Key facts
Qualification
Level 9 Professional Certificate (15 ECTS)
with the option to continue on to a Level 9 Professional Diploma (25 ECTS in total)
How it's delivered
Full-time | Live Online
Duration
This course will be delivered across 3 modules over three weeks in June 2023.
If your organisation is interested in pursuing a partnership, please contact Eleanor.Kelly@ucd.ie
Fees and Funding
Certificate: €1,500 (EU) or €3,000 (Non-EU)
Diploma: an additional €1,250 (EU) or €2,500 (Non-EU)
There are a limited number of 90% bursary places available on this programme. Please email a CV and cover letter to Alan.Morgan@ucd.ie if you would like to apply.
Full bursaries are available for UCD staff.
Primary and second level educators may be able to avail of the Teacher Fee Refund Scheme. Details of the scheme can be found here and here.
What Our Students Say
“The 3 weeks I spent doing the Professional Certificate in Creativity and Innovation for Education were among the best 3 weeks in my 25-year career.” Dr Linda Dowling Hetherington, Lecturer
“I think there can be a misconception that what’s interesting can’t be useful and vice versa. This programme is both.”Ailish O’Halloran, Deputy Provost
“I was keen to push myself, to get out of my comfort zone and be more future looking in how I approached my work as an educator.” Sean Gallagher, Referee Development Manager
Hear more from our students by clicking here.
Overview
As educators, we must keep pace with our rapidly changing world, and adapt to what we now understand about the neuroscience of learning. By developing our own creative and entrepreneurial mindsets we can help our students to fully realise their capacity for innovation, for the good of society.
Through this course, you’ll experience new approaches to education – all underpinned by academic rigour – from the perspective of a student. By stepping outside your comfort zone you can update your knowledge, build empathy with your students, and reignite your passion for teaching.
The course is highly flexible, allowing your cohort to co-create the learning experience based on the needs and experiences of each group. You’ll learn a more practical, action-based approach to learning, including the chance to lead some parts of the course yourself.
By the end, you’ll be part of a pioneering community of educators who are promoting these experiential learning approaches. You’ll be ready to influence and inspire your colleagues, your institution, and the broader educational community.
The diploma module gives you a further chance to develop your professional practice as an Entrepreneurial Educator.
Who is it for?
We welcome educators from all backgrounds, disciplines and levels of experience here at the Innovation Academy. Anyone who designs and delivers learning experiences can benefit from this course.
This course is for:
- Passionate educators wanting to enhance your teaching practice.
- Educators ready to take a step up in your career.
- Anyone feeling stuck as an educator, keen to reignite your passion.
- Anyone new in their post – or new to Ireland – looking for a supportive network and new approaches.
- Teachers, Lecturers, Program Managers, Education Technologists, Teaching and Learning professionals… to name a few.
So what are you waiting for?
Course structure
You’ll learn from Innovation Academy’s inspiring educators and engage with leaders and influencers in education from across Ireland and beyond.
This fully immersive, experiential learning experience is delivered online through a combination of live online sessions, self-directed learning, and collaborative group activities.
The course is split into 3 core modules, totalling 15 ECTS:
- IA40320: Creative Thinking and Innovation for Educators (5 ECTS)
- IA40440: Leadership Development for Educators (5 ECTS)
- IA40330: Entrepreneurial Mindset for Educators (5 ECTS)
For the Professional Diploma, you’ll also complete:
Course delivery and timings
Each of the 3 core modules runs over 5 full days, spread throughout the course in blocks.
Classes run from 9.30–16.30 each day. Mornings will be live online sessions. Afternoons will be a mixture of self-directed learning, reflective learning, and group or individual work.
As the programme involves continuous assessment, students must attend all class sessions.
For students completing the diploma, the Professional Practice module consists of a real-world Diploma Project. This runs over the 5-6 months of the course, with no classes, facilitated through one-to-one mentoring sessions.
- Why choose us?
- Learning outcomes
- How to apply
- Assessment
- Who leads this course?
- Career opportunities
UCD Innovation Academy sits at the cutting-edge of education in Ireland, and the world.
We’ve been challenging students to see the world differently since 2010, when we became one of the first universities to offer experiential learning experiences.
Our team has been innovating ever since, shaping and refining our courses with input from some of the world’s best. Thousands of students have passed through the Academy, and each one has played their part in making our courses better and better. We have countless examples of our alumni accelerating their careers and changing the world from within organisations or as entrepreneurs and social entrepreneurs.
Students at the Academy also have access to the latest technology to support their creativity. The IA MakerSpace provides a playground for innovation, testing, and prototyping to bring your ideas to life.
As if that wasn’t enough, we’re a part of UCD, ranked among the top 1% of higher education institutions in the world. We’re Ireland’s global university and ranked Ireland’s best for graduate employability. And we currently have Professor Sir Mark Welland, Deputy Vice-Chancellor, University of Cambridge acting as our External Examiner.
Here at the Innovation Academy we have everything you need for a learning experience you’ll never forget.
By the end of the Professional Certificate/Diploma in Creativity & Innovation for Education course, students will:
- Explore creativity, innovation, and approaches to lead change in education.
- Discover new approaches in education from around the world.
- Build a peer network of friends, contacts and collaborators.
- Learned from a faculty of educators who have ‘walked the walk’.
- Gain a UCD Professional Certificate (15 ECTS) or Diploma (25 ECTS).
- Be ready to improve the learning outcomes for your students.
- Be ready to accelerate your career
Application deadlines
Places are offered on a rolling basis until the courses are full.
All applicants, please email innovation.academy@ucd.ie with the following.
For UCD Academic and Teaching Staff:
Enclose a nomination from your Head of School
OR
Your Letter of Motivation (see below).
For All Other Applicants:
Please email innovation.academy@ucd.ie enclosing:
- A CV that outlines your experience as an educator.
- A Letter of Motivation (see below).
- A copy of your academic transcripts (or student number if you are a graduate of UCD).
- If you are applying as an educator who attended Féilte 2021, please include a copy of your ticket / confirmation email.
Letters of Motivation
This should include:
- An overview of your experience as an educator.
- Why are you applying for this course and why now?
- What do you hope to gain from the course?
- If you are applying for a 40% bursary, please state your case in your letter of motivation.
Active participation and engagement are essential, so attendance counts towards a Pass for the course.
You’ll be continually assessed throughout the course, as well as delivering various individual and team assignments, presentations, and reports.
IA40320:
- 40% Attendance
- 30% Reflection report
- 30% Continuous assessment task, activities and exercises
IA40440:
- 20% Action-learning project
- 30% Attendance
- 30% Personal reflections and realisations essay
- 20% Action-Learning Project Presentation
IA40450:
- 30% Reflection Report
- 70% Project report and presentation
IA40480: (Optional Diploma Module)
- 30% Reflection Report
- 70% Project report and presentation
All courses at the Innovation Academy are developed and facilitated by our exceptional team of educators.
The team boasts a wealth of experience from a wide variety of backgrounds. They are international entrepreneurs, doctors (both medical and academic), robotics experts, storytellers, conservationists, campaigners, and creatives.
What they all have in common is their love of the innovative, learning-by-doing approach to learning and their devotion to delivering a world-class student experience.
You’ll also hear from key influencers in education from around the world, who share their thoughts on innovation in education.
Read more about the people behind this course.
This course will put you at the forefront of the teaching profession. You’ll be perfectly placed to step up into more senior roles and become a pioneer for best practice within your institution.
And by developing your own creative and entrepreneurial mindset, you’ll be ready to nurture these mindsets in your students, leading to a stronger economy and society.
The course will give you the chance to engage with leaders and influencers across education in Ireland and around the world.
You’ll also cultivate a network of friends, peers, contacts, and collaborators, who you can call on for ongoing support.
