We are delighted to announce that the National Forum’s new Open Courses Professional Development Interface has been shortlisted for the Ireland eGovernment Awards 2019 in the Innovation Award category.
This Open Courses Professional Development Interface reflects the collaborative commitment of the higher education community to ongoing professional development for positive individual, institutional and sectoral change. The interface is designed as a ‘one stop shop’ for those who teach in higher education and are interested in enhancing their professional development. The range of 17 open-access short courses available through the interface were collaboratively designed by teams of experts across the higher education sector. Participants who complete a short course can gain recognition for the development of particular skills and knowledge relevant to their teaching and learning practice by claiming a digital badge through the National Forum’s digital badge system. To date, 293 digital badges have been awarded across the sector.
The Open Courses interface is an important element underpinning the National Forum’s ongoing work in guiding and supporting the implementation of the National Professional Development Framework, which was successfully piloted in 2017 among 230 staff who teach in higher education. The implementation of the Professional Development Framework is a national policy priority, as detailed in the HEA’s System Performance Framework 2018-20. The Framework, to be successful, needs to recognise diverse professional development needs, depending on stage of development, context and discipline. The short courses available through the Open Courses interface provide accessible routes for staff to engage in professional development that can be tailored to individual contexts. They also support employment mobility across the sector. Each short course focuses on a particular aspect of staff professional development, such as programme-focused assessment, digital policy development, and getting started with online learning. The courses are offered as non-accredited professional development opportunities for all who teach in Irish higher education. In addition to the short courses, a number of other helpful resources for those who teach are also available through the interface.
The National Forum’s Open Courses Professional Development Interface can be accessed here.
The Ireland eGovenment Awards recognise the innovators and forward thinkers who are pioneering changes and helping deliver better online services on the island of Ireland. The full 2019 Ireland eGovernment Awards shortlist can be accessed here. Award winners will be announced at the Awards ceremony on 11 September 2019 in City Hall, Dublin.
