Press Release
INAUGURAL DELTA AWARDEES ANNOUNCED
Disciplinary Excellence in Learning, Teaching and Assessment Awards 2018

Pictured: Minister Mary Mitchell O’Connor TD, Dr Graham Love, Prof Sarah Moore
Eleven projects from seven higher level institutions were announced as Awardees at the inaugural DELTA (Disciplinary Excellence in Learning, Teaching and Assessment) awards in Dublin this evening (Wednesday 21st March). The awards were presented by the Minister for Higher Education, Mary Mitchell O’Connor, T.D. for projects that demonstrated outstanding commitment to enriching teaching and learning in their disciplines and preparing graduates for the working world. The DELTA awards are organised by the National Forum for the Enhancement of Teaching and Learning in Higher Education.
Dublin Institute of Technology won three DELTA awards in the areas of Health, Sciences and Hospitality, University of Limerick won three awards in the areas of Law and Health. Cork Institute of Technology, Dundalk Institute of Technology, Galway Mayo Institute of Technology, Dun Laoghaire Institute of Art, Design and Technology and University College Dublin each won one award in the areas of Arts, Business, Engineering/Construction, Science and Social Science. All winning projects are listed below.
Prof Sarah Moore, Chair of the National Forum for the Enhancement of Teaching and Learning said, “We are delighted to be hosting the DELTA awards, highlighting project teams that have had an outstanding impact on teaching and learning in higher education. The Awards also recognise the importance of discipline leadership and celebrate the expertise and commitment that characterises exceptional teaching.”
Speaking during the Awards ceremony, Mary Mitchell O’Connor, T.D., Minister for Higher Education said, “The Awards are strongly aligned with the principles and ambitions of the 2018 Action Plan for Education and from my perspective it is particularly heartening to see the wide range of institutions and disciplinary areas that the project applications came from. It highlights something that is very important to me – which is that there is clear, focused and ongoing commitment to teaching and learning enhancement within our institutions. This matters greatly and is one of the fundamental foundation stones for an excellent and renowned higher education sector”.
The inaugural DELTA Awards form an integral part of the overall teaching enhancement approach of the National Forum by recognising the value of teaching at a national level. The learning impact awards system highlights the quality of higher education in Ireland and will recognise and publicise this good work to a wider audience, increasing innovation, enhancement and collegiality within higher education communities.
Winning Projects – DELTA Awards 2018
Discipline | Institution | Project Name |
Arts/ Law | University of Limerick, School of Law
|
Clinical Legal Education through Experiential Learning |
IADT, Faculty of Film, Art, and Creative Technologies | Critical Thinking and Creative Practice | |
Health | University of Limerick, The Graduate Entry Medical School | Integrated Medical Education – Learning for Life |
UCD, Radiography and Diagnostic Imaging – | Incorporating educational and healthcare technologies to enhance Radiography and Diagnostic Imaging education and training | |
Dublin Institute of Technology, Higher Cert. in Pharmacy Technician Studies | Innovations in Pharmacy Technician Studies | |
University of Limerick, Department of Clinical Therapies
|
Interprofessional Education at the University of Limerick: Training allied healthcare students for best practice
|
|
Sciences | Dublin Institute of Technology, Chemical Education Research Team
|
Supporting, Engaging and Challenging DIT Chemistry Undergraduates by Emphasising Real World Applications and Applying Technology Effectively |
Engineering/Construction | Galway Mayo Institute of Technology, Building Information Modelling Implementation Group GMIT (BIGG)
|
Using a collaborative academic-industry reciprocal learning framework to establish GMIT as an international leader in Building Information Modelling (BIM) education and campus management
|
Business
|
Dundalk Institute of Technology, Department of Hospitality | Embedding Graduate Attributes into all Programmes
|
Cork Institute of Technology
ACE (Accelerating Campus Entrepreneurship) |
Entrepreneurship Education at Cork Institute of Technology | |
Social Sciences | Dublin Institute of Technology, School of Hospitality Management and Tourism | Students in Action Initiative
|
ENDS
For further press information: Mairead Mallon, Communications, National Forum for the Enhancement of Teaching and Learning
Tel: 086 1438 694
Ger Hennessy, Resident PR
Tel: 087 2872249
Editors Notes:
The National Forum for the Enhancement of Teaching and Learning in Higher Education was initiated in 2012 by the Minister for Education and Skills to enhance teaching and learning in higher education. The Forum engages collaboratively with students, teachers, managers and leaders, to devise and drive enhancements to teaching and learning. The Forum mobilises expertise and inputs from across the sector in Ireland and globally to extend and shape best practice in all institutions of higher education in Ireland.