MOOCs for the Environment: Shaping a Sustainable Future

MOOCs for the Environment: Shaping a Sustainable Future is a free event will focus on those ATU MOOCs centred around the environment, such as SDGs, Ocean Pollution, Food Waste and Garden Design.

MOOCs for the Environment: Shaping a Sustainable Future

Atlantic Technological University’s Higher Education 4.0 Project will host two free events in November, with the first to discuss upskilling and reskilling opportunities available to industry and the second to focus on environmental issues.

Titled ‘MOOCs for Environment’, this event will take place in Theatre 1000, ATU Galway, on Wednesday, November 13, with attendees asked to arrive at 6:30pm, with the keynote speeches and panel discussions to get underway at 7pm.

Among those to present are Dr John Scahill on the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs); Dr Roisin Nash on Ocean Pollution; and award-winning garden designer Leonie Cornelius on the Fundamentals of Garden Design, a course developed by the Higher Education 4.0 Instructional Design team.

The Higher Education 4.0 Project is also developing relevant courses in other areas, such as industry, which is the focus of the first event scheduled for Hume Hall, ATU Sligo, on Monday evening, November 4.

This free event will showcase those ATU MOOCs designed for the workplace, such as Lean Six Sigma OpEx Academy, Lean Construction, Introduction to Marketing and Social Robotics.

Commencing at 7pm, the evening will include a joint keynote address from ATU’s Online, Flexible & Professional Development (OFPD) Head of Innovation, Gavin Clinch, and ATU Senior Instructional Designer Louise Kearins, who is undertaking a PhD on ‘An Exploration of HEI MOOC development in Ireland the UK’.

Under the Higher Education 4.0 Project, for which Gavin Clinch is the Lead on Innovation Projects, it has championed the MOOC (Massive Open Online Course) model in assisting industries and businesses to upskill and reskill their employees.

“MOOCs are transforming the way we approach lifelong learning and workforce development,” says Gavin Clinch, Head of Innovation for ATU’s Higher Education 4.0 Project.

“By offering free, flexible learning opportunities, we’re helping industries across Ireland upskill and reskill their workforce in a way that meets the evolving needs of our economy.

“The upcoming ‘MOOCs for Industry’ and ‘MOOCs for Environment’ events are a testament to ATU’s commitment to making impactful, accessible education available to all.”

These free short courses are available on the freecourses.atu.ie website, which will be officially launched by ATU President Orla Flynn at the ATU Sligo ‘MOOCs for Industry’ event.

In addition, there will be several promotional stands set up on the day, with MyCareerPath, the flexible, online career guidance service, and ATU MakerSpace, which promotes the STEM subjects at third level and second level, among those exhibiting on both evenings.

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Atlantic Technological University offers Undergraduate, Postgraduate and Lifelong Learning opportunities for aspiring higher education students. Learning is and will be the core activity of the Institute, bringing students, staff and the region together to share, apply, test and create knowledge. Out of ATU’s five campuses, the Galway Campus is the largest and home of the Institute’s administrative headquarters. Overlooking Galway Bay, the campus remains one of Galway City’s iconic landmarks due to its distinctive architecture and design. The modern building hosts an IT Centre and the Library. Business, Tourism, Engineering, Science a wide range of courses are available on this campus.

Galway City is also home to ATU’s The Centre for Creative Arts and Media. A stones throw away from the city centre, the campus focuses in courses in art & design, textiles, and film & documentary that cater to aspiring creative students, who are looking to gain on hands experience to prepare them for Art and Multimedia sectors. The building consists of high ceilings, wide windows and spacious room, while the library is constructed with Irish oak using a distinct ecclesiastical theme.

The Mayo Campus of Atlantic Technological University opened its doors to students back in 1994 and now offers modern facilities and services for both students and staff. Courses in Nursing, Business, Sciences, Tech among others are the main focus at the Mayo Campus. The National Centre for Excellence in Furniture Design and Technology is located in North-West Connamara at ATU’s Letterfrack Campus. The Galway-Mayo Institute of Technology was the first institute in Ireland to house a agricultural college, originally set up by the Franciscan Brothers in 1904. Today students at Mountbellow have the choice between two degrees on the campus – Rural Enterprise & Agribusiness or Agriculture & Environmental Management.

Among the excellent academic services provided by ATU, there are also great recreational facilities for its students to avail of including GAA, rugby, soccer, athletics, indoor sports and a selection of clubs and societies.