Cornelia Connolly
Biographic Data
| ID | 6770149 |
|---|---|
| NAME | Cornelia Connolly |
| GIVEN NAMES | Cornelia |
| FAMILY NAME | Connolly |
| SIGNATURE | CONNOLLY C |
| AFFILIATIONS | Ollscoil na Gaillimhe – University of Galway |
| ORCID | 0000-0001-9778-5569 |
| VERIFIED | Yes |
| TOTAL WORKS | 21 |
| TOTAL CITATIONS | 0 |
| AUTHOR COUNT | 21 |
| EDITOR COUNT | 0 |
| FIRST PUBLICATION YEAR | 2009 |
| LATEST PUBLICATION YEAR | 2026 |
| H-INDEX | 0 |
Humanoids in STEM outreach
This perspective reports on 2025 field deployments of a full-size humanoid robot across diverse settings, from a large-scale mental health charity event to primary and secondary classrooms in Ireland. While high-fidelity humanoids significantly increase student engagement and ’social relief’, they introduce complex challenges regarding physical safety, anthropomorphic bias, and regulatory compliance. We describe a ‘Tin Man’ framing strategy used …
Effective Professional Development and Gamification Enacting Curriculum Changes in Critical Mathematics Education
In response to challenges around student engagement and teacher technological proficiency, this paper looks at the impact of gamification on students’ mathematical resilience whilst monitoring their mathematical anxiety plus investigating teachers’ experiences, willingness, and professional development ambitions to utilise gamified instructional tools in the mathematics classroom. Drawing on strategies to motivate students, the aim of this paper …
Rethinking teacher education in an AI world
The increasing prevalence of Generative AI (GenAI) in education offers significant opportunities for advancements in instructional design and educational innovation. GenAI tools, like ChatGPT, are poised to transform teacher education by reshaping instructional techniques, learning strategies, and assessment methods. However, there is limited research on educational institutions’ responses to GenAI and teacher educators’ readiness to adopt these …
Exploring a Synchronous Hybrid Observation Approach for Supporting Student Teachers during School Placements
This article presents findings from an international study examining a synchronous hybrid approach for observing and supporting student teachers on their school placement. This novel approach emerged from previous studies conducted during the COVID-19 pandemic and involves university tutors synchronously supervising student teachers from two locations: one tutor face-to-face in a school-based classroom and another virtually, from a remote setting…
Exploring trans-generational and trans-institutional learning
Building on Woolf’s (2020. “Exploring Pedagogies to Elevate Inquiry: Teaching Action Research in the Third Space.” Educational Action Research 28 (4): 579–596) conceptions of `third space theory’ this article describes how, in order to find continuity between theory and practice, the convenors of a network for educational action researchers created a `third space’ to support knowledge creation in a trans-generational and trans-institutional commu…
Navigating transformative assessment and feedback in teacher education
Navigating transformative assessment and feedback in teacher education: unveiling challenges and innovative practices Assessment and feedback practices in teacher education: navigating the winds of changeThe global impact of the COVID-19 pandemic and recent technological advances have significantly influenced teacher education, hastening transformative shifts while simultaneously serving as a valuable learning opportunity.'Emergency eLearning' (M…
A stratospheric mission – design of a conceptual framework to bring weather balloons and STEM into the classroom
Introduction Integrated STEM education makes learning relevant and applicable, blending the mindset, skillset, and toolset necessary in developing a depth of understanding for science, technology, engineering and mathematics. Methods Based on the theoretical framework of Kelley and Knowles the ‘Spaceship Earth’ project was designed to engage primary school children in 4th class (ages 9 and 10 years old) in real-world project-based experiments in …
Teaching about curriculum and assessment through inquiry and problem-based learning methodologies
It is well documented that the integration of inquiry-based learning (IBL) and problem-based learning (PBL) methodologies in initial teacher education (ITE) provides opportunities to enhance preservice teachers' research skills. However, few studies articulate the processes by which teacher educators implement and sustain these approaches in cross-institutional collaboration. This paper explores the journey of two teacher educators and their pres…
Reimagining a framework for teachers’ continuous professional development during curriculum reform
Effective continued professional development (CPD) is critical in preparing teachers for implementing curricular changes. Utilising the professional design framework [Loucks-Horsley, S., Stiles, K. E., Mundry, S. E., Love, N. B., & Hewson, P. W. (2009). Designing Professional Development for Teachers of Science and Mathematics. Corwin Press. http://ebookcentral.proquest.com/lib/nuig/detail.action?docID=996256] and document analysis, this article …
Can Gamification Help in Increasing Motivation, Engagement, and Satisfaction? A gamified experience in teaching CS to students from other disciplines
The digital revolution is causing the new generations to demand new ways of learning. Motivating students is one crucial element of the learning-teaching process to achieve students’ learning, which is the main objective of education. Using typical gaming elements in non-game environments, gamification transforms the learning process into a more motivating and enjoyable experience. Therefore, gamification offers adequate solutions for the educati…
Conceptualising translational research in schools
Since Stenhouse (1975) called for teachers to have ownership of research, there have been initial forays into teacher led research and evidence-based practice in schools. However, the notion of translational research in schools remains contested, in significant part because it still has not been rigorously conceptualised. This is an issue of increasing concern, in our rapidly developing world. Now, more than ever, we need research-informed educat…
Exploring new frontiers of education using humanoid robots – a case study of patient centred innovation in digital health education
Digital education is intertwined with matters of global economics, geopolitics, as well as ongoing changes in what counts as knowledge, skills and learning. We have witnessed throughout the COVID-19 pandemic how technology has been embraced within education from online classes to innovative mobile learning approaches and evaluating humanoid robots in education is the next step. Driven by a need to keep pace with the evolving techno- and socio-eco…
The trajectory of computer science education policy in Ireland
The launch of a Computer Science curriculum specification in upper secondary schools in Ireland in 2018 was a landmark and a historic development in Irish education. Addressing the historical policy decisions adopted towards establishing the specification, this paper presents an analysis of developments from the 1970s as revealed in key policies and other documents. Positioning the policy change within the context of influences, context of policy…
Introduction to the Special Issue on Computer Science Education
Designing for emergency remote blended and online education
This paper is in response to the article entitled “The process of designing for learning: understanding university teachers’ design work” (Bennett et al. in Educ Technol Res Dev 65(1):125–145, 2017). Design constitutes a fundamental part of what teachers do (Goodyear in HERDSA Rev Higher Educ 2:27–50, 2015). However, it has received negligible attention in the research literature. Bennett et al. make a significant contribution to knowledge by ide…
Teacher agency and learner agency in teaching and learning a new school subject, Leaving Certificate Computer Science, in Ireland
An investigation of emergency virtual observation (EVO) in initial teacher education, in Australia and Ireland during the Covid-19 pandemic
When the World Health Organisation declared the novel Coronavirus outbreak a global pandemic, a change occurred across all levels of the educational landscape. It posed specific challenges in the context of initial teacher education (ITE) and inhibited teacher educators from physically observing pre-service teachers’ lessons on school placement. However, developments in virtual live-streaming technology facilitate student teachers’ lessons being …
Reconceptualising relatedness in education in ‘Distanced’ Times
As schools and universities worldwide tentatively move beyond an initial emergency response to the Covid-19 pandemic, the prospect of socially-distanced learning spaces prompts us to ask how we can maintain good educational relationships. Supporting students in a time of far-reaching changes means acknowledging that certain normalised practices, and the conceptual frameworks embedded within them, have come under significant duress. Resisting the …
A fusion of research-informed teaching and teaching-informed research
This paper examines the unbundling of research in the context of the Teachers’ Research Exchange (T-REX) platform, the national flagship Internet platform in Ireland for teachers to access, use and engage in research. This paper draws on two theoretical frameworks: Laurillard’s conversational framework and Salmon’s five-stage model. The first highlights the experimental, exploratory and creative aspects of developing an overall framework to struc…
Mobile Learning in Teacher Education
Programming Anxiety Amongst Computing Students—A Key in the Retention Debate
Low retention rates in third-level computing courses, despite continuing research into new and improved computer teaching methods, present a worrying concern. For some computing students learning programming is intimidating, giving rise to lack of confidence and anxiety. The noncognitive domain of anxiety with regard to learning computer programming is investigated in this paper and programming anxiety, a constituent component of computer anxiety…
No prominent works on this page.
Programming Anxiety Amongst Computing Students—A Key in the Retention Debate
Low retention rates in third-level computing courses, despite continuing research into new and improved computer teaching methods, present a worrying concern. For some computing students learning programming is intimidating, giving rise to lack of confidence and anxiety. The noncognitive domain of anxiety with regard to learning computer programming is investigated in this paper and programming anxiety, a constituent component of computer anxiety…
Mobile Learning in Teacher Education
Reconceptualising relatedness in education in ‘Distanced’ Times
As schools and universities worldwide tentatively move beyond an initial emergency response to the Covid-19 pandemic, the prospect of socially-distanced learning spaces prompts us to ask how we can maintain good educational relationships. Supporting students in a time of far-reaching changes means acknowledging that certain normalised practices, and the conceptual frameworks embedded within them, have come under significant duress. Resisting the …
A fusion of research-informed teaching and teaching-informed research
This paper examines the unbundling of research in the context of the Teachers’ Research Exchange (T-REX) platform, the national flagship Internet platform in Ireland for teachers to access, use and engage in research. This paper draws on two theoretical frameworks: Laurillard’s conversational framework and Salmon’s five-stage model. The first highlights the experimental, exploratory and creative aspects of developing an overall framework to struc…
Designing for emergency remote blended and online education
This paper is in response to the article entitled “The process of designing for learning: understanding university teachers’ design work” (Bennett et al. in Educ Technol Res Dev 65(1):125–145, 2017). Design constitutes a fundamental part of what teachers do (Goodyear in HERDSA Rev Higher Educ 2:27–50, 2015). However, it has received negligible attention in the research literature. Bennett et al. make a significant contribution to knowledge by ide…
Teacher agency and learner agency in teaching and learning a new school subject, Leaving Certificate Computer Science, in Ireland
An investigation of emergency virtual observation (EVO) in initial teacher education, in Australia and Ireland during the Covid-19 pandemic
When the World Health Organisation declared the novel Coronavirus outbreak a global pandemic, a change occurred across all levels of the educational landscape. It posed specific challenges in the context of initial teacher education (ITE) and inhibited teacher educators from physically observing pre-service teachers’ lessons on school placement. However, developments in virtual live-streaming technology facilitate student teachers’ lessons being …
Can Gamification Help in Increasing Motivation, Engagement, and Satisfaction? A gamified experience in teaching CS to students from other disciplines
The digital revolution is causing the new generations to demand new ways of learning. Motivating students is one crucial element of the learning-teaching process to achieve students’ learning, which is the main objective of education. Using typical gaming elements in non-game environments, gamification transforms the learning process into a more motivating and enjoyable experience. Therefore, gamification offers adequate solutions for the educati…
Conceptualising translational research in schools
Since Stenhouse (1975) called for teachers to have ownership of research, there have been initial forays into teacher led research and evidence-based practice in schools. However, the notion of translational research in schools remains contested, in significant part because it still has not been rigorously conceptualised. This is an issue of increasing concern, in our rapidly developing world. Now, more than ever, we need research-informed educat…
Exploring new frontiers of education using humanoid robots – a case study of patient centred innovation in digital health education
Digital education is intertwined with matters of global economics, geopolitics, as well as ongoing changes in what counts as knowledge, skills and learning. We have witnessed throughout the COVID-19 pandemic how technology has been embraced within education from online classes to innovative mobile learning approaches and evaluating humanoid robots in education is the next step. Driven by a need to keep pace with the evolving techno- and socio-eco…
The trajectory of computer science education policy in Ireland
The launch of a Computer Science curriculum specification in upper secondary schools in Ireland in 2018 was a landmark and a historic development in Irish education. Addressing the historical policy decisions adopted towards establishing the specification, this paper presents an analysis of developments from the 1970s as revealed in key policies and other documents. Positioning the policy change within the context of influences, context of policy…
Introduction to the Special Issue on Computer Science Education
A stratospheric mission – design of a conceptual framework to bring weather balloons and STEM into the classroom
Introduction Integrated STEM education makes learning relevant and applicable, blending the mindset, skillset, and toolset necessary in developing a depth of understanding for science, technology, engineering and mathematics. Methods Based on the theoretical framework of Kelley and Knowles the ‘Spaceship Earth’ project was designed to engage primary school children in 4th class (ages 9 and 10 years old) in real-world project-based experiments in …
Teaching about curriculum and assessment through inquiry and problem-based learning methodologies
It is well documented that the integration of inquiry-based learning (IBL) and problem-based learning (PBL) methodologies in initial teacher education (ITE) provides opportunities to enhance preservice teachers' research skills. However, few studies articulate the processes by which teacher educators implement and sustain these approaches in cross-institutional collaboration. This paper explores the journey of two teacher educators and their pres…
Reimagining a framework for teachers’ continuous professional development during curriculum reform
Effective continued professional development (CPD) is critical in preparing teachers for implementing curricular changes. Utilising the professional design framework [Loucks-Horsley, S., Stiles, K. E., Mundry, S. E., Love, N. B., & Hewson, P. W. (2009). Designing Professional Development for Teachers of Science and Mathematics. Corwin Press. http://ebookcentral.proquest.com/lib/nuig/detail.action?docID=996256] and document analysis, this article …
Exploring a Synchronous Hybrid Observation Approach for Supporting Student Teachers during School Placements
This article presents findings from an international study examining a synchronous hybrid approach for observing and supporting student teachers on their school placement. This novel approach emerged from previous studies conducted during the COVID-19 pandemic and involves university tutors synchronously supervising student teachers from two locations: one tutor face-to-face in a school-based classroom and another virtually, from a remote setting…
Exploring trans-generational and trans-institutional learning
Building on Woolf’s (2020. “Exploring Pedagogies to Elevate Inquiry: Teaching Action Research in the Third Space.” Educational Action Research 28 (4): 579–596) conceptions of `third space theory’ this article describes how, in order to find continuity between theory and practice, the convenors of a network for educational action researchers created a `third space’ to support knowledge creation in a trans-generational and trans-institutional commu…
Navigating transformative assessment and feedback in teacher education
Navigating transformative assessment and feedback in teacher education: unveiling challenges and innovative practices Assessment and feedback practices in teacher education: navigating the winds of changeThe global impact of the COVID-19 pandemic and recent technological advances have significantly influenced teacher education, hastening transformative shifts while simultaneously serving as a valuable learning opportunity.'Emergency eLearning' (M…
Effective Professional Development and Gamification Enacting Curriculum Changes in Critical Mathematics Education
In response to challenges around student engagement and teacher technological proficiency, this paper looks at the impact of gamification on students’ mathematical resilience whilst monitoring their mathematical anxiety plus investigating teachers’ experiences, willingness, and professional development ambitions to utilise gamified instructional tools in the mathematics classroom. Drawing on strategies to motivate students, the aim of this paper …
Rethinking teacher education in an AI world
The increasing prevalence of Generative AI (GenAI) in education offers significant opportunities for advancements in instructional design and educational innovation. GenAI tools, like ChatGPT, are poised to transform teacher education by reshaping instructional techniques, learning strategies, and assessment methods. However, there is limited research on educational institutions’ responses to GenAI and teacher educators’ readiness to adopt these …
Humanoids in STEM outreach
This perspective reports on 2025 field deployments of a full-size humanoid robot across diverse settings, from a large-scale mental health charity event to primary and secondary classrooms in Ireland. While high-fidelity humanoids significantly increase student engagement and ’social relief’, they introduce complex challenges regarding physical safety, anthropomorphic bias, and regulatory compliance. We describe a ‘Tin Man’ framing strategy used …
Computer Science (15 works) · Pedagogy (14 works) · Mathematics education (13 works) · Psychology (13 works) · Sociology (11 works) · Political science (7 works) · Teacher education (7 works) · Engineering (6 works) · Teacher Education and Leadership Studies (6 works) · Curriculum (5 works)