News & Events

Metacognition or ‘thinking about thinking’ is a key transversal skill strongly linked to academic achievement and fundamental for effective lifelong learning. 

UCD Fellows in Teaching and Academic Development created and trialled the Metacognition Design Framework, an evidence-based learning design that scaffolds the development of metacognitive skills in students through blended learning.  You can learn more about this work in their overview video and video case studies.

Emma O’Neill, Crystal Fulton and Carmel Hensey are continuing their research with two exciting new projects and would like to invite colleagues to join them!  If you are interested please get in touch.

Metacognitive Teaching and Learning Resources

This newly launched open access learning resource offers you the chance to learn more about the Metacognition Design Framework and how you can use it to incorporate metacognitive teaching and learning strategies within your teaching. The resource provides first-hand experience of using the learning design within Brightspace and also offers the opportunity for you to learn actively through contribution as part of a Community of Educators.  

There is something of interest for everyone in this resource with a variety of videos, links, exemplars and downloads available for adaptation to your own teaching along with the chance to contribute to research informing further development of the design framework. 

Instructions for accessing the learning resource

1. Visit the Brightspace Community Website and create a free account. If you are already a member, login to the Brightspace Community. Please note, that it can take a couple of hours for this registration to process
2. Once logged into the Community, you will be able to access the resource on Metacognitive Teaching and Learning Strategies

Metacognitive Champions

If you have found this project interesting, we are looking for Metacognitive Champions to participate in our research project, "Fostering Metacognition in University Education."

What would this entail?

• Designing one of your modules in line with our Metacognition Design Framework.  
• Our open access learning resource will help to guide you through the process and we will also help you one-to-one as you progress.  
• We would like you to work with us to gather data, so that the work on your module can be published as a short case study and 90 second video case study.
• Overall, we are aiming to have an open access case study series in a book with a creative commons license. 

What would you gain from the process?

• Publication of a case report and short video case study, along with recognition as a Metacognition Champion as the project is rolled out more widely as part of our dissemination process. 
• Becoming a member of our developing Metacognition Community of Practice
• Ethics is completed as part of the ethics coverage for the project
• Help with the development of a blended module that promotes student engagement and draws on the resources available within Brightspace
• Access to our learning resource and example short video case studies to guide you with this process

What are we hoping to achieve?

• Our overall aim is the development of an active enthusiastic community of practice to aid dissemination of our approach and progress research in this area
• We are keen to gather enthusiastic, motivated staff with a real interest in promoting effective student learning 
• We aim to develop a portfolio of exemplars (accessible via the case studies link above) across a broad spectrum of disciplines to guide other staff wishing to draw on this information and take examples forward into their own work