Dr Michael Tobin is the Dean of the Faculty of Continuing, Professional, Online, and Distance Learning at Technological University of the Shannon (TUS), where he oversees the design and delivery of academic programmes, research initiatives, and the development of online and virtual learning methodologies. He has held several leadership roles in higher education, including Head of the Department of Lifelong Learning and Head of the School of Business and Humanities. Beyond academia, he has served as Global Training Manager for a financial software start-up and Consultancy Services Manager for a banking software company. He has also been a visiting lecturer at Manchester Business School, a Senior Lecturer at Dublin Business School in Ireland and Malaysia, and an Assistant Lecturer/Researcher at NUI Galway. With extensive international experience, he has worked in the United Kingdom, Malaysia, Singapore, Colombia, Mexico, Jamaica, South Africa, India, Zimbabwe, Hong Kong, China, and the United States. He holds an MA in Economics from NUI Galway and an EdD in Education from the University of Sheffield, where his doctoral research focused on foresight and strategy in the Irish higher education system. His doctoral work, Future Scenarios for Institutes of Technology in the Irish Higher Education System: A Strategic Foresight Study, examined the future landscape of Irish higher education. His research interests include economic efficiency in higher education, strategic management, professional development, leadership, system structures, lifelong learning, and adult learner engagement. His expertise spans academic strategy and policy, teaching and learning development, online programme design and assessment, programme development and accreditation, academic and service quality enhancement, external quality assessment, higher education management at the executive level, and lifelong learning, access, and engagement.
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