Averil Power (Fianna Fail)
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I thank the delegates for their presentation. I had the benefit of a briefing from Hibernia College last year and as a result I asked the committee to invite the delegates to attend today. It has been a very interesting discussion. In my view, e-learning has massive potential as an education system in general.

We have been overly conservative in our attitude to e-learning. The delegates explained that the students are visible online. There is a lot of myth and suspicion spread about e-learning. Some people think that the students will only click into a tutorial and then not stay for the duration of the class because it is online. That is a very conservative and unfair attitude. I have seen how the system works. I can see the potential for people who have had the experience of college life but who wish to upskill without the need to be physically present or to travel distances. It is most useful for lectures because all one needs to do is listen to the lecturer.

My questions have been asked by other members. I refer to Deputy O'Brien's question about age profiles. I ask the delegates to clarify that point more specifically. Are they people with families? I can understand why this would be the case in the primary teaching courses. Is there a younger student profile? I ask for the delegates' views on the progress of e-learning in Ireland in general. They may not wish to comment on the practice in other institutions. I think we have been too conservative in general.

There is potential for the use of e-learning at second level. I noted recent coverage in the newspapers about a school in west Dublin - in Deputy Tuffy's area, perhaps. The Minister for Education and Skills, Deputy Quinn, referred to the school in a speech to the Seanad last week. He said that two schools were doing honours maths through an online platform. I think the delegates may have some advice in this area because there is a need to extend this form of teaching. Hibernia College has partnership arrangements with the pharmaceutical sector as a response to a business need. Is there potential for partnerships with other sectors that may be looking for similar programmes?