In May 2017, the NIDL Ideas Lab was established under the leadership of Associate Professor Mairéad Nic Giolla Mhichíl to help foster a stronger culture of innovation in teaching and learning. As the figure below illustrates, The Ideas Lab shares a common interest in new learning designs and models of Blended, On-line and Digital (BOLD) education and will focus primarily on externally funded projects and exploring the potential of alternative teaching approaches, including MOOCs.
Currently the NIDL Ideas Lab team, which at this stage includes three new staff, with more people in time, is working on the Fáilte ar Líne project. This is a new project supported by the Irish government and DCU in the development of an Irish language and cultural online degree programme.
The overarching philosophy of The Ideas Lab is to create a space where learning and digital innovation seed, blossom and grow.
The whole-day event attracted around 25 participants from many different Irish institutions and was expertly facilitated by Lisa Donaldson who is managing DCU’s learning portfolio project known as Loop Reflect. The event’s dedicated hashtag (
Digital Learning Dispatches 