DCU announces global partnership with online education platform FutureLearn

Dublin City University and social learning platform, FutureLearn, have agreed a strategic partnership to help meet the fast-growing demand for career-long, flexible learning.

The college will offer a range of short and longer accredited courses from microcredentials to postgraduate degrees aimed at working professionals and global learners.

The courses will cover a wide variety of subjects, from artificial intelligence to Irish language & culture.

More than 45,000 learners from 136 countries have already participated in DCU’s suite of online short courses on the FutureLearn Platform. The initiative was co-funded by the Dept of Culture, Heritage and Gaeltacht, under the Twenty-Year Strategy for the Irish Language with support from the National Lottery.

The partnership will be operated through the National Institute of Digital Learning (NIDL) at DCU.

“FutureLearn’s mission is to transform access to education – at all stages of life,” said Simon Nelson, CEO, FutureLearn. “Career-long, flexible learning is more important now than ever before as only by upskilling, and in some cases reskilling, can we hope to successfully navigate the ever-changing professional landscape.

“Our global strategic partnership with DCU will help us address these challenges head on. We’re delighted that DCU shares our commitment to lifelong and micro-learning, and across such a wide range of disciplines, and are really excited about the opportunities this partnership will offer our global community of learners.”

Prof Mairead Nic Giolla Mhichil of the Ideas Lab, DCU said: “The future of work is changing rapidly. Working professionals need opportunities to learn which respond to the challenges of flexibility, access and relevance. DCU is helping to shape this learning environment through our partnership with FutureLearn. We are also excited about what we can learn from global learners and how we can improve the design and support of digital learning on a global scale.”

Link to DCU on-line courses https://www.dcu.ie/online.shtml