DCU taking Irish online

Rinne an tUas. Joe McHugh TD, an tAire Stáit ar a bhfuil freagracht as an nGaeilge, an Ghaeltacht agus na hOileáin, tionscnamh nua foghlama ar líne ar feadh an tsaoil ar an nGaeilge agus ar an gcultúr Gaelach a sheoladh inniu thar ceann Ollscoil Chathair Bhaile Átha Cliath.

Is é ‘Fáilte ar Líne’ an chéad chéim i dtreo an Ghaeilge (ab initio) agus an cultúr Gaelach a fhoghlaim ó áit ar bith ar domhan.

Sa tionscnamh, bainfear leas as saineolas aitheanta Ollscoil Chathair Bhaile Átha Cliath ar réimse na foghlama digití agus ar an nGaeilge chun deis a thabhairt do gach duine ar domhan an teanga a fhoghlaim.

Díreofar é go príomha ar an diaspóra, ar an bpobal ‘Éireannach nua’ agus ar dhaoine a rinne staidéar ar an nGaeilge ar scoil agus a bhfuil fonn orthu filleadh ar staidéar a dhéanamh uirthi arís.

Beidh rannpháirtithe in ann dul ar aghaidh ó chúrsaí bunleibhéil go cúrsaí ardleibhéil agus beidh siad in ann céim iomlán sa Ghaeilge agus sa chultúr Gaelach a dhéanamh más mian leo déanamh amhlaidh - agus an méid sin a dhéanamh ar líne ar fad.

Tá Fáilte ar Líne á chómhmhaoiniú ag an Roinn Cultúir, Oidhreachta agus Gaeltachta faoin Straitéis Fiche Bliain don Ghaeilge agus le tacaíocht ón gCrannchur Náisiúnta.

Meastar an tionscnamh a bheith ina chéim thábhachtach i dtreo láithreacht na Gaeilge ar domhan agus ar líne a mhéadú; i dtreo ceangal a dhéanamh leis an diaspóra Éireannach; agus i dtreo deiseanna chun staidéar a dhéanamh in Éirinn agus cuairt a thabhairt uirthi a chur chun cinn.

Ag labhairt dó ag an seoladh, dúirt an tAire McHugh:

"Tá ríméad orm 'Fáilte ar líne' a sheoladh anseo inniu. Léiríonn an fiontar nua spreagúil seo an dóigh gur féidir linn an nua-theicneolaíocht agus an nuálaíocht a úsáid chun ár dteanga agus ár gcultúr a roinnt le pobail nua timpeall na cruinne.

Mar Aire Stáit atá freagrach as an Ghaeilge, agus i mo ról roimhe seo mar Aire Stáit don Diaspóra, tuigim go rímhaith an spéis agus an paisean dochreidte atá ann dár dteanga agus dár gcultúr ar fud an domhain.

Táim cinnte go léireofar é seo i líon agus éagsúlacht na rannpháirtithe a mheallfaidh 'Fáilte ar líne'.

Ní hamháin go gcuirfidh pobal na hÉireann agus an diaspóra thar lear suim mhór sa chúrsa seo ach spreagfaidh sé freisin go leor daoine sa bhaile ar mhaith leo dul i ngleic leis an teanga an athuair, chomh maith le pobail nua anseo in Éirinn a bheadh ag nascadh leis an teanga den chéad uair, b’fhéidir.

Tá sé seo tráthúil go háirithe agus muid ag ceiliúradh Bhliain na Gaeilge 2018, agus muid ag nascadh le cainteoirí Gaeilge ar fud an domhain le cibear-Ghaeltacht #TrasnaNadTonnta an tseachtain seo.

Ba mhaith liom an fhoireann i DCU a mholadh, agus go háirithe an tOllamh Comhlach Mairéad Nic Giolla Mhichíl, as a gcuid oibre chun an tionscadal seo a thabhairt chun críche, agus táim ag súil le bheith ag faire ar an dóigh a n-éiríonn leis sna míonna agus sna blianta amach romhainn."

Seoladh an chéad gharsprioc shuntasach den tionscadal le linn na hócáide, mar ar seoladh Irish 101. Is Ollchúrsa Oscailte ar Líne é agus tá sé ar cheann de na chéad chúrsaí dá chineál ina dtairgtear foghlaim na Gaeilge ar leibhéal domhanda.

Maidir leis an Ollchúrsa Oscailte ar Líne, a thosófar an 29 Eanáir, tá sé á sholáthar i gcomhar le FutureLearn. Is ardán foghlama sóisialta é ag a bhfuil breis agus 7 milliún foghlaimeoir ar fud an domhain agus comhpháirtíochtaí le geall le 100 ollscoil ar domhan.

Chomh maith leis sin, soláthróidh Ollscoil Chathair Bhaile Átha Cliath Ollchúrsa Oscailte ar Líne ar Ríomhaireacht Ardfheidhmíochta. Tosófar ar FutureLearn an lá céanna é.

Dúirt Mark Lester, an Stiúrthóir um Fhorbairt Comhpháirtíochtaí in FutureLearn:

“Tá Ollscoil Chathair Bhaile Átha Cliath ar cheann den 50 ollscoil is fearr faoi 50 bliain d’aois atá ag múnlú thodhchaí an ardoideachais, agus is institiúid nuálaach san oideachas ar líne san Eoraip í.

Tá ríméad orainn go ndeachaigh sí i mbun comhpháirtíochta linn chun an cúrsa ar líne, Irish 101, a sholáthar.

Tá sé go hiontach bheith ag obair le foireann chomh tiomanta sin atá dírithe ar an eispéireas digiteach is mó cáilíocht a sholáthar d’fhoghlaimeoirí ar fud an domhain agus táimid ag súil go mór lena fháil amach cad a bheimid in ann a bhaint amach le chéile sna míonna agus sna blianta atá le teacht.”

Tá an tionscadal á stiúradh ag an Ollamh Comhlach Mairéad Nic Giolla Mhichíl ó Fiontar agus Scoil na Gaeilge i gcomhpháirt le The Ideas Lab san Institiúid Náisiúnta um Fhoghlaim Dhigiteach in Ollscoil Chathair Bhaile Átha Cliath.

Baintear leas sa tionscadal as speisialtóirí Gaeilge, as teicneolaithe foghlama agus as taighdeoirí digiteacha fud fad na hollscoile.

Dúirt an tOllamh Comhlach Nic Giolla Mhichíl:

“Ba mhaith linn deis a thabhairt don chéad ghlúin, don dara glúin agus don tríú glúin den diaspóra Éireannach tuilleadh eolais a ghnóthú ar an nGaeilge agus ar an gcultúr Gaelach. Is údar spreagtha é breathnú ar an líon ard ollscoileanna idirnáisiúnta a thairgeann cúrsaí ar an nGaeilge agus ar an gcultúr Gaelach.

Tá súil againn go mbeidh deis againn obair le han-chuid de na hollscoileanna sin chun sineirgí a chruthú idir a gcláir féin agus Fáilte ar Líne le hOllscoil Chathair Bhaile Átha Cliath.

Ba mhaith linn a chinntiú freisin go mbeidh foghlaimeoirí in ann teacht go hÉirinn agus taithí phearsanta a ghnóthú ar an nGaeilge agus ar na Gaeltachtaí.

Is féidir linn freastal ar dhaoine ar fud an domhain lenár gcomhpháirtíocht straitéiseach le FutureLearn, rud a chabhróidh le hOllscoil Chathair Bhaile Átha Cliath cur leis an gclú dea-bhunaithe atá uirthi as rochtain ar an ardoideachas a dhéanamh níos daonlathaí trí fhoghlaim ar líne.”

Le Irish 101, tairgfear tús eolais ar na nithe seo, i measc ábhair eile: an Ghaeilge; Ogham agus an chéad scríbhneoireacht sa Ghaeilge; beannachtaí agus mallachtaí; ainmneacha Gaeilge agus an mhiotaseolaíocht.

Is féidir le foghlaimeoirí clárú ar líne do roinnt roghanna foghlama solúbtha. Níl ag teastáil ach gléas agus nasc Idirlín. Tá an clárúchán don chúrsa, Irish 101, ar oscailt faoi láthair agus chláraigh na mílte foghlaimeoir don chúrsa cheana féin.

Rinne roinnt foghlaimeoirí léirmheas ar an gcúrsa don fhoireann:

“Bhí sé taitneamhach, tarraingteach agus léirsteanach. Ní do thosaitheoirí amháin atá sé oiriúnach ach tá sé oiriúnach freisin do na daoine sin ar mian leo cur leis an mbuneolas atá acu!” Madeleine Fitzpatrick, Luimneach

“Is cúrsa é atá éasca le leanúint. Is cúis iontais é go gclúdaítear a lán topaicí leis, rud a léiríonn cé chomh héasca is atá an fhoghlaim teanga ar líne.” Ruth Moylan, Baile Átha Cliath

“Thaitin an cúrsa go mór liom. De bharr an chúrsa, d’éirigh mé tógtha faoi mo dhúchas Éireannach agus bhí fonn orm tuilleadh eolais a ghnóthú ar an teanga agus ar an gcultúr.” Adam Shaw, an Ríocht Aontaithe

“Is cúrsa an-inspreagthach é.” Maxime Le Mée, Rennes, an Fhrainc

Cláraigh do Irish 101 ag https://www.futurelearn.com/courses/irish-language.

********************

Government Chief Whip and Minister of State for the Irish Language, Gaeltacht and the Islands, Mr Joe McHugh TD has today launched an innovative new learning resource, co-funded by his Department under the 20-Year Strategy for the Irish Language 2010-2030.

Fáilte ar Líne is a new Irish language and culture online lifelong learning initiative developed by Dublin City University.

Fáilte ar Líne (Welcome online) provides a first step in learning the Irish language (ab initio) and learning about Irish culture from any location in the world.

The initiative, aimed primarily at the diaspora, the ‘new Irish’ population and those who learned Irish in school but wish to begin again, will leverage DCU’s recognised expertise in digital learning and in the Irish language to make learning the language accessible to everyone, anywhere in the world. Participants will be able to progress from beginner to advanced courses and can, if they wish, complete a full degree in Irish language and culture - entirely online.

The Fáilte ar Líne project is co-funded by the Department of Culture, Heritage and the Gaeltacht under the Twenty Year Strategy for the Irish Language with support from the National Lottery.

The initiative is seen as an important step in enhancing the global, online presence of the Irish language; connecting with the Irish diaspora; and promoting opportunities to study in and to visit Ireland.

It will also complement the financial supports provided by Minister McHugh’s department for the teaching of Irish in over 40 3rd level colleges worldwide, many of which send students to visit the Gaeltacht on an annual basis.

Speaking at the launch, Minister McHugh said,

“I am delighted to launch ‘Fáilte Ar Líne’ here today. This exciting new endeavour demonstrates how we can utilise modern technology and innovation to bring our language and culture to new audiences around the globe. As Minister of State with responsibility for the Irish language, and in my previous role as Minister of State for the Diaspora, I have witnessed at first hand the incredible interest and passion that there is for our language and culture worldwide.

I am sure that this will be reflected in the number and diversity of participants that ‘Failte Ar Líne’ will attract.

I believe that this course will not only be of great interest to the Irish community and diaspora abroad, but also to many Irish people here at home who would like to re-engage with the language, as well as new communities who may be connecting with the language for the first time.

This is particularly timely as we celebrate Bliain na Gaeilge 2018, and as we are connecting with Irish speakers worldwide with the #TrasnaNadTonnta cyber-Gaeltacht this week. I would like to commend the team at DCU, in particular Professor Mairéad Nic Giolla Mhichíl, for their work in bringing this project to fruition, and I look forward to monitoring its success over the coming months and years.”

The first major milestone of the project was announced at the event - the launch of Irish 101, a free Massive Open Online Course (MOOC), one of the first of its kind to offer Irish language learning globally.

The MOOC, which will start on the 29th of January, is being delivered in conjunction with FutureLearn, the social learning platform, which boasts over 7 million learners globally and partnerships with almost 100 leading universities worldwide.

DCU will also deliver a MOOC on High Performance Computing starting on the same day on FutureLearn.

Mark Lester, Director of Partnerships Development at FutureLearn, commented,

“Dublin City University is one of the top 50 under 50 universities shaping the future of higher education, and an innovator in online education in Europe, and we’re delighted that they’ve chosen to partner with us to deliver the Irish 101 online course. It’s fantastic to be working with such a driven team who’s focused on delivering the highest quality digital experience for learners across the world and we’re excited to see what we can achieve together in the months and years to come.”

The project, led by Associate Professor Mairéad Nic Giolla Mhichíl from DCU’s Irish language school, Fiontar agus Scoil na Gaeilge and The Ideas Lab in DCU’s National Institute for Digital Learning, draws on expertise from Irish language specialists, learning technologists and digital researchers across the university.

Professor Nic Giolla Mhichíl said,

‘We want to give first, second and third generations of the Irish diaspora an opportunity to learn more about Irish language and culture.

We also want to ensure that learners can come to Ireland and experience the Irish language first hand in the Gaeltachtaí.

Our strategic partnership with FutureLearn gives our offering a truly global reach, allowing DCU to build on its well-established reputation for democratising access to higher education through online learning. It is truly inspiring to see so many international universities with Irish language and cultural offerings. We hope to work with many of these to create synergies between their programmes and DCU’s Fáilte ar Líne project.”

Irish 101 will offer an introduction to the Irish language; Ogham and the first writing in Irish; greetings, blessings and curses; and Irish names and mythology amongst other subjects.

Learners can register online for a number of flexible learning options.

All that is required is a device and an internet connection. Registrations for Irish 101 are already open and thousands of learners have already registered for the course.

A number of learners have reviewed the course for the team:

"It was enjoyable, engaging and insightful. It is suitable for not only beginners but also for those who wish to 'water their roots'! Madeleine Fitzpatrick, Limerick

“It is an easy to follow course which surprisingly covers a lot of topics demonstrating the ease of online language learning.” Ruth Moylan, Dublin

"I really enjoyed the course; it made me feel excited about my Irish roots and eager to learn more about the language and culture." Adam Shaw, United Kingdom

"It is very motivating." Maxime Le Mée, Rennes, France

Register for Irish 101 at https://www.futurelearn.com/courses/irish-language.