This article proposes the application of the principles of Universal Design for Learning (UDL) as a framework for promoting inclusion in outdoor learning in primary school settings. The authors conceptualise outdoor learning, highlighting the potential for more child-initiated experiential learning. Yet this paper is not concerned only with outdoor learning, but with the inclusion of all learners in outdoor learning, through enactment of the curriculum in mainstream schooling. The diverse profile of children in primary schools calls on teachers to prepare teaching, learning and assessment activities to address a wide range of social, emotional, physical, cognitive and cultural needs. Contemporary researchers recognise outdoor learning as an effective pedagogy to promote inclusion and therefore reduce the barriers for full participation in the primary classroom. UDL is offered as a framework for planning outdoor learning to support delivery of curricula that are responsive to the needs of all learners. UDL is underpinned by three principles: multiple means of engagement, representation, expression and action. Two vignettes are shared to illustrate how these principles can be applied to outdoor learning in a meaningful and sustained way. The article highlights the benefits for teachers and learners of applying UDL principles to outdoor learning to promote inclusion in the diverse primary class.

In March 2020, Irish universities closed their doors and teaching, learning and assessment moved online, due to the Covid-19 pandemic. This paper arises from a Dublin City University (DCU) research study with a three-fold purpose:(1) Examine the sudden transition of large classes (100+ students) from faceto-face teaching and learning to remote online provision from the perspectives of staff and students.(2) Contextualise these perspectives by reviewing relevant literature.(3) Inform the work of teaching large classes in future online teaching and learning spaces.Presented here, are findings informed by; a rapid, systematised literature review; analysis of student and staff survey responses who experienced the swift move online; and academic support data mined by the Teaching Enhancement Unit (TEU) between March and June 2020. This paper will contribute to prompt, timely reflection on the lived student experience of engagement and isolation during the sudden pivot for large class cohorts. These reflections and analysis will add to the growing body of literature on large class teaching and online pedagogy, specifically in the context of the Covid-19 pandemic. The authors provide conceptualised solutions as we move out of the emergency pivot and into more considered, planned approaches to better engage students in online, hybrid and face-to-face contexts.

In the business or enterprise classroom, industry engagement within the curriculum can provide opportunities for students to gain a professional network, an understanding of the world of work, and to develop their mastery of business concepts. This article presents a case for educators to foster collaboration with external stakeholders in the assessment of undergraduate students. To increase purposeful industry involvement in a large university module of enterprise education, an innovative showcase assessment method was developed and implemented. Leveraging the power of a large class cohort, business professionals and university staff were invited to contribute to student assessment at a poster showcase that was run to scale. Through careful planning, this instructional innovation allowed a large student body (450-500 students) to have direct contact with industry representatives, while retaining standards of care and grading legitimacy. The authors describe and analyse this innovation, share challenges faced, and offer suggestions for application in future or remote (virtual) settings. A number of recommendations for the logistical and scholarly application of such a method are provided, to aid educators aiming to replicate such a pedagogical technique.

This article reports on a study that explored eportfolio practice in Irish higher education. The aim of this research was to gain a landscape snapshot of eportfolio practice and technologies across Irish Higher Education Institutes (HEI) and to address a gap in the literature that there is little empirical evidence about how Irish HEIs engage and adopt eportfolio in practice. The project adopted a mixed method approach and was framed by two research questions: RQ1: What are the features of eportfolio practice in Irish higher education? RQ2: What are the experiences of Irish higher education practitioners in adopting eportfolio? Data was collected from seventy-nine participants from a range of Irish HEIs using an anonymous online survey. The four central themes that make up the study’s findings highlight key issues related to institutional engagement with eportfolio including features of eportfolio practice; technology underpinning eportfolio practice; enablers of eportfolio adoption and barriers to eportfolio adoption. The findings of this study indicate that Irish teaching staff use eportfolios with their students primarily for assessment, reflection, to support placement experiences and to develop student employability skills. There was also evidence that staff are using eportfolios for personal and/or professional purposes. Furthermore, it is particularly noteworthy that hardly anyone in the study reported evaluating their eportfolio practice. In addition, our findings indicate that the implementation and adoption of eportfolio by Irish HEIs has been quite uneven, the majority of institutions were reported to be at the early stages of adoption. While this study provides useful insight regarding the institutional and staff perspective, the research team do acknowledge that the student voice was not captured in this instance.

Little is known about hepatic T lymphocyte subpopulations in the human liver. The aim of this study was to document the various subpopulations present in the liver and compare them to peripheral T lymphocytes in the same patients. Normal hepatic tissue was obained at time of transplant from five patients, and a single cell suspension of lymphocytes were prepared by standard methods. Ceils were stained with monoclonal antibodies specific for CD8ct and CD8B chains, CD4, CD8, CD3, o~BTCR, and ySTCR, and analyzed by two and three colour flow cytometry. Of the hepatic CD3+ cells, 71% were CD8+ and 25% were CD4+, with a CD4/CD8 ratio of 1:3 in contrast to the peripheral CD4/CD8 ratio of 2:1.18% of the hepatic CD3+ cells expressed ySTCR. Significantly, CD8~ct accounted for 27% [mean] of the total hepatic CD8+ population. Conclusion: There is now evidence that the adult human gut can support extrathymic T cell differentation. A significant population of hepatic CD8txct cells would suggest that the liver is also a site of extrathymic differentiation, which may have important implications for the understanding of autoimmunity and graft tolerance.