I AM COUNTING down the number of Mondays remaining in my university teaching career and with around four dozen Mondays on my academic schedule I've started thinking about what I will leave behind and who would be interested in the remnants of 25 years of my teaching on the same campus. I'm journaling these thoughts as part of an enjoyable secondary learning experience (something I learned from Mark Guerin of Leargas).
I reckon the small building holding eight classrooms that are viewable through the red anchor on campus will still be standing well beyond its useful life. And the information technology infrastructure will keep ticking over. In fact, the IT services will undoubtedly improve while the building's roof continues to leak.
It's those IT services that concern me--in a good way. I've uploaded and refined more than a terabyte of high quality academic material onto the campus SharePoint services. I can search that material with standard finder tools as well as with Microsoft Copilot's large language library. But since the Office Graph has not been enabled for our information services, it's unusual for anyone to serendipitously discover what I'm teaching. And that means very little cross-modular collaboration between lecturers and researchers.
Invisible Legacy with Office Graph Shut Off
I've often wondered if I should petition Science Foundation Ireland for PhD funding to study this shortfall in academic institutions. I know that most items I express about Creative Commons sharing through Open Education Resources falls on deaf ears. And I also know there's a hornet's nest just underneath any discussion about ownership of academic materials. These are some of the sentiments underpinning the reason for limited discovery of emerging material across all the higher level academic institutions in Ireland.
Knowing these deep-seated sentiments, I wonder if I can ever hope to leave behind a polished legacy. This is the idea I'm sharing with the Congregation Unconference discussion about Legacy in November 2024.
The Legacy of Critical Thinking and Creativity
One of the most significant moments of my teaching career happened when I was politely moved well off the firing line as a lecturer in 2023. Thanks to the personable intervention of Marie Walsh, I got a chance to explore a Special Advanced Programme about Critical Thinking. It involved a week-long session on the campus of Polytechnic Leiria in Portugal. While in workshops with students from seven different countries, I had several opportunities to learn how to think critically while formulating creative solutions. Some fellow students commended me for showing them how to think outside of the box. When this happened, I felt recognised for one of my legacy skills while also realising I have not carved out a thought space for this important skill set. And perhaps that failure to enjoy the spotlight will be burned into my legacy.
The Legacy of Just Reading
Since she was three, I've been inspired by watching Mia (now 16) read. Perhaps Mia picked up some of her love of reading by watching her mom and dad read more books than screens. But as I write this, I realise I should be a better role model.
I've written about the importance of learning how to read better and have shared personal insights on enhancing reading skills. One of my daily routines involves reading things I've highlighted, using a service called Readwise.
And perhaps my legacy should be simply advocating the joy of reading. It's something that would help my 13 year old son in school as he tries to compensate for poor reading scores.
So as I scroll through other contributions made by people who will attend the Congregation 24 Unconference, I'll bring a few books to be left behind in the various meeting venues around the town. I'll write my name inside the front cover of the books so people will know they're touching part of my legacy as I highlight and share some words on pages I hope others will read too.
[Bernie Goldbach has 55 Mondays remaining as a third level lecturer in Ireland.]
