9.3.3 Initiatives

9.3.3 Initiatives

The e-Hub pilot project extended the range of subjects available through the medium of Irish in post-primary Gaeltacht schools

The online e-Hub Pilot Project was launched in April 2019. The purpose of the digital e-Hub Pilot Project is to utilise online blended-learning delivery to extend the range of Science, Technology, Engineering and Mathematics (STEM) subjects available through the medium of Irish to senior cycle students in Gaeltacht post-primary schools, commencing with Physics.

The digital e-Hub pilot project

The digital pilot project, which was launched in April 2019, was informed by comprehensive research conducted on similar e-learning initiatives globally, where students supplemented their existing curriculum with online courses, when those subjects were not available in their own school.

The e-Hub project is delivered by e-teachers in two e-hub host schools. All participating schools received additional resources to support project implementation, including additional teaching hours to support the release of e-teachers and e-mentors along with a start-up grant to support the purchase of digital equipment.

The e-teachers offered annual taster sessions for Transition Year (TY) students interested in studying Physics through Irish for the Leaving Certificate, to encourage and inform their participation in the digital project.

Two of the first cohort of eight students successfully completed the higher level Leaving Certificate Physics course through the medium of Irish in June 2020; the other six completed the course in June 2021. At the time of publication of this report, a further twenty-two students from seven post-primary schools are participating in the e-Hub project. A second cohort of thirteen students commenced the online course in 2020 and a further nine students, in the third cohort, commenced the course in 2021. These students are expected to complete their Leaving Certificate in higher level Physics in 2022 and 2023 respectively. It is planned that a second senior cycle subject through the medium of Irish will be introduced to Gaeltacht post-primary schools in 2022.

Initial feedback on the e-Hub pilot was positive

The Department commissioned the Education and Training Inspectorate (ETI), Northern Ireland, to provide an external, independent view of the e-Hub pilot project. The original timing and organisation of this evaluation was reviewed to take account of the constraints and limitations imposed by the COVID-19 pandemic. The ETI presented its overarching findings on the e-Hub pilot project to the Advisory Committee for the Policy on Gaeltacht Education in December 2020. This evaluation report, Independent Evaluation of the Gaeltacht e-Hub Pilot Project, was published in March 2021.

The evaluation of the e-Hub project has shown that Leaving Certificate higher level Physics can be delivered successfully online, and suggests that there is potential to extend the project to facilitate the provision of a wider range of subjects through the medium of Irish to senior cycle students in additional Gaeltacht post-primary schools. The findings include:

■The leadership and oversight of the e-Hub pilot project was successful, well-resourced and

managed effectively by all parties.

■Effective and differentiated lessons were delivered by e-teachers. Students were provided

with valuable opportunities to engage with a range of digital tools and in collaborative learning experiences. Prediction and simulation software was used effectively to develop thinking and problem-solving skills.

■Students spoke positively about their online learning and interactive experiences.

■The digital pilot greatly enhanced the capacity of Gaeltacht post-primary schools to extend

their curricular provision for Leaving Certificate Physics.

■There is potential to provide a wider range of subjects to small groups in more schools.

Forás, a pilot Irish-language development programme, commenced; it will be reviewed in 2021/2022

The Irish-language development pilot project, Forás, commenced in September 2018, as part of the implementation of the Policy on Gaeltacht Education 2017-2022.

Forás

The overall objective of the Forás pilot programme is to provide Junior Cycle students who have low levels of proficiency in Irish with access to supplementary supports to improve their competence and confidence in Irish. Forás is delivered in participating schools that provide full instruction through the medium of Irish.

The pilot involves the allocation of one whole-time equivalent teacher with a high level of proficiency in Irish to each of the participating schools.

Following an expression of interest process, two Gaeltacht

post-primary schools fulfilled the necessary criteria for

inclusion in the Forás pilot project. Each school received an

additional allocation of one whole-time equivalent teacher to provide Junior Cycle students with low levels of proficiency in Irish with access to supplementary supports to improve their competence and confidence in Irish.

The Inspectorate continues to monitor the project through the provision of advisory sessions for the schools. Initial observations by inspectors highlight the need for participating schools in the Forás programme to outline pre-agreed measurable targets for each student, and to provide a regular report to school management on students’ progress.

Due to the impact of COVID-19, plans to undertake an evaluation of the Forás pilot project in 2020/21 were interrupted. An external evaluation of the pilot project will be carried out by the Inspectorate in Spring 2022. The self-evaluation reports completed by each school during 2021 will inform this evaluation.