National Resource Hub from Ireland: Laureate of the UNESCO Prize for ICT in Education

“The National Resource Hub”, developed and implemented by the National Forum for the Enhancement of Teaching and Learning in Higher Education of Ireland has been award the 2022 UNESCO ICT in Education Prize, in recognition of its use of public digital platform to ensure access to digital learning resources.  We explore more about the project, drawing insights from the colleagues behind this award-winning initiative.

The digital transformation of education in Ireland has been accelerating in recent years, especially in higher education. As articulated by Mr Colin Lowry, Technologist of the Hub, “Irish Institutions are embracing digital technologies to provide flexible and engaging educational experiences for our students. This transformation has been driven by the need to adapt to changing student needs, enhance accessibility, and prepare students for the demands of digital society”. Against this backdrop, in 2019, the National Resource Hub was conceived with the objective of fostering a culture of openness and evidence-based practice among Irish higher education institutions.

As of early 2023, the platform, available in English, pools more than 780 high-quality resources, reaching a global user base of 650,000 individuals from 173 countries. The Hub also features open courses for professional development, completed by over 5,000 higher education institutions staff and a network of 628 trained facilitators in Ireland. While the platform welcomes submissions of Open Educational Resources (OERs) from anyone, most of its content originates from the National Forum’s own initiatives, a 5-million euros funding scheme, to support 33 Irish higher education institutions to create quality digital learning content.

To ensure the quality and reliability of submitted resources, the National Forum employs a rigorous review process. This entails checks for accuracy, relevance, and open licensing compliance, conducted by trained staff members, accompanied by a moderation mechanism to allow users to provide feedback and flag content. Meanwhile, the principle of diversity and inclusion is upheld by encouraging gender-inclusive content, supporting features tailored for learners with special needs, providing resources for low connectivity contexts, and allowing free reuse and adaptation.

As an online platform, it also captures data throughout the submission process, encompassing details such as authors, institutions, and resource types. These data provide insights into the nature of uploaded resources, their contributors, and how users engage with them, in order to better understand the community's needs and interests.

The creation of the platform was a result of extensive consultations conducted with students and teachers at various levels of the education system, ensuring its user-friendliness and emphasis on functionality. A diverse network of leaders in teaching and learning from across the country actively participated in the development phase, ensuring that its content and design remain relevant and aligned with institutional practices. A Student Assembly, comprising representatives from all higher education institutions, was formed, to participate in the overall governance of the platform.

Dr. Ronan Bree, one of the key contributors to the project, emphasizes, “the platform provides a meaningful way for all members of the sector to engage with OER and open educational practices while continuing to create and access high-quality resources, and ultimately to support each other across multiple levels.” 

The platform not only publishes learning resources but also collaborates with higher education institutions to produce digital learning and teaching guidance. Examples include the Guide to Developing Enabling Policies for Digital and Open Teaching and Learning, which was developed in collaboration with multiple institutions; and the Enhancing Digital Teaching & Learning in Irish Universities (EDTL), developed by seven universities to enhance the educational experiences by mainstreaming digital technologies across teaching and learning.

The project continues to broaden its reach. Currently, among the 163 institutions that have contributed resources to the platform, 25% are from outside of Ireland – a number that is growing with its increasing international reach. Its expansion strategy also focuses on stronger uptake from domestic higher education institutions. Measures that underway include direct outreach initiatives, funding instruments, and grassroots expansion through partnerships with institutional associates and facilitators. It also actively cooperates with like-minded organizations. Notably, partnerships have been established with the National Open Research Forum and the National Action Plan for Open Research, aiming to foster a culture of open research, achieve 100% open access to research publications, and enable Findable, Accessible, Interoperable, Reusable (FAIR) research data and other outputs. Through these collaborative efforts, the National Forum envisages serving as a global exemplar and catalyst for the adoption of OER.

Reflecting on the implications of winning the UNESCO prize, Dr Catherine Cronin, Strategic Education Developer of the Hub, shared that: “It is both humbling and rewarding. We acknowledge the many global educators who share their work openly and from whom we have learned and drawn inspiration.”

Established in 2005 and supported by the Kingdom of Bahrain, the Prize rewards every year individuals and organizations that enhance teaching, learning and overall education performance. The 2022 edition of the Prize, under the theme “The use of public platforms to ensure inclusive access to digital education content”, recognizes projects that have made learning content more accessible via digital learning platforms. The Award Ceremony will be organized on 7 September 2023 during Digital Learning Week (4 – 7 September, Paris, France).

• Learn more about the UNESCO ICT in Education Prize