‘TUS Learning Gates’ opening throughout the Midlands

The Technological University of the Shannon are opening a number of ‘TUS Learning Gates’ at locations throughout the Midlands region and beyond, ensuring Higher Education opportunities are available to those living and working in these surrounding regions.

The ‘TUS Learning Gate’, a concept introduced by Dr Michael Tobin, Dean of Faculty of Continuing, Professional, Online and Distance Learning, seeks to formally establish a location/space where TUS students and academic staff may meet and learn together, through the provision of one of the many online programmes provided by the Faculty of Continuing, Professional, Online and Distance Learning at TUS Athlone Campus.

The ‘TUS Learning Gate’ represents a space where TUS lecturers may deliver their lectures online, where students may study and access the TUS library online, where students may view their online lectures, meet to discuss projects, and/or complete group work based on the requirements of the programme that they are taking with the University.

The objective is to enable students’ study and work locally, yet have a learning space to go to that is warm, comfortable and set up to meet their needs.

Dr Tobin added that “The TUS Learning Gate locations are all ideally located, and organised as a remote working hub with desks and offices already in place, enabling students to have some of the third level experience in their local towns.
Additionally, it minimises the necessity to travel to Athlone when attempting to seek out a quiet and professional space to work in.”

The concept he continued, “arose from student/lecturer feedback commenting that online learning students were often meeting in hotel foyers for group work, that their local broadband wasn’t good enough or that they had no quiet place to study or to access their online classes.

However, all of this is now solved with this progressive partnership between a number of remote working hubs and TUS, where together they are opening the ’TUS Learning Gate’, thereby resolving those issues for those living in these regions and their surrounding area.”

Going forward, TUS intends to partner with many more remote working centers throughout the wider Midlands and Midwest region and beyond.

Throughout the month of October the Faculty are officially launching weekly new partnerships with remote working hubs both regionally and nationally delivering TUS Learning Gates across the counties of Westmeath, Longford, Laois, Offaly, Roscommon and Galway, ensuring that those of us living in the midlands can access and engage with flexible part-time online learning programmes, as offered through the Technological University of the Shannon.

The official opening of the ‘TUS Learning Gates’ takes place throughout dates in October.

For details on the event please contact Mr Declan Doran at the Technological University of the Shannon at declan.doran@tus.ie or on 09064 83050.

* MAIN PHOTO CATION: Declan Doran, Business Development and Work Practice Coordinator in the Faculty of Continuing, Professional, Online and Distance Learning displaying one of the plaques that will go on the wall of the designated Learning Gate