Denis Moynihan
Dr
Dr Denis Moynihan is an Assistant Professor in the School of STEM Education, Innovation and Global Studies in the Institute of Education, Dublin City University (DCU). He lectures in Digital Learning and STEM Education, and is the Director of the DCU LEGO Education and Innovation Studio (LEIS).
A graduate of the Education and Psychology programme at Mary Immaculate College, Denis began his teaching career in a primary school on Dublin’s Northside. Prior to joining the Institute of Education, DCU, he was seconded to the Digital Technologies Team in the Professional Development Service for Teachers (PDST). In this national role, he was involved in several major initiatives, including the design and rollout of the Digital Learning Framework and the Schools Excellence Fund; Digital & STEM. After completing his Masters in Education (MEd) at University College Dublin, Denis then completed his Doctor of Education (EdD) at the Institute of Education, DCU. His doctoral research examined the Digital Competence and Intentions of Pre-service Primary School Teachers to use Digital Technology in their Professional Practice. He is a member of the Centre for the Advancement of STEM Teaching and Learning (CASTeL), the Association for the Advancement of Computing in Education (ACCE), and the Computer Education Society of Ireland (CESI).
Peer Reviewed Journal
| Year | Publication | |
|---|---|---|
| 2023 | Moynihan, D.; Gorman, A.; Leahy, M.; Scully, D. (2023) 'All the World’s a Stage: Examining the Actors That Influence the Development of Primary Pre-Service Teacher Digital Competence in the Republic of Ireland'. Education Sciences, 13 . [Link] [DOI] | |
| 2021 | Denis Moynihan (2021) 'In the Era of Zoom, are school leaders under a lens? An analysis of the contemporary discourse surrounding educational leadership in Irish primary schools'. Irish Teachers' Journal, 9 (1):24-34. [Link] |
Book
| Year | Publication | |
|---|---|---|
| 2022 | Deirdre Butler; Nicola Broderick; Joe Usher; Denis Moynihan (2022) First LEGO League Explore Cargo Connect Teacher Guide for Ireland. Stevenage: The Institution of Engineering and Technology. [Link] | |
| 2022 | Deirdre Butler; Denis Moynihan; Joe Usher; Nicola Broderick (2022) SUPERPOWERED: FIRST LEGO League Explore Teacher Guide for Ireland. Stevenage: The Institution of Engineering and Technology. | |
| 2023 | Deirdre Butler; Nicola Broderick; Joe Usher; Denis Moynihan; Anne McMorrough (2023) First Lego League Explore Masterpiece Teacher Guide for Ireland. Ireland: Stevenage: The Institution of Engineering and Technology. [Link] | |
| 2024 | Deirdre Butler; Denis Moynihan; Anne McMorrough; Nicola Broderick; Joe Usher (2024) FIRST LEGO League Explore SUBMERGED Teacher Guide for Ireland. Stevenage: The Institution of Engineering and Technology. [Link] |
Conference Publication
| Year | Publication | |
|---|---|---|
| 2025 | Denis Moynihan; Anne McMorrough; Deirdre Butler (2025) Proceedings of EdMedia + Innovate Learning . In: T. Bastiaens eds. Preliminary Findings from an Integrated STEM Intervention using Programmable Robotics in Irish Primary Schools: Building a Real-World Integrated Curriculum in STEM Barcelona, Spain, [Link] | |
| 2021 | Leahy, M., Butler, D., Hsu, H. P., & Moynihan, D. (2021) Proceedings of the IFIP TC3 Conference OCCE 2021 DTEL. International Federation of Information Processing (IFIP) Building Pre-Service Teachers’ Confidence and Competence in Using Game-Based Learning Online, | |
| 2021 | Moynihan, D. (2021) Proceedings of EdMedia + Innovate Learning of the Association for the Advancement of Computing in Education (AACE) Supporting the development of digital skills within a programme of ITE Online, The Netherlands, | |
| 2020 | Butler, D., Leahy, M., Hsu, H.P., & Moynihan, D. (2020) Society for Information Technology & Teacher Education International Conference (2020) . In: D. Schmidt-Crawford eds. Impact of pre-service teachers’ gaming behaviours on their confidence and competence in applying game-based learning approaches: Implications for Teacher Educators [Link] |
Conference Contribution
Electronic Source
| Year | Publication | |
|---|---|---|
| 2020 | Moynihan, D. (2020) From a Distance - Moving from Consuming Content to Creating Content. Dublin, Ireland: ELES [Link] |
Research Interests
His research interests centre on the pedagogical use of digital technology and enhancing the digital competence and confidence of teachers (pre-service and in-career). Key areas of focus include integrated STEM education, computational thinking, coding, and educational robotics.
His current research projects include BRICS: Building a Real-World Integrated Curriculum in STEM, and the FIRST LEGO League Teacher Guide for Ireland.
Internal Collaborators
Teaching Interests
Professional Master of Education (Primary) (Level 9)
PMEP1: Digital Learning
PMEP1: Professional Placement Supervision
PMEP2: Professional Placement Supervision
MEd1: SG812 Gaming to Learn