Ireland: Transforming Higher Education – and one Case Study in Progress

Mike Murphy

ASEE International Forum 14 June, 2014

Case Study - Ireland

• Population – 4m• In Higher Education: 200K (80% full-time)• Participation rate in Higher Ed: 66%• Approx 41K new full-time UGs every year– 75% of whom study on 4-year degree courses

• 8K full-time research students (5% of total)• €2.3b spend annually (approx €11K per

student)

Higher Education in Ireland

University Sector

(7 Universities)

Non-University Sector

(14 IoTs)

90K full-time students17K part-time students8.5K research students

65K full-time students16K part-time students1K research students

Higher Education in Ireland

University Sector

Non-University Sector

DIT

13K full-time students5K part-time students2.5K post-grad students

Irish Government Priorities

• Reform the system– Alignment to national strategic objectives– Support a knowledge-based economy and society

• Avoid mission drift • Reward performance• Collaboration/clustering/consolidation

The start of a journey … or the next step in a journey?The

“Hunt Report”

Creating an Alliance….

TU4Dublin

  DIT ITB ITT Total  

UndergradFull and Part-time Enrolments

14,720 3,028 5,319 23,067

 

  Postgraduate

 

2,510

 

200

 

189

 

2,899

 

 Total

       25,966

 

2013-2014: Student Enrolment

EngineeringScience

Business & Law Humanities

& Arts Health & Welfare Services (eg

THC)

0

10

20

30

40

50

60

70

80

90

100

% National

% Dublin

19

43

19

4

2016

97

31

93

33

64

100

% National% Dublin

Programme Provision: Levels 6 and 7

Programme Provision: Levels 8-10

Level 8-10Engineering

ScienceBusiness &

Law Humanities & Arts Health &

Welfare Services (eg THC)

0

5

10

15

20

25

30

35

40

45

15

11 13

10

7 7

43

27

37

19 20

15% National% Dublin

Transformation Agenda

• 3 Presidents don’t want to simply merge• They have set an ambitious transformation

agenda:– An internationally recognised TU with significant

regional, national and global impact – Core attributes:• Student-centred learning• Embedded civic engagement• Practice-led and research informed

Why Create a TU?

• We have the opportunity to reinvent ourselves • Legislation and process creates opportunity for

us and the expectation to seize that opportunity• We can’t stand still in a global changing higher

education landscape• Global recognition of our graduates… in most

comparator countries we would already be a TU• Being a TU opens up opportunities for us;

including to better serve our city and our region

Target Timelines

TU Dublin AllianceMOU Signed

Stage 1 Expression of Interest

31 July 2012

Stage 2 Submit Implementation

Plan to HEA

Stage 3Evaluation of Plan

Stage 4 Application for

Designation as a TU

Stages

HEA Criteria & Work-Streams

HEA Criteria

Work-streams

Alignment of Work Streams to Foundation

Themes

Work-streams Foundation Themes

Re-imagining our

curriculum

The digital campus

Strengthening our research

The Enterprising University

Dublin’s globally-engaged

university

TU4Dublin

Connecting through dialogue

Converging for

designation

Getting our people

ready

Designing our

workplace

Creative Foundations

Orientation CharacteristicsTransforming Our Learning

Vision, Policy & Principles Universal Design

The TU Programme Portfolio

Strategy, Programmes and Learners

Environmental Scan

The TU Quality Framework

Process & Procedure Student Voice

The TU Curriculum Model

Guidelines and Templates Practice-led, research informed

Our First Year Experience

Resources, activities and initiatives Transitions Pedagogy

Curriculum Commission

Standards, Policy & Principles Scholarship of T&L

Graduate Attributes Policy, Templates QA

Foundation Theme: Re-imagining our Curriculum

Key Questions

• We plan to legally merge first as quickly as possible, while planning our transformation

• Is this best approach?

• How best to achieve this transformation?