Page 18 - Sligo X North West

18 Learning
Connect: how IT Sligo reinvented learning
With 45 different online courses, the North West’s dominant third- level institution is leading the way nationally in digital education. It’s also a great time to be a student at the campus which has just seen the completion of a 10-year, €60m investment in new facilities
By Austin O’Callaghan
Sometimes, it’s the fleeting moments which provide the lasting impression.
Last month, as the confer- ring ceremony for 2014 at IT Sligo was drawing to a close,
the Institute’s new President, Professor Vincent Cunnane, was making his way from the arena, congratulating several of the new graduates from the class of 2014 and their families, when there was a tap on his shoulder.
“I’d like to shake your hand,” said a man who Professor Cunnane had never met before. “I can’t read or write. But, today, I’ve watched my daughter graduate.”
The exchange was short and sweet but, for both men, it was full of warmth and pride. “It was just one of those little moments which summed up beautifully what this Institute is all about,” Professor Cunnane recalls.
“We have another student here who began his journey at certificate level a few years ago ” explains Professor Cunnane. “He’s now graduating with a PhD in Science. That’s what makes IT Sligo so special. Helping people to realise their full potential.”
Since its inception (as a Regional Technical College) 44 years ago, making third-level education accessible to count- less families and communities across the West, North West and Border regions has been one of the core missions of IT Sligo.
The 70-acre campus boasts some of the finest facilities of any Institute of Technol- ogy in the country. That’s the product of
a €60m redevelopment plan which began in 2002, and culminated in the opening of the new state-of-the-art €17m MacMunn Science Building in September this year.
But it’s not just the physical infrastruc- tural developments which have helped make IT Sligo distinctive. The quality of the student experience in this part of the world is one of the key selling points. “In comparison with other urban centres in Ireland which offer third-level education, the cost of living here is more affordable,” explains Student Union President Stephen Doak. “60 per cent of the available student accommodation is within walking distance of the campus. The sporting facilities in the college are of the highest quality and we’re also an eleven-minute drive from the Atlantic Ocean and some of the finest surf- ing in western Europe. On top of this, Sligo
has an electric social atmosphere that helps enhances the student experience.”
For students who feel the physical ‘trek’ to the North West coast is a bit too far, there is a way around that. Since 2002, IT Sligo has been recognised as the national leader in online education where lectures are delivered in real time in a ‘virtual classroom’ environment, and students can enjoy the same quality interaction with their lecturers and classmates. About 1500 of the Institute’s 5500 students are dis- tance learners. Barry Mulcahy from Cork is one of them. He works as a Technology Di- rector with the global healthcare company MSD Brinny in Cork, and has just graduat- ed with an online masters in Biopharma.
“It was a terrific way to upskill and doing this online course fell really well for
I can’t read or write. But, today, I’ve watched my daughter graduate
me,” Barry says.
IT Sligo’s 45 online courses are designed
to meet the needs of individuals who want to study part-time at a pace that matches their work-life balance. The courses deliver a flexible learning environment, accessi-
Let there be light: the atrium of the Charles MacMunn scie
Selfie: Taoiseach Enda Kenny at the opening of the new science building
Irish Independent
26 November 2014