Submission by the
DIT Community Links Programme to
The Higher Education Authority
National Academy for the Enhancement of Teaching and
Learning Consultation document
December 2011
1. Introduction.
The Community Links Programme at the Dublin Institute of Technology is an institute-wide
programme, in existence since 1996, whose goals are to aid in the alleviation of educational
disadvantage, widen participation and enhance civic engagement, particularly in inner city
Dublin, although some of the programmes operate at national and international levels. These
goals are achieved through a combination of community-based and DIT-based programmes.
The underpinning philosophy of the Community Links Programme is that education for
citizenship begins at a very early age i.e. primary or pre- primary and continues throughout life.
Empowerment of individuals through engagement and enhancement of self esteem, leading to
greater participation in education, brings about social change.
The community-based programmes – Ballymun Music Programme, Computer Learning In
Communities – create and maintain partnerships with disadvantaged schools and communities,
teachers and parents, to identify and meet their educational needs through the vehicles of
learning / performing music, and computer technology. The DIT-based programmes – Access
Service, Mature Student Access Programme, and Programme for Students Learning with
Communities – focus on providing pathways to higher education access for disadvantaged
young people and adults, and supporting students and staff to design servicelearning/community-based learning and research projects in collaboration with community
partners. The Programme for Students Learning With Communities also strongly integrates the
DIT-based with the Community based programmes, enhancing the educational experience for
all.
The Community Links Programme staff have drawn on their expertise and experiences in
considering the consultation document, and their response is below.
http://www.communitylinks.ie/
2. Responses to questions in consultation document.
Q1. Do you agree that the time is opportune for the creation of a National Academy for the
Enhancement of Teaching and Learning?
A: We feel that the creation of a National Academy is a good option to explore, and that this
should be done promptly, on foot of the Hunt Report. We do have a few concerns, as follows:
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Will it be an unwieldly entity?
Is there a danger of most or all available funding being used to resource a
national academy, with little funding remaining for actual teaching and learning
activity?
Is there a risk of such an academy feeling a responsibility to re-employ staff from
existing teaching and learning networks and projects, without linking such
decisions to strategic goals and skill requirements?
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Is it envisaged as a support network or a national authority with the ability to
enforce recommendations generated by consultative processes and/or the
National Strategy?
Q2. How can the National Academy best complement each institution’s own work to enhance
the quality of teaching and learning?
A: We feel that it is not sufficient for the academy to ‘complement’ individual HEI’s own work;
we would prefer to see a National Academy leading, supporting and advocating for the
implementation of teaching and learning priorities and the implementation of the National
Strategy across all HEIs – ie focusing on the larger national priorities, and how these are
supported and implemented across HEIs. It would be important for a new National Academy to
establish national networks and resources to support HEIs.
Q3. How can the National Academy support the continuing professional development of
academics in Irish higher education?
A: We see a National Academy doing this in a variety of ways:
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Offering opportunities for staff to attend conferences, seminars, workshops
Creating and maintaining a database of people (academic and other HEI staff
and interested community/industry representatives) wishing to be contacted
to discuss learning and teaching issues or engage in collaborative
partnerships
 Offering opportunities to collaborate on funding proposals, e.g. database of
funding calls and support for applicants
 Maintaining a national repository of relevant research
 Publishing a national journal of learning and teaching
 Offering support for new researchers
In particular we see a significant role for a National Academy in working with senior staff across
HEIs to ensure that research and publication in the area of learning and teaching is valued and
promoted as much as research in other discipline areas, and that it is recognized and valued as
a criterion for promotion, recruitment etc.
Q4. How can the National Academy assist in closing the loop between the identification of good
practice and the mainstreaming of this practice across the broader academic community?
A: In many ways the suggestions in response to the previous question also apply here. In
addition, we would see a National Academy as central in facilitating a process to establish
learning and teaching standards and targets against which HEIs would be measured, and which
would influence the level of core funding received. It would also be important for a National
Academy to foster a climate of sharing and collaboration among HEIs regarding innovations and
good practice in learning and teaching. This is essential in order to counter a more general
trend of HEIs regarding each other as competitors, and consequently being reluctant to share
or collaborate for fear of losing competitive advantage over other HEIs. It is crucially important
that any and all programmes developed by the National Academy be equally inclusive of all HEIs
– Universities, IoTs, and Colleges of Education.
Q5. How can the National Academy further the existing linkages and partnerships with
international practitioners in this field, and facilitate new partnerships with equivalent entities
in neighbouring and other jurisdictions, to contribute to and benefit from the development of a
“global interdisciplinary perspective on teaching and learning”?22
A: Our responses to the two previous questions apply here.
Q6. Should the National Academy continue all activities of the existing teaching and learning
networks and projects, funding permitting, or should it review all existing activities and start
afresh following the review?
A: We feel that there should be an external review of the priorities and effectiveness of existing
networks and activities, followed by identification of key goals, and action plans to achieve
these goals. This may require starting afresh in some areas, and this may also require
expansion of some more exclusive projects or networks to incorporate all HEIs equally.
Q7. Should the National Academy be a virtual platform with a physical base in an existing HEI,
or does it need a physical presence of its own that is independent of any individual institution?
A: We strongly feel that it needs a physical presence of its own, or alternatively should be
located in the HEA. Given the current climate of competition between HEIs, a National Academy
would not be seen as impartial if it were located in any one HEI, and its credibility could be
undermined.
3. Additional key issues
a) It is good to see that the National Academy will address the integration of research with
teaching and learning (section 4), and we strongly feel that it be a key priority that it also focus
on the integration of civic engagement with teaching and learning, as per the National Strategy
recommendations in this area.
As examples of how this might be begun, the prioritised time-bound themes, mentioned in
section 4, should include the integration of community engagement in accredited learning and
teaching activities (e.g. community-based learning/service learning and community-based
research). In relation to issues of functions (4.1) and governance (4.2), consultations, surveys,
and board members should include representatives of civil society, if the National Academy
wants to ensure the relevance and responsiveness of approaches to teaching and learning
across HEIs to society’s needs.
b) It is good to see the proposed focus on the first year experience and there are many
examples of good practice to date. However, addressing this issue successfully cannot be
achieved without a focus on the transition into higher education from 2 nd level, FETAC and
other sectors and the experience of teaching and learning in 2nd level. Given the current focus
and debates regarding entry processes to higher education and the negative impact of the
points race on 2nd level learning and teaching, it is important to ensure that the proposed
academy includes links with NCCA and with teaching, learning and engagement organisations in
the 2nd level and Further Education sectors.