IT Sligo has been shortlisted as a finalist in the prestigious 2011 Satellite Broadband Ireland Digital Media Awards for its role in the KITE (Knowledge and Innovation Transfer in Engineering) project.
The €3.2million KITE project, which has been developed by IT Sligo in partnership with Northern Regional College (NRC) in Northern Ireland and Ayr College in Scotland, is one of seven finalists in the Award’s ‘Best in e-learning’ Category. The project is part funded by the European Union’s European Regional Development Fund through the INTERREG IVA Cross-border Programme managed by the Special EU Programmes Body.
The award recognises unique interactive learning experiences that demonstrate innovation of excellence in learning in the use of digital technology to deliver e-learning or training.
IT Sligo has been shortlisted for its role in the KITE project which involves the development of a methodology that empowers students to study courses like CAD and mechatronics completely online.
Virtual classrooms are created, enabling students to interact with their lecturers and classmates and carry out technical lab work from home, or wherever they are in the world. In addition students have 24/7 on-demand remote access to laboratory hardware rigs and software for experimentation in their own time.
KITE Project Co-ordinator at IT Sligo Stephen Reid said that the technology has enormous potential because it means that employees can up skill while remaining in employment, cutting down on travel costs and loss of productivity in the workplace.
“Students can use this technology to learn new skills that they can directly apply in the workplace and the fact that they can complete the training without having to leave their job or travel to Sligo is crucial.”
“We already have a number of students using the technology and the feedback is wholly positive,” he said.
Senior representatives from the Northern Ireland Department for Employment and Learning including the Director of Skills & Industry Division visited IT Sligo last month to learn more about the e-learning element of the KITE project being developed by IT Sligo and how the methodology could be applied in training in Northern Ireland.
The 2011 Satellite Broadband Ireland Digital Media Awards will take place in the National Convention Centre in Dublin on February 11thand judges include representatives from Google and Facebook. The Minister for Communications, Energy and Natural Resources will be the guest of honour on the night.
For further details on the 2011 Satellite Broadband Ireland Digital Media Awards see http://www.digitalmedia.ie/
For further details on the KITE project see https://www.itsligo.ie/research-innovation/innovation/kite-project/
