Minister Sherlock Opens NDLR Annual Showcase of Irish Digital Teaching and Learning Resources

May 15, 2012

The National Digital Learning Resources (NDLR) service, coordinated through the Centre of Academic Practice & eLearning at Trinity College Dublin, recently hosted a showcase of open and free digital learning resources created across all subject disciplines in the Irish HE sector.

The NDLR Fest 2012 was attended by over 250 higher education academics with a significant number virtually attending through the live iphone and web streaming of the event. The NDLR is a HEA funded national service, involving all HEA funded Irish higher education Institutions, which fosters the use and development of open digital learning resources amongst the academic community in Ireland.  The NDLR repository currently hosts over 26,000 open education resources and supports the development of new resources through an annual funding initiative.

Muiris O’Connor (HEA), Prof. Eamonn McQuade (NDLR), Sean Sherlock TD, Prof. Martin Curley, Vice Persidnet fo Intel Corporation, Pat O’Connor, HEA)) and then front: l – r: (Aisling Dundon (UL), Catherine Bruen (TCD))

The Minister for Research and Innovation, Seán Sherlock, TD, who launched the NDLR Fest 2012: Annual Showcase of Digital Learning Resources commented: “Ireland is on the threshold of a digital age.  With a growing international Open Education policy agenda the government needs to strongly embrace this arena. Open access and the sharing of learning techniques must become the norm within our education system. Open digital learning facilitates better outcomes for educationalists, and students. We must strive to break down barriers and to think beyond the academic educational silos that can sometimes hamper learning.”

The Minister emphasised that the National Strategy for Higher Education advocates innovation and collaboration in all areas of higher education activity. He noted that there is a huge untapped potential in terms of the use of technology to transform the way academics share and transmit knowledge among themselves and to their students. He added that: “If we are to tap into this potential, it will require the gatekeepers and facilitators of knowledge in the academic world to embrace the concepts and practices embodied by the Open Education Resources movement.”

The Open Digital agenda encompassing issues such as Open Access, Digital Innovation and Technologies, Open Source and Future Digital Directions. It has a growing impact on a wide range of issues in research and higher education.  Open Education Resources have great transformative potential in Higher Education and the NDLR is playing a role in promoting awareness and providing support amongst the higher education community in Ireland.