Dr Aileen McGuigan

Biography

Dr Aileen McGuigan graduated from the University of Glasgow with a joint degree in English and Scottish Literature and continued there, completing a PhD in 1998. Her thesis centred on literary history from a feminist perspective. During her postgraduate years, she worked part-time, teaching at the University of Glasgow and in community education with the Workers' Education Association. She was a founding member and later organiser of the University of Glasgow's Feminist Reading Group.

Aileen has experience of teaching in a whole range of educational sectors: secondary and tertiary as well as community learning. After completing her PGCE, she taught English and Media Studies in secondary schools and then in the college sector, firstly at Langside in Glasgow and on moving to Tayside with her family, at Angus College. Later on she was employed in outreach work for the University of Dundee, organising a programme of courses for adults in community settings throughout Tayside and delivering a range of short courses herself.

She took up a lecturing post in the Teaching Qualification (Further Education) team within the School of Education, Social Work and Community Education (ESWCE) here at the University of Dundee, in October 2006. She has been TQ(FE) Programme Director since August 2010.

Qualifications

• MA with joint honours in English and Scottish Literature (1991, University of Glasgow)
• PhD in Scottish Literature. Thesis: 'At the Verge of their Proper Sphere: Early Nineteenth Century Scottish Women Novelists' (1998, University of Glasgow)
• PGCE (Secondary) in English, with elective courses in TESOL, Drama and Photography (1998, University of Strathclyde)
• Postgraduate Certificate in Guidance (1999, University of Strathclyde)

Research Interests

Dr McGuigan's research stems from a social constructivist epistemology. She is interested in:

• Design for learning in online environments
• Professional development
• Online collaboration
• Web 2.0 social media tools in learning contexts

Research Group

Member of the elearning Research Network, convened by Dr Nick Hine of the School of Computing and Professor Brian Hudson of ESWCE.

Teaching

• Programme Director, Teaching Qualification (Further Education)
• Module Leader of Transitions (part of the Tertiary Education Pathway of the MScAPS degree)
• Supervision of students on the PhD and Professional Doctorate programmes

Awards

The TQ(FE) team won the following awards in 2011:

• College of Arts and Social Sciences Award for Innovative Teaching (for TQFE-Tutor: an integrated tutoring communications system for the TQ(FE) programme)
• University of Dundee Honorary Graduates' Award for Innovation in Teaching (also for TQFE-Tutor)

Administration

• As TQ(FE) Programme Director, chairing the relevant Programme Boards
• Member of the ESWCE Learning, Teaching and Recruitment Committee
• Part of the University's e-Learning Forum Working Group on the set up of an iTunesU account for the University (2010 to date)
• Member of the University's Distance Learning Forum (2007 to date)
• Member of the ESWCE BAPD and MScAPS Programme Boards
• The representative of the three TQ(FE) providers (Dundee, Aberdeen and Stirling) on the Professional Learning and Development Forum (PLDF)
• Member of the Core Group set up by the PLDF to undertake the 2011/12 refresh of the Professional Standards for Lecturers in Scotland's Colleges
• Member of the Executive Committee of the HE/FE special interest group of the e-Learning Alliance

Publications

Chapters
McGuigan, A., 2012	McGuigan, A. (2012) Blogospheric Learning in a Continuing Professional Development Context. In Okada, A., Connolly, T. and Scott, P. (Eds) Collaborative Learning 2.0: Open Educational Resources (Hershey, PA: IGI Global). http://www.dundee.ac.uk/eswce/people/amcguigan/blogosphericlearning.pdf
McGuigan, A., 2011	McGuigan, A. (2011) A centralised tutor system to support the affective needs of online learners in Nygard, C. (Ed) Beyond Transmission: innovations in university teaching. Libri Publishing.
Journal Papers
McGuigan, A. & Normand, C., 2011	McGuigan, A. & Normand, C. (2011) ‘Interactivity or inactivity: A study of blogging in a professional teaching qualification programme for college lecturers’ in ELiSS. http://www.eliss.org.uk/CurrentIssueVol3No3/viewarticle33/tabid/334/itemid/150/pubtabid/335/repmodid/411/Default.aspx
Conference Presentations
McGuigan, A., 2012	McGuigan, A. (2012) Informal staff development via a centralised tutoring system in an online lecturer education programme. Conference: ECER, Cadiz, 18-21 September 2012. Paper accepted.
McGuigan, A., 2012	McGuigan, A. (2012) The use of technology within teacher education and training in the Scottish College Sector. Presentation by invitation from European Project Professional Usage of Multimedia in an Educational Context (PUMEC) at Anniesland College, Glasgow
McGuigan, A., 2011	McGuigan, A. (2012) TQFE-Tutor: an innovative approach to online distance tutoring. Presentation at University of Dundee Discovery Days 2012, representing the TQ(FE) team as winners of the Honorary Graduates Award for Innovative Teaching 2011.
McGuigan, A., 2011	McGuigan, A. (2011) Being Effective in the Affective Domain of the Distance Learner through Innovative use of Web 2.0 Technology. Conference: ECER, Berlin, September 2011.
McGuigan, A. & Boyle, L., 2011	McGuigan, A. & Boyle, L. (2011) Weaving a Web 2.0 to Support Online Learning. eLearning Forum Symposium - 'Beyond Powerpoint', University of Dundee, 30 June 2011.
McGuigan, A. & Normand, C., 2010	McGuigan, A. & Normand, C. (2010) ‘Interactivity or inactivity: A study of blogging in a professional teaching qualification programme for college lecturers’. Conference: ECER, Helsinki, August 2010.
Professional Publications
McGuigan, A., 2012	McGuigan, A. (2012) TQFE-Tutor: an innovative approach to online distance tutoring in Discovery Days 2012. Dundee: Dundee University