Digital Education Current Priorities

 

What is Digital Education?

Digital Education is the innovative use of digital tools and technologies during the teaching, learning, assessment and feedback process, in any modality, to enhance and transform the student experience. Implicit in this is the need to increase organisational digital capability and equip those who teach, and those who learn, with the digital competencies required to use digital tools and technologies effectively in their practice.

Why is it important that Digital Education at TU Dublin is developed?

Recent global events, namely the Covid-19 pandemic and the pivot to online education, accelerated digital transformation in all sectors and triggered large-scale change in the field of digital education, world-wide. According to the European Commission in their Digital Education Action Plan (DEAP) 2021-27: Resetting education and training for the digital age (2020), these events have shown that “digital education is not a marginal issue but a central component of learning, teaching and assessment in the 21st century” (p.8). A return now to pre-pandemic methods of offering education and training will no longer serve the needs of the students who are living in, and preparing to work in, a rapidly changing, and increasingly digital, world. Rather, the sector needs to use the lessons learned over this period to “rethink how education and training, in all disciplines, are designed” (DEAP, p.3) and to “step up our efforts and gradually evolve from temporary, emergency-focused remote education to more effective, sustainable and equitable digital education, as part of creative, flexible, modern and inclusive education and training (DEAP, p.19)”.

A strategic and longer-term approach to digital education should be defined (DEAP, pg.3) if higher education institutions are to adapt to our changing world and provide the flexible, digitally enhanced, high quality, inclusive education that students now require. TU Dublin must engage in this way if we are to serve the changing needs of our students and remain competitive, both nationally and internationally.

What are TU Dublin’s current priorities in this space?

According to our Strategic Intent 2030, “our challenge is to prepare our graduates to be well rounded, independent thinkers and lifelong learners with the aptitude to adapt to this changing world and to roles that do not currently exist”. In recognition that “the landscape in which we work, live and socialise is changing exponentially with the rapid pace of technology development”, we have committed ourselves to “creating transformational educational opportunities that inspire, support and develop the individual in reaching their full potential”. A number of strategic objectives, milestones, KPIs and deliverables, within which the development of digital education at TU Dublin has a strategic part to play, have been set to help us fulfil this commitment. These include developing and embedding a dynamic new model of education at TU Dublin; providing flexibility in structure, mode and place of delivery to suit an evolving global landscape; and delivering a digitally enhanced student learning experience that will produce the most sought-after digitally-literate graduates. 

What is the role of the Digital Education Manager within Academic Affairs?

The Digital Education Manager will:

• collaborate closely with the Academic Affairs Senior Management Team to ensure alignment of digital education projects with the overall priorities of the function, and to facilitate the presentation of a coordinated and coherent approach from Academic Affairs as a function

• ensure a consolidated university approach to the development of digital education

• enable policies related to the development of digital education that are implementable, situated in practice, and reflective of TU Dublin’s priorities in response to current and evolving needs, as required

• focus on developing and implementing strategically aligned strategies and plans, processes, procedures, projects and infrastructure through which a digitally enhanced TU Dublin student learning experience can be achieved

• work with Faculties, Schools, programme teams and module leaders to support digital education,

• oversee the appropriate provision of strategically aligned, tailored, staff professional development, training and support to increase university digital capability