Simon Harris TD announces €5 million fund for online teaching

Minister for Further and Higher Education, Research, Innovation and Science, Simon Harris TD, has announced a €5 million fund designed to drive teaching and learning innovation across the higher education sector. The aim of the fund is to improve how to teach and learn in a digital world.

Simon Harris TD highlights COVID-impact on higher education sector

Speaking at the announcement, the Minister said: “This funding call has been issued in response to COVID-19’s ongoing impact on the higher education sector.

“In March 2020 when our colleges closed their doors, the sudden move to online and remote education brought great challenges.

However, our higher education institutions rose to that challenge and their innovation ensured the continuation of students’ education as well as realising the potential to support future success.

“Today, we want to take that innovation and build on it. So we want to hear from you about how we can all learn to strengthen student success across face-to-face, blended, online, and remote teaching and learning contexts.

“Through this fund, we will learn and grow for the success of all our students.”

National Forum director, Dr. Terry Maguire said: “The National Forum, in partnership with the HEA, looks forward to collaborating with institutions as they optimise the potential of this fund.

This call represents an opportunity to support the higher education community to consolidate any positive disruptions to process and practice that may have occurred in 2020, with a view to enhancing efforts towards holistic approaches to enabling student success.

The pandemic has taught us how quickly circumstances can change and the need for those who teach and those who learn to be confident in their knowledge and skills and supported in adapting their abilities to a variety of circumstances.

Through this €5m fund, the sector will be empowered to take a strategic and unified step forward with respect to enabling the success of all students.”

Dr Alan Wall, CEO of the Higher Education Authority said: “The HEA, in partnership with the National Forum, welcomes this funding call which will encourage closer alignment of student success institutional priorities, national strategies and policy imperatives.”

The call for funding can be accessed here.

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