Professor Nuala Hunt

BA, Hons. MA, Art History, MSc, Education and Training Management, PG Diploma, University Teaching and Learning (UTL), PhD

Head of School

Nuala Hunt is Professor of Education at NCAD.   Previously she held the post of Head of the Department of Continuing Education and was programme coordinator for the MA in Socially Engaged Art (Further, Adult, Community Education).  Nuala has extensive experience as a; lecturer, researcher, curriculum developer and project lead at tertiary level.   Before returning to NCAD in 2000, she worked as a; accreditation advisor, training co-ordinator, and arts programme manager in non-formal education for many years. Nuala is a member of ENO (European network of cultural observatories) and contributes at management level to strategic initiative Cost Actions with European partners. Publications and conference papers focus on; flexible, part-time higher education, interdisciplinary curricula, teaching and learning in higher education.  Research interests include; flexible part-time learning in higher education, participatory arts practice, inter-disciplinary learning, adult and further education and how smart technologies may support innovative pedagogical practice.

My research interests include; flexible and part-time learning in Higher Education, participatory arts practice, further and adult education, assessment and arts education and how smart technologies may support innovative pedagogical practice.

Collaboration - Membership of Committees/ Networks/

  • Member of the management committee COST ACTION ArtinRARE
  • HEI-FET: 2021-22; NFTL 10,000euro jointly developed and delivered a module on Professional Identity for FET teacher-educators KCETB,
  • Adjunct staff Faculty of Education University College Dublin, 2023,
  • Reviewer IRE (UNESCO International Review of Education, Journal of lifelong learning) 2023
  • RTE-Nationwide; National Television broadcast, NCAD-CEAD audio-visual promotion aired November 2022,
  • COST ACTION Euroweb-membership of the COST ACTION management committee: Europe through Textiles;2020,
  • PATH 1, (NCAD lead) and Path 3, (DES-HEA funded Access initiatives for Initial Teacher Education within regional clusters) on-going, 2018-20
  • Membership of ENO-European Network of Cultural Observatories, Irish member,
  • Appointed Board member of BCFE 2018, (Ballyfermot College of Further Education)
  • Research Committee Institute of Teacher Education, Pillar 1, 2013-15
  • NCAD/UCD collaboration project: Risks and failure Workshop/Symposium, 2014-15
  • HEI-FET, member of the HEI Further Education Teachers forum, on-going (MU, DCU, WIT, MI, Marino, NCI)
  • Acting Chairperson City Arts (2011-12)
  • Further Teacher Education network inaugural meeting NUIG, 2012
  • Framework Implementation Network, (FIN) NQAI/IUA, (2009-2011)

External Examiner & Quality Review

  • External Examiner Edinburgh University, Centre for Open Learning, 2019-23,
  • External Examiner Continuing Education Department UCC, 2009-2013
  • External Examiner QQI, WKETB, 2015
  • Quality Assurance Programmatic Review QQI, Marino Institute of Education, (MIE) 2022

Awards & Grants

  • National Forum for the Enhancement of Teaching and Learning; Pillar 1; Digital Skills in Action; Type A, proposal, 2015, Successful, awarded 73.000 euro
  • NCAD/UCD collaboration: Risks and failure workshop/symposium, 2014-15,
  • First prize for poster presentation at the AISHE Conference DCU in 2010, adjudicator Dr. Paul Kleiman,
  • HEA; Funding for implementing modularisation and learning outcomes at NCAD; 120,000, 2003-05
  • Irish Youth Foundation; Awarded 80,000 euro, 2004

 

Publications/Conferences

2025       'Interdisciplinary, a Way Forward for Art Education in Higher Education?—Perspectives from Ireland' In: Klepacki, T., van Meerkerk, E., Østern, T.P. (eds) Arts and Cultural Education in a Challenging and Changing World. Yearbook of the European Network of Observatories in the Field of Arts and Cultural Education (ENO). Springer, Singapore. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-981-97-1896-2_3

2023       ESAI Conference – Group paper Further education teaching and professional development            

2022       ESAI Conference Paper presentation; title; Policy and FET qualifications in Ireland

2021       ECER International Conference Paper; Funding and Part-time higher education in Ireland

2020       ‘Student perspectives on integration in part-time, flexible Higher Education in Ireland; ‘We don’t socialise here’, Journal of Further and Higher Education, https://doi.org/10.1080/0309877X.2020.1779677

2020       ECER International Conference Paper presentation (on-line); Part-time student’s perspectives on Irish Higher Education, https://eera-ecer.de/ecer-2020--glasgow

2020       ESAI-on-line: FET Symposium; Professional Identity within an evolving FET sector; Group paper presentation,

2019       ECER International Conference Paper, ‘Lecturers Perspectives on teaching part-time flexible students in Irish HE’

2018       ECER International Conference, Paper; ‘It hasn’t changed at all’ perspectives on part-time flexible policy in Irish HE,

2017       Book Chapter- Part-time and Flexible learning in Irish High Education in ‘Access and Participation in Irish Higher Education’ Fleming, Loxley, Finnegan, Palgrave MacMillan, DOI 10.1057/978-1-137-56974-5

2017       ESAI Annual Conference UCC, Paper ‘Is now the time to re-think how to frame retention and persistence of part-time flexible students in Higher Education?

2016       Socially Engaged Art and Further Education: Guest Speaker, Model Arts Centre Sligo,

2016       Ed Tech Conference Dublin, Presentation; Digital Skills in Action NFTL funded Project,

2016       Hunt, N., O’Grady, M.J., Muldoon, C., Kroon, B., Rowlands, T., Wan, J., O’Hare, G.M.P. (2016). Citizen Science: A Learning Paradigm for the Smart City? Interaction Design and Architecture (s), (27), 44-65.2015,   

2015       Poster ‘Part-time learning in Higher Education’ Institute of teacher education research seminar, Marino,

2015,      Journal of the O’Neill Country Historical society, no.22, ‘Estate Management at Powerscourt 1847-1857, 

2015       Article ‘Parameters, Practices and policies in the formation of teachers, artists and educators’ co-authored in Transactions 1, NCAD, www.transactionspublication.com

2013,      NSEAD Conference, Art for Life, Paper; ‘Widening Participation in art and design HE’ at iJADE and NSEAD Conference,

2012,      Book Chapter; ‘Mainstreaming and Margins in Art and Design Education’ in Art Education and       Contemporary Culture, ed. Granville, Intellect, Bristol

2012,      Academy and Community; The experience of a college programme in socially engaged practice, iJeta, ‘Special Issue’, vol.8

2012,      AISHE, Reflecting on the Need for Problem Triggers in Multidisciplinary on PBL, O’Grady, Hunt, et al

2011,      NQAI/IUA –Framework Implementation Network Report, RPL & NCAD,

2011       AISHE Journal; Paper Sense and Sensibility; collaborative and interdisciplinary problem design in PBL; Barrett et al

2010,      AISHE, International Conference DCU, Paper and Poster,*

2010,      NCAD Guidelines for Programme Development, Teaching + Learning Resource for lecturers,

2010,      UCD, Guest lecture, Teaching and Learning Centre,

2009       IUQB Conference, ‘Striving to Enhance the student experience’ Case study Presentation and Poster,

2009,      NQAI/IUA, Report, Framework Implementation Network and IUA

2007,      Independent panel member: Awarding excellence in teaching to academic staff at UCD,

2006,      UCC, IUQB-Conference Presentation on Learning Outcomes in Art and Design,

2005       Circa Art Magazine – Art/People; Vox Pop, How do the arts extend education beyond the expected institutions of school and family?

2004,      Visual Arts in Youth work, conference proceedings, Presentation on NCADs’ response to communities, Irish Youth-work Press, ISBN 9781 900416658

2003       Provision and Intervention, Contexts: Arts and Practice in Ireland, vol.2. Iss.4,