Mr. Tom Boland:

I am heartened to hear Senator O’Donnell's strong plea for teaching. We strongly support the view that lecturers in higher education have as much a need for a professional qualification as a primary schoolteacher. Progress is being made in that space. A very particular element of the progress is the setting up about two years ago of the Forum for the Enhancement of Teaching and Learning with funding from the HEA. The forum made a comprehensive presentation to the board of the HEA last week. Senator O’Donnell might get an opportunity to review the website. The objective of the forum is very much along the lines she spoke about. It is about giving greater visibility to the teaching mission of higher education institutions, and also to share best practice, identify where there are poor practices and to disseminate best practice internationally generally with a very strong focus on improving the quality of teaching and therefore the quality of learning in higher education institutions.

Those of us who have been in the higher education system – it has obviously been quite a while since I have been – have all had the experience of some quite poor teaching as well as the evidence of some very inspirational teaching. This forum is our recognition at the level of the HEA and the Department of Education and Skills of the importance of the teaching mission of higher education. The perception reflects the reality that there is a very strong focus in institutions and outside them on research outcomes, spin-out companies and all of that good stuff, but the key outcome and output from the higher education system is human capital – people with knowledge and skills, well-educated people in their discipline and for life. That requires high quality teaching as well as a good student experience to improve the capacity of students to engage with their learning in a really constructive way. The committee should make no mistake about it; this is a very high priority for the HEA. We are not proposing to do as the committee suggested – to devise a strategy for higher education, other than that our strategic approach to the quality of teaching is in fact the creation and the support of the Forum for the Enhancement of Teaching and Learning. Already in a short space of time it is showing great progress. Perhaps Mr. Costello wishes to add something.