Eileen Walsh

Work

What’s your job title? 

Learning Technologist

How long have you been working here? 

5 Years

Where did you work before this position? 

I worked in the Library in NUIG and before that I worked as a Graphic Designer.

What does your day-to-day look like? 

Every day for me looks so different. One day I could spend the day working on my computer creating content, editing videos and answering support emails / tickets. And the next day I could be on campus supporting staff development (providing training) or supporting online / hybrid conferences. Also depending on the time of the year I could be providing exam support, evaluating technologies to find solutions for teaching & learning issues or creating videos, PDF’s or online resources for staff training throughout the year. It’s a varied and interesting job as I never know what the next project may be.

When would someone come to you? 

People typically come to me for a variety of reasons, mainly people come to me when they run into a specific issue related to the VLE, if they have something specific they wish to do and are not sure what technologies to use, or if they are looking to do a complete revamp of a course / module / unit within their course. Other reasons people may come to me would be if they have new staff who need support / training, if they are running a conference and need some support (usually with the technical / design aspects)

How do you prefer to start your work day?

I like to start my work day by reviewing my to do list for the day and any emails / tickets that may have come in. Then I can decide if I need to restructure my day or move some items to prioritise some more urgent items.  

How do you prefer to end your work day? 

I like to end my work day by completing one full task. I don’t like to leave my desk with an unfinished project. (or finishing one part of the project for the larger ones)

What’s your favorite task at work? 

I love creating content, whether that’s videos, podcasts, multimedia, SharePoints or PowerPoints. Creating content like this allows me to draw on my creative energy and utilise my extensive Graphic Design knowledge. I also love preparing and running training sessions.  

What’s a work-related accomplishment that you’re really proud of? 

I am really proud of the support I provided to the staff in the School of Medicine (and beyond) during the Pandemic. I worked extremely hard at creating training, support documents and videos to ensure I made things as easy as possible for people to transition into online / hybrid education.

What’s the biggest misconception people have about your position? 

I think the biggest misconception is that I am an IT person. While I do know a bit about the world of IT my job is more to focus on online / hybrid education and the VLE. If I do get queries about projectors or emails etc. I try to point the person in the right direction (or if I know the answer I will always tell them)

Personal/Social 

What was your first paying job?

 My first job was in retail. I worked in Monsoon while attending college.

Have you ever met anyone famous?

 Yes! I met Elijah Wood in the AIB Bank on shop street, when he was super famous for the Lord of the Rings movie series.

Are you a cat or dog person (or neither)?

I love both but if I had to choose I would say cats.  

Are you a coffee or tea person? 

I actually don’t drink either, I would occasionally have a tea but not every day. I prefer a cold drink

What’s the best place you’ve travelled to? 

Definitely Japan, but Hong Kong comes in as a close second. My sister lived there for a few years so I had the opportunity to visit multiple times and always had a great time.