Dr Cristina Muntean and Dr Pramod Pathak secured a research grant under European Commission Horizon 2020

 

Financial
Financial statements will be available following our AGM
National College of Ireland, Mayor Street, IFSC, Dublin 1 Web: www.ncirl.ie | Tel: 01 4498500 | email: info@ncirl.ie
A Message from the NCI President Gina Quin
Foreword by the Chairman of the Governing Body Fr. Leonard Moloney, SJ
National College of Ireland (NCI) has had a very positive 2016/2017 year in all aspects of college activities. The college has grown its student cohort with more students undertaking courses that will shape their future careers. NCI has continued to expand its active role in our served communities, in fulfilling the college mission to change lives through education. NCI retains its strong commitment to academic excellence. In this past year, NCI won the Citi upStart innovation competition for computing students, over teams from universities around the country, and the college continues to develop new programmes at undergraduate and postgraduate levels, in line with the talent demands of employers. NCI also continues to hold its doors open to people who may be the first of their family to attend third-level, those returning to study after a long break, or those developing new skills in a changing world. At NCI, students’ realisation of their full potential is critical, and student supports: in academic writing, research and library resources, handling workload deadlines and well-being; are all part of the National College of Ireland student experience. The commitment of faculty and staff to helping students realise their potential is something that is a hallmark of the college. The Early Learning Initiative (ELI) is part of NCI’s heritage in addressing educational disadvantage. The programme continues to expand its impact on children, in partnership with government, donors and business, dramatically improving families’ and children’s educational outcomes and aspirations. NCI is a living intersection between community, education and business; encouraging personal growth through education, listening to the skills-needs of employers, and supporting students through study into work. It is truly at the heart of the IFSC, serving students, businesses, and the surrounding community. The consistent growth of the college in size and impact must be met with resources that permit it to flourish, and it is our ambition to provide room to grow through extra space in the IFSC area and the building of an additional campus. I would like to pay tribute to Denis O’Brien, who dedicated 15 years as Chair of the Governing Body of NCI, wholeheartedly offering his expertise and leadership. I welcome Barbara Cotter, Brigid McManus, Dr. Tish Gibbons and Michael Brady who have joined our Governing Body. I thank them for their challenging standards and sincere support of the college. I look forward to continuing to work with our President, Gina Quin and all the team at NCI.
NCI at a glance
Highlights of the Year
Aug 2016 Relationship-building commenced, forging strong links with Colleges of Further Education to enable and encourage their students to apply for advanced entry into NCI’s full-time business and computing courses
Sept 2016 3 NCI psychology graduates began PhD projects in collaboration with NUI Maynooth
Sept 2016
Sept 2016 NCI welcomed the first cohort of students undertaking the new accelerated undergraduate honours degrees delivered in intensive blocks over two years Over 100 award year students took the ever popular 6-week Certificate in Employability Skills, delivered in conjunction with 10 partner employers delivering interactive skills workshops, affording many networking opportunities
Sept/Oct 2016
Oct 2016
Oct 2016
Nov 2016 Our Schools Liaison officer travelled to fairs and schools across the country, engaging with second-level students considering their third-level options Review of student orientation, leading to the development of a new online orientation programme for part-time students Paddy the Panther is introduced as NCI’s mascot, bringing with him the motto: Strong As One. Mascot and motto embrace the diversity of NCI, and represent staff, faculty and students coming together to change lives through education Graduation ceremony at the Dublin Convention Centre
Nov 2016 President’s Award presented to Dr Simon Caton, Lecturer School of Computing, for Contribution to Research; The Careers Department for Contribution to Learning; and Mr Sam Cogan, Computing Support Tutor School of Computing, for Distinguished Teaching
March 2017
April 2017
May 2017 Another successful ‘Just in Time Careers Fair’, packed to capacity with students and employers, leading to a strong number of graduate and summer hires Students from the MSc in Cloud Computing fought off stiff competition from Trinity College Dublin, Queen’s University Belfast, Ulster University and University of Limerick to win the inaugural Citi upStart competition. Creating a start-up named Codaline, the team devised an innovative chatbot for cloud computing infrastructure to allow users and system administrators to interact seamlessly with different cloud providers through normal text chat, rather than having to know complex commands. Headed by Motti Finkelstein, CTO for global strategy, planning and the Americas at Citi, the judging panel included business technology experts from Microsoft, Dell and Citi itself 75 employers attended the School of Computing Project Showcase, where 120 students displayed projects including a theft prevention and recovery system for bicycles, a web application to streamline treatment for leukaemia patients, virtual reality games and a fitness app that uses gaming techniques to encourage exercise
Dr Colette Darcy was appointed Dean of the School of Business
May 2017 ELI received a Certificate of Achievement from the PCHP US, marking 10 years of successful implementation of the Parent Child Home Programme in Ireland. Since 2007, Home Visitors have made over 35,000 visits to over 600 families
June 2017
Launch of In Conversation With series in partnership with Newstalk: Bobby Kerr interviewed Chopped founder Brian Lee. Later sessions included CEOs Patrick Coveney of Greencore and Anne O’Leary of Vodafone NCI Education summer course in conjunction with Mercy College, New York: Essential Questions for Educators Everywhere
June 2017 June 2017
Academic Highlights
This year, across the college, there have been more than 100 peer reviewed international publications and conference papers, which are tagged on our TRAP repository. There have been 15 invention disclosures. NCI was the only Irish Academic Ally in the global Citi Tech for Integrity Challenge (T4I) 4 new faculty members have joined the School of Business: Dr Fearghal O’Brien (Lecturer in Psychology); Dr Nicole Gross (Lecturer in Marketing); Dr Michelle Kelly (Lecturer in Psychology); Ms Theresa Cunningham (Lecturer in Accounting)
The Department of Employment Affairs and Social Protection (DEASP) and National College of Ireland embarked on a partnership to design, develop, submit for validation and deliver seven programmes aimed at the Departments front facing employees
NCI was selected by the Irish League of Credit Unions to design and develop a range of programmes for employees working in Credit Unions nationwide
The School of Computing continued work on the Newton Project, funded under the Horizon 2020 scheme, including the development and deployment of educational materials that make use of technology-enhanced, self-directed methodologies, and the development of an interactive, adaptive educational game for teaching maths concepts, which will be put in place in 2017-18
School of Computing launched 2 online courses: Higher Diploma in Computing with specialisations in Software Development, Cloud Computing, Mobile Technologies, Internet of Things; and Higher Diploma in Web Technologies. 2016 saw the first online exams, using a remote proctoring model
Higher Diploma in Financial Services Analytics and Higher Certificate in International Financial Services were developed and validated this year, to commence in 2017/2018, in partnership with Financial Services Ireland at Ibec Science Foundation of Ireland Grant achieved by Dr Pramod Pathak (School of Computing) and Dr Josephine Bleach (ELI) to roll out afterschool coding clubs for children and young people living in the docklands area
The Higher Diploma in Business in Finance has been successfully revalidated
Psychology Department 2016-17 was Psychology’s 5th anniversary at NCI
QQI validation received for 5 more years 209 students enrolled across full- and part-time programmes
94 peer-reviewed journal articles and conference publications 1 ‘outstanding presentation’ award at the All-Ireland Student Congress to NCI student Gary Colton (pictured)
1 EU-funded project launched, worth €3.3m
4 internationally-funded project applications submitted, worth €2m
NCI student Luke Maher published his Final Year Project research in a book on Sports Psychology by Adrian McInman
Education & Learning
First cohort of students for the new BA in Adult and Workforce Education
Sept 2016 Sept 2016
Sept 2016 President’s Breakfast and professional development presentations on learning and assessment innovation in NCI Dr Meera Oke joined NCI to head up our Early Childhood Education programmes and has since joined a 2-year project funded under the EU Erasmus+ Programme called “Making Literacy Meaningful”, which aims to address the needs, challenges and opportunities resulting from multilingual and multicultural classrooms, facilitating learning for children from a multitude of backgrounds.
Dec 2016
National Forum for the Enhancement of Teaching and Learning Seminar Series - Dr Arlene Egan and Dr Laura Costelloe were awarded funding and hosted a professional development workshop on “Fresh understandings of using peer assessment and feedback with students”
Jan 2017 June 2017 April 2017 Workshop on “Technology Enhanced Learning – What we Can Do Now and in the Future” delivered by Dr Michael Hallissy and Mr John Hurley of H2 Learning Digital Skills Week – in association with the National Forum for the Enhancement of Teaching and Learning in Higher Education Workshop for faculty on the publication “A Handbook and Tool Kit for Teaching Learning and Assessment in Independent Higher Education Institutions in Ireland” by the author Dr Teresa Whitaker
June 2017 Workshop for faculty on the publication “A Handbook and Tool Kit for Teaching Learning and Assessment in Independent Higher Education Institutions in Ireland” by the author Dr Teresa Whitaker Dr Mike Goldrick joined the lecturing team from his previous role in Learning and Teaching Support Throughout the academic year, in addition to drop-in services, the Learning & Teaching Support Team provided Getting to Grips sessions on exam preparation, digital skills, study skills and stress management. Karen Mooney, Catherine Elliott and Ann Fogarty worked to make sure our students with disabilities were provided with an inclusive learning experience. Jonathan Lynch oversaw the development of our new attendance monitoring and student engagement supports. In each semester, Catherine Elliott organised a 4-week 6-hour coaching course for staff and students called “Start Where You Are”. Jonathan Lambert continued to provide Mathematics Development and Support, including numerous exam-focused revision sessions held in January, May and June, and School of Business Masters Dissertation Support sessions for students throughout the summer months.
Early Learning Initiative
International
Student Stories
At National College of Ireland, we have a vibrant and diverse student body, from a wide variety of backgrounds and cultures, from right here in the heart of Dublin 1 and from all over the world, ranging from fresh-out-of-school to seasoned-and-mature. Whether you are a business executive coming to do an MBA, a school leaver coming to an undergraduate computing degree or someone coming back to education after many years away, at NCI we take our mission to change lives through education very seriously. Our small class sizes permit close communication with lecturers. We have a comprehensive range of student supports, from academic writing and maths, through research and library resources, to careers and employability and peer support programmes. NCI also has medical services, financial support and disability support services. We respect and promote our students’ social, physical, psychological and spiritual wellbeing. At NCI, we see ourselves as working in partnership with you to help realise your full potential. We are very proud of our alumni. Speaking with them, we hear that beyond the knowledge and experience they gained, they most value the supportive environment they found at NCI, from all the faculty and staff and from their fellow students.
Annual Report 2016 - 2017
2016/2017 has been a strong year for National College of Ireland, with growth across all our third-level programmes, matched by growth of our academic and student support team, and we are delighted to welcome many new colleagues to our IFSC campus. National College of Ireland is proud to be a provider of expert talent to Irish and multinational employers. Third-level education provides the essential link between talent and knowledge, for school leavers, for those progressing in their career and for those returning to work after a career break. NCI is heavily engaged with employers, delivering workplace relevant education that is grounded in academic rigour, accredited by QQI, and is proud to have the highest rate of graduate placement in employment in Ireland. Innovation is at the heart of our academic approach. This year, National College of Ireland has provided in-company classes at IBM to bridge the cybersecurity skills gap. The college is delivering fully online programmes in computing with innovative engagement tools, ensuring that student contact and enquiry are encouraged and nurtured. In addition, we are preparing for our first intake of professional apprenticeships, working in close co-operation with employers and industry bodies to offer a dynamic and alternative pathway to tackle skills shortages in financial services. We have a decade of experience, nurturing relationships with the local community through our Early Learning Initiative, which continues to work to prevent educational disadvantage through our structured programmes with families, children and schools. In addition, we are delighted to welcome many local school leavers to our college, both full-time and returning for part-time evening courses as they look to develop their career and skills. We take our mission to change lives through education very seriously. This mission is at the heart of our pedagogy, our student experience, and our engagement with employers and the vibrant community that lives here in the North East Inner City and the International Financial Services Centre, Dublin 1. Success does bring challenges and as NCI continues to grow, we continue to explore ways of expanding our campus here in the heart of Dublin’s IFSC. As we grow, our objective is to remain true to our mission, changing more lives through educational excellence in Dublin city. Our success is a great credit to our academic staff, our whole administrative team, all our facilities supports and the expertise and challenge of our voluntary Governing Body members. I wish to pay full tribute to our Chairman, Fr. Leonard Moloney, SJ, for his considered guidance to me, as we both took on our first year in role at National College of Ireland. Gina Quin, President NCI
June 2017 saw the appointment of Dr Colette Darcy to Dean of the School of Business
The Education and Learning Team

 

 34 academic publications were produced in the School of Computing in the year!

 

This year, 209 students were enrolled with the psychology department across full- and part-time programmes. 2016-17 saw the launch of an EU funded project worth €3.3m, and applications submitted for another €2m worth of international project funding. The department produced 94 peer-reviewed journal articles and conference publications. The graduating class of 2017 ended the year well: Luke Maher, published his final year project research in a book on sports psychology by Adrian McInman; and Gary Colton (pictured) received an ‘outstanding presentation’ award at the All-Ireland Student Congress for his investigation into the integrated psychological model of criminal social identity in an Irish prison.

 

Dr Leo Casey