Policy & Strategy

Digital Education is the innovative use of digital tools and technologies during the teaching, learning, assessment and feedback process, in any modality, to enhance and transform the student experience. Implicit in this is the need to increase organisational digital capability and equip those who teach, and those who learn, with the digital competencies required to use digital tools and technologies effectively in their practice.

Why is it important that Digital Education at TU Dublin is developed?

Recent global events, namely the Covid-19 pandemic and the pivot to online education, accelerated digital transformation in all sectors and triggered large-scale change in the field of digital education, world-wide. According to the European Commission in their Digital Education Action Plan (DEAP) 2021-27: Resetting education and training for the digital age (2020), these events have shown that “digital education is not a marginal issue but a central component of learning, teaching and assessment in the 21st century” (p.8). A return now to pre-pandemic methods of offering education and training will no longer serve the needs of the students who are living in, and preparing to work in, a rapidly changing, and increasingly digital, world. Rather, the sector needs to use the lessons learned over this period to “rethink how education and training, in all disciplines, are designed” (DEAP, p.3) and to “step up our efforts and gradually evolve from temporary, emergency-focused remote education to more effective, sustainable and equitable digital education, as part of creative, flexible, modern and inclusive education and training (DEAP, p.19)”.

A strategic and longer-term approach to digital education should be defined (DEAP, pg.3) if higher education institutions are to adapt to our changing world and provide the flexible, digitally enhanced, high quality, inclusive education that students now require. TU Dublin must engage in this way if we are to serve the changing needs of our students and remain competitive, both nationally and internationally.

What are TU Dublin’s current priorities in this space?

According to our Strategic Intent 2030, “our challenge is to prepare our graduates to be well rounded, independent thinkers and lifelong learners with the aptitude to adapt to this changing world and to roles that do not currently exist”. In recognition that “the landscape in which we work, live and socialise is changing exponentially with the rapid pace of technology development”, we have committed ourselves to “creating transformational educational opportunities that inspire, support and develop the individual in reaching their full potential”. A number of strategic objectives, milestones, KPIs and deliverables, within which the development of digital education at TU Dublin has a strategic part to play, have been set to help us fulfil this commitment. These include developing and embedding a dynamic new model of education at TU Dublin; providing flexibility in structure, mode and place of delivery to suit an evolving global landscape; and delivering a digitally enhanced student learning experience that will produce the most sought-after digitally-literate graduates. 

What is the role of the Digital Education Manager within Academic Affairs?

The Digital Education Manager will:

• collaborate closely with the Academic Affairs Senior Management Team to ensure alignment
  of digital education projects with the overall priorities of the function, and to facilitate the
  presentation of a coordinated and coherent approach from Academic Affairs as a function
• ensure a consolidated university approach to the development of digital education
• enable policies related to the development of digital education that are implementable, situated
  in practice, and reflective of TU Dublin’s priorities in response to current and evolving needs, as
  required
• focus on developing and implementing strategically aligned strategies and plans, processes,
  procedures, projects and infrastructure through which a digitally enhanced TU Dublin student
  learning experience can be achieved
• work with Faculties, Schools, programme teams and module leaders to support digital education,
• oversee the appropriate provision of strategically aligned, tailored, staff professional development,
  training and support to increase university digital capability

A copy of TU Dublin's first Digital Education Policy is available from the Academic Policies listings page.

The Digital Education Policy Working Group operated from May 2022 to June 2023. This group was tasked with writing an enabling policy that would support staff and students as they engaged with digital education and offered modules via flexible delivery modes. With regard to guidelines on policy development offered by the National Forum for the Enhancement of Teaching and Learning in Higher Education (2021), the group undertook desk based research and analysis before designing and drafting a policy for TU Dublin. Over February/March 2023 the first draft of the policy went out for consultation and review by relevant stakeholders. The feedback was insightful and edits were made to the draft policy. The final draft of the policy was presented to AQAEC at their May 2023 meeting and came before Academic Council in late June 2023, where it was approved. 

Work on implementing the policy began in September 2023 with the establishment of a Digital Education Policy Implementation Working Group. 

Huge thanks goes to the members of the Digital Education Policy Working Group for the giving of their time and expertise in the writing of this policy.

The Digital Education Policy Implementation Working Group, a sub-group of AQAEC, was established in September 2023. Its members are set out in the table below.

The Working Group submitted the Digital Education Policy Implementation Plan to AQAEC in June 2024. This is living document that will grow and change alongside our university, addressing needs before and as they arise. Work has commenced on implementing the many initiatives and projects within it. Information and updates on these initiatives and projects will be circulated by email and through information sessions and workshops etc.