Trinity Launches New Online Courses

Posted on: 04 June 2014

Trinity’s Online Education Unit has announced the introduction of two new online/distance postgraduate courses and Trinity’s first free online course, starting in September 2014.

Commenting on the new courses, the Associate Dean for Online Education, Professor Tim Savage said: “The growth of online learning has the capacity to revolutionise how students learn and to increase access to high-quality higher education. Trinity is at the forefront of innovation in Ireland, and we believe there is an opportunity for the university to leverage the disruptive potential of online learning, particularly in building our global reputation. The online environment will provide students with a stimulating learning experience by creating a structured, yet flexible, learning approach.”

The new postgraduate online courses are:

Postgraduate Certificate in Dementia 

In Ireland, 44,000 people have a dementia diagnosis. Globally, the prevalence of dementia is expected to double within the next 20 years. It is against this backdrop that the online interdisciplinary Postgraduate Certificate in Dementia has been developed to prepare students in the delivery of high-quality support and care for dementia sufferers.  Graduates of this programme will promote excellent practice in the care of dementia sufferers, allowing them to live with dignity.

Postgraduate Diploma in Applied Social Studies 

This one-year programme aims to provide graduates from all disciplines with the opportunity to deepen their understanding of the need for effective implementable social policies. The course considers prevalent contemporary societal challenges and examines the complex inter-relationships between social security, health, crime, family violence, inequality and discrimination. Students completing this course will gain a deeper understanding of the challenges facing policy-makers in attempting to be part of the solution.

The two new courses will be delivered fully online using Blackboard Learn.  Online tutorials will be held weekly using Blackboard Collaborate.

Trinity has also launched its first free online course, Irish Lives in War and Revolution: Exploring Ireland’s History 1912-1923 in partnership with FutureLearn.

The 6-week MOOC (Massive Open Online Course) starting 1 September 2014 is accessible via FutureLearn to anyone with internet access across multiple devices – computers, mobile phones or tablets. This collaboration will provide access to Trinity’s quality education to students worldwide.

The course invites learners to explore the lives of men, women and children living through war and revolution and examines the political and social changes that made modern Ireland. By engaging with original sources, textual, visual and aural, and encountering contradictory viewpoints, participants will also learn about the contested nature of all history, and the challenges facing historians.

Professor Ciaran Brady, Dr Anne Dolan and Dr Ciarán Wallace from Trinity’s School of Histories and Humanities will lead the course. To register on the course, please visit  https://www.futurelearn.com/courses/irish-history