Introduction to Irish higher education & DIT at a glance www.dit.ie Dr Anne Murphy
Higher education in the NQF
EQF Levels EHEA Framework (Bologna) Irish NFQ Levels Irish NFQ Major Award-types 1 1 Level 1 Certificate 2 Level 2 Certificate 2 3 Level 3 Certificate, Junior Certificate 3 4 Level 4 Certificate, Leaving Certificate 4 5 Level 5 Certificate, Leaving Certificate 5 Short Cycle within First Cycle 6 Advanced Certificate (FET award)* Higher Certificate (HET award) 6 First Cycle 7 Ordinary Bachelors Degree 8 Honours Bachelor Degree, Higher Diploma 7 Second Cycle 9 Masters Degree, Post-Graduate Diploma 8 Third Cycle 10 Doctoral Degree, Higher Doctorate
37 DIT: Where are we?
Dublin Institute of Technology Established in 1887 publicly funded Autonomous degree awarding institution since 1992 Awards from Higher Certificate to Doctoral levels Provide 85+ fulltime and 200+ part time courses Over 10,000 fulltime students 1,000 overseas students from 65 countries DIT is a member of
International Ranking 2006 Ranking: 370 2007 Ranking: 351 2009 326 2011 401 DIT nominated best Institute of Technology of 2011 by the Times
Ladders of Opportunity Doctoral Degree Level 10 Masters Degree Level 9 Honours Degree Level 8 Ordinary Degree Level 7 & Level 6 Higher Certificate
DIT: 4 Colleges (formerly 6 Faculties) Engineering & Built Environment Science & Health Arts & Tourism Business
DIT Schools: 27 in previous Faculty structure Applied Arts Music & Drama Art, Design and Printing Languages Media Social Sciences & Law Engineering Built Environment Spatial Planning Architecture Construction Real Estate & Construction Economics Science Business Accounting & Finance Management Marketing Retail & Services Management Graduate Business School Tourism & Food Civil & Building Services Mechanical & Transport Manufacturing & Design Electrical Engineering Systems Electronic & Communications Biological Sciences Chemical & Pharmaceutical Computing Mathematics Physics Hospitality Management & Tourism Culinary Arts & Food Technology Food Science & Environmental Health
DIT: Staff, Courses and Student Numbers 4,000+ graduates each year 4,500 new first years this year 85 full-time Courses 200 part-time Courses 22,000 students 1,700 staff (total)
Our Future: 2010 forward The new campus.. in an historic setting
International Students
International Student numbers growing
International Partners Joint programmes: Harbin Institute of Technology Tsinghua University IILM New Delhi Egypt Oman Singapore Range of European partners Paris Stockholm Valencia Russia 2003 President McAleese receiving Honorary Degree at Harbin Institute of Technology
DIT and Research Materials & Engineering ICT, Arts and Media Sustainability Food, Nutrition and Health Social, Business & Economic Development Strategy for Research & Scholarship 2005-2010
DIT Research Centres
DIT and relationships with Industry Students Work placements 96% employed/further education Careers office Staff Circa. 50% employed from industry Ongoing consultancy Industry involved in design & delivery of courses Entrepreneurs Licensing technology Source funding Mentoring
Fostering Enterprise Established model and network PDC and HotHouse 350 Start-ups Created 30 Start-ups per annum 50 Fast growth companies supported 15,000 m 2 of Incubation space
Recognition of Prior Learning (RPL) Using learning already achieved for the purposes of: i. Entry to a programme of study at the initial stage (either Bachelor or Masters) ii. iii. iv. Entry at an advanced stage of a programme Exemption from elements of a programme Transfer from one programme to another or from another college to the DIT v. Progression from one level to a higher level vi. Towards achievement of a full award vii. For up-skilling /re-skilling of unemployed graduates
Award types in NQF Major Minor Progression Supplemental Special purpose (definitions in document)
NQF grid for level descriptors in handout
VET/FE & HE Apprentice training provided by DIT but qualification awarded by FETAC (Further Education and Training Awards Council) Apprentice numbers greatly reduced Unemployment has led to many apprentices not completing their qualification now a growing problem RPL seen as useful here VET/FE frequently works to national standards No ECTS credits in VET/FE Disconnect between VET/FE and HE
Power of universities Universities determine how second level education is organised The school-leaving exam. is linked to the CAO (central application system) for universities Publicly funded HE providers regulated by the Higher Education Authority (HEA) and quality assured by the NQAI Private higher education models increasing Unregulated providers problematic International providers now big providers (Kaplan)