Design Talk (dot IE)

Hosted by Christina Philips and Anabela Da Silva Filipe Soares.Welcome to today’s seminar by Stefan Helfrich.In this session Stefan talks about the education paths on offer for data analytics and the need for balance between learning concepts versus hands-on experiences with tools. Stefan makes the case for the value of visual workflow approaches for teaching and implementing analytics.How do we do that? KNIME implements a well-documented, comprehensive and capable software environment that enables users to design and operate data analytics workflows visually using the following objects:·       Nodes perform tasks on data. Nodes have inputs and outputs. Nodes have status/indicators. Nodes are natively implemented in Java. Python scripts may also be used as code nodes.·       Connectors link nodes. Connectors indicate data flows. Connectors send data from one node to another. Connectors have direction. Nodes plus connectors enable you to create workflows.·       Workflows are designed aggregates of nodes linked using connectors ·       Components/Metanodes encapsulate discrete sub-workflows. Component/metanodes can be used like nodes.·       A large library of pre-build nodes and metanodes are offered for common tasks like cleaning up data, visualization, plug into Tableau and PowerBI.·       Supports all types of data.·       Further reading, sources, mentions and acknowledgements.Stefan Helfrich -- https://www.linkedin.com/in/stefanhelfrich/  KNIME – https://www.knime.com/See the KNIME Educators Alliance and the Teaching Materials Repository.References:Berthold, M. R. (2019). What Does It Take to be a Successful Data Scientist? Harvard Data Science Review, 1(2)Further reading:For examples, additional teaching materials, sample curriculum, see “The Data Science Guide” – www.datascienceguide.orgUnless otherwise noted, the teaching materials (including workflow examples, code examples, and slides) are available under the Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 International license (CC BY 4.0).Music Title: Guitar HouseArtist: josh pan (2020)Source:  https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=JL-LId8ZWBMLicense: License CC BY 3.0Cover Art Title: We need You! Visual AnalyticsArtist: Nuno Machado and Allen HigginsSource: vignette_version.pptxLicense: CC BY-NC-SA 4.0Podcast LicenseDesign Talk (dot IE) CC BY-NC-SA 4.0 The license can be viewed at https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc-sa/4.0By taking part you give permission for your voice to be recorded, for the recording to be edited, and for it to be posted and published as a podcast.

Welcome to Design Talk.In this episode I give a short talk titled “Doshite Nippon?” for Naonori sensei’s 'Gateways to Japan' discovery module at University College Dublin. The talk was recorded on April 1st 2025.Kodate sensei is founding Director of the UCD Centre for Japanese Studies and Director of the Public Policy Programme in UCD.Why Japan? I contend that it is good to experience the ordinary strangeness of a culture that is quite different to one’s own. My starting point is to consider the classic images of Japan after which I strive to give a flavour of what it is like to live and work there.NotesNaonori – https://people.ucd.ie/naonori.kodateAllen – https://people.ucd.ie/allen.higginsGateways to Japan (DSCY10080)JET – The Japan Exchange and Teaching Programme (see JET Ireland), established in 1987 and still running, invites third level graduates from overseas to participate in international exchange and foreign language education throughout Japan. interac –Japan’s largest provider of ALTs (Assistant Language Teachers) https://interacnetwork.comJapan Digital Nomad Association – https://japandigitalnomad.com/en/Images:四季と酒shi ki to o-sakeThese are: the four distinct seasons.Haru (春) Springtime cherry blossoms. Natsu (夏) The lush greenery of summer holidays, flowers, fruit and heat.Aki (秋) Autumn when the leaves turn red and orange and gold.Fuyu(冬) Winter cold (really cold), snow, and cosy indoors.Add to this Japan’s visually striking architecture: Buddist temples (tera/-ji), Shinto shrines (jinja), Torii (gateways), and Castles (shiro/-jo) – former seats of power from the medieval period.And not to forget – sake!AcknowledgementsMusic Title: Check Them InArtist: Ema GraceSource:  https://bit.ly/2tJ6BndLicense:  CC BY 4.0Artist notes: Ema Grace is an AI vocaloid produced by Ryoma MAEDA (@Ryoma_Maeda). Styled as virtual Singer&Idol 架空のバーチャルアイドル & シンガー、それがEma Grace. Cover Art Title: Japan Digital NomadsCredit: Japan Digital Nomads AssociationSource: https://japandigitalnomad.com License: Podcast LicenseDesign Talk (dot IE) CC BY-NC-SA 4.0 The license can be viewed at https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc-sa/4.0By taking part you give permission for your voice to be recorded, for the recording to be edited, and for it to be posted and published as a podcast.

Welcome to today’s seminar by Marios Kremantzis.In this session Marios presents current work related to two highly quantitative classes that have adopted a Chatbot as a teaching assistant. Two classes: Prescriptive Analytics” for the MSc Business Analytics programme and “Mathematics for Economists”, for the BSc Economics programmeHosted by Christina Philips and Anabela Da Silva Filipe Soares.Further reading, sources, mentions and acknowledgements.‘AI Tutor Chatbots & Student Engagement’ Evaluating the Impact of AI Chatbots on Student Support and Engagement in UK Higher EducationAcknowledgementsMusic Title: Guitar HouseArtist: josh pan (2020)Source:  https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=JL-LId8ZWBMLicense: License CC BY 3.0Cover Art Title: Complex collaboration for BAEFArtist: Nuno Machado and Allen HigginsSource: vignette_version.pptxLicense: CC BY-NC-SA 4.0Podcast LicenseDesign Talk (dot IE) CC BY-NC-SA 4.0 The license can be viewed at https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc-sa/4.0By taking part you give permission for your voice to be recorded, for the recording to be edited, and for it to be posted and published as a podcast.

Today we’re talking with Roland Tritsch, about software engineering, the increasing relevance of functional programming, and his thoughts on the implications of using genAI in the development process. Our student hosts are: Lora, Noah, Mynah, Austen, Fionn, and Sergio, with Lucas on sound, and our audience is the class of 2025 studying the Contemporary Software Development module taught by Mel Ó Cinnéide.First, Roland, can you set the context and explain what it means to be a software craftsman?What value there is in functional programming both technically and from a business perspective? Are coverage tools widely used in practice, what value do they bring and what is the state of the Scoverage project?If you were assessing a code base for quality, what are the main aspects you would look for in the code?Talk about some of the non-technical factors at play in refactoring and code reviews.If you had to strip it back to the basics; what aspects of Agile are key for any successful software development process?In your view, what impact will GenAI have on software development and is now a good time to be graduating with a CS degree? NotesRoland’s website and blog: https://tedn.life/Roland is one of the committers on `scoverage` (together with Chris Kipp) - https://github.com/scoverageAnd, as ‘the Augmented Software Engineer’ Roland is the host for a series of meetups dealing with the impact and implications of genAI upon the practice and profession of software engineering.https://www.meetup.com/the-augmented-software-engineer/ Further readingJošt et al “The Impact of Large Language Models on Programming Education and Student Learning Outcomes” (2024) - linkBecker et al, “Programming Is Hard – Or at Least It Used to Be”, (2023) - linkKaraci Deniz et al, “Unleashing Developer Productivity with generative-AI”, McKinsey & Company, (2023) - linkAcknowledgementsMusic Title: Faceplant with UK GarageArtist: Allen HigginsSource:  a-Wed23Oct2024License: CC BY-NC-SA 4.0. Includes samples from Ableton Live by Ableton AG and by KORG Inc.Cover Art Title: Complex collageArtist: Allen HigginsSource: vignette_version.pptxLicense: CC BY-NC-SA 4.0Podcast LicenseDesign Talk (dot IE) CC BY-NC-SA 4.0 The license can be viewed at https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc-sa/4.0By taking part, you give permission for your voice to be recorded, for the recording to be edited, and for it to be posted and published as a podcast.

[this one is for Séamas who kept asking if there was a recording of the talk I did for our Faculty Teaching and Learning Insights series...]A short talk by me (Allen Higgins) A Socratic questioning style for teaching/learning using a simple three-part structure: introduction, a series of questions, and closing comments.The hard part, or the art, is in asking good questions.Questioning 'story', or more specifically, 'storytelling' for teaching and learning.There is no set formula for creating a story, let alone a good story, but there is structure you can employ to help the process. For my own practice, when discussing ideas, I look for sequence, connections and flow.·       Sequence: the classic, beginning middle and end.·       Connections: call forwards, call backs, links to other sources, ideally, other related material you have written/recorded.·       Flow: a natural logic or order of conversation.Notes and further reading:A link to the YouTube video version (link)William Labov’s analysis of structure in oral narratives (link).Freytag’s Pyramid - the stages of a narrative arc with rising and falling action (link).Christopher Brooks seven basic plots.Andrew Reagan’s illustration of six emotional arcs of narrative structure (link)Joseph Campbell’s classic analysis of mythic narrative structure, The Hero with a Thousand Faces (1949)John Van Maanen’s Tales of the Field: On Writing Ethnography (1988)On visual storytelling or storytelling with data.Edward Tufte’s “The visual display of quantitative information” (1983).Edward Tufte’s “Visual explanations: images quantities evidence and narrative” (1997).The “Carte Figurative des pertes successives en hommes de’l’Armée Français dans la campagne de Russie 1812-1813” (link)John Snow’s Broad Street epidemiology map (link)Andy Kirk’s (2019) CHRT(S) taxonomy for thinking about what kind of chart is best for your kind of data.AcknowledgementsMusicTitle: Vinyl Static Quantized UK Garage Slow C Min 130 bpm 80s Beat 90 bpmArtist: Allen Higgins and Includes samples from Ableton Live by Ableton AG and by KORG Inc. and vinyl_record_needle_static_01.wav by joedeshon -- https://freesound.org/s/140295/ -- License: Attribution CC BY 4.0License: CC BY-NC-SA 4.0Cover Art Title: Thumbnails of IllustrationsArtist: Allen HigginsSource: AllenStorytelling.pptxLicense: CC BY-NC-SA 4.0Podcast LicenseDesign Talk (dot IE) CC BY-NC-SA 4.0 The license can be viewed at https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc-sa/4.0By taking part you give permission for your voice to be recorded, for the recording to be edited, and for it to be posted and published as a podcast.

Hosts: Leo, Danny and BronaPreambleBrona Russell: The theme for today’s conversation is Good Corporate Governance.To help us dig into this topic we are delighted to be joined by UCD Professor Niamh Brennan. Niamh is the Michael MacCormac Professor of Management at University College Dublin and the Founder and Academic Director of the UCD Centre for Corporate Governance. To start, Niamh, can you tell us a little about yourself and how you came to specialise in Corporate Governance?Question bank<> Corporate behaviour and governance came into sharp focus at the time of the Global financial crisis of 2008. I presume it has improved since then?<> What does it mean to be accountable?<> Corporate culture is complex. Is it sufficient to set the ‘tone from the top’? <> What are the main challenges to establishing and maintaining good corporate behaviour?<> As future BSc Economics & Finance graduates, what should we look for, in the organisations we join, in terms of good corporate governance?<> What systems and indicators should we expect to see and have access to in our own organisations? <> Can you share some thoughts on how GenAI technology will impact corporate governance?<> We’d like to open now to questions from the audience.<> Niamh, you have any thoughts you’d like to add before we wrap up?<> Well, thank you for taking the time to answer our questions and share your thoughts with us today.Notes:Niamh Brennan’s research profile at UCD (link) and Google Scholar page (link)The verb ‘govern’ from the Latin gubernare and the Greek kubernan ‘to steer, rule’. Defined as the act or manner of governing an organisation. ‘Good Governance’ - is dependent on how people behave according to a system of rules, practices and processes that encourage or discourage specific behaviours.Additional reading:Brennan, N., Conroy, J., 2013. Executive hubris: the case of a bank CEO. Accounting, Auditing & Accountability Journal (ISSN: 0951-3574)AcknowledgementsMusicTitle: Vinyl Static Quantized UK Garage Slow C Min 130 bpm 80s Beat 90 bpmArtist: Allen Higgins and Includes samples from Ableton Live by Ableton AG and by KORG Inc. and vinyl_record_needle_static_01.wav by joedeshon -- https://freesound.org/s/140295/ -- License: Attribution CC BY 4.0License: CC BY-NC-SA 4.0Cover Art Title: Speakers and audienceArtist: Allen HigginsSource: NiamhAndClass.pptxLicense: CC BY-NC-SA 4.0Podcast LicenseDesign Talk (dot IE) CC BY-NC-SA 4.0 The license can be viewed at https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc-sa/4.0By taking part you give permission for your voice to be recorded, for the recording to be edited, and for it to be posted and published as a podcast.

“I started computing when there was no screen, no colour, no pixel, the pixel had not been invented yet, literally!” (Dov Jacobson) Dov is a long-time game developer with a special background in Game-Based Learning and is currently experimenting with approaches for enabling non-programmers to create games using a special framework he has developed that includes a live AI shaped character using OpenAI's ChatGPT4 API in TWINE. In this talk Dov explores the development of the many features of immersive technology building up to AR and VR but going beyond these towards Game Based Learning and touching on AI. At each step - each immersive feature - we talk about its relevance to learning and how students might exploit it and illustrate with examples from the studio. (for a link to the slides click here). The talk took place on September 12th at 2pm in the Augmented and Virtual Reality class in UCD Computer Science (COMP47930). The lecture and recording was supported by Abey Campbell, Xuanhui (Issac) Xu, and Donal Fullam. Notes, extra questions, and further reading:Dov’s website: dov.jacobson.netDov’s game “Mike Builds a Shelter” was acquired by MoMA (Museum of Modern Art, NY) and is now on playable exhibit on the 2nd floor (link)Article: 12 Steps Toward Immersive Learning by Dov Jacobson, 2018 (link)Article: Milgram, P., and Kishino, F. (1994). A taxonomy of mixed reality visual displays. IEICE Trans. Inform. Syst. 77, 1321–1329. (search link)Twine / An open-source tool for telling interactive, nonlinear stories (link)AcknowledgementsMusic Title: Harsh Computer Dual Saw Vapor Games Arp 1 Akustichor Stripped Down Sample Kit 108 bpmArtist: Allen HigginsSource:  a-Tue12Nov2024.wavLicense: CC BY-NC-SA 4.0. Includes samples from Ableton Live by Ableton AG and by KORG Inc.Cover Art Title: DovArtist: Xuanhui (Issac) Xu and Allen HigginsSource: Dov.pptxLicense: CC BY-NC-SA 4.0Podcast LicenseDesign Talk (dot IE) CC BY-NC-SA 4.0 The license can be viewed at https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc-sa/4.0By taking part you give permission for your voice to be recorded, for the recording to be edited, and for it to be posted and published as a podcast.

Panel 3 – Saving the Game: philosophical, existential and technical issues, shaping the intersection of games and lawChair: Maria O’Brien•       Kieran Nolan: Material and Cultural Preservation of Legacy Video Game Platforms•       Abby Rekas & Matt Voigts: Saving the GameNotes, extra questions, and further reading:With thanks to the College of Business, Public Policy & Law for the funds to support this event. The event is also part-funded by the College of Business, Public Policy & Law research fund.Supported by:·       The University of Galway College (link)·       College of Business Public Policy and Law (link), ·       WRAP - developing a sustainable Film, Television Drama, Animation, & Games sector in the West of Ireland (link)·       NEXUS Games Conference - by GamerFest (link)·       IMIRT - The Irish Game Makers organization representing game developers in the Republic of Ireland (link)·       ARDÁN - talent development in Film, TV, Games and Amination.Thanks to all our presenters, participants, attendees and to the staff in the University of Galway for support including Mary O’Malley, Louise Monahan and Sergei Medvedev. Particular thanks to Professor Geraint Howells, Professor Martin Hogg and Professor Alma McCarthy for trusting this event to us and for all the support.AcknowledgementsMusic Title: Injection Vapor Games House Beat Shuffle HouseArtist: Allen HigginsSource:  a-Fri24Oct2024License: CC BY-NC-SA 4.0. Includes samples from Ableton Live by Ableton AG and by KORG Inc.Cover Art Title: Abby, Kieran, and MattArtist: Allen HigginsSource: GameChangers_Panel-03License: CC BY-NC-SA 4.0Podcast LicenseDesign Talk (dot IE) CC BY-NC-SA 4.0 The license can be viewed at https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc-sa/4.0By taking part you give permission for your voice to be recorded, for the recording to be edited, and for it to be posted and published as a podcast.

Panel 2 – Gaming the System: the enabling aspects of regulation and competition as drivers of business opportunity for the games sector.Chair: Conn Holohan, Director Centre for Creative Technologies, University of Galway·       Ambre Nicolle: Platform competition and strategic trade-offs for complementors: Heterogeneous reactions to the entry of a new platform·       Alexey Rusakov: First-party complements and value in platform markets·       Maria O’Brien: Ireland’s new Digital Games Tax Credit: the role of the state in supporting the games industryNotes, extra questions, and further reading:With thanks to the College of Business, Public Policy & Law for the funds to support this event. The event is also part-funded by the College of Business, Public Policy & Law research fund.Supported by:·       The University of Galway College (link)·       College of Business Public Policy and Law (link), ·       WRAP - developing a sustainable Film, Television Drama, Animation, & Games sector in the West of Ireland (link)·       NEXUS Games Conference - by GamerFest (link)·       IMIRT - The Irish Game Makers organization representing game developers in the Republic of Ireland (link)·       ARDÁN - talent development in Film, TV, Games and Amination.Thanks to all our presenters, participants, attendees and to the staff in the University of Galway for support including Mary O’Malley, Louise Monahan and Sergei Medvedev. Particular thanks to Professor Geraint Howells, Professor Martin Hogg and Professor Alma McCarthy for trusting this event to us and for all the support.AcknowledgementsMusic Title: Injection Vapor Games House Beat Shuffle HouseArtist: Allen HigginsSource:  a-Fri24Oct2024License: CC BY-NC-SA 4.0. Includes samples from Ableton Live by Ableton AG and by KORG Inc.Cover Art Title: Maria, Alexey, and AmbreArtist: Allen HigginsSource: GameChangers_Panel-02License: CC BY-NC-SA 4.0Podcast LicenseDesign Talk (dot IE) CC BY-NC-SA 4.0 The license can be viewed at https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc-sa/4.0By taking part you give permission for your voice to be recorded, for the recording to be edited, and for it to be posted and published as a podcast.