NUI Galway Masters Programme Awarded Apple Distinguished Programme for Second Year Running

NUI Galway’s Máistir Gairmiúil san Oideachas (MGO) programme has been awarded the Apple Distinguished Programme 2016-18’. The award identifies centres of excellence in the use of technology in education.

In February 2015, the MGO was the first third-level programme outside the USA to be awarded the Apple Distinguished Programme award.

Professor Gerry MacRuairc, the newly appointed Professor of Education and Head of School at NUI Galway said: “The potential of this type of technology to enrich learning for all is extraordinary. The depth of learning and the variety of the learning experiences enabled by the iPad material designed by Seán Ó Grádaigh, the MGO team and most importantly the MGO students themselves in the School of Education is an exemplar for how we need to use technology to enrich the learning of our how teacher educators and the student they teach.”

The MGO is a two year, full-time programme offered through the medium of Irish, by the School of Education at NUI Galway. The MGO is unique in that it is the only initial teacher education programme that prepares future teachers to teach in second-level Irish medium schools. The programme equips student teachers with the professional knowledge, theoretical and conceptual tools necessary for developing creative, flexible and reflective approaches to teaching. A particular emphasis is placed on teaching through the medium of Irish and on the development of strategies for teaching and learning both content and language (CLIL).

Director of the MGO programme, Dr Brendan Mac Mahon said: “We are delighted to receive this award again this year. It is testament to the excellent work of the programme team and student teachers in the ongoing development of educational technology.”