Lecturer

Email: colm.mcguinness@tudublin.ie

Tel: 01- 220 7271

 

Current role & Experience

Currently lecturing business mathematics and statistics, supervising PhD students, and working on statistical consulting projects. I have been a lecturer on the Blanchardstown campus since it opened in 1999. I have a PhD in mathematics from DCU (1991), and am a chartered statistician (CStat) with the Royal Statistical Society.

Since 1999 I have been developing a range of maths and stats apps which create individualised questions for students from years 1 to 3. The current app for year 1 and year 2 students provides detailed answers for most questions to facilitate student learning and confidence building. Topics covered include:

- Basic manipulation of equations, rounding, sigma notation
- Grouped data: Summary and analysis
- Index numbers: Relatives and composites
- Financial mathematics: Formula manipulations for depreciation and compound interest, NPV, IRR, ARR.
- Differentiation, maximising profits and minimising costs.
- GPA
- Time series analysis
- Basic probability
- Probability distributions
- T Tests and confidence intervals

The year 3 statistical apps are built in Microsoft Excel, and again provide detailed personalised questions with partial answers. Topics covered include:

- Null hypothesis testing, T tests, power, Type I and II error
- ANOVA, Linear regression and General Linear Model: Applying, assumption checking, sample size estimates
- Exploratory factor analysis
- Non-parametric statistics
- Boot strapping a T test.

These Excel apps are also useful tools for post grad students who are new to statistics.

 

Director of Statistical Support @PEEI. The National Research Centre for Psychology, Education & Emotional Intelligence – www.tudublin.ie/peei. Working with the wonderful Dr Aiden Carthy:
'Improving physical and mental wellbeing to enable individuals and communities to thrive’

 

Working with Maria Kenneally I am involved in a School of Global Business mindfulness research project, which integrates mindfulness training for students at the start of lectures. Some of our resources can be found here: https://cvbn.org/qr. Our long term goal is to see mindfulness taught to all students and lecturers, as a foundational tool for learning (well), lecturing (well) and living (well).

 

In the news

https://cmhcr.eu/primera-programme/ PRIMERA project (Promoting Research and Innovation in Mental hEalth seRvices for fAmilies) – funded by the HSE from 2017-2022, and winning entry for the Lionel Hersov memorial award from ACAMH, 2022 which recognises high quality work in evidence-based science, both in publication and practice, in the field of child and adolescent mental health.

 

Teaching & Supervision

I have co/supervised to successful completion six PhD students, with several more currently working with me and fellow supervisors.

 

Research

Chapters in Books-

Gray, G., McGuinness, C. and Owende, P. (2016), “Non-cognitive factors of learning as early indicators of students at-risk of failing in tertiary education.”

Journal Publications-

O'Regan, M., Carthy, A., McGuinness, C. and Owende, P. (2023), ‘Employer collaboration in developing graduate employability: a pilot study in Ireland’, Education + Training, Vol. 65 No. 10, pp. 1-13.
https://doi.org/10.1108/ET-03-2022-0081

Byrne, D., McGuinness, C. & Carthy, A. (2022) ‘Developing a scale to assess post-primary educators’ attitudes with regard to the promotion of student wellbeing’, Irish Educational Studies, 41:4, 663-685, DOI: 10.1080/03323315.2021.1899025

Byrne, D., McGuinness, C. Carthy, A. (2022) ‘Do educators value the promotion of students’ wellbeing? Quantifying educators’ attitudes toward wellbeing promotion.’
https://doi.org/10.1371/journal.pone.0273522.

Furlong, M., McGilloway, S., Mulligan, C., McGuinness, C., Whelan, N. (2021) ‘Family Talk versus usual services in improving child and family psychosocial functioning in families with parental mental illness (PRIMERA—Promoting Research and Innovation in Mental hEalth seRvices for fAmilies and children):  study protocol for a randomised controlled trial.’
Trials 22, 243 (2021). doi:10.1186/s13063-021-05199-4

Whelan, N., McGilloway, S., Murphy, M. P., McGuinness, C. (2018) ‘EEPIC - Enhancing Employability through Positive Interventions for improving Career potential: the impact of a high support career guidance intervention on the wellbeing, hopefulness, self-efficacy and employability of the long-term unemployed - a study protocol for a randomised controlled trial.’
Trials 19, 141 (2018). doi:10.1186/s13063-018-2485-y

Gray, G., McGuinness, C., Owende, P. and Hofmann, M. (2016) ‘Learning Factor Models of Students at Risk of Failing in the Early Stage of Tertiary Education.’
Journal of Learning Analytics, Vol 3(2).