About us – Page 3 – Digital Learning Dispatches

At the beginning of February, Professor Mark Brown was welcomed to Dublin City University as Ireland’s first Chair in Digital Learning and the new Director of the National Institute for Digital Learning. Mark was previously the Director of the National Centre for Teaching and Learning and Distance Education and Learning Futures Alliance (DELFA) at Massey University, New Zealand.

Mark has over 20 years experience in higher education but originally trained as a primary teacher. His main research interests are in the areas of teaching and learning development along with online, blended and distance learning. He has a particular interest in learning design, the nature of teachers’ work, and the forces and tensions underlying educational policy. A notable feature of Mark’s research is his deliberate effort to ensure work is globally connected but also locally relevant.

Professor Brown serves on several international journal editorial boards and is widely published. Prior to his arrival at DCU Mark was President of the New Zealand Association for Open, Flexible and Distance Learning (DEANZ) and he remains Treasurer and an executive committee member of the Australasian Society for Computers in Learning in Tertiary Education (ascilite). Ascilite is the peak professional body for digital learning in Australia and New Zealand. Mark is a recipient of a National Award for Sustained Excellence in Tertiary Teaching and member of the New Zealand Academy of Tertiary Teaching Excellence.

Minister for Education & Skills, Ruairi Quinn TD has launched the National Institute for Digital Learning (NIDL) at Dublin City University. This new centre of excellence will pioneer major developments in online, blended and distance learning, exploiting the full range of digital technologies to provide students with the best possible learning experience, whether on or off campus.

The Institute will advance digital learning in Ireland in four key areas:

Continuing Professional Development for academic staff (at DCU and nationally) in digital teaching and learning methods
Support in developing content and modules for delivery in online, blended and distance learning modes
Coordinating and supporting the delivery of modules and programmes remotely
Conducting cutting-edge research and policy development in the area of digital learning, technology-enhanced learning and learning analytics.

Launching the new Institute today at DCU, Minister Quinn said,

“The area of Digital Learning is one which is exploding with potential at the moment. In truth, from primary school to third-level, Ireland has been caught behind the curve of the digital revolution which is transforming society. Over the last 10 years, significant resources have been invested in trying to change this reality, but we must question how successful those efforts have been… I hope that the creation of the National Institute of Digital Learning in DCU will begin to change this landscape. Through research and policy development, through CPD for teachers and academics in DCU and across the country, and through the development of online, blended and distance learning opportunities, I believe this Institute can make a genuinely important contribution.”

DCU also announced the appointment of Professor Mark Brown as Director of NIDL and as Ireland’s first Chair in Digital Learning. He is recognised globally as a pioneer in the area of Digital Learning and is currently Director of the National Centre for Teaching & Learning at Massey University, New Zealand. He will take up his new post in DCU in February 2014.

Another leading figure in online learning, Professor Grainne Conole of the University of Leicester, has also been appointed as an Adjunct Professor to the Institute.

DCU President, Professor Brian MacCraith, outlined the university’s vision for the new institute:

“The launch of NIDL underscores DCU’s commitment to optimising the learning experience of our students, whether they be on campus or studying in distance mode. Developments in online learning require in-depth analysis through academic research and we are happy to provide this both for DCU and for Ireland generally. We are proud to be at the forefront in embracing the potential of digital technology to enhance learning, and truly democratise and internationalise the learning experience.”