Digitization Within Irish Prison Education

TIC 2024 Presentation by Maria Ward, Eoin Flood and Rose Kerrigan (TIC2024-PID076)

Authors

Maria Ward

Head Teacher Of Progression Unit Prison Mountjoy, City of Dublin Education and Training Board with Irish Prisons, Ireland

Maria Ward works with the Educational Service to Prisons in Dublin, which is part of the City of Dublin Education and Training Board. Maria Ward is Head of Education in the Progression Unit Prison, Mountjoy Campus, and previously was Head of Education in Dochas Women’s Prison, Mountjoy Campus. Maria has worked for City of Dublin ETB for over twenty years, working in Youthreach and FET before coming to the Educational Services to Prisons. Maria is a graduate of Queens University, Belfast where she received her BA Psychology Degree. Maria holds a Masters in Forensic Psychology from the University of Leicester, England and a Masters in Education and Guidance Counselling from Trinity College, Dublin. Maria holds post graduate qualifications from NUIG: in Change Management; MUI: in Programme Design and Validation and from the Digital Learning Institute: in Digital Learning and is currently studying with the Law Society of Ireland a Diploma in Education Law. Maria sits on the Board of Quality and Qualifications Ireland (QQI). Her role within prison education is in quality assurance and digital transformation.

Eoin Flood

Head Teacher Training Unit Prison, Mountjoy, City of Dublin Education and Training Board with Irish Prisons, Ireland

Eoin Flood works with the Educational Service to Prisons in Dublin, which is part of the City of Dublin Education and Training Board. He is currently the Head Teacher of the Training Unit Prison Education Centre. This is a recently opened prison catering for prisoners who are 55 years and older. His background includes classical music performance, pedagogy and academia. He has performed solo and ensemble classical guitar recitals and presented his research in conferences internationally (US, UK, Asia and Ireland). Before committing fully to further education, he has held lecturing positions in Maynooth University, The Royal Irish Academy of Music and in TU Dublin, where he completed his PhD in Musicology in 2020. In his role within prison education, he is interested in digital learning and digital transformation, including the design and validation of new programmes to cater for the growing need of adult learners in this area. He believes that learners in incarceration are increasingly vulnerable to the speed of digital advancement across society. Informed by his work in prison education, Eoin advocates a humanistic approach to learning which seeks transformative learning experiences.

Rose Kerrigan

Head Teacher Dochas Women's Prison Mountjoy, City of Dublin Education and Training Board with Irish Prisons, Ireland

Rose Kerrigan works with the Educational Service to Prisons and is currently employed as the Head Teacher in the Dochas women’s prison in Dublin which houses over 160 prisoners. It is one of two female prisons in Ireland and the school provides a broad curriculum ranging from basic reading and writing skills to supporting learners attaining undergraduate qualifications. Rose has a keen interest in developing the area of digital learning within the prison walls and aims to provide opportunities for prisoners to engage with technology in a similar manner to learners on the outside. She believes that the power of education can transform lives within the prison walls when it is accessible to all, can reduce recidivism and greatly improve quality of life upon release especially in the areas of family re-integration and employment opportunities. Prior to commencing work as a Sociology & English teacher with CDETB in the prison service Rose worked in the Irish Post primary sector and in adult education both in Ireland and Spain. She holds an Honours degree in English and Sociology, a Post Graduate Diploma in Education and a Level 6 in Technology Enhanced Education.

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