Aideen McParland

Dr Aideen McParland is a Senior Lecturer (Education) in the School of Psychology at Queen's University, Belfast. Prior to joining the school, she held the position of Assistant Professor at University College Dublin. Aideen obtained her PhD in Psychology from Ulster University and her doctoral thesis is titled, "Using eye-tracking technology to investigate and operantly condition gaze behaviour of children diagnosed with Autism Spectrum Disorders". Aideen is a Registered Behaviour Technician (RBT), Senior Fellow of the Higher Education Academy (SFHEA), Chartered Psychologist (CPsychol) and Associate Fellow (AFBPsS) with the British Psychological Society. In June 2019, Aideen became a professionally certified Entrepreneurial Educator with UCD Innovation Academy, a qualification reflecting her commitment to incorporating innovative pedagogies in University teaching. 

Aideen's research expertise are in pedagogy and enhancing student experiences of those in Higher Education. Aideen's research has focused on the transitional experiences of first year students joining Higher Education and the psychosocial factors which are predictive of positive student experiences. Aideen has developed and evaluated numerous student experience initatives and used these findings to further enhance students' experiences. Current pedagogical activity is focused on the role of peer support in learning and the development of compassionate pedagogy.  

Queens University Belfast

Positions of Responsibility:

Undergraduate Programme Director (2024-present)

Deputy Director of Education (2021-2024)

Level 1 Year Head (2020-present)

Supervision:

Level 1 Personal Tutor

UG Thesis Supervisor

MSc Applied Developmental Psychology Thesis Supervisor

DClin Thesis Supervisor

Undergraduate Teaching:

Introduction to Methods in Psychology (including Level 1 labs)

Postgraduate Teaching:

(MSc Applied Developmental Psychology)

 Psychological Methods in Developmental Research ( Module co-ordinator)

 Improving Outcomes Using Evidence Based Interventions

Theoretical Perspective on Childhood and Adolescent Development