More than a century after it awarded its first degree, the National University of Ireland is moving into the virtual realm with plans for accrediting online education.

Its strategic plan for 2014-2017 also identifies scope for increased use of the NUI “brand” in institutions overseas that partner with the four constituent universities: UCD, UCC, NUI Galway and NUI Maynooth.

The organisation, which was founded in 1908 and whose main function is to guarantee the quality of learning in member institutions, acknowledged a need for reform against the twin challenges of resource constraints and fierce international competition.

The strategy noted its own governance structure was “outdated” and it plans to reduce the members of its governing senate from an unwieldy 38, in the short term by not filling vacancies. In the longer term, it said a change in legislation would be required to move away from a representative model of governance to a board of directors with specialist skills.

Marketing
The plan identified marketing and communications as a "weak spot for the organisation" and this needed to be addressed nationally but "particularly in the context of the international marketing of the brand".

Regarding Massive Open Online Courses, a growing feature of higher education, it said: “We will explore the possibility of setting up a major Irish online education presence using the strength of the NUI brand. Preliminary discussions and consultations initiated by NUI on the concept have elicited a generally positive response and it is clear that there is a considerable opportunity here.”

NUI registrar Dr Attracta Halpin said the idea would be to host a “national project” to which different member institutions would contribute. “Because we are a small country the thinking is that if the universities pooled their resources you can make a bigger splash collectively rather than individually.”

Online degrees
While the possibility of accrediting degrees online was "a long way off", she said "we are putting our toe in the water. It's about looking into the future, and wanting Irish universities to be in that space."

The plan seeks to enlarge its federation of members, while reviewing quality assurance policies. “We would stake our reputation on the quality of our graduates,” said Dr Halpin, who pointed out the growth in accredited colleges overseas from Hong Kong to Ethiopia.

She noted that, in a report by consultants Grant Thornton earlier this week, universities were “being slated for not attracting more international students”. But “on the other side there is a resistance of governments in developing countries to allow a brain drain take place” and the NUI could play a role in assisting overseas students to graduate in their own countries.

Other elements include contributing to the reform of Seanad Éireann, and creating an enhanced role for the NUI in civic debate. It would like to fulfil Douglas Hyde’s concept of the NUI as “the intellectual headquarters of Irish Ireland”, articulating the role and values of the university in society.