Dr. Duana Quigley
Adjunct Assistant Professor, Clin Speech & Language Studies

Projects

• Title
  • Co-designing a blended model of practice education
• Summary
  • This funding will enable us to explore student experiences of clinical learning via technology during Covid-19. We will identify how to integrate new clinical learning experiences, such as telehealth and simulation, with traditional face-to-face placements.
• Funding Agency
  • National Forum for the Enhancement of Teaching and Learning
• Date From
  • 2021
• Date To
  • 2022

• Title
  • Implementation of web-based simulation to develop professional and clinical competencies of student speech and language therapists: Evaluating the student experience
• Summary
  • Practice education is recognised as a core component of allied health university programmes, including speech and language therapy. It aims to develop students' standards of proficiency in their chosen discipline. Standards of proficiency are a triad of: (i) knowledge, such as practical principles; (ii) skills, such as problem-solving skills; and (iii) other intangible elements, including attitudes and values Simulation-based learning imitates the decision-making reality of clinical practice but in a safe learning environment that facilitates students' learning without risk to themselves or patients . This is especially relevant in the context of Covid-19 which has resulted in reduced face to face placement opportunities for some students and has created an urgent need for other ways of clinical competency development. When simulation-based learning is used as a complementary model to real life clinical placement, it has been shown to be equally effective in developing students' standards of proficiency While over half of international SLT university programmes report the use of simulation-based learning , its implementation in the Irish context has not yet been evaluated. Students' perspectives can contribute towards quality assurance and enhancement of evidence-based curriculums. This project aims to explore the student experience of simulation-based learning, answering the research question 'How is simulation-based learning perceived by student SLTs?'
• Funding Agency
  • Faculty of Arts Humanities and Social Sciences Benefactions Fund
• Date From
  • 2021

• Title
  • Third level student experiences of work-based placements during the COVID-19 pandemic: An inter-professional study
• Summary
  • This inter-professional study aims to capture how the changes and new ways of working imposed by Covid-19 impacted on allied health students' experiences of placements. In particular, it aims to explore the effect of new health and safety measures, the impact on students' ability to learn and develop the required professional competencies, and the students' perceptions of supports they received to address any concerns that arose.
• Funding Agency
  • n/a
• Date From
  • 2021

• Title
  • Practice Education Placements: Hearing the Voices of the Next Generation of Speech and Language Therapists
• Summary
  • The study is designed to investigate the perspectives of student speech and language therapists in Ireland in relation to placements, determining their views on what would support their learning and competency development before, during, and after placement
• Funding Agency
  • n/a
• Date From
  • 2018
• Date To
  • 2020

• Title
  • Schools Excellence Fund
• Summary
  • The School Excellence Fund is an innovation of the Department of Education and Skills (DES) which enables schools to apply for funding to implement innovative programmes which are context-specific and aimed at improving learning outcomes. In the north inner city of Dublin, a cluster of seven education settings (3 preschools and 4 primary schools) chose to focus on developing children's oral language skills as the objective of their school excellence funding. In partnership with the DES and the HSE Speech and Language Therapy (SLT) Department Dublin North City, I have been involved in establishing a baseline of the oral language abilities of a sample of children across the seven settings.
• Funding Agency
  • Dept of Education and Skills
• Date From
  • 2018
• Date To
  • 2019

• Title
  • To develop a national quality framework for practice education systems for health and social care professions.
• Summary
  • There is growing acknowledgement in health and social care professions that quality needs to be addressed in practice education. This project aims to develop a national inter-professional framework to include structures, processes, and outcome measurement for practice education. These new structures will aim to provide consensus on what is a quality placement and develop processes to enable sites, managers, or practice educators to set up and deliver quality placements. An evaluation tool (or tools) for quality improvement will be part of the framework to ensure governance and continuous quality improvement.
• Funding Agency
  • National HSE Health and Social Care Professionals Office
• Date From
  • 2017
• Date To
  • Date

• Title
  • Irish Research Network in Childhood Bilingualism and Multilingualism
• Summary
  • The Irish Research Network in Childhood Bilingualism and Multilingualism is a network of researchers from a wide range of disciplines, policy makers, teachers, early childhood educators, educational psychologists and speech and language therapists who have an interest in advancing knowledge and improving practices in the area of childhood bilingualism.
• Funding Agency
  • The Teaching Council and Long Room Hub
• Date From
  • 2017
• Date To
  • 2019