Pedagogy for Higher Education Large Classes (PHELC)

7th Symposium | 12 June 2026 | Online (Keynote - Hybrid)

Location: Seamus Heaney Lecture Theatre, Room F203, St Patrick’s Campus, Dublin City University | Online via Zoom

LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/company/phelc/

Hybrid attendance note: All times are shown first in Irish/British Standard Time (IST/BST). Time-zone conversions are included for online participants. Please log on early to allow time for any technical issues.

Detailed Programme

10:30 - 11:00 Online Log-on / In-person Registration

For online participants:

Participants are invited to log on to Zoom from 10:30 to allow time to resolve any technical difficulties before the symposium begins.

For in-person participants:

Arrival and registration will take place at the Seamus Heaney Lecture Theatre, Ground floor of the Library, St Patrick’s Campus, Dublin City University, for those attending the keynote address in person.

11:00 - 11:10 Welcome and Introduction to the Symposium

Dr Anna Logan and Dr Ann Marie Farrell, Dublin City University

Welcome to symposium participants joining both online and in person.

11:10 -12:10 Keynote Address - Feedback at Scale

Professor David Boud, Deakin Distinguished Professor and Foundation Director of the Centre for Research in Assessment and Digital Learning, Deakin University, Australia

The keynote will be followed by a Q&A session.

12:10 - 12:20 Break / Hybrid Transition

For online participants: Short break.

For in-person participants: Keynote wrap-up and transition to lunch.

12:20 - 13:15 Session 1: Assessment in Large Class Contexts

Short Papers (10 minutes per paper)

Amara Atif, University of Technology Sydney, Australia

Scaling Up or Scaling Down? Rubrics, Peer Assessment and Feedback Literacy in a Large Postgraduate Cohort.

Claire Griffin, Mary Immaculate College, Limerick, Ireland

Designing Assessments for Large University Classes: Considering Artificial Intelligence, Academic Integrity and Bloom’s Revised Taxonomy.

Yalemisew Abgaz, Dublin City University, Ireland

A Framework for Formative Assessments Co-Created with Students for Large Classes.

Darina Scully, Ernesto Panadero and Conor Scully, Dublin City University, Ireland

Peer-Assessment in the Large Class Context: Instructor Reflections, Student Perceptions, Feedback Quality, and the Impact of Anonymity.

Q&A

13:15 - 13:30 Coffee Break

Coffee break and Wheel of Fortune with prizes.

13:30 - 14:45 Session 2: Student Engagement and Learning in the Large Class Context

Lightning Talks (4 minutes per participant)

Reihaneh Aghamolaei, Dublin City University, Ireland

From Lecture-Centric to Learner-Centered: Digital Pedagogical Design for Active and Sustainable Learning in Large Engineering Classes.

Michael Murphy, University College Cork, Ireland

Exploring the value of Learning Analytics to enhance student learning and to enable more effective module management in large-class teaching environments.

Ana-Carmen Diaz, Álvaro Melón-Izco, Óscar Guinea Ibáñez, María Vargas Magallón

 University of La Rioja, Spain

Corporate Finance Robot: An AI-Based Assistant to Autonomous Learning in Large Classes.

Meisam Gordon, Miguel Casero Flórez, Ekin Ozer and Beatriz Martinez-Pastor University College Dublin, Ireland

Beyond Borders and Beyond Numbers: Purposeful Engagement in Large Engineering Classes in a Joint International College.

Short Papers  (10 minutes per paper)

Monica Ward, Dublin City University, Ireland

A Four-Pronged Approach to Support Students in Large Classes: Combining Safeness, Sense of Belonging, Primary School Strategies with EdTech for a Successful Approach.

William Hogan, Kennedy Insights Ltd., Ireland

Designing for Depth at Scale: Simulation-Based Pedagogy in Postgraduate Classes of 100+ Students.

James Byrne, Colum Foley, Damien Dupré, Brian Cleere and Paul Liston, Dublin City University, Ireland

From Event to Artefact: In-Class and Live-Streamed Guest Lectures with AI-Support Review.

Q&A

14:45 - 15:00 Wrap-up and Social Close

Final reflections and closing comments.

Social event and Wheel of Fortune: More spot prizes, informal chat, and sparkling drinks to celebrate the 7th PHELC Symposium.

Times listed are Central European Time (CET).  Please see www.timeanddate.com to convert to your local time.

11.45-12.00 (CET) Log on / Registration 

12.00-12.15 (CET) Welcome: Introduction to Symposium and participants:  Dr. Anna Logan (@logananna11) and Ann Marie Farrell (@AnnMFarrell), Dublin City University 

12.15-13.00 (CET) Jaclyn Broadbent (@JaqiBFT), Deakin University, Melbourne

KEYNOTE:  Aligning the Summative and Formative Purposes of Assessment: Assignment Design, Feedback and Moderation at Scale

13.00-14.00 (CET)  Short Papers: Session 1

• Karen Buckley, Dublin City University (@Karen_Buckley_)

Talking the Talk: Interactive Oral Assessment to Promote Academic Integrity in Large Postgraduate Teacher Education Programmes

• Conor Hanly, University of Galway

Student Engagement in a Large Flipped Class

• Keith Murphy, Technological University of Dublin (@KeithMu23476082) 

Neurodiverse Students Learning in Large Lecture Theatres: Challenges and Opportunities

Q&A Session (Keynote and short paper presenters)

14.00-14.30 (CET)  Coffee break - Wheel of Fortune (prizes)

14.30-16.00 (CET)   Short Papers: Session 2

• Heather Bennett & Bridget Curren, State University of New York (SUNY)

Ungrading: Using Feedback and Reflection to Address Assessment Challenges in  Large Classes

• Peter Felten, Elon University, North Carolina (@pfeltenNC)

Relationship-Rich Education at Scale

• Michael Murphy, University College Cork

Using an Individual Reflective Journal based on the Belbin Team Roles Framework to Manage Group Projects in Large Classes

Q&A Session  (Short paper presenters)

Wrap Up: 

Social Event & Wheel of Fortune (again!)

More spot prizes.  Chat.  Some sparkling drinks to celebrate the sixth PHELC symposium

Times listed are Central European Time (CET).  Please see www.timeanddate.com to convert to your local time.

11.45-12.00 (CET) Log on / Registration 

12.00-12.30 (CET) Welcome: Introduction to Symposium and participants:  Dr. Anna Logan (@logananna11) and Ann Marie Farrell (@AnnMFarrell), Dublin City University 

12.30-14.00 (CET) Elaine Huber  (@enm181), University of Sydney

KEYNOTE:  Scaling New Horizons: Empowering Educators and Reimagining the Student Experience in Higher Education Large Classes

Lightning Talks: 

• Yalemisew Abgaz (@Yalemisew) & Ciaran Dunne, Dublin City University 

Designing Microcurricula-as-a-Service: The Case of Large Class, Cross programme, and Online Asynchronous Module.

• Uzma Ahmad, University of Sheffield

Does Online Engagement Improve Students’ Performance in Large Classroom: An Empirical Evidence of Microeconomics module at University of Sheffield International College during the COVID19 pandemic

• Hyowon Lee and Naile Hacioglu, Dublin City University 

An Experience of Applying Active Learning to Large Classes

Short Papers:

• Roisin Lyons (@RoLyonz), University of Limerick, Orlagh Reynolds & Catherine Faherty, Dublin City University

Student Reflections on the Hackathon Experience

• Kofi Nseibo, Kristin Van Tonder, Chantal Samuels, Cheryl Hodgkinson-Williams (@CherylHW), Judith McKensie, University of Cape Town

Enhancing student engagement by integrating principles of Universal Design for Learning in a Disability Studies in Education short course.

Q&A Session (keynote, lightning talk and short paper presenters).

14.00-14.30 (CET)  Coffee break - Wheel of Fortune (prizes)

14.30-16.00 (CET)   Lightning talks & Short Papers

Lightning Talks:

• Rob Lowney (@lowneyrob), Dublin City University

"Elicit and Engage" - Staff experiences of a student polling tool in large classes

• John Kelly, University of Galway 

The development of a Pharmacology module for undergraduate medical students at the University of Galway 

• Nicole Isaacs, Sibusiso Maneli & Cheryl Hodgkinson-Williams (@CherylHW), University of Cape Town

Optimising diverse linguistic capital through translanguaging in a humanities course.

Short papers:

• William Golden (@WMGGolden), University of Galway 

ChatGPT: A means to enable student critical thinking in large classes

• Fiona Gallagher, Peter Tiernan (@pt_phone_home) & Irene White (@IreneWhite_), Dublin City University 

Group Video Assessment in Higher Education Large Classes: Students’ and Educators’ Perspectives

• Michael Murphy & Marnina Winkler, University College Cork

Managing group project-work in large classes with limited teaching supports; exploring self-directed mechanisms to assist students address group issues and the problem of the ‘free-rider’

Q&A Session  (lightning talk and short paper presenters)

Plenary discussion: 

Discussion, conclusions and suggestions for future PHELC events

Social Event & Wheel of Fortune (again!)

More spot prizes.  Chat.  Some sparkling drinks to celebrate the fifth PHELC symposium

Times listed are Central European Time (CET).  Please see www.timeanddate.com to convert to your local time.

10.45-11.00 (CET) Log on / Registration 

11.00-11.30 (CET) Welcome: Introduction to workshop content and participants:  Dr. Anna Logan (@logananna11) and Ann Marie Farrell (@AnnMFarrell), Dublin City University 

11.30-13.00 (CET)

Keynote 1: Prof. Jacqui de Matos Ala, University of the Witwatersrand, Johannesburg 

Teaching with diversity in mind – designing curricula for culturally diverse large classes. 

Short papers:

• Elaine Huber (@enm181), Peter J Bryant (@PeterBryantHE), Stephanie Wilson, Natasha Arthars & Matthew Taylor, The University of Sydney 
  Connected Learning – Designing for Scale Through Co-Design Approaches  

• Kenneth McDonagh (@KennethMcDonagh) and Jelena Radakovic (@j_radakovic), Dublin City University

Most Effective Tools and Strategies for Large Class Engagement: First Year Students and Their Recommendations

• Alison Bailey, University of Sussex (@AlisonB16469287) - The benefits of team-based learning and business simulations to re-engage student learning in a large group setting.

Q&A Session (keynote and short paper presenters)

13.00-14.00 (CET)  Coffee break - Wheel of Fortune (prizes)

14.00-15.30 (CET)   

Keynote 2: Prof. Frederic Fovet, Royal Roads University, Victoria, Canada (@Ffovet).

Including learner diversity in large class teaching: Using Universal Design for Learning to sustain a systematic proactive reflection on social justice and accessibility

Short Papers: 

• Jon Chandler (@_jon_chandler), University College London & Jamie Wood (@woodjamie99), University of Lincoln - Promoting active engagement with text-based resources in large first-year modules in History

• Monica Ward, Dublin City University

The role of technology in formative assessment with large classes 

• Ann Marie Farrell (@AnnMFarrell), Dublin City University

Developing a sense of community in a large class context

Q&A Session (keynote and short paper presenters)

15.30-16.30 (CET)   Workshop 

Themes TBA 

• Plenary discussion: 

Discussion, conclusions and suggestions for future PHELC events

16.30.... (CET) 

Social Event & Wheel of Fortune (again!)

More spot prizes.  Chat.  Some sparkling drinks to celebrate the fourth PHELC symposium

Times listed are Central European Time (CET).  Please see www.timeanddate.com to convert to your local time.

11.45-12.00 (CET) Log on / Registration 

12.00-12.15 (CET) Welcome: Introduction to workshop content and participants  Ann Marie Farrell & Anna Logan, Dublin City University 

12.15-13.30 (CET)  

• Keynote 1: Prof. James Arvanitakis, Western Sydney University, 'That was fun!' The joy and importance of large classes.

• Short Paper 1: Dr Yuhui Gao, Dublin City University, Building meaningful connections with large, online classes.

• Short Paper 2: Mai Burke Hayes, Mary Immaculate College, Limerick, Enhancing students' feedback literacy through peer-review in large classes.

• Short Paper 3: Seán Smyth et al., Dublin City University, The opportunities and challenges of emergency remote teaching for large class students during the COVID-19 pandemic.

• Q&A Panel Session comprising speakers above.

13.30-14.00 (CET)  Coffee Break & Wheel of Fortune (prizes)

14.00-14.15 (CET)  Lightning Talks:  

• David Kennedy, Dublin City University (@daviekennedy) - Using UDL to redesign face-to-face, large class modules for the online, asynchronous environment.

• Dr. Flora Gaetani & Dr. Fausto Brevi, Politecnico, Milano - The experience of drawing courses in higher education, large classes during the covid-19 pandemic scenario.

• Fiona Giblin, Dublin City University (@giblin_fiona) - Flipping the flipped classroom online.

• Dr. Aurelia Carranza Marquez & Dr. M. Angeles Escobar Álvarez, National Distance Education University, Madrid - MOOC on bachelor’s degree final project (TFG): Prototyping and design.

• Jamal Lahmar, University of Sheffield - A problem-based group task for exploring quantitative research design and analysis: facilitating collaborative problem-solving with large classes online.

• Dr. Monica Ward, Dublin City University - The positive impact of educational technologies in a large class context. 

14.15-15.00 (CET)  

• Keynote 2: Prof. David J. Hornsby, Carleton University, Ottawa, Canada: Back to the future - Large classes in a time of pandemic.

• Q&A Panel Session keynote and lightning talk presenters.

15.00-15.45 (CET)  

• Workshop - breakout rooms

• Plenary discussion: Discussion based on topics explored in breakout rooms

15.45 …. (Central European Time)   Social Event   More spot prizes.  Chat.  Some sparkling drinks to celebrate the second PHELC symposium.

Times listed are Central European Time (CET) i.e. time in Valencia.  Please see www.timeanddate.com to convert to your local time.

11.45-12.00 (CET) Log on / Registration 

12.00-12.15 (CET) Welcome: Introduction to workshop content and participants  Ann Marie Farrell & Anna Logan, Dublin City University 

12.15-12.45 (CET)  Keynote 1: Prof. David Carless, University of Hong Kong Assessment and Feedback for Large Classes 

12.45-13.30 (CET)  Paper Presentations (10 minutes per paper - Q&A for all presenters (last 15 minutes) 

Dr. Claire Griffin, Mary Immaculate College, Limerick, Ireland.

Student Engagement and Assessment: Promoting Student Learning across All Levels of Bloom’s Revised Taxonomy

Danny Carroll, University of New South Wales, Australia.

Assessment for learning at scale at UNSW Sydney.

Dr. Justin Rami & Dr. Francesca Lorenzi, Dublin City University, Ireland.

Pedagogical dialogue and feedforward with large classes in a teacher education programme in Ireland 

13.30-14.00 (CET)  Coffee Break & Wheel of Fortune (prizes)

14.00-14.30 (CET)  Keynote 2: Prof. David J Hornsby, Carleton University, Ottawa, Canada.  Moving Large Classes Online: Implications for Assessment, Teaching and Learning 

14.30-15.30 (CET)  World Cafe roundtable discussion (rotating breakout rooms): Pivoting Large Class Pedagogy Online (Assessment, Teaching, Learning) 

15.30-15.45 (CET)  Plenary discussion: Discussion, conclusions and suggestions for future PHELC events 

15.45 …. (Central European Time)   Social Event   More spot prizes.  Chat.  Some sparkling drinks to celebrate the second PHELC symposium.

13.30-14.00 Registration 

14.00-14.15 Welcome: Introduction to workshop content and participants Ann Marie Farrell Dublin City University 

14.15-14.45 Long presentation: Team-based learning in a large class David O Hanlon, Stephanie Duffy, Luke Fannon, Nuala Harding, Seadna Ryan, Athlone Institute of Technology, Ireland

14.45-15.00 Research in pedagogy for large classes in HE: Knowledge gaps and opportunities Anna Logan, Dublin City University

15.00-15.20 Short Presentation: Enhancing the student experience: Facebook as a support tool for students in an enabling education Bianca Price, University of South Australia

15.20-15.40 Lightning Talks based on Posters

Enabling active learning through the use of Plicker - Charalampos Chanialidis, University of Glasgow 

Simulations for Assessment in Large Classes - Iain McMenamin, Dublin City University 

A low mobile data usage gamification scavenger hunt prototype for engineering students at an African university of technology Nicolaas Johannes Luwes, Leanri Van Heerden, Central University of Technology, Free State, South Africa

Motivating students through gamification in nursing education: A qualitative research Juul Lemey, Evelien Hast, Artvelde University College, Ghent 

Pedagogical assessment and possibilities of developing World Café Method and Inter-generational Learning into Higher Education Learning - Trudy Corrigan, Dublin City University

Building UDL into summative assessment in a large class: Challenges and Possibilities Ann Marie Farrell, Dublin City University 

15.40-16.15 Coffee & Questions and Poster Presentations 

16.15-16.30 Short Presentation: Promoting Student Engagement with a Large Class (400+): Implications for large sized lectures, small group workshops and online teaching and learning Fiona Giblin, Dublin City University 

16.30-17.20 World Cafe roundtable discussion: Teaching, Learning and Assessment in Large Classes

17.20-18.00 Plenary discussion: Conclusions and action planning for practice and research building on the first PHELC symposium