Stream 3: Digital Ecosystems
Stream 3 focuses on the transformative development of a digital ecosystem for teaching, learning and assessment to enable sustainable education development which is diverse, equitable and inclusive. This will include the development of hardware, software and equipment to support the learning and teaching environment, learning outcomes and learning content for both students and staff. The work packages for Stream 3 are:
Work Package 3.1 – Sustainable Learning & Pedagogical Environment: Digitally Enabled Examination/Assessment embedding Academic Integrity.
The immediate and swift pivoting to remote academic delivery and assessment during the pandemic identified both the importance of embedding efficient and effective quality assured examination and assessment solutions and the need for staff and student training.
The focus of this package is to incorporate new learning, teaching and assessment opportunities, using shared and scaled digital technologies across Higher Education (HE) Institutions. This will include the use of software solutions and systems to support and manage examination and assessment, with regard to the robust quality assurance of such processes.
The Sustainable Learning & Pedagogical Environment initiatives will include:
- Digitally enabled assessment / examination system
- e-Proctored assessment system
- Digitally enabled academic integrity system
- Research ethics management system
- Repository & training programmes
Work Package 3.2 – Digital Campus.
The Digital Campus package will include the development of hybrid learning and media / delivery spaces, with the aim of broadening access to campus programmes for diverse learner groups together with those who cannot, for whatever reason, commit to attending campus.
It is also concerned with providing capacity and resilience for future emergencies which require the full or partial physical closure of campuses. This will in turn provide the sector as a whole with deep preparedness for other kinds of continuity and performance challenges.
The Digital Campus initiatives will include:
- Hybrid & on-campus digital enhancement
- Media delivery spaces for live class delivery and for the creation of media-rich asynchronous learning content
- Media production hubs
- Sector-wide badging platform integrated with existing digital & academic infrastructure and systems
- Sector-wide open education platform integrated with existing digital & academic infrastructure to promote greater efficiency and sharing of education resources
Work Package 3.3 – Improve flexibility and accessibility of learning resources.
The focus of this work package is on improving student learning experiences through the development of digital infrastructure to maximise access and engagement. This will create an opportunity for the Technological University sector to meet and address regional and national needs for digitization. It will cater for 21st century modes of learning and research, and ensure that the new sector is equipped to deliver returns on national policy.
Each Higher Education Institute (HEI) will build upon core Management Information Systems (MIS) on a strategic level, with the aim of developing large scale integrated systems and information analysis capabilities to address the future needs of learners. This will require a ‘digital-by-design’ approach to ensure a state-of-the-art digital infrastructure and ICT provisions to support an equitable, sustainable, flexible, and engaging experience for learners.
The Flexibility and Accessibility of Learning Resources initiatives will include:
- A sectoral coordination team
- Engagement with the IReL consortium of Irish research libraries
- Pilot activities across the N-TUTORR partner Technological Universities
