Professor Timothy Savage:

It is timely that the committee asked for this discussion today. Online learning is here and it is not going away. I suspect that 15 years hence we will not use the term "e-learning" anymore, it will just be learning. Similarly, we no longer talk about projector-based learning or chalk board based learning. What we must do, however, is have a strategic approach. We must be cautious and reasoned, and we must focus on the quality of the higher education. It is one of the things for which Ireland is known and we must protect that, but we must engage for the sake of our learners.