College takes on more staff as online learning booms [Independent.ie]
- Published: 09 March 2011
It started a decade ago as a highly controversial online college that trained primary teachers. Now it has grown into a multinational business with over 7,000 students in 30 countries.
Hibernia College is now a fast-expanding part of the Irish education scene.
While other businesses are laying off employees, and in many cases struggling to survive, the Dublin-based private college recently announced that it was hiring 25 new staff.
When Dr Sean Rowland set up Hibernia as an internet-based training institution there was uproar in the teaching profession.
In a joint statement the heads of nine colleges of education said approval of the online college represented a dilution of academic standards and an attack on the professional status of teachers. The college heads even expressed fears about the well-being of primary schoolchildren.
Sean Rowland overcame these early reservations and Hibernia now trains more primary teachers than any other college.
Students at Hibernia are taught through "blended learning'', which is a combination of online and face-to-face education.
Course material is delivered over the web through downloadable lectures, live online tutorials and discussion forums. Students meet up at local education centres for live seminars.
Full Story: www.independent.ie
