merrion street

The Minister for Research and Innovation, Seán Sherlock, TD, today launched the NDLR Fest in Croke Park.

The National Digital Learning Resources service (NDLR) is a HEA funded national service involving all higher education Institutions in Ireland, the premise of which is to foster the use and development of open digital learning resources amongst the academic community in Ireland. The main aim of the NDLR Fest 2012 is to showcase the wide array of free digital learning resources generated across all disciplines in the Irish higher education sector.

Speaking at the launch, the Minister praised the efforts of all those involved and said: “open access and the sharing of learning techniques must become the norm within our education system. Open digital learning facilitates better outcomes for educationalists, and students. We must strive to break down barriers and to think beyond the academic educational silos that can sometimes hamper learning.”

The Minister emphasised that the National Strategy for Higher Education advocates innovation and collaboration in all areas of higher education activity. He noted that there is a huge untapped potential in terms of the use of technology to transform the way academics share and transmit knowledge among themselves and to their students. He added that, “if we are to tap into this potential, it will require the gatekeepers and facilitators of knowledge in the academic world to embrace the concepts and practices embodied by the Open Education Resources movement.”

Minister Sherlock said that it was very encouraging to see Irish higher education institutions embracing a growing international trend that has seen world-class leaders such as MIT making almost all of their teaching resources freely available online. The Minister expressed his hope that NDLR will continue to promote and develop shared access to enhanced course materials in the higher education sphere.