Learning Innovation Unit

Introducing Teaching Reflections

By Professor Ferdinand von Prondzynski, President, DCU

Exactly 30 years ago this year I stood for the first time in front of a group of students to teach them. It was a scary moment, not least because some of those in the room were actually older than I was, and were probably much brighter. And yet that day marked the beginning of a journey of discovery for me, allowing me over the many years that followed to be inspired and encouraged and sometimes humbled by several generations of students. I also learned quickly that teaching was only really good if it was a two-way process, and that one of the most important skills was that of listening.

Thirty years on I am immensely proud to lead a university which has shown real commitment to the core business of teaching, and where year by year I hear from students and alumni about the contributions made by staff to their intellectual and personal development. I am proud also to be in a community who are committed to the university and its objectives.

Good teaching and learning are the basis on which a society is able to develop and maintain civilised values of scholarship, innovation, tolerance and civic duty. And right now, they are the building blocks on which our national regeneration and growth will depend.Universities are not just educational institutions, they are the places where national self-confidence is formed and given a sense of direction. What is discussed and analysed in Teaching Reflections represents the future
for all of us.

Ferdinand von Prondzynski