CASE STUDY
Integrating Global Citizenship Education at the University College Cork (UCC)
Who We Are
Institution: School of Education, University College Cork (UCC) has systematically embraced Global Citizenship Education (GCE) to enhance educational practices and student outcomes.
Project Leaders:
- Dr. Stephen O’Brien: The principal leader for DE/GCE projects, Dr. O’Brien has spearheaded DE/GCE projects with a vision to deeply embed global citizenship and sustainable education practices within teacher education. His leadership has been pivotal in aligning the project objectives with UCC’s strategic educational goals and global educational standards.
- Dr. Gertrude Cotter: Co-leader on many of the GCE projects, Dr. Cotter has been instrumental in operationalising the integration of GCE into the curriculum. Her contributions include developing specific modules, organizing exhibitions, and enhancing public engagement through media.
- Ms.Seánín Hoy: Collaborating closely with Dr. O’Brien, Ms. Hoy has brought innovative pedagogical approaches to the projects. Her focus on creating interactive and student-centred learning environments has significantly enriched the GCE curriculum.
Project Members: Each year, the project team consists of approximately 130 student teachers engaged in some 50 hours of GCE supported by a dynamic team of educators and numerous other faculty members The AURORA and Ubuntu networks have also collaborated extensively. This team’s interdisciplinary expertise has enriched GCE initiatives, broadening their impact across various educational sectors.
What We Did
The primary aim was to integrate Development Education (DE)/GCE into the fabric of teacher education, ensuring that future educators are well-prepared to teach and embody global citizenship principles. The objectives evolved to include more extensive pedagogical strategies and digital integration, especially in response to the Covid-19 pandemic.
Project Objectives:
- Integration of DE/GCE into Curriculum: The primary objective was to seamlessly integrate DE and GCE principles into the core modules of the Professional Master of Education (PME) program. This included embedding these principles into existing courses like ‘Curriculum and Assessment’ and developing new modules specifically dedicated to DE/GCE. Given the challenges posed by the Covid-19 pandemic, a significant objective was the creation and implementation of online and blended learning options to continue DE/GCE education without interruption. This included piloting new online modules and adapting traditional in-person activities to virtual formats.
- Enhancement of Teacher Capacities: Building the capacities of pre-service and in-service teachers to understand and deliver DE/GCE content effectively in their classrooms was a major focus. This objective aimed at ensuring that teachers are not only aware of global citizenship concepts but are also equipped to actively engage students in these discussions in their respective classrooms.
- Professional Development and Learning Initiatives: Another objective was to provide ongoing professional development opportunities for faculty and staff, focusing on DE/GCE content, pedagogical strategies, and assessment methods. These included a series of workshops, seminars, and continuous professional development (CPD) for staff, focusing on DE theories, practices, and integration into existing curricula.
- Research, Monitoring and Evaluation: The project’s impact was consistently monitored through student engagement metrics, feedback mechanisms, and the development of digital content, which allowed for a broader evaluation of learning outcomes. Conducting research to assess the effectiveness of DE/GCE integration and using this data to continually refine and improve the programs was a critical objective. This included evaluating the impact on student learning outcomes, teacher preparedness, and overall institutional adoption of GCE principles.
- Advocacy and Outreach: Promoting DE/GCE principles beyond the university setting through advocacy, outreach programs, and collaborations with local and international partners was also a fundamental objective. Engaging the educational community and the public through workshops, exhibitions, and public lectures was also key to spreading the reach and impact of DE/GCE initiatives. The project featured extensive outreach efforts, including exhibitions at the Glucksman Gallery, interactive websites, and participation in community radio programs. These initiatives
significantly increased public engagement and awareness of DE/GCE themes
Impact Achieved
(Click + for more)
Student Engagement/Educational Impact: Over the duration of the DE/GCE projects, UCC successfully prepared hundreds of teacher candidates to integrate global citizenship concepts into their teaching. Surveys and feedback from these educators indicated increased competence in their ability to engage students with complex global issues. DE/GCE principles were incorporated into multiple core modules within the PME program, reaching all enrolled students. This systematic integration ensures that every student teacher at the School of Education, UCC receives foundational DE/GCE training, which they carry into their professional teaching careers.
Example: In collaboration with Galway One World Centre, each year we invite all PME students to participate in The Global Teacher Award (GTA). The GTA is a validated teacher-training program currently being made available across Ireland and in 3 EU partner-countries. It aims to raise the profile and quality of DE/GCE provision in the European Union through the creation of a standardised DE/GCE training and award scheme for teachers.
Example: PME students who participate in The Global Teacher Award (n = ~ 15 annually) develop three to five lesson plans on a DE/GCE theme and record it in their portfolios of learning.
I started the Global Teacher Award thinking it was about environmental change. I came out thinking about climate justice and also tax, trade and debt justice.
The impact Id Est has had on the development of my personal and professional identity as a teacher has been truly transformative in terms of my thinking, in my approach to teaching, in my world view and in my values and beliefs for present and future education.
We know from ongoing discussions with students that Development Education is important to them. They (foundationally) understand that teaching is as much about nurturing identity (for oneself and others) as it is about facilitating informed truths. With the DE work we do with student teachers we notice that they come to appreciate that teachers have an important (and wider) social and civic purpose and that their work has local and global significance.
GCE has strengthened me as an educator in my use of active learning methods and in my flexibility and provided me with more vision because the more I practice, the more confident I am to let go and be more creative and innovative which is truly empowering. Reading literature in GCE, engaging with other professionals in GCE, exploring GCE with student teachers and school students has certainly had an impact on my values and my attitude in the sense that I see my role as a political obligation and participant in a collaborative move for justice.
The Panel considered the submission for the UCC programmes to be exemplary. UCC have a demonstrably strong commitment to global citizenship, education for sustainable development and social justice across the college in general and within the school of education in particular.
In their post-lesson reflections, student teachers commented on their new understanding of DE/GCE, in their opportunities to invite DE/GCE into their respective disciplines and in the challenges that they encountered through this facilitation. They also commented that, in spite of such challenges, they felt more confident and more equipped to approach the teaching and learning of DE/GCE issues.
Public Outreach and Engagement: Public exhibitions, interactive websites, and community radio involvement led to a greater public understanding of DE/GCE themes. Students engaged in diverse projects ranging from local community initiatives to international educational programs, which allowed them to apply DE/GCE concepts practically. The quality and creativity of these projects were showcased in annual university exhibitions and online platforms, receiving positive community and academic feedback.
Example: Events like the ‘We Make the Road by Walking’ exhibition attracted diverse audiences, enhancing community engagement with the university’s DE/GCE efforts. This exhibition at the Glucksman Art Gallery, UCC featured artwork carried out by student teachers with their pupils in their classrooms. Seven schools in Cork participated in total. In addition, one of the school groups were interviewed on community radio on Dr Gertrude Cotter’s Global Hub program (Community Radio Youghal 104FM).
Example: Co-development of a DE/GCE Transition Year curriculum module outline that involved wider consultation with PME 1 students, their pupils and other stakeholders (notably a TY class in one urban school setting).
Facilitating workshops on GCE as well as designing and implementing a new module for Transition Year students has been profoundly impactful on me as an educator and researcher.
The participants’ experience of learning has a powerful influence on their own implementation and motivation for teaching and learning therefore it was imperative that the course authentically reflected the values of Global Citizenship Education, values such as ‘Empathy’ and avoiding traditional narratives of sympathy.
Capacity Building: Ongoing professional development workshops and seminars have equipped UCC faculty and partner educators with advanced skills in DE/GCE, ensuring the sustainability of project initiatives. These efforts have fostered a robust community of practice committed to continuous improvement in DE/GCE.
Example: Development of key DE/GCE audio-visual resources: ‘Introducing Development Education and Global Citizenship Education (GCE): A guide for student teachers’; and ‘Student teachers’ experiences of doing Development and Global Citizenship Education in the Post-Primary Classroom’. We also produced an in-service video for all UCC staff, entitled ‘Developing a ‘sustainable’ curriculum: Some key conceptual foundations’.
Example: Development of a dedicated website for the ‘Id Est’ Project which features the radio shows, the Id Est Exhibitions. The website was launched to highlight DE/GCE work with the staff at the School of Education and encourage further integration of DE/GCE into the PME program.
Quantitative data: During AY2021/22 and AY2022/23 some 30 School of Education Staff engaged with professional learning in the areas of GCE philosophy, methodologies and practices, facilitated by the project team.
In the workshops they [UCC faculty] commented on new learning, ‘unlearning’ and ‘relearning’.
Research and Evaluation: Comprehensive evaluations involving external reviewers from the Ubuntu Network have validated the effectiveness of the DE/GCE projects, highlighting significant advances in teacher preparedness and student outcomes. Ongoing research initiatives associated with the project have contributed to the academic literature on DE/GCE, with several papers published on the effectiveness of DE integration in teacher education.
Example: O’Brien, S., & Cotter, G. (2018). ‘Critical Researchers ‘Of and For Our Times’: Exploring Student Teachers’ Use of Critical Multicultural and Development Education Frameworks in their Professional Research Papers (PRPs)’, Policy and Practice: A Development Education Review, Vol. 26, Spring, pp. 74-104.
Example: GCE Video 1: Hoy, S., & O’Brien, S. (2022). ‘Introducing Development and Global Citizenship Education: A Guide for Teachers’. Video production in conjunction with Chroma Films, Dec 1, 2022.
Example: GCE Video 2: Donnelly, V., Hoy, S., & O’Brien, S. (2023). ‘Student teachers’ experiences of doing Development and Global Citizenship Education in the post-primary classroom’. Video production in conjunction with Chroma Films, June 1, 2023
Student teachers were challenged and rewarded by their experiences with GCE. In the workshops, they commented on new learning, ‘unlearning’ and ‘relearning’. In their post-lesson reflections, student teachers commented on their new understanding of DE/GCE, in their opportunities to invite DE/GCE into their respective disciplines and in the challenges that they encountered through this facilitation.
What We Learned
(Click + for more)
Sustainability of Initiatives: Long-term sustainability requires ongoing commitment, resources, and institutional support. The experience has underscored the necessity of embedding DE/GCE deeply within the curriculum and school policies to ensure lasting impact.
DE/GCE is of particular importance to me and I am committed to seeing teaching in another way.
It is important to note too that the deep learning which all participants (teachers and students alike) are invited to engage in, is a long process and requires constant evaluation and reflection and patience with reservation of judgement as individuals learn at different levels and paces.
Overall the visceral feeling of creating an artefact can bring student teachers in touch with more profound and different understandings of their work in the classrooms. The student teachers had to see, feel, think and hear differently and in so doing I gained new insights.
Community and Collaboration: Building a community of practice among educators and students has been invaluable. Collaborative efforts, both locally and internationally, have enriched the learning environment and broadened the scope of DE/GCE.
Meet, exchange ideas and collaborate with like-minded peers.
It made me think more about education as a human right, everyone deserves to learn.
I would like this project to encourage others to learn more about access to education around the world, not everyone is able to go to school, that is not fair.
The project reinforced the value of collaboration and inclusion in teaching and learning, working together to examine the real world we live in.
Reflection and Adaptation: The transition to online learning during the pandemic taught us the importance of flexibility and the potential of digital platforms to sustain educational continuity and innovation.
Creativity is very important in this critical and cultural work, being intrinsically motivated to create lessons and units of learning based on real world events and experiences and my research is very helpful in terms of learning from others and best practices, seeing how they can be adapted to potentially suit other learning environments.
Student teachers were challenged and rewarded by their experiences with GCE. In the workshops they commented on new learning, ‘unlearning’ and ‘relearning’. In their post-lesson reflections, student teachers commented on their new understanding of DE/GCE, in their opportunities to invite DE/GCE into their respective disciplines and in the challenges that they encountered through this facilitation.
Teaching through the lens of DGCE takes planning, preparation, commitment and a degree of humility to relinquish control. It takes patience to allow multiple perspectives and multiple disagreements to occur, it takes a willingness to stand by your own morals and principles to say to colleagues, school management, parents and others that these conversations are not just worth having, they are essential.
This case study aims to showcase the transformative power of Development Education / Global Citizenship Education within the School of Education, University College Cork, highlighting the sustained efforts and innovations that have significantly shaped the educational landscape, influencing both policy and practice on local and global scales.