire Distance Learning strand was built upon the philosophy of “Setting Everyone Up For Success” and the value of considering “context” in the process of instructional design.

Part One

This issue begins with Dr. Mary Catherine Conroy-Hayden and Michele O’Leary’s historical perspective of the Ireland Institute of Pittsburgh; the Ireland Institute of Pittsburgh’s Consortium for Education and Economic Development (CEED) that builds partnerships and strategic alliances with higher education institutions in Ireland and Pennsylvania; visits with Northern Ireland officials and development of a plan to connect two universities that may not have been connected otherwise.

Mr. Joseph Martin shares his vision of crucial issues in the selection of a customised programme that would meet the needs of Northern Ireland; personal conviction and support of the Duquesne programme; participant selection criteria; and difficulties with negotiations.

Mrs. Marie Martin reflects upon her mission as the International Officer of the Western Education and Library Board, results of meetings with the Ireland Institute, collaborative initiatives and milestones.

Dr. Larry Tomei reflects upon his visit to Northern Ireland with Dr. William Barone, sharing a meeting with the Minister of Education and his senior staff, a change in thinking from K-12 stand of the program to the Distance Learning, negotiations and discussion of administrative policies and procedures.

Dr. Anne Moran describes administrative meetings to identify potential areas of collaboration in the context of promoting a culture of international collaboration, her visit to Pittsburgh, modules to be taught by the University of Ulster, and the significance of the visit by the American tutor in February.

My. John Anderson provides a history of Northern Ireland’s needs assessment, the background of Northern Ireland’s education system, candidate selection for the programme, a review of Classroom 2000, and the future of Information and Communication Technologies (ICT) in Northern Ireland.

Dr. Mary McAteer shares her experience teaching the first module in the programme, Critical Reflective Thinking, her dialogue with participants, observations of meaningful social conversation through electronic communication and meeting an American tutor during her course.

Mr. Richard Wallace personalizes his desire to enter the programme as a participant, his experience with the interview and selection process and recollection of the first module.

Ms. Mary Mallon reflects upon the candidate selection process and her experience with the first module in the programme.

Dr. Linda Wojnar shares her vision that beyond the signing of the documents for everyone was to be “Set Up For Success,” it would be necessary to visit each participant in northern Ireland and at their workplace to experience the Northern Ireland culture first-hand, and to visualize the context with which the participants would design their online learning coursework and carryout their work once the programme was completed. This event was the turning point for assuring the successful teaching experiences for each tutor and for the success of the programme.

Although there is a perception held by some people around the world that American schools do not deliver educational programmes that are as rigorous as other countries in Europe, the readers will learn through the words of the participants that the programme challenged their “thinking,” their “creativity” and “stretched their abilities” to heights that they didn’t realize would be possible.   In many ways, the programme charted new paths with each course. The bar was consistently raised for each candidate, many of whom had already achieved recognition for their work in Northern Ireland, Scotland and England, throughout the entire programme. 

On May 19,2002, the eleven authors of this issue will present their story at the Information Resource Management Conference (IRMA) 2002 in Seattle, Washington.  The overall objectives of the panel discussion are to provide an overview of the innovative International MSc Program in Educational Technology; critically discuss and evaluate the effectiveness of the International MSc Program partnering Duquesne University in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, USA and the University of Ulster in Northern Ireland; assess the program’s impact on both participants and staff who were involved; provide the evolution and lessons learned from this initiative that would be beneficial to any educational setting who desires to design similar programs.  In conclusion, the panel will assess and evaluate the benefits of the program for the two universities, focusing on the professional development of all staff that were involved, the effective development of partnerships with professionals external to the universities, the impact of the program on the strategic planning of ICT in Northern Ireland for the future, and the value of a residential study abroad component of the program.

The partnership demonstrated that trans-Atlantic links are as strong as ever. This program was all the better for overcoming obstacles in the early stages of implementation, some overt and predictable, others were learned along the way and handled in “real time.” Participant evaluations unanimously echoed that the same experiences and growth could not have taken place if all coursework were taught in their homeland. Because the implications of the study are so powerful and the lessons learned so meaningful, the story needs to be shared so that others may benefit from their experiences.

The dedication and commitment of all members prevailed no matter what bridges had to be crossed. It was obvious from the beginning that the faculty from both universities shared many common bonds even though they had never personally met before the teaching began. To this day, the universities have always remained united and spoken with one voice to deliver their messages.

The methodology in these writings will include case stories from administrators and educators. Course participants will share their case stories, excerpts of their coursework and transcript dialogue from online discussions. The Distance Learning Strand of the Educational Technology Programme incorporates both synchronous and asynchronous components. The commitment of the University of Ulster’s Dean to send two tutors to Pittsburgh and her commitment to maintain continuity of instruction that began in Pittsburgh was another key component to the success of the program.

Some additional topics that will evolve in the panel discussion are: role of the Ireland Institute, management of change processes, building communities of learners, establishing trust and relationships, celebrating the value of diversity, strengths of collaborative learning, stimulating learning processes and accenting the benefits of a mixed mode program provision combining online with face-to-face interaction, while concentrating on the pedagogical and psychological perspectives of online learning. The instructional design of the Distance Learning Strand was designed as a holistic approach to learning; all courses and projects in each of the courses were to be a part of the final project in the capstone course. Being a part of change that alters the way that learning occurs in other cultures is an experience that will last a lifetime for each person involved. 

Ireland Institute of Pittsburgh:
International Partnership in Education

Mary Catherine Conroy-Hayden and Michele O'Leary

The Ireland Institute of Pittsburgh was founded in 1989 to promote mutual understanding between the Catholic and Protestant traditions in Northern Ireland, and to assist in the economic development in all of Ireland. The Institute seeks to build partnerships and strategic alliances with individuals, communities, governmental bodies and educational organizations that help foster growth and change.

The successful design of the joint masters program in technology between the University of Ulster, Duquesne University, Northern Ireland Department of Education and the Western Education and Library Board springs from the Ireland Institute of Pittsburgh's 12-year experience working with educators, government officials and business leaders in Northern Ireland.

• Provided job training, management development and leadership training for young adults from Northern Ireland and Ireland.
• Led US business leaders on trade missions to the Northern Ireland and the Republic.
• Attracted the White House Conference on Northern Ireland to Pittsburgh bringing together more than 800 business leaders, and resulting in significant investment in Ireland and Northern Ireland.
• Established the Consortium for Education and Economic Development to connect educators in Pennsylvania with their counterparts Northern Ireland and the Republic.

Consortium for Education and Economic Development

The goal of the Ireland Institute of Pittsburgh's Consortium for Education and Economic Development (CEED) is to build partnerships and strategic alliances with higher education institutions in Northern Ireland, the Republic and Pennsylvania. CEED connects higher education institutions to opportunities to develop programs, participate in study visits, and host guest lectureships. CEED promotes mutual understanding, and provides a forum for the intellectual exchange of ideas and for deepening the cultural understanding between and among its partners.

From the Ireland Institute of Pittsburgh's Consortium on Education and Economic Development (CEED) the joint masters in technology involving the University of Ulster and Duquesne University arose. The Ireland Institute organized study visits for visiting educators from Northern Ireland to Pittsburgh. The agenda for the study visit was developed through joint planning sessions using teleconferencing. The process was highly interactive and characterized by mutual professional commitment, trust, perseverance and effective communication. The Ireland Institute then organized a site visit to Northern Ireland for Western Pennsylvania educators in 1997 and planted seeds that would grow into the joint masters program in technology three years later.

As a follow-up to Vital Voices Conference in Belfast, Northern Ireland, Marie Martin, program officer for the Western Education and Library Board and Michele O'Leary jointly agreed to develop an exchange program for educators. When Michele returned to Pittsburgh, she contacted Dr. Mary Catherine Conroy-Hayden, vice president at Carlow College. Using teleconferencing for planning sessions with the Ireland Institute, Western Education and Library Board and Carlow staff a visit to Pittsburgh involving teachers from Longtower School in Derry was planned. The Derry educators met with Carlow faculty and staff, visited Pittsburgh schools, and conferred with teachers about the critical issues that affect children. Following the visit Marie Martin and Mary Catherine Conroy Hayden began to plan future programs and study visits using teleconferencing.

In June 1998, Joseph Martin, Senior Inspector of the Western Education and Library Board, along with Marie Martin, extended their vacation to include a visit to Pittsburgh. Mary Catherine Conroy Hayden met with both Joe and Marie Martin and scheduled meetings with teachers and professors who were in the forefront of technology education in the United States.

Joe Martin then invited Vivian McIver, Senior Inspector, Northern Ireland Department of Education, to visit and learn about the resources available in Pittsburgh.

After further teleconferencing between the Ireland Institute of Pittsburgh, and the Library Board, Vivian McIver and Joe Martin returned in the summer of 1999. They visited Carnegie Mellon University, Carlow College and Duquesne University. Mary Catherine Conroy Hayden, now a consultant to the Ireland Institute, brought her background as a higher education faculty member and her experience teaching instructional technology to the project.

She then joined with Vivian McIver, Joe Martin and Marie Martin and Michele O'Leary in designing a strategic plan that would join higher education institutions in Northern Ireland and Western Pennsylvania in a partnership to teach a common course of study in instructional technology. Additional teleconferencing following the return of this delegation, involved: Stephen Peover, Deputy Secretary of Education and Martin McGuiness, Minister of Education for Northern Ireland. They both endorsed this novel idea.

Innovative Partnership-Developing a Vision

What resulted from these deliberations was a joint master's program in technology for educators in Northern Ireland. The Ireland Institute of Pittsburgh as the intermediary organization committed to direct and facilitate planning between the University of Ulster, Duquesne University, the Northern Ireland Department of Education and the Western Education and Library Board. The planning process was highly interactive and mutually respectful consistent with the philosophy of the Ireland Institute. Real enthusiasm and friendship soon developed among the participants through study visits and planning meetings using teleconferencing.

The Ireland Institute of Pittsburgh, using teleconferencing, organized the study visits for all stakeholders to Pittsburgh and to Northern Ireland. The Institute and the Ministry of Education negotiated an agreement of understanding. The Ireland Institute then organized the visit of the Minister of Education from Northern Ireland, Martin McGinness, to Pittsburgh to sign the letter of understanding between government, the Institute, Duquesne University, and the University of Ulster.

Challenges and Benefits to Collaboration

Designing an international partnership graduate program involving multiple partners teaches lessons that are important for future program development.

The conclusions suggested by the successful joint master's in technology program between the University of Ulster and Duquesne University are:

• An intermediary organization such as the Ireland Institute is essential to facilitate communication among all parties and lay the basis for understanding. The Ireland Institute brought to this project years of experience developing programs that involved working with multiple organizations. The Ireland Institute provided the objectivity to interpret and clarify discussions involving program goals and moving the process along.
• Planning time to develop an understanding of each other's institutions, building trusting relationship, establishing clear objectives and programmatic content, and a time line to make decisions as well as funding commitments.
• Leadership support of each organization involved is necessary for the success of any partnership.
• A formal declaration of the partnership. All partners need to sign off on the final design of the program and agree to commit their resources to achieving the common goals.
• Perseverance and good humor are necessary as well as patience, flexibility and understanding of one another's organizational culture and values.

Building International Collaboration Using Technology

The Ireland Institute of Pittsburgh believes that to bring about change in a society one has to focus on the education of its youth. By bringing educators from diverse backgrounds together to learn together and then teach a common subject together is the key to broadening understanding. By developing and using tools such as technology to change systems and education practices in both Northern Ireland and the United States, young people of both countries benefit.

To paraphrase a quote of President John F. Kennedy:

"Our progress as a (world) can be no swifter than our progress in education. The requirements for world leadership, our hopes for economic growth, and the demands of citizenship itself, in an era such as this, all require the maximum development of every young person's capacity."

The Ireland Institute of Pittsburgh is proud to have planted the seeds that grew into the Consortium for Education and Economic Development in 1997 and into the joint Master's Program in Technology with the signing of the International Partnership in Education Agreement in November 2000. The graduates of this program will take a leadership role in using their knowledge to move Northern Ireland even further toward preparing its young people their for their role in a global society.

THE INTERNATIONAL MASTERS
IN EDUCATION TECHNOLOGY

Joseph Martin

The International Masters in Education Technology had its origins in the partnership, which was developed by the Western Education and Library Board with the Ireland Institute of Pittsburgh dating from 1997. As Chief Executive of the Board, and as Chairman of the Northern Ireland Early Professional Development Committee and of the Classroom 2000 Project (which is responsible for the provision of the Education Technology (ET) infrastructure to all 1200 schools in Northern Ireland), I was keen to explore the potential of the partnership to enhance the quality of education technology programmes. A series of meetings, both in Pittsburgh and in Northern Ireland, complemented by videoconferencing, served to develop our ideas and to refine the options.

In our initial exchanges we discussed the range of courses in International Technology which were provided by Duquesne University MSc, Diploma and Certificate programmes, and we explored the possibility of Duquesne providing a certificate programme for a group of Northern Ireland (NI) educators beginning in Spring 2002. In subsequent discussions, two issues became crucial. The first was to ensure that any proposed programme would make a significant contribution to the Northern Ireland ET strategy and would bring expertise to the NI education system that was not already available. The second was to secure funding for such a project.

In order to make this proposed programme a reality, it was necessary to gain the support of many organisations and individuals. I took on the role of convincing them that such a ground-breaking programme was worthwhile and could be delivered, and that the significant investment they were being asked to make would be of benefit to education in NI. Because I personally was convinced of the impact that such a programme could make in this respect, I brought together the key partners and encouraged them to commit to the programme.

A major factor in securing the necessary funding was the support pledged by the Minister for Education, Mr. Martin McGuinness, when he participated by videoconference in a meeting with the Ireland Institute and Duquesne University on 19 July 2000. In the course of the meeting, he spoke of the contacts he had established with the US Secretary for Education, Richard Riley, expressed his commitment to developing educational links with the USA, and gave responsibility to a senior civil servant, Mr. Stephen Peover, Under-Secretary in the Department of Education, to coordinate the development of the initiative.

Extensive discussions take place between key personnel involved in the Northern Ireland ET strategy around the issue of the most appropriate course for NI. These included Stephen Peover and Vivian McIver of the Department of Education, John Anderson, NI Coordinator of the ET Strategy, Marie Martin, International Officer with the WELB, Paddy Mackey, Senior Adviser with the WELB, myself and later, Professor Anne Moran, Head of Education at the University of Ulster. All of these were to play a crucial role at different stages and in different ways in determining the programme that finally emerged, in securing the support of the Department of Education and the University of Ulster, and in the development and implementation of an innovative collaborative international programme in Education Technology.

Because a huge programme of training for teachers was just commencing in Northern Ireland, which was roughly equivalent to the Duquesne Certificate programme, it was decided that the best way forward was to focus on the Masters Programme offered by Duquesne. We agreed that this programme should be customised to meet the needs of Northern Ireland teachers and educators and that a small group of people (10 - 20) should take part in the initial pilot programme. They should be key people in the ongoing development of Educational Technology in Northern Ireland, drawn from the schools sector and other sectors. The latter could include interested and committed people from the advisory services of the five Education and Library Boards (the local education authorities for Northern Ireland), the Higher Education Institutions, the Council for Curriculum, Examinations and Assessment (CCEA) and the NI Education and Training Inspectorate. The possibility of participation from the Republic of Ireland was also to be explored. It was agreed that the Masters Programme would provide a framework for:

• collaboration between educators from Ireland and the USA in the field of Education Technology;
• the design of a Diploma programme to suit the needs of teachers - to be accredited by the University of Ulster/Northern Ireland universities;
• the skills of the Education Technology leaders of the future.

The major attraction of the proposal was that it would be targeted at the key strategic people who were involved in the development of Education Technology. This would then provide a group of key thinkers who, working collaboratively and with a shared vision, would help to develop a vision for the future. It would be very practical in that one of its outcomes would be the design of a Diploma programme. Another outcome would be the development of practical, innovative and imaginative projects in schools. In effect, the participants would be a major resource for the further development of the ET strategy for Northern Ireland. It was also envisaged that the programme would lead to enormous personal and professional development for individuals as well as to enhanced system development.

The project was seen to be at the cutting edge of international co-operation in professional development in Educational Technology. It was also in line with world thinking and with government initiatives world-wide, providing an international model for collaboration in education. Furthermore, it was seen as a natural follow-on from the proceedings of the Washington (DC) Conference on Educational Technology that took place in September 2000.

Detailed, protracted and often difficult negotiations were required in Pittsburgh in September and in Northern Ireland in October before final agreement was reached on all the elements of the programme, and the Memorandum of Understanding was signed in November. That it was possible to reach such agreement was a tribute to the skill, patience and perseverance of Duquesne University, the University of Ulster, the NI Department of Education, the WELB, and the Ireland Institute of Pittsburgh. Particular credit is due to Dr. Bill Barone and Dr. Larry Tomei of Duquesne who never lost sight of the importance of this collaborative project and who persevered with the vision even when negotiations came close to collapse. The result was a decision to offer a Masters Programme in Education, with a strong emphasis on Distance Learning, to be delivered collaboratively by Duquesne University and the University of Ulster, in Northern Ireland and in Pittsburgh.

The time-scale for the selection of participants following the signing of the Memorandum of Understanding in November 2000 was almost impossibly short. As the institution with responsibility for the organisation of the programme, the WELB undertook the task of ensuring that a full complement of participants was selected in time for the commencement of the programme at the beginning of 2001. Five teachers - two from primary (elementary) schools, two from post-primary (high) schools, and one from a school for special education - were selected following public advertisement. Five advisory staff - one from each Education and Library Board - were nominated by their Chief Executives. The remaining seven participants were drawn from the Education and Training Inspectorate, the CCEA, the Regional Training Unit, the Schools’ Library Service and from three Further and Higher Education Institutions. These 17 specially selected candidates have all been set up for success and are now on course to graduate in the July 2002.

Although my own role in the initiation and development of the course has proved to be an extremely challenging one, nevertheless, I feel proud and privileged to have been part of such an innovative, exciting and ultimately highly successful programme. It has been a privilege and a delight to work with such visionary and committed professionals and I am convinced that education in Northern Ireland will be vastly enriched by the pioneering work done through this programme.

The International MSc
in Education Technology

Marie Martin

Milestones along the way.

As International Officer of the Western Education & Library Board (WELB,) the local education authority for the western part of Northern Ireland, I saw it as my mission to promote international collaboration in education as a means of enriching the taught curriculum in our schools and, particularly, of broadening the horizons of our education community. In late 1996, I had the opportunity of meeting briefly, in Omagh, Northern Ireland, with Sr. Michele O’Leary, president of the Ireland Institute of Pittsburgh who was then on one of her frequent business trips to Ireland. Sr. Michele, was committed to helping Ireland on the road to peace and stability by working tirelessly and very fruitfully, through the Ireland Institute and its networks, on projects geared towards economic regeneration. At that stage, education did not figure on the agenda. My meeting, therefore, was not initially productive. Sr. Michele did, however, agree to continue the discussion on her return to Pittsburgh, through exchange of letters and telephone conversations. In retrospect, this meeting, which paved the way for collaboration between the WELB and the Ireland Institute, proved to be the first milestone along the road which led ultimately to the International MSc in Education Technology, delivered collaboratively by Duquesne University, Pittsburgh and the University of Ulster, Northern Ireland.

In the ensuing discussion, I found Sr. Michele very ready to accept my argument that economic regeneration should be underpinned by education and she was enthusiastic about the prospects of working with the WELB. She acceded graciously and generously to my request to arrange a study visit to Pittsburgh of a group of primary (elementary) teachers, led by me, from Derry city in 1997 and spared no effort in facilitating this, our first joint venture. Its undoubted success was due in large measure to the commitment of Carlow College under whose auspices, at the request of Sr. Michele, the visit took place. The programme organiser and coordinator was Dr. Mary Catherine Conroy-Hayden, then Vice- President of Carlow College. The participation of Dr. Roberta Schomberg, Head of Education at Carlow College, was another major factor in the successful outcome. This visit proved to be the second milestone. It laid the foundation of excellent and enduring personal as well as professional relationships, which underpinned all future collaboration. It provided the momentum for the new partnership, out of which came eventually the idea that led to the development and implementation of the International MSc programme.

The partnership gave rise to many collaborative initiatives, focusing mainly on the professional development of teachers, the sharing of good practice, particularly in distance learning, and the exchange of resources. It was strengthened by both virtual meetings through videoconferencing and actual face-to-face meetings. The earliest of the latter took place in 1998 when Mr. Joseph Martin, Chief Executive of the WELB, and I visited Pittsburgh, where Sr. Michele had arranged for us to visit a number of third level institutions, including Duquesne University. Here we met Dr. Larry Tomei, and Dr. Linda Wojnar and the idea of some form of collaboration around Education Technology was first introduced.

However, it was a virtual encounter in 1999, which proved to be the third milestone. At the invitation of WELB, Mr. Vivian McIver, a senior inspector from the Department of Education, joined the Chief Executive and myself in a videoconference from Omagh with Sr. Michele, Dr. Conroy-Hayden and Dr. Schomberg. Mr. McIver was impressed by the initiatives already undertaken by the partnership and by the potential for expansion to the benefit of the whole of Northern Ireland. His role was crucial in implementing that vision. Happily, Dr. Schomberg was able to visit Northern Ireland in March 1999 and held discussions with Mr. McIver. She also met with Mr. John Anderson, Coordinator of the Northern Ireland EducationTechnology strategy. Mr. Anderson was later to play a significant role in the development of the programme for the International MSc. in Education Technology. Mr. McIver subsequently visited Pittsburgh in May 2000, together with Mr. J Martin and myself. Again this visit was facilitated by the Ireland Institute and meetings were arranged with third level institutions. The idea of collaboration with Duquesne University was further explored on that occasion and Mr. McIver strongly endorsed this idea.

The fourth and by far the most important milestone was the participation of the Northern Ireland Minister for Education, Mr. Martin McGuinness, in a videoconference with the Ireland Institute of Pittsburgh on July 19, 2000. This happened almost by chance. The Minister, who had become aware of my work in developing the use of videoconferencing in education, had asked me to give him an experience of the medium. I suggested that a link up with the Ireland Institute would not only give him that experience, but would also make him aware of the exciting developments which were taking place. He agreed to this. This videoconference with Sr. Michele, Dr. Conroy-Hayden and Dr. Tomei established the Northern Ireland/Pittsburgh partnership at the highest level. The Education Technology initiative with Duquesne was also assured of ministerial support. A senior Department official, Mr. Stephen Peover, was assigned to co-ordinate the initiative. The Minister accepted an invitation to Pittsburgh. This took place the following November, during which he signed the Memorandum of Understanding with Duquesne University.

A series of meetings and discussions followed this videoconference. The decision was made to proceed with an International Masters programme in Education Technology, delivered collaboratively by Duquesne and the University of Ulster and customised to meet the needs of Northern Ireland. Dr. Anne Moran, Head of the School of Education at the University of Ulster was immediately supportive and committed to this programme. Some serious obstacles, mainly around funding issues and timescale, had to be confronted. At times, the difficulties seemed insurmountable. However, the key players held the vision and refused to give up. The programme, with 17 students drawn from all parts of the education sector in Northern Ireland, began in February 2001. I had the pleasure of being present in Pittsburgh in July 2001 where I witnessed the delivery of the residential programme and experienced at first hand the commitment and enthusiasm of the students. In the words of Dr. Linda Wojnar, all of them are “set up for success.” The final milestone will be reached when these students graduate as Masters of Science in Education Technology in July 2002.

It Began as a Courtesy Call…

Larry Tomei

A phone call in early 1998 would trigger a year-long schedule of visits to Pittsburgh, meetings in Northern Ireland, and videoconferences across the Atlantic that would ultimately result in the first transcontinental graduate program in educational technology.

On an otherwise ordinary Tuesday morning, a phone call was placed from the Ireland Institute of Pittsburgh, a non-profit organization that fosters collaborations among the peoples of two countries closely tied by a common ancestry, to Duquesne University. The impact of the Irish immigrants on western Pennsylvania is tightly woven into its history, culture, and economy. It would soon become inexorably linked to the education of its children as well.

Originally, a 30-minute welcome and orientation to our School of Education was proposed to introduce Northern Ireland visitors to programs typical of teacher preparation in the United States. Mr. Joseph Martin, Chief Executive of the Western Education and Library Board (WELB); Mrs. Marie Martin, WELB International officer, and Sr. Michelle O’Leary, President of the Ireland Institute, instead, found themselves attracted to educational technology and the potential that it might hold for the advancement of teacher-educators in Northern Ireland. Educational technology became another in the long line of promising content areas; another topic on an endless list of imperative professional development initiatives.

A Second Visit … and A Promise.

As the luck of the Irish would have it, a second follow-on visit to the United States introduced a fourth key player in Northern Ireland education who joined the May 2000 visiting team to Pittsburgh. Mr. Vivian McIver, senior inspector from the Department of Education, shared a vision of teacher development in his country and plans for a possible collaboration with Duquesne University began in earnest. Additional meetings would be necessary, along with a better understanding of the similarities and differences of the two systems of education. Initial discussions during this on-campus session found significant interest in the K-12 strand of technology that, at the time, served most students enrolled in Duquesne’s graduate program in instructional technology. But, as just mentioned, more work needed to be done before settling on any particular program of study.

Ratcheting Up the Collaborative…

Enter the technology. A videoconference, that much like our traditional meetings, began by addressing one purpose and quickly evolved into an opportunity to advance an agenda for improving education. From our perspective, an invitation to join an international videoconference with the Northern Ireland Minister of Education, Mr. Martin McGuiness, was a unique opportunity to discuss the future of instructional technology at the highest levels, whether the consortium between our two countries was realized or not. The videoconference was immediately successful. Relationships, so critical to international programs in education, were fostered. Priorities were created. Friendships were established. We agreed that the next visit would be a contingent from Pittsburgh to Northern Ireland.

Visiting Ireland…

For two Duquesne University educators, their first visit to the Emerald Isle would be eventful, hectic, and immensely unforgettable - for many reasons. Drs. William Barone, Chairman of the Department of Instruction and Leadership in Education, and Lawrence Tomei, Coordinator of the Program in Instructional Technology, joined an Ireland Institute team of five other educators from the Pittsburgh area. Our particular focus was, of course, a possible program of study in educational technology for elementary and secondary teachers in Northern Ireland. The first lesson learned by the visiting team was nominal; in Northern Ireland, elementary students are found in primary schools and high school students are in grammar schools. Just the first of many lessons that had to be learned before we could become friends. Visits included meetings with the Minister of Education and his senior staff, including Mr. Stephen Peover, who would represent the government during upcoming negotiations. More visits to see the wonders of Ireland. Belfast, Omagh, Coultraine - even more meetings, this time on all sides of the proverbial round table to lay out a possible memorandum of agreement.

First order of business was a major change in focus. As it turned out, senior Northern Ireland negotiators were no longer interested in a K-12 curriculum for its teachers. Mr. John Anderson, coordinator of educational technology strategy for Northern Ireland, was most impressed with the alternative strand of Duquesne’s technology program - distance learning. Since the inception of the program, distance education had become its own focus for many of the program’s now 150-plus participants. Senior officials considered distance learning as a reasonable vehicle for establishing a nation-wide technology integration program of their own. A “teach the teachers” approach would become the purpose of the proposed cohort. Also, another partner would enter the picture - a most welcome partner for the advancement of a graduate program of some 30 credit hours. The University of Ulster was to deliver the three elective courses in the program, reducing the costs, and providing in-country coursework for the 17 selected participants. Although negotiations would stall several times during the day-long meetings, success in the form of a draft memorandum of understanding was the final result of the sessions. A draft document containing course descriptions, agendas, budgets, milestones - all the elements of a two-year masters degree acceptable to all parties. The meetings were vital to getting the program off the ground. But the true value of the visit to Northern Ireland was in befriending the peoples and cementing relationships that will last well beyond graduation day.

Signing Day at Duquesne University.

On a gloriously clear November 2000 day on the bluffs in Pittsburgh, the principal signatories to the first international masters in educational technology met to finalize the memorandum. Mr. Martin McGuiness, Sr. Michelle O’Leary, and Dr. John E. Murray, Jr., President of Duquesne University, discussed the events that had led to this day and took pen to paper to validate the first terms of the first cohort of Northern Ireland students in an international program of educational technology. Now the work was to begin in earnest. Already two months behind the selection of the cohort members, Northern Ireland officials began the process of advertising, promoting, and selecting participants from across the educational professionals in their country. Seventeen slots left little room for mistakes and not much room for representatives from all the major constituents. Teachers, sure - Librarians, a must for a country that has integrated library services into its educational system. But, the cohort must also include delegates from further and higher education, the inspection (accreditation) services, testing, and professional training. It took until early December before the final cohort was selected. And the first course was scheduled for January 2001.

Learning Through Collaboration

Anne Moran

In the context of promoting a culture of international collaboration, the Western Education and Library Board (WELB), the Department of Education for Northern Ireland (DE), the Ireland Institute in Pittsburgh and the University of Ulster met to discuss a number of potential areas for collaboration. In May 2000 following a number of meetings by videoconference between NI and the USA the decision was taken to focus on the area of Educational Technology.

The city of Pittsburgh appeared to offer an ideal opportunity for collaboration. It has a number of outstanding educational institutions that include the University of Pittsburgh, Carnegie-Mellon University, Duquesne University, Chatham College and Carlow College, all of whom are committed to international outreach and to working with Ireland. Pittsburgh is a small city with a significant population of Irish descent.

Following a visit by Richard Reilly, the US Secretary of State for Education to Belfast in June 2000 and his invitation to the International IT Conference in Washington, as well as the earlier discussions referred to above, a decision was taken to collaborate with Duquesne University in Pittsburgh since it had a number of programmes in Instructional Technology which appeared to meet the needs of the NI educational community. Detailed discussion and negotiation ensued both in Pittsburgh and NI.

In September the Head of the School of Education, Dr. Anne Moran, was invited to Pittsburgh along with representatives from the WELB and the DE to meet with representatives from the Ireland Institute and Duquesne University. Detailed discussions took place about the design of the international Master’s programme that was to be provided partly in distance mode and in partnership between the University of Ulster and Duquesne University. The visit included a tour of Duquesne University and its facilities.

Further discussions took place at the University of Ulster at Magee where a further meeting of all the partners allowed for plans to be finalised (3 October 2000). Three modules were to be taught by UU (Critical Reflective Practice, Multi Media Literacy and Collaborative Learning Online) and the remainder by Duquesne University.

The programme aimed to meet elements of the NI Educational Technology Strategy and was to be targeted at key personnel involved in the strategic development of IT in NI. Applications were invited from personnel in schools, from the library service, from the Curriculum Support and Advisory Service at the ELBs, the Council for the Curriculum Examinations and Assessment, Further and Higher Education and Higher Education. One of the staff from the University of Ulster was selected to participate and is currently a student on the course. The programme would cater initially for 18 participants, would begin in the Spring of 2001 and was to be funded by the DE. Participants who were all to be recruited from NI would have the opportunity to spend four weeks studying in Pittsburgh (June/July 2001).

In November 2000 during a visit to the USA the Minister for Education, Martin McGuinness, visited Duquesne University in Pittsburgh to sign the Memorandum of Understanding between the Ireland Institute, the Department of Education, NI and the two Universities.

The course got underway in January 2001 with the Critical Reflective Practice module. In February 2001, Dr. Linda Wojnar from Duquesne University visited NI to meet with the tutors who would be involved from UU, as well as all the participants on the course, on a one to one and group basis, in order to facilitate progression and a seamless transition between modules. This was followed by a visit by Dr. Larry Tomei two weeks later who taught the group over a period of three consecutive weekends. In June/July the two staff from the University of Ulster who would be teaching the Modules after the Summer School visited Pittsburgh and spent a week working with the tutors and the participants.

Frequent contact is maintained between Duquesne University and the University of Ulster by video and computer conferencing. Students too participate in the videoconference sessions.

The strength of the partnership is due in no small measure to the dedication and commitment of both partners to provide a course of the highest quality. In the early stage of the course much work had to be done in embedding the course and it was not without some initial difficulties. Participants were selected for the course because of their expertise in ICT in NI. The most difficult aspect then was to assess the level and nature of expertise within the group so that provision could be tailored to meet their needs. In an attempt to do this the course team at UU believed that the starting point should be the critical reflection and analysis of practice by the participants and the sharing of experiences by the participants but this met with considerable resistance from some of the group who considered that they were already familiar with the reflective process and believed they had nothing to gain by engaging in an analysis and discussion of their practice.

In the ensuing few weeks a degree of dissatisfaction was apparent. However, breakthrough only occurs when we begin to think about conflict, diversity and difference as essential factors for success. The course team was determined to make a success of this initiative and so listened to and valued the diversity of views expressed by the group. Differences between the participants and the course teams expectations were brought out into the open and with the support of the staff from Duquesne University the conflict and anxieties which prevailed were transformed into new and creative approaches to resolving the situation. Over time, relationships were consolidated and cooperatively the course teams and participants moved forward. At all times, I considered that I had to work alongside and support the staff from UU who felt very vulnerable

The turning point, however, in terms of the resolution of the conflict was the visit by a faculty member from Duquesne University who visited NI and spent two full weeks engaged in one to one discussions with each participant in their work environment, as well as meeting the group as a whole, the WELB team who were facilitating the course, the ET Strategy Co-ordinator and the tutors from UU. This proved to be the turning point of the course and it was at that stage that participants began to truly appreciate how relevant the course would be for each of them. The Faculty member from Duquesne built confidence and trust among the participants and the collaborative approach and support provided allowed me to build on their strengths and creative synergies which was to lead to combined action and improvement.

Mutualism and the symbiotic relationships were central to resolving the initial conflicts encountered. The difficulties had induced a creative dynamism which was to provide the solution for the way forward. From my perspective the partnership was a true development experience in itself and I had no doubt at that stage that my staff would benefit enormously from working alongside the Faculty members from Duquesne University and the students during their Summer Semester in Pittsburgh. This proved to be the case and in fact tutors from UU were able to ensure a smooth transition and progression from this phase of the course to the next which was to be provided by them.

From my perspective, it was the support from Duquesne University, in particular the approach to real and meaningful partnership, the quality of relationships which developed and the support provided by the staff from Duquesne University which allowed new understandings to emerge and the course to go from strength to strength. At this point I was confident that sustainable success with the course could be achieved. Furthermore, the opportunity to internationalise the work of the School and to share expertise and experiences brought a very rich dimension to the work. Within NI also relationships were consolidated at all levels and the provision of the programme in partnership involving a range of professionals was set for success.

Education Technology in Northern Ireland

Why did Northern Ireland need
an International Masters’ Programme?

John Anderson

Northern Ireland

Northern Ireland has a relatively homogenous education service, for, although it comprises a bi-partite secondary school sector (with some schools selecting pupils at the age of 11 on the basis of academic performance, and non-selective schools) and six different statutory categories of church, state, integrated and Irish-medium schools, almost all are wholly state-funded with only a tiny number of independent schools. In recent years education has become one of the functions of a legislative assembly with a locally elected Minister and the oversight of an Assembly Education Committee, devolved from control of the United Kingdom parliament in London, England.

1244 primary, secondary and special schools employ 20,000 teachers and serve 340,000 pupils, from a total population of 1.5 million people, over a third of whom live in the greater Belfast area. The five local Education and Library Boards (ELBs), comprising locally elected public representatives, are responsible for the majority of schools and also administer the public and school library services. All state-funded schools, whatever their category, are provided with statutory curriculum advice and support services by the ELBs for the area in which they are located.

A strategic approach to enhancement

With respect to computers in schools, a survey conducted in 1997, indicated that:

• more than 70% of computers in schools were described as ‘old’;
• the vast majority of computing equipment in schools was unable to support modern multimedia;
• only 1% of primary schools in Northern Ireland had networks that could be used to support computer use in the curriculum;
• when teachers were asked about the main constraints in moving forward with effective use of computers in the classroom, the three top items were:

  - access to appropriate technology provision in the classroom;
  - teacher competence and confidence in using computers for teaching;
  - the financial constraints under which schools were operating.

The survey provided a diagnosis and the Education Technology Strategy, published in 1998 and linked in turn to the province’s economic strategy, committed the Department of Education to consider how the various elements of computers in education - curricular, professional development and administration/management systems could be brought together as a coherent whole.

The policy for computers in schools set out targets across the four dimensions of:

• Learners and their ICT skills, covering standards of pupil competence, curriculum integration, accreditation and assessment for learners, homework policy, special education needs and policy on acceptable use of the Internet;
• Teachers and Learners, setting targets for teacher competence in computers, the use of computers in the professional development of teachers, quality assurance by the schools’ Inspectorate, the role of the senior management in schools and access to personal computers for teachers;
• Schools and resources, dealing with links with school libraries, the home, the community and setting expectations for accommodation and equipment needs;
• Infrastucture and support, to address and resolve the issues of financial resourcing, levels of expected use of computers, technology refresh, communication and network tariffs, and user training and support.

The infrastructure, resource, connectivity and support issues are addressed through the Classroom 2000 project, targeting some $420 million of central funds over 10 years into a managed computer service in all schools. Classroom 2000 provides the foundation upon which universal access to a rich and developing pool of computer-based educational resources will be based - some 260 locally available curriculum software titles in the first instance (80 on desktops in primary classrooms and 180 on the desktops in secondary school classrooms). It is deploying an integrated network with more than 40,000 new desktops for curricular and administrative use by teachers and pupils throughout all of the country’s schools connected through the Internet to a wide range of on-line educational services and curriculum content. This service will facilitate access to significant teaching resources both from school and home.

Teacher training is essential to the successful use of technology in the classroom by teachers, and teacher competence lies at the heart of innovation. The strategy defined the basic competence required for all teachers in terms of:

• basic skills in using technology;
• their knowledge of how computers and the Internet changes the teaching of their specialist subject;
• through the combination of skills and knowledge, their understanding and ability to plan, prepare, teach and assess children using computers as a resource.

$14 million was spent between 1998 and 2000 to prepare the ground through a preliminary training scheme, the successful ‘Connecting Teachers’ initiative. The initiative provided preparatory training by experts for a teacher-leader in every one of the schools in Northern Ireland, each of whom became the leader of a, deliberately small, team of teachers within their school. In total, a further $28 million was spent providing 14,000 laptops and software to the 20,000 teachers - 2 for every 3 teachers - to facilitate their professional development.

Building on the first step, public funding from the United Kingdom’s National Lottery is now extending pedagogic training to every single teacher, with a budget of some $16 million for Northern Ireland. By the end of the training teachers will know: when, when not and how to use ICT in their subject; how ICT can be used in teaching the whole class; how ICT can be used when planning teaching activities; how to assess pupils’ work when ICT has been used and how ICT can be used to keep up-to-date, share best practice and reduce bureaucracy.

Making the transition to transformation

The engagement of commitment and capability for the enhancement of classroom teaching with computers is well underway. However, the need in Northern Ireland for a transition to the online provision of professional development and curriculum support for teachers, and to deliver school curriculum courses online is the next on the school improvement agenda. In 2000, Northern Ireland was very aware that it lacked the necessary experience and expertise needed to specify, understand, develop and implement education online.

As Alan November, a USA education consultant who advises on strategy in Northern Ireland puts it:

“If all we’re going to do is take the current curriculum, which comes out of a paper-based technology, and move in onto the Internet -- in other words, squeeze textbooks and chapters through wires -- I don’t think that’s significant. I think where we’re really going, the big picture here, is that we’ve got to figure out ways to challenge kids to solve problems we’ve never challenged them to solve before. They must leave our schools feeling absolutely capable of accessing massive amounts of information. And we’re going to have to teach children to work with people they’ll never see. People in different parts of the world, maybe in their own communities, different age groups, and different cultures.”

The International Masters programme was initiated as a result of discussions between the Ireland Institute in Pittsburgh, the Western Education and Library Board, the Department of Education, the Education Technology Strategy and two universities, Duquesne University in Pittsburgh and the University of Ulster. The initial intention was to provide, as part of the outreach work of the Ireland Institute, external support for the basic development of computers in schools in Northern Ireland. However, a higher-level need for the education service to nurture and develop expertise in on-line teaching and learning, was refined through discussion. This goal was seen as particularly timely and relevant to propel the strategy well into the 21^st century.

The international programme aims to promote:

• a creative and innovative approach to teacher education and development;
• a consensual understanding of digital learning in the context of the Northern Ireland curriculum;
• an understanding of the global issues relating to computers and education;
• a development of the interface between community, home and school through the Internet;
• an ability to understand and manage change in education, related to the use of computers;
• experience of collaborative on-line learning;
• development of ability to create and manage on-line learning environments, and to support learners on-line.

The Department for Education agreed to fund the programme for 15 participants and the (now) Department for Employment and Learning provided additional funding for two participants from the further education sector.

On completion of the programme successful graduates will be expected to contribute significantly to the inter-agency strategic development of accredited professional programmes in computers in education for teachers in Northern Ireland and to the creation and support of on-line learning environments.

Planning of the programme started in September 2000 and the first class met in February 2001 to undertake a 10 module programme [see end note1] of part-time study, research and project work. They have worked intensively since then, and the programme ends with graduation in July 2002.

The MSc course programme is structured partly in a traditional way with taught components from Ulster or Duquesne, or both. However, the programme offered a unique potential of being ‘greater than the parts’ by creating a team who can work together, like a research and development team, on innovative aspects of education technology, and especially those that develop ‘education on-line’ in Northern Ireland.

Participation has several outcome opportunities, at least two of which are:

• Personal growth and development in knowledge and expertise for the participants themselves;
• A major contribution to advancing education technology in schools and colleges, especially important in light of the government’s emerging e-learning agenda.

The 17 participants in the programme represent eight different categories of employer in the education service: schools; the further education colleges; the curriculum advisory and support services; the school library services; statutory and non-statutory curriculum, assessment and training organisations; the inspectorate and the initial teacher education sector.

Each participant’s employer, who supported the individual’s participation in the programme, will be able to obtain the maximum value for the employing organisation from the investment in developing experience and expertise in online learning by involving the post-graduate in:

• Making a contribution to policy development about new approaches to teaching and learning in the organisation itself;
• Setting targets in the organisation’s development plan for innovation in e-learning;
• Working directly with selected individuals in the organisation to pass on the experience and expertise developed;
• Developing and delivering online professional development for staff in the organisation as a whole;
• Running pilot projects in online teaching and learning for the organisation’s “clients” (pupils, student teachers, serving teachers, school leaders, professional education staff, etc.)

There is a broader need for the education service as a whole, and for the specific sectors (schools, FE, library service, etc.) within the education service, to consider how to learn from, extend, build upon and go beyond the work initiated in the programme.

There is a specific need for a strategy to sustain the momentum for continuing professional development in computers after the end of the National Lottery funded programme in March 2003 and to raise competence for teachers and others to a higher level. Building on the work of the MSc programme, and the expertise and experience of the 2001/02 cohort, establishing and providing an Online Postgraduate Diploma in Education Technology for teachers, advisers and others in the school sector in Northern Ireland would provide a helpful next step, build upon the initial experiences of teachers, and create online collaborative communities of educators, both in and beyond the province.

Endnote:

[1] The programme is organised into ten modules which are outlined in the below:

1.1          Critical Reflective Practice: Application of critical reflective practices to technology-based and online learning.

1.2          Technology and Education: Examines the pedagogy of teaching digitally, and the use of ICT as a learning resource, in the context of the education technology strategy.

1.3          Distance Learning Course Design: Introduces concepts of technology-based instruction to the design of distance and on-line courses.

1.4          Teaching at a Distance Applications: Expands, in a practical way, on the theories of curriculum design by exploring technology-rich models of teaching and learning on-line.

1.5          ICT - and School Management: Examines issues of leading and managing technology, and change arising from technology, in school organisations.

1.6          Multi-Media Literacy: Develops the levels of visual, creative and information literacy needed by teachers and learners in an ICT environment.

1.7          Assessment of Teaching and Learning with ICT: Explores issues of assessment with and through ICT.

1.8          Collaborative Learning on-line: Examines the nature of individual and collaborative on-line learning.

1.9          Teaching with Technology - Globalisation: In both global and local context, examines, in a practical way, the integration of technology across organisations, worldwide.

1.10          Practicum: The practical, collaborative, development of professional and curriculum development programmes on-line.

Module 1: Critical Reflective Practice

Mary McAteer

The first module of the International Masters ICT programme, Critical Reflective practice, required participants to acquire a basic understanding of the action research process as a means by which they could explore and analyse their own practice with a view to improving it. It was taught over a period of 13 weeks using both face-to-face lectures and tutorials and on-line teaching approaches. For three weeks during the course, all the teaching was planned as distance, on-line provision. However, throughout the programme a number of electronic methods of communication was used to support the lectures and tutorials. These methods included email tutorials, electronic conferencing using a forum provided by the Northern Ireland Network for Education (NINE), a website which is accessible to teachers and other educationalists throughout Northern Ireland and a simultaneous chat facility hosted by Duquesne University in Pittsburgh. This section of the paper explores some of the experiences and issues surrounding the use of the electronic conferencing medium.

All the participants were ICT professionals working in a range of educational contexts, and all possessed a high level of ICT proficiency. At the start of the course, there was in fact, some disquiet among the participants that the first module was not ICT focused, and many were anxious to get to the more technical aspects of the course. As tutor for the course, I believed it to be of fundamental benefit to all the participants in helping them research the ways in which ICT could be used as a pedagogy which had the potential to enhance learning and teaching. I had discussed this philosophy with Linda, one of the tutors from Duquesne, and found that our beliefs and educational values were very similar. As I recorded on the NINE conference site:

I was delighted to get an opportunity to meet Linda last night, and it was amazing how similar our agendas actually were. Within minutes of striking up conversation, it was immediately obvious that we held very similar beliefs and values in relation to what counts as education, and what is educative.

We discussed the need for the course to do more than provide technical expertise for the participants, and agreed that while technologies may, and indeed will change, a critical awareness of how technology supports or otherwise the learning process is an essential element of any programme which is described as educational. This section of the paper explores some of the ways in which, during the first module, participants and myself explored concepts such as educational and educative, discussed what we actually meant by terms such as "information literacy", explored theories and concepts of leadership, and perhaps more appropriately, began to learn ourselves how to use electronic media as a genuinely educational medium. What was also interesting to observe was how the frequency and nature of the electronic communications between the participants and myself was helpful in developing a sense of community within the group.

I intend to present my observations under three categories of discussion:

• Information seeking and sharing
• Debate and discussion
• Idle chatter

Information seeking and sharing

Participants found the conference site an excellent way of sharing with colleagues useful information they had come across in their reading or web browsing, and frequently posted links to URLs of interest. They also used this medium to ask for specific help they required on a range of issues from the use of HTML in formatting their responses on the site, to questions about the educational "jargon" that they were beginning to come across in their reading. Some also posted responses they had made to literature they had read, so that the rest of the group could benefit from their reflections it. This forum became a rich resource for all participants.

Debate and discussion

This was in many ways the most interesting, and also perhaps, the most problematic way in which the conference was used. I hoped initially that if others or I were to post items for discussion on the conference site that participants and myself could begin to enter into dialogue, and that in this way, the conference site would serve two purposes. In the first instance it could become an educative process through which we could share, discuss and debate our ideas, and hence refine them, and that secondly, the record of this debate could become in itself a resource for all of us. However, what was of interest for me as tutor to see was in some cases, reluctance on the part of participants to enter into the discussion. One participant talked of the “vulnerable” nature of on-line discussion, and suggested that more class discussions during the face-to-face sessions would perhaps ease people into this new discussion environment. Another participant emailed me some questions relating to the course and the assignment, and we entered into an exchange of several emails in which we teased out ideas relating to what was meant by “information literacy”. He suggested at one point during our correspondence that he would like us to “go public” on it by posting it on the conference site, and inviting the rest of the group to join in. We did not however, get the response we had hoped for. Two people posted a comment that the discussion was very interesting and “helpful”, while a third said that while she had enjoyed following the discussion, she felt that she lacked the expertise to join in. She further commented that our discussion seemed not only well informed but also “considered”, adding that “normally when I’m on-line I just pull things out of the top of my head”. Another participant asked if I wrote my postings as a word document first of all, and edited the content before I went “live” with it. I assured her that I didn’t, and that anything I had written was much in the same format as a response I might make in a class or conference situation, and was simply my “working thoughts” on an issue.

It seemed to me that the relatively permanent nature of the on-line discussion was in fact, a barrier for many of the participants. Despite having high levels of ICT skills and competence, many were reluctant to explicate their thinking via that medium. In ways it reminded me of the natural shyness some people feel during face-to-face group discussions, and I was, I confess, somewhat surprised at this reaction. I noted in an email to my correspondent, which we later posted on the NINE conference site,

The use of on-line resources requires much more than ICT skills in the "end-user", I think that attitudes and values, and indeed fears, are probably much more important in indicating the level of participation in on-line dialogue. And when I think of it, I suppose it is really no different to the situation where, in a room full of pupils for example, all presumably competent in basic oral communication skills, the level of participation in discussion is governed by factors other than basic skill and competence. Why, I suppose, should on-line communication be any different? I guess in some ways, I have surprised myself with my own participation in this, not being at all highly skilled in ICT compared with the rest of the group... but, I do like talking, discussing and debating... maybe that's it? I don't know. I did have preconceptions that this might be a rather "cold" communication environment, but now I see that it doesn't have to be...more things to think about.....

Idle chatter

One of the conference strands was called Idle Chatter, and it was this strand that brought the highest level of participation in the group. Conversation here related to everything from whether I ever cooked dinner for my family, and if so, was my computer close to the cooker, to making arrangements for travel in America during the study period there, to general small talk about the weather and journeys to and from the centre where the course was running. One participant noted “I do like the idea of idle chatter - perhaps this is where it will all happen?” This was an interesting observation, since some weeks later, that strand became the focus for discussion about epistemological theories. Someone observed during this part of the discussion. “does the fact that these (hard) questions come up in ‘Idle Chatter’ make you think that participant feel uncomfortable in ‘real’ discussion but are happy to ‘attend’ what looks like less threatening conferences?”.

Once again, I was made acutely aware of the potential for electronic communication to prohibit as well as to support effective communication.

A further reflection I had on the use of this forum however was the way in which the level and frequency of postings to the Idle Chatter thread seems to be important to group members as a means by which they could simply keep in touch on a personal level. Many of the exchanges related to small everyday things in their lives, much in the way that normal ‘small talk’ does. In this respect, it was of great benefit in helping the group to bond, and indeed, for many members, the lack of a new message on the site was almost cause for concern! One posting, entitled “lonely” simply read “where is everyone tonight?”

Reflections

This was my first experience of the use of electronic communications in an educational forum. Having initially had some reserve that my ICT skills might ‘let me down’, and that the medium was itself too ‘cold’ to allow for any sort of meaningful dialogue, I was surprised at how readily I could engage in meaningful conversations with my colleagues. I was equally surprised however, that many highly skilled ICT users who often expressed a high regard for it’s usefulness as a learning and teaching medium, found some initial difficulty in participating. For all of us, this was both an interesting and an important insight as it informed our future practice in the use of ICT in the learning environment.

The Pittsburgh Experience: Issue 1

Richard Wallace

It was in late November 2000 when I first saw the newspaper advert and heard through the Northern Ireland IT grapevine about the International MSc in Education Technology. The province was in the middle of a postal strike at the time and I recall trying in vain to get an application form for the course. By that stage I had heard about the Pittsburgh aspect and that certainly increased my desire to be part of the experience.

When I read the introduction on the Application Form by Alan November and remembered the visit he had made to Ballyclare just a few weeks earlier, I knew I just had to get one of the five places on that course that were reserved for teachers. Perhaps it was his last sentence that convinced me

‘They (the kids as he called them) must leave our schools feeling absolutely capable of accessing massive amounts of information. And we’re going to have to teach children to work with people they’ll never see - people in different parts of the world …’

I liked the look of the 10 modules and, while I felt I knew something about and could make a contribution to some of them, there were so many others about which I had a lot to learn. I was just a bit confused with the timing of the course because only months before I had been working with a small group in the University of Ulster which had been charged with writing a similar course for Northern Ireland teachers and there had been absolutely no mention of this course.

In school we had installed a new network system in anticipation of Classroom 2000 (C2K) and so I believed that there was never a better time to be involved in a Master’s degree in Education Technology. My daughter had just been married and having converted her bedroom, I now had a study for the first time. Looking back, I don’t know where I would have done the work or stored the materials without it.

I plagued the secretaries in the Western Education and Library Board (WELB) for the few days around the 12^th December, the closing date for applications. By that time the postal strike was coming to an end but such was the backlog of letters that one could not be sure that the form would arrive on time --and it did say on the bottom of it in bold, underlined text that ‘Late applications will not be accepted’!

Richard Hanna, one of my friends and colleagues in school, very kindly informed me that we would not apply for the course so that he would not jeopardise my chance of a place. I did appreciate that gesture since it would have been unlikely that two men from the same school would be accepted for the only two post-primary places on the course. As it turned out, Richard moved on to the Northern Ireland Council for Curriculum, Examinations and assessment (CCEA) and later on secured a place as their representative.

I do remember the interview at Antrim Board centre. As part of my preparation, I checked the Duquesne University Website where two phrases really attracted me - they are written in red on my notes for that day. ‘Education for the Mind, the Heart and the Soul’ and ‘Home of the Nation’s Leading Teachers’. I had included almost everything that I could think of in my application form and felt that I would be a hard candidate to beat. The only factor that I had any concern about was my age and the fact that I had been teaching in Ballyclare High School for almost 30 years at that stage. Almost 25 years earlier I had secured a place on a fulltime masters Course in Computing but had been refused permission to have time off school. I have been involved in many computing initiatives since then and had been commended for my work in all of the inspections carried out in the school by the Department of Education.

At that particular stage I had been heavily involved in the creation and implementation of an Accreditation Scheme for IT at Key Stage 3 (11 - 14 year olds). I had also started to write a new syllabus and prepare associated materials for a new GCSE ICT. These involved a large amount of giving on my part - I saw the Masters as an opportunity to get something in return from other experts in the field of ICT.

It was not an easy interview. I knew all the members on the panel and had even worked with some of them in the past. It is hard to sell yourself in those circumstances since it is easy to become complacent and give incomplete answers because you think others should know all about you. I made a big effort - I so much wanted a place on the course and it wasn’t just the thought of spending 4 weeks in Pittsburgh in the summer!

I was in Newry putting the finishing touches to the GCSE ICT course when I had a phone call from my wife telling me I had been offered one of the teachers’ places. This was another dilemma because I didn’t, at that stage, know if any of my colleagues who were there with me had actually applied as well. All I could do was share my good news with the Officer from CCEA.

The first night of the course was in the Coleraine Campus of the University of Ulster on Monday February 5^th, a date that will forever be in my memory! I drove the forty or so miles and arrived in plenty of time only to find that it took nearly as long to find the little room in the university. Forty-five minutes late, I met my colleagues for the first time. The ‘Big brother’ experience has started! That first night was such a disappointment. There was not even the sign of a computer in the vicinity! We were all feeling our way and probably trying to establish our identities and ‘set out our stalls’. I was keen to impress and made sure I included all that I had achieved in my introductions. That was a mistake. I was in such a well-educated audience that I would have been better merely telling them that I was a teacher in Ballyclare High School.

I was not prepared for what happened next. Dr. Mary McAteer began her introduction to Critical Reflective Practice and Leadership. She mentioned all the resources we would need from the library but not once did she talk about anything being online or available on a computer. We all descended on her and pointed out that we had not expected this type of module where we were expected to travel miles in the hope of finding a journal in a library. This module had been described in the literature as being the ‘application of critical reflective practice to technology based and online learning.’ Nothing could have been further from the truth!

I went home feeling very annoyed - imagine applying for and being accepted on a course that had just begun by ignoring the description of the first module. What else on the sheet was wrong we wondered? I made up my mind that I would give it one more week and then give up my place if it hadn’t changed.

Mary McAteer tried her best but was tasked with delivering a module that didn’t obviously apply, in our minds anyway, to the rest of the course. The group was annoyed and took every opportunity to vent its anger. This happened so often that Mary rarely got time to do any teaching. It did nothing for our reputation. We even had the ‘heavies’ down one night to defend Mary and get us all back on track. It was conceded that Module 1 had been wrongly described and we were all asked to try to make the best of it. Occasionally the old problems raised their heads but they soon gave way to an even greater one, the assignment. Few knew how to proceed and more and more questions about it took up valuable teaching time.

We had started to use the web conferencing facility on NINE (Northern Ireland Network for Education) for online discussions. This only served to expose the reluctance of many of the participants to contribute. It was not only a lack of IT experience; in fact Mary McAteer would say how much she learnt or had to learn in this sphere. No, it was the transparency factor that was the problem. Suddenly people found their opinions being open to scrutiny by others. For many this was a new experience and one which they found difficult to cope with. Mary and I had many private and public discussions on NINE. I had the advantage of already being a part-time NINE consultant and so I knew how the system worked. It was our hope that by making daily postings we might encourage others to do the same. In fact the opposite happened - people felt intimidated by the level and regularity of our discussions and told us so. In the end we agreed (privately) to stop to give others a chance. The discussions died after that.

For my assignment I chose to reflect on the type of ICT entitlement each of the pupils entering our school might expect. Ballyclare High is a large selective school with over 1200 pupils. Many of these pupils have good computer facilities at home and arrive at school with a high degree of IT knowledge and skills. I also tried to develop a strategy for using the Internet to influence literacy in the school. I know now that the topic war far too complex and that I would have been better to have chosen a more simple task. I was disappointed with my final mark and communicated this to Mary only to be told that she felt it was a very good mark. I didn’t think so! It was obviously better than I had thought because I was asked to write a paper and deliver it at the University’s research day in Magee College, Londonderry. This was on the subject “The Internet and Literacy.”

I met Linda Wojnar on three occasions during that module. The first time was in Coleraine when she took a few minutes to introduce herself, give us some of her background and tell us how much we would all enjoy the learning experience in Pittsburgh. She also told us that the main purpose of her visit was to get to know each of us personally so that she could ensure that we all got the very best from the time we would spend together. She visited me in school but, because there were three of us from the course at the visit, I didn’t really engage with Linda in any meaningful way.

I do remember the last time we met before she left when she asked us about our hopes for the course. I was torn between pursuing the Internet and Literacy or making an online version of the course I had written for CCEA. One of the other participants was interested in the literacy aspect of the Internet so I chose the GCSE examination syllabus. We had developed an Intranet in school and I had made a few pages of notes and external links available on the ICT part of it. I naively suggested to Linda that I had already made a start on my online course … and I really did believe it at that stage. Linda smiled and accepted all I said. I would only realise how wrong I was during the time in Pittsburgh. I will come back to that later. All of us remember Linda’s words ‘Build them up for success’ - a philosophy she lives each and every day. Those are the words with which she left us.

First Program Module

Mary Mallon

To be selected for the course was like winning the lottery, literally, since there were only 2 places for primary school teachers. So, that first night we all met in Coleraine I was feeling very privileged. I remember distinctly my impressions of that first meeting and I shared them with my line manager the next day.

‘I knew I would learn so much and that was just from the other participants on the course!’

My line manager took me aside, and as we say in Ireland, ‘gave me a good talking to’. She told me I had just as much to offer as anyone, and more than most, because my feet were so firmly planted in the classroom, and I was not to underestimate myself or feel intimidated. She too was setting me up for success!

Although a little disappointed with the content of the first module, it was at the same time reassuring to be in familiar territory, as I had met critical reflective practice in my previous masters and had the essay to prove it. During that first module distance education took on a whole new meaning - to attend class on Monday night meant almost a 200 mile round trip.

Despite the tight time scale for this module, which was frustrating (a frustration that was to be repeated in subsequent modules, due to the intense nature of this innovative masters), the module was very productive for me in that allowed for a revamped website designed by teachers who were invited to form a working group. This was to ensure that we avoided the pitfall highlighted by Abbott (2001),

‘Like so many of these interactive communities designed for, rather than by, people, they seem remarkably under-used.’ p100

The highlight for me was the pilot of my idea of an Online Mathematics Quiz for Key Stage 2 classes (8 - 11 year olds). We had 24 schools that entered with interest from as far a field as Zimbabwe. The power of the World Wide Web!

Such was the interest and success of the online quiz it was decided that it would run on a monthly basis during the next school year. I have since changed jobs and due to lack of manpower this has not been possible.

That first module spurred me on to put into action ideas that had been floating around in my mind since my secondment began a year before. It allowed me to clarify my thinking on emerging issues and not just the bare facts but my feelings, reactions and reflections on the situation. It was to be the catalyst that urged me to identify needs and initiate actions to meet them; a cyclical process that was to be repeated in subsequent modules.

Reference:

Abbott, C. (2001) ICT: Changing Education. London: Routledge Falmer.

Beyond Signing The Documents…

Linda Wojnar

Upon the return visit of Drs. Barone and Tomei in September 2001, I learned that Northern Ireland chose to enroll their educators into the Distance Learning strand of Duquesne University’s Instructional Technology Program.  Since I designed and taught this strand and was not a member of the original planning team, I knew that there was much work to be done in order to follow my own philosophy of “Setting Everyone Up For Success.”

My only involvement with the original planning team was when I asked if I could share the Distance Learning brochure with the Northern Ireland visitors. While I briefly discussed its content, I remember Mrs. Marie Martin taking the time to listen very carefully to what I was saying. She asked me very specific questions and expressed her interest in the programme because she was the International Officer of the Western Education Library Board.  Marie graciously shared the collaborative work that she had accomplished with American schools from her book.

I was concerned with assuring my own success since I would be responsible for teaching four of the ten courses in the programme and also the success of everyone else involved in the partnership.  I knew that I had to find the words to convey my need for Duquesne University to send me to Northern Ireland within the next couple months.  After sharing my concerns, Duquesne University administration was receptive and very supportive of my thinking.   A videoconference was arranged with Northern Ireland administrators and Dr. Anne Moran to discuss my involvement in the programme and to share my request to visit Northern Ireland in February 2001.

During the videoconference, I asked if it would be possible to arrange a visit to each participant during my two-week stay in Northern Ireland.  John Anderson, Strategic Planner for Northern Ireland, graciously volunteered to assemble an itinerary honoring my requests.  His attention to detail was commendable.  Following the videoconference and just before my visit to Northern Ireland, I was disheartened to learn that my upcoming visit was seen by Northern Ireland to be one that was more for pleasure than for business.   My intentions were to meet: 1) each participant at his/her place of work; 2) Dean of the University of Ulster; 3) faculty from the University of Ulster; and 4) all administrators involved in the planning, implementation and support of the programme. Most of the sight seeing that I did do was from the inside of a rental (hired) car and from the inside of buildings.

In my thinking, I couldn’t be assured that the programme would be successful without the visit. I couldn’t see how American tutors (Northern Ireland’s word for teacher) could be successful teaching a totally international audience of this caliber without acquiring the proper background that would be needed. Each course was to be tailored to the context of Northern Ireland for the entire programme.  This is what Northern Ireland educators needed and what the administrators required. The only sure way to offer customized instruction would be to experience the Northern Ireland culture first-hand and to learn how best to teach the learners by listening to them and seeing how the teaching strategies and methods could be most appropriately adapted. Context is a critical component in any teaching and is especially significant in the distance-learning programme.  Technology is only the medium for the delivery of the instruction and should remain seamless and transparent; the learners are the most important considerations in any classroom!

Extending from the January videoconference, Dr. Anne Moran and I remained in constant dialogue and still remain in close contact. I was made aware that there were challenges with the first module that were to be expected with any new initiative, and I wanted to be supportive of Dr. Mary McAteer who pioneered that teaching.  It was always the intention of Duquesne University and the University of Ulster faculty to speak with one voice. I wanted to get to know the cohort as well as I could since I would have the greatest teaching responsibility of the entire faculty in the programme.  It was very important to overcome the challenges in the first module so that participants and faculty would want to continue with the programme.

Administration, faculty and participants were committed to making the programme successful. Administration and faculty worked harder at listening to what the participants were saying.   There were some predictable challenges that could have been foreseen if the original planning team involved more faculty members before the academics of the programme were implemented, but there were also several lessons learned that could not have been predicted.  We learned that there were differences in the course requirements and assessments for each university.  Several of the participants had already earned a master’s degree and some had experience with prior modules in reflective thinking from other universities.

Included in the extensive itinerary was the opportunity to attend two classes of Critical Reflective Thinking taught by Dr. Mary McAteer. I really enjoyed Dr. Mary McAteer’s class. From the minute that I heard her speak, I knew that we shared the same thinking about the relevance and importance of this course being the first course in the programme. Her content was exactly what was needed and what would set the tone for all of the following courses. It was obvious from the beginning that faculty from both universities shared many common bonds even though they had never personally met before the modules began.  Self- reflection is a continuous theme throughout each module. My observations of the participants and their interactions with one another and with the tutor during the class were based on very limited exchange of voluntary dialogue. I asked Dr. McAteer if I could speak with the cohort for about an hour during her next class. I felt badly asking her for this time since so much time had already been taken from her class for issues other than content delivery.

I witnessed a hampering of communication in the class that I believed was partly due to the variety of levels of positions held by the participants in their workplaces and partly due to the variety of disciplines that each person represented within the same class. For the class to increase their dialogue, the cohort needed to share their thinking about building relationships, break down barriers of communication, how to increase their trust levels to speak openly, and to share their thoughts openly in a safe risk-taking environment. I learned from Richard Wallace that it was not within the culture of Northern Ireland to share certain dialogue openly other than with close family members. I knew that there was much for me to learn. Everyday of my visit was extremely productive. I learned as much as I could about each candidate and about how the modules would need to be adjusted to meet the needs of the Northern Ireland educators.

I was convinced that the visit was even more timely and necessary than I had originally thought and Dr. Anne Moran confirmed my thinking.  There were several concerns about the programme that were openly discussed on several occasions and that needed to be addressed.   It was obvious through the selection process and through the visits that every candidate had much to offer to each other and to the programme itself and yet each candidate could also benefit through the learning process.  Another theory for the extent of the challenges was because the class was not an ordinary class of participants but that they were actually the “best of the best” of the Northern Ireland educators--all in the same class.  This in itself presents its own challenges.  Overcoming challenges are what make programmes and all of the people involved- better.  Although most of the modules had been taught before, preparing modules for a totally international cohort was a new initiative.   As with any new initiatives, there are valuable lessons to be learned and shared. There is great value in turning challenges into opportunities or look at a glass as “half-full” instead of being “half empty.”

For an hour in Dr. McAteer’s class, I had the opportunity to speak with the class about building communities of learners, trust and relationship building.  This is a foundation of online learning.  My next goal was to be sure that I shared the amount of work that would be expected to be complete during the four-week Pittsburgh Residential to follow in June and July. The two summer courses were scheduled in two intense nine-day modules. This timeframe equated to a total of six academic college credits or 90 hours of instruction. Preliminary work had to be completed before the summer courses began and before the participants were to leave for Pittsburgh.  I tried to be gentle as I could so as not to scare the cohort away with the amount of work to be done, but also to be honest and to put things into perspective. The summer course load would be very heavy and the material would be complex.   The summer courses would initiate the framework for the final course in the programme- the Practicum.

Although it would take many pages to share personal reflections acquired from meeting all of the candidates, a few experiences will be shared that will demonstrate the caliber of candidates selected for the programme as being remarkable individuals and the hospitality that was offered to me.  Carol McAlister, Vice Principal of St. Brigid Elementary School in Ballymoney, arranged for me to visit her class and to visit several other classes and to interact with the teachers and their pupils. Carol’s school was the first school to visit on my itinerary.

When I arrived at St. Brigid’s, I saw two young male pupils gardening outside of the school along with an adult chaperone. I wanted to be sure that I was entering the building appropriately and asked the people that I knew who would know the best way to enter the building -- the pupils.  One of the pupils looked up from his gardening and asked, “Are you the lady from America that we are waiting for?” I took a deep breath because I had not thought of myself being special enough for pupils to know that I was visiting. At the end of the day, I was asked to attend a presentation a “Welcoming Concert” that the teachers and the pupils had prepared for weeks before my arrival. I was in awe with what I saw! Teachers and pupils from primary grades 4,5,6 and 7 performed together - singing and playing Irish instruments. I was handed a programme of the event that was compiled by Miss L. Crilly with the following inscription:

“Please enjoy this performance we have put together.  A lot of effort has been put into it and even though it is short, it still has the feel of our traditional Irish classics.”

The presentation included traditional Irish songs, but also had an American welcome with songs like “Da Do Ron Ron” and “My Girl.” Pupils dressed in Irish clothes for some songs and in American clothes for other selections. How is it possible to thank all of those pupils and teachers that would reflect just how truly special they are! My sincere thank you to everyone that I had the pleasure of meeting that day, including Headmaster Ray O’Brien who presented me with a book of Ballymoney: An Illustrated History and Companion.

Another day in the itinerary included an invitation to hear John Anderson’s presentation to administrators about Classroom 2000 at Antrim to learn more about the Northern Ireland ICT Strategy and to visit with Mary Mallon of the Northern Ireland Network for Education (NINE). Mary explained and shared Northern Ireland’s collaborative learning tool for educators. Because of the well-planned and well-structured itinerary, I was able to travel all over Northern Ireland within a two-week time frame and cover approximately 1100 miles (1770 km). The hours were long. My appointments were back-to-back during the day, in the evening and on the weekends, but every visit added valuable information that was important to consider.

During my visit, Northern Ireland had a major snowfall that slowed things down for a day and then there was the tragic outbreak of “Foot and Mouth” Disease. This was a major scare and concern in the schools, for the International Officers and for the country. I can still remember passing the sheep farms only to recall the signs that were posted on the farms that denied access to visitors. This was a very sad time for everyone involved in the tragedy. With these unfortunate occurrences, the needs to include distance learning in traditional education were even more evident.

Having met so many wonderful people that were a part of the lives of the participants including many family members and neighbors, Headmasters, other teachers and pupils, and even sharing dinner with several of the participants and administrators added to learning more about the people from Northern Ireland. The visit to Northern Ireland did effect the way the rest of the modules would be taught and the programme was all the better because of the visit.

Dr. Anne Moran and I met several times to discuss the academics, the participants and the modules that the University of Ulster would teach in the months to come. We were always in-sync with our thinking. We agreed that the universities always would be the responsible entities for anything involved with academics - from the content planning, delivery and the assessment.

A final meeting of the administrative team from Northern Ireland and myself took place on the Friday before I left Northern Ireland. There were a few challenges yet to overcome before I left Northern Ireland. To this day, I can hear the soft-spoken words of Mr. Joseph Martin, Chief Executive of the Western Education & Library Board, and the wisdom behind the words and the man as he said before the meeting, “Let’s make sure that everyone leaves the table with dignity.” Mr. Joseph Martin is a visionary and a truly inspirational leader who knows the “big picture” and who has the charisma to diffuse difficult situations and to transform them into opportunities with everyone feeling good about themselves and their accomplishments in the process. There was much to celebrate at the end of this visit.

There was a lot of pressure that I placed upon myself before the visit to assure Northern Ireland that Duquesne University was their best choice to deliver the education for their country and that we would provide what they needed to move ICT forward in the area of distance learning. When you set the bar high for teachers and pupils, they will stretch to reach those heights.

As I was leaving that Saturday in February, thoughts of what the cohort would be doing from now until their Pittsburgh Residential came to mind. They would complete the first module and finalize arrangements to complete their work at their jobs with enough foresight to carry them over until their return with the most difficult task still to come. There were good-byes to say to their understanding families so that their loved ones could attend school in Pittsburgh and devote all of their time to learning about new content that would be shared around the world and advance the ICT strategy in Northern Ireland.  The story will continue in June…

Program Participants:

Mr. Richard T. Wallace, BECTa Expert Consultant

Vice-Principal, Ballyclare High School

31 Rashee Road, County Antrim, BT39 9HJ

Ms. Mary Mallon, Granada Learning Consultant

Craigavon Teachers' Centre, Tullygally Road, Craigavon BT65 5BS

028 38342467

Duquesne University Faculty:

Dr. Linda C. Wojnar, Assistant Professor

Duquesne University, School of Education

327C Fisher Hall, Pittsburgh, PA 15282

Distance Learning Strand

412-396-1662

email: wojnar@duq.edu

Dr. Larry Tomei, Instructional Technology Program Coordinator

Assistant Professor, Duquesne University, School of Education

327A Fisher Hall, K-12 Strand,

412-396-4039

Pittsburgh, PA 15282

University of Ulster:

Dr. Anne Moran, Dean, School of Education, Room 14L16

University of Ulster at Jordanstown

Shore Road, Newtownabbey, Co. Antrim, BT37 0QB

Dr. Mary McAteer, School of Education

University of Ulster at Jordanstown

Shore Road, Newtownabbey, Co. Antrim, BT37 0QB

Northern Ireland Administrators:

Mr. Joseph Martin

Chief Executive, Western Education & Library Board

1 Hospital Road, Omagh, CO. TYRONE, BT79 0AW

Mrs. Marie Martin, International Officer

Western Education & Library Board

1 Hospital Road, Omagh, CO. TYRONE, BT79 0AW

Mr. John Anderson, Education Technology, Strategy Coordinator

Department of Education for Northern Ireland (DENI)

john.anderson.deni@nics.gov.uk

mobile: + 44 (0) 79 0991 2012 tel and fax: +44 (0) 28 4062 6455

Ireland Institute of Pittsburgh:

Michelle O’Leary,

President and Founder of the Ireland Institute of Pittsburgh

Regional Enterprise Tower, 425 Sixth Avenue, Suite 300

Pittsburgh, PA 15219-1819

412-394-3900

Dr. Mary Catherine Conroy-Hayden, Vice President of CEED

Director, School Performance Network

Consultant for Ireland Institute of Pittsburgh

425 Sixth Avenue, Suite 2650, Pittsburgh, PA 15219

412-201-7400

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