Spring Development Week 2025
Category: Webinar
🌸 Spring Development Week 2025 – Recap
Empowering Practice. Encouraging Dialogue. Inspiring Innovation.
Spring Development Week 2025 brought together student affairs professionals from across the country for a week-long series of engaging online lunchtime sessions, held from Monday 26th to Friday 30th May.
This dedicated professional development initiative offered a unique opportunity for colleagues in the higher education sector to pause, connect, and invest in their own learning and growth. Each session in the Developing Your Practice series was carefully curated to explore emerging themes, showcase innovative approaches, and spark thoughtful discussion around key issues facing student services and supports today.
From new methods for fostering wellbeing and inclusive dialogue, to advancing student partnerships and understanding the evolving geopolitical landscape – the week provided practical tools, fresh perspectives, and valuable peer insights.
Participants joined via Zoom for interactive presentations, case studies, and reflective discussions, making the most of this flexible “lunch and learn” format. Whether you were a seasoned professional or new to the field, Spring Development Week 2025 offered relevant, timely content to enrich your practice and support your ongoing professional journey.
💬 Developing Your Practice 1 – Monday 26th May
Margaret McLoone (ATU) – Spilling the Beans: Using World Cafés to Brew Health in the Third-Level Sector
Explore the World Café methodology – a powerful and flexible format for hosting large group dialogue. Margaret, a trained host through the World Café Foundation, will guide attendees through the key design principles and practical tips for running sessions both online and in person.
🧭 Developing Your Practice 2 – Tuesday 27th May
Ralph Astley (TCD) – Student Partnership in Action
This interactive session applies Arnstein’s Ladder to student partnership models, sharing training ideas and real-world case studies. Participants will explore benefits, challenges, and take away tools for fostering partnership on campus.
Recording Coming Soon
🌍 Developing Your Practice 3 – Wednesday 28th May
Masterclass: Supporting Students in a Changing Geo-Political Landscape
A 90-minute deep dive session including breakout discussions and collaborative reflection on how global events are shaping student needs and institutional responses.
Masterclass – Dr Garavan facilitated a discussion among the SAI Members on the call during the 90-minute session.
🌈 Developing Your Practice 4 – Thursday 29th May
Anne-Marie Curtin & Simon Gray (UCD) – EDI in Higher Education
This session will trace the theoretical foundations of EDI and examine the Irish HE context. It will also pose a critical question: If EDI is under attack elsewhere, could it be at risk here too?
Recording Coming Soon
💡 Developing Your Practice 5 – Friday 30th May
Caitriona McGrattan (SETU) & Colleen Blaney Doyle – Funding Proposals
Gain practical tips for sourcing, structuring, and submitting successful funding applications. Learn how to communicate impact, align with funder priorities, and build confidence in writing compelling proposals.
Recording Coming Soon