Getting to know - Laura Tighe

Studying remotely can be a daunting prospect, particularly after the last few years. However, feeling isolated in their studies is not something our Higher Diploma in Insurance Management students worry about. Not only do our courses provide you with access to build relationships and interact with other students, but they also enable you to connect on a one-to-one level with a number of our team. Not only about the content you are studying but also to help make the whole process less overwhelming. Let's get to know our Education Specialist and module coordinator, Laura Tighe.

What do you do at The Insurance Institute, and in what circumstances would a student come to you for something?

I coordinate the running of three of our Level 8 Higher Diploma modules. This means making contact with students once they enrol, making sure they are aware of the supports available to them, and acting as a point of contact for any questions they have on their assessments or accessing any part of their module.

I speak to students during the term and look at assessment performance to get a deeper understanding of any challenges that they face in their studies so that my colleagues in the education team and I can use these insights to develop additional supports as needed.

What’s the biggest misconception people have about your position?

Probably that it is quite solitary and takes place behind the scenes. There is some of this type of work, but module coordinators at the Institute reach out to students regularly so that we can understand what we need to develop or what information needs to be circulated more or in different ways.

What led you to this career?

I stumbled into education after working as a teacher abroad for a number of years after college. I studied HR Management when I came back to Ireland, and that led me to learning and development in adult education. I hadn’t worked in the insurance industry before working at the Institute, but I find the industry interesting, and it certainly has demystified a lot of my personal insurance queries!

What energizes you at work?

Students that are genuinely motivated to do well in their studies and that communicate what they need in order to do this. The team I work in is very committed to their work, and this raises the bar in terms of what I expect of myself at work too.

What are you currently excited about in your job?

I love that we are focusing on Universal Design in Learning. I’m really passionate about diversity, equity and inclusion issues and having the chance to make our modules more accessible and inclusive is a really exciting ongoing piece of work.

What’s one thing that surprised you about working at the Institute?

The commitment to people and the willingness to go above and beyond for students and the team – I haven’t seen this in many workplaces, and I love that this seems to be ingrained in the people that work here.

What’s a work-related accomplishment that you’re really proud of?

Rolling out the national badge in Universal Design in Teaching and Learning within the Institute – as I mentioned, I am really passionate about this area, and it was inspiring to see so many other people here commit their time to learning more about this topic and coming up with ways that we can implement this in our day to day work.

What’s one thing you wish you could tell people before they enrol on a course?

Make contact with your module coordinator early on and stay in contact. We want to hear from you and support you through your studies, so don’t be shy about asking for anything that would make it easier to study with us.

If you are interested in finding out more about the Higher Diploma programme that Laura works on, please download our latest guide.