DCU Connected – Page 14 – Digital Learning Dispatches

Several DCU Connected events over the past week have kept Open Education staff and members of the NIDL team busy.

Cupcakes1 The week started on Monday 14th August with the launch of the new DCU Connected campaign, which was officially marked with Champagne glasses and a special batch of branded cupcakes. We were pleased so many colleagues and groups from across the University who contribute to DCU Connected could join us in this launch event. Supporting our online students is a real team effort.

Cupcakes
As the following images show our DCU Connected posters and billboards will be popping up around Ireland over the next few weeks. Our online students come from a wide diversity of backgrounds and the NIDL team takes considerable pride and satisfaction from the part we play in extending access to higher education to people throughout Ireland, and beyond.

We have over 30 years experience of online distance education and take our work very seriously as we understand the transformative potential of higher education. This is why the NIDL is heavily involved in professional bodies such as the European Association for Distance Teaching Universities (EADTU) and the International Council for Open and Distance Education (ICDE). Notably, six papers by NIDL staff on some of our innovations have recently been accepted for ICDE’s forthcoming World Conference on Online Learning in Toronto.

On a slightly less serious note, as part of this year’s DCU Connected campaign we are inviting people to send us a selfie with one of our posters in the background as we have another batch of our special cupcakes ordered to arrive in the next few weeks. The best selfies will go into a draw to win a box of cupcakes, which just like Class comes to you can be delivered to your door!

On Thursday last week we were pleased to see such a positive response from so many people to our first DCU Connected Open Evening. We really appreciate the opportunity to meet our prospective students in person and to help answer any questions they may have about studying through DCU Connected. Our next Open Event in Dublin is between 10:00am and 12:00pm on Saturday 26th August 2017.

Last Saturday, there was also a large response to our display at the Springboard+ Information Day at Alexander Hotel in Dublin. Our team met with dozens of prospective students thinking of taking advantage of fully funded opportunities through Springboard+ to upskill, study online and complete a DCU qualification in an area of employment growth.

Speaking of fully funded opportunities, on Monday 24th August 2017 applications close for our 10 University of Sanctuary Scholarships for online study through DCU Connected and we are looking forward to sharing more information in due course about the successful candidates. This latest scholarship initiative for refugees and asylum seekers is further evidence of DCU’s strong commitment to transforming lives and societies through new and emerging models of higher education. Suffice to say we expect another busy week head of us in the countdown to the start of the new academic year.

By Orna Farrell

What is the value of studying for a Bachelor of Arts at university?

Despite being the butt of many jokes, and a recent article challenging the value of an Arts degree in the Irish context, a BA is not worth bugger all. There is great value in studying the Arts and Humanities, both in personal, economic and societal terms. There is strong evidence to suggest that the more educated you are the more you earn. We know from a number of studies that Arts graduates are less likely to be unemployed and tend to have healthier lifestyles.

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The value of investing in an Arts degree is shown in raw economic terms in data compiled by Universities New Zealand, which found that a typical Arts graduate earns $1-1.3 million more over their working life than those without a degree; and that Arts graduates are earning above the national average salary and are less likely to be unemployed. The story down under contrasts with the claims Chris Fitzgerald makes in his recent think piece on the return on investment of university education.

How does the New Zealand situation compare to Ireland? In Ireland, graduates earn 63% more than those with a leaving certificate, according to the OECD Ireland-Education at a Glance 2016 report. The average starting salary for Irish Arts graduates is €21,000-25,000; this figure compares favourably to the average salary starting for Irish graduates in all disciplines of €21,000-29,000 in 2015 compiled by the HEA in the report What do Graduates Do?

So, there are clear economic benefits to having a BA, but there are also personal and societal benefits, these are evident in the latest American Education Pays 2016 report, which found that higher education is associated with healthier lifestyles and that graduates are more active citizens.

Are we preparing BA graduates for a career in McDonalds?

The short answer is no! Arts graduates work in a wide variety of employment sectors. To counter Fitzgerald’s claim they perform many jobs that society needs! Despite popular misconceptions many employers report they value the flexibility and broad knowledge of BA graduates, especially as their degree programmes encourage independence, critical thinking and a reflective approach to learning which is applicable to a wide range of jobs. In Ireland, the key employment sectors for Arts & Humanities graduates in 2015 were business, finance, insurance, distribution, and the public service. (HEA, 2017). No mention of McDonalds here or jobs that society doesn’t need!

You can read more of this think piece and learn about the emergence of digital humanities and online study options through DCU Connected on Orna Farrell’s Linkedin website.