Photo above (L-R): Dr Ross Woods, Senior Manager, Teaching and Learning, Student Success, Health and Wellbeing, HEA; Prof. Marie Clarke, Chairperson of the HEA Student Engagement, Teaching and Learning Committee; Minister for Further and Higher Education, Research, Innovation and Science, Patrick O'Donovan TD; Prof. Niamh Hourigan, Acting President of MIC and Dr Katherine Whitehurst, Director of Teaching and Learning at MIC.
At a National Forum Associates Assembly in Mary Immaculate College (MIC) today (16 September), Minister for Further and Higher Education, Research, Innovation and Science, Patrick O'Donovan TD, has announced a €5m funding allocation as part of the Strategic Alignment of Teaching and Learning Enhancement (SATLE) initiative, administered by the Higher Education Authority (HEA) and its National Forum for the Enhancement of Teaching and Learning in Higher Education.
The €5m fund will build on existing SATLE priorities, providing higher education institutions with the resources to support a long-term strategic approach, focusing on the key priority areas of Education for Sustainable Development (ESD), digital transformation, and the promotion of academic integrity.
Announcing the funding today at the National Forum Associates Assembly in Mary Immaculate College, Minister O’Donovan said:
“I am delighted to announce this €5m in SATLE funding, which marks another important step forward in our focus to elevate teaching and learning across Ireland's higher education institutions. The SATLE fund has played a crucial role in supporting institutions to take a long-term, strategic approach to enhancing teaching and learning. Building on the success of previous funding rounds, this funding will allow institutions to prioritise key areas including embedding sustainability, digital transformation — exploring the potential of emerging technologies such as artificial intelligence — and promoting academic integrity, ensuring our higher education system continues to meet the needs of students and society. I look forward to seeing the positive impact this will have in further shaping the higher education landscape and enhancing teaching and learning experiences.”
Also, welcoming the announcement, Dr Alan Wall, CEO of the HEA, said: “This €5m SATLE allocation provides important support for ongoing enhancement of teaching and learning in our higher education institutions and is essential in helping our higher education system to evolve and meet the needs of students. The renewal of the national teaching and learning strategy next year will further bolster these efforts, helping us to meet our shared goals for the future of education”.
Professor Marie Clarke, Chairperson of the HEA Student Engagement, Teaching and Learning Committee, added: “This allocation supports institutions to prioritise the development of their teaching strategies and helps ensure that our approach to teaching and learning enhancement remains both innovative and sustainable. The continuation of SATLE funding also encourages institutions to take a strategic approach to teaching and learning strategies, fostering collaboration, sharing best practices, and promoting the development of impactful initiatives and resources.”
Professor Niamh Hourigan, Acting President of MIC, said that the College was honoured to host the National Forum Associates Assembly
“I think I speak for my colleagues here and in other HEIs in welcoming this significant funding for SATLE projects. College staff, supported by our Learning Enhancement and Academic Development (LEAD) Centre, have been doing excellent work on SATLE projects over the last number of years. MIC wants to be at the forefront of research on teaching, learning assessment and technology. Evolving trends like the use of Artificial Intelligence (AI) tools force us, as educators, to adapt in a rapidly changing environment. Vital funding streams like this ensure that innovation and professional development can continue to flourish so our students are benefitting from a high-quality educational experience."
The funding will be used to support projects across institutions, addressing key themes and promoting transformative pedagogies, interdisciplinary approaches, and the adoption of new technologies. Institutions are encouraged to take a strategic approach over multiple years to ensure sustainable impact. Resources and best practices generated by these initiatives will be shared through national conferences and made available via the National Resource Hub.
Also at the National Forum’s Associate meeting, MIC’s Learning Enhancement and Academic Development (LEAD) Centre got a chance to make an announcement about a major new project—the new Graduate and Academic Teaching Enhancement (GATE) Centre, and showcased a number of SATLE-funded initiatives running and under development in the College.
Dr Katherine Whitehurst, Director of Teaching and Learning at MIC and members of the LEAD team, Dr Aoife Chawke, Jean Reale and Tom Kinsella, began the meeting with the exhibition of plans for the new Graduate and Academic Teaching Enhancement (GATE) Centre. The GATE Centre, which is a partnership between LEAD and the Research and Graduate School, is an exciting new teaching, learning and digital resource development space for staff and post-graduate students. This large-scale project is supported by the National Forum as well as by MIC’s Finance and Building & Estates divisions. The GATE Centre will provide a training space for hyflex teaching, a recording space for the creation of digital tools and resources, and will function as a site for post-graduate students to develop transversal skills.
LEAD then showcased several exciting SATLE-funded initiatives that are running and under development at MIC. These initiatives, which support innovation in teaching and learning, include projects such as the MIC Knowledge Base support articles, the MIC T&L Case Studies that showcase the excellent teaching practices at MIC, the UDL Community of Practice, the academic integrity policy and guidance site (currently under development), and the upcoming Navigating the New Frontier: Generative AI and Academic Integrity Conference. Finally, drawing off of these initiatives, LEAD introduced a suite of new, highly interactive, SATLE-funded toolkits that are currently being developed through the use of Generative AI technologies. These toolkits will focus on Digital Learning Spaces, Authentic Assessment, and Inclusion in Teaching, Learning, Assessment and Feedback.
The SATLE funding forms part of HEA' broader strategy and commitment to excellence in teaching and learning, and student engagement, preparing institutions to continue to meet the needs of a dynamic and changing higher education landscape.
Photos in Gallery below include:
Dr Rosemary Day, member of the Board of Directors of the HEA and Head of the Department of Media & Communications at MIC; Dr Ross Woods, Senior Manager, Teaching and Learning, Student Success, Health and Wellbeing, HEA; Minister for Further and Higher Education, Research, Innovation and Science, Patrick O'Donovan TD
Tim Conlon, Head of Policy and Strategic Planning, HEA; Dr Ross Woods, Senior Manager, Teaching and Learning, Student Success, Health and Wellbeing, HEA; Minister for Further and Higher Education, Research, Innovation and Science, Patrick O'Donovan TD; Prof. Niamh Hourigan, Acting President of MIC; Prof. Marie Clarke, Chairperson of the HEA Student Engagement, Teaching and Learning Committee, and Prof. Gary O’Brien, Vice-President of Governance and Strategy at MIC.
