The Academy established this Award scheme to help reinforce, promote, and encourage excellence in teaching and learning in Irish business and management schools and departments.

Our inaugural Awards scheme demonstrated so vividly that there are many excellent examples of fantastic and innovative teaching and student learning taking place across the island. This ensured that the judging panel’s job was very difficult. My thanks and well done to all who submitted an application, and you are encouraged to consider a further submission in the coming years.

My thanks to all three judges (Dr. Shirley-Ann Hazlett, Queen’s University; Professor Jimmy Hill, National College of Ireland; Professor Graham Heaslip, Atlantic Technological University) for giving up their time and expertise in this voluntary capacity. The judging process involved each independently reviewing all 14 applications for their alignment with the application criteria before then coming together in late March 2023 to discuss and agree a winner. They arrived at a decision to commend a runner up, in addition to having our overall winners.

Inaugural Outstanding Irish Academy of Management Business Educator Awardees

Carolanne Mahony and Andrew Pope, Cork University Business School, University College Cork

The following provides a short description of the context for the Award and the panel’s evaluation:

The MSc Design & Development of Digital Business (DDDB) delivers taught modules in analysis, design, strategy and implementation. The capstone project provides students with an opportunity to apply all of these skills to tackle real-world problems. Combining technical skills and a design thinking approach, the students work in groups across four design sprints to explore a problem domain and generate a digital solution to address user needs. Constant feedback and an agile workflow are hallmarks of the project’s success. 

 The panel was impressed with the thoroughness and detail provided in the application and supporting documentation and strong evidence was provided in relation to the two thematic areas being addressed (Innovative Teaching Approach and Innovative Learning Engagement).  The design, development and integration of the capstone project module (on the MSc Design and Development of Digital Business) was an excellent example of drawing on current pedagogical thinking and maintaining academic rigour whilst combining creativity, and collaboration and practical relevance.  The use of design thinking and the design sprint structure, broken down into 4 three-week sprint periods, were noteworthy, particularly in creating an innovative and supportive learning environment.  In turn, this structure and approach allowed students to receive regular, timely and actionable feedback leading to positive impacts on their learning. Some very good evidence from both student and client perspectives were provided in relation to the impact of the project.

Runner-Up

Prof. Brian Harney, Dr. Baidyanath Biswas, Dr. Jamid Ul Islam, Dr. Orlagh Reynolds, Dr. James Byrne, Mr. Gerry Conyngham, DCU Business School, Dublin City University

This team submission presented very strong evidence of an innovative teaching approach and related student engagement in the design and delivery of BSc Digital Business and Innovation.  It is noted in the application that this is the first BSc programme of its nature in Ireland, with the first cohort joining in the middle of the pandemic, 2021. The design and rationale for the programme and the focus on digital fluency are particularly well articulated and impressive throughout the application.  The ‘thematic learning journey’ moving from digital foresight in year one, to insight in year 2 to digital-in-action during the work placement and final year of study was noteworthy. The panel was impressed with the thoughtfulness noted in the key design and development decisions, including co-creating the curriculum with industry, as well as innovative and ‘transformative assessment’.