Education Committee to discuss the quality of teaching in higher level education

The Joint Committee on Education and Social Protection will convene tomorrow to discuss the quality of teaching in the Irish higher level education sector. The Committee will hear from Dr Jen Harvey of the Dublin Institute of Technology, Professor Mary Gallagher of University College Dublin and Dr Greg Foley of Dublin City University.

19th January 2016

The meeting will commence at 1.00pm in Committee Room 3 tomorrow, Wednesday, 20 January 2016.

Committee Chair, Joanna Tuffy TD said, “Ireland’s higher education system has a pivotal role to play as we continue to rebuild an innovative, knowledge-based economy that will provide good and sustainable employment opportunities in fast-changing employment markets. We are aware of the pressure that there has been on third level institutions in recent years to maintain academic standards, while accommodating an increasing number of students at a time of increasingly scarce resources. In this context, the issue of the quality of teaching in third level institutions is a very important issue.”

“We look forward to tomorrow’s meeting where we will hear from leading academics on their assessment of the quality of such teaching and what steps, if any, need to be considered to maintain and enhance it.”

Committee proceedings can be viewed live here.

Committee proceedings can also be viewed on the move, through the Houses of the Oireachtas Smartphone App, available for Apple and Android devices.

Ends

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Committee Membership:

Chair: Joanna Tuffy (Labour)

Deputies:   

James Bannon (Fine Gael); Ray Butler (Fine Gael); Catherine Byrne (Fine Gael); Ciaran Cannon (Fine Gael); Joan Collins (People Before Profit); Michael Conaghan (Labour); Clare Daly (Independent); Jim Daly (Fine Gael); Noel Harrington (Fine Gael); Charlie McConalogue (Fianna Fáil); Jonathan O Brien (Sinn Fein); Willie O'Dea (Fianna Fáil); Aengus Ó Snodaigh (Sinn Féin); Brendan Ryan (Labour)

Senators:   

Jim D’Arcy (Fine Gael); Gerard P Craughwell (Independent); Marie Moloney (Labour); Mary Moran (Labour); Averil Power (Fianna Fáil); Mary-Louise O'Donnell (Independent)