The strengths and weaknesses of courses at eight third-level institutions are assessed in a Forfás report, writes Karlin Lillington
A number of strengths alongside some surprising gaps and weaknesses in digital media courses at eight third-level institutions are revealed in an unpublished draft chapter from a recent Forfás report on the digital media sector.
Seen by The Irish Times, the chapter originally contained large tables with detailed comparisons between four universities and four technical and design institutions assessed in the study, as well as comparisons between the universities versus the institutes.
All of the 15 tables and nearly all the detail on specific universities and colleges were removed before publication in a move that has annoyed some industry observers, who felt that the detail provided a useful "compare and contrast" between different parts of the education system and between different education providers.
The published report offers the general observations made in the tables, but no longer offers a report card on specific organisations within the educational sector.
It is understood that each of the universities and colleges received the draft chapter and thus, privately, would have been informed of the chapter's specific criticisms and praise.
The report, Future Skills Requirements of the International Digital Media Industry: Implications for Ireland, is a 164-page "skills road map" on the mix of creative and technical skills needed for Ireland to compete effectively in the digital media sector.
The sector, worth more than $965 billion in 2004 and expected to grow to $1.5 trillion by 2009, was one of a handful pinpointed several years ago by the Government as particularly promising for Ireland.
The eight educational bodies assessed in the report are (among the universities): University College Dublin (UCD); Trinity College Dublin (TCD); University of Limerick (UL); and Dublin City University (DCU).
Among other institutions they are the National College of Art and Design (NCAD); Dublin Institute of Technology (DIT); Dún Laoghaire Institute of Art, Design and Technology (IADT); and the Galway Mayo Institute of Technology (GMIT).
Between them, they offer a total of 108 digital media-related programmes (65 at the universities and 43 at the institutes). The majority - 63 per cent - are broader courses, such as degrees in computer science, which include some digital media-relevant course work.
The remaining 40 courses are "core" digital media programmes in areas such as animation, gaming, film and television, and e-learning.
Among the specific findings in the deleted material on universities, the draft report singled out a number of broader degree courses that nonetheless provide some industry-specific skills.
TCD offers audio and midi technologies in its MSc in Multimedia Systems; UL teaches interactive media design tools in its MSc/MA in interactive media, and DCU provides multimedia product development tools in its BSc in multimedia.
TCD (MSc in multimedia systems) and UCD (BSc in computer science) are noted as being particularly flexible for adding new course content, which can take two to three years to get approval at other universities or institutions.
All the universities have strong ties to industry and business incubation centres - and DCU and UL have particularly good work experience programmes that find placements for their students.
On the negative side for universities, only six of 65 courses are sector-specific.
The report notes: "It is likely that students will require further study or industry experience to acquire specialist sector-related skills."
In particular, programmes do not specifically focus on distribution, production management or content management and there is a "limited" level of technology specialisation in core digital media courses.
Technologies taught in courses are not always industry standard, either. At DCU and UCD, "the level of technology specialisation is quite low" in film and television courses, though strong on theory and script-writing.
The university sector was also criticised for having no formal benchmarking system in place to assess courses against others nationally or internationally.
The report notes, too, that universities are weak on undergraduate education in core digital media programmes - only three of 15 digital media programmes are for undergraduates.
As for the institutions, they get a mixed report card as well.
On the plus side, GMIT and IADT offer strong sector-dedicated courses: TV and film at GMIT, and TV and film as well as animation at IADT, are singled out.
A number of programmes provide specialisation skills. By contrast to the universities, film and television programmes at IADT and GMIT are "quite technology- driven" with a focus on practical teaching.
DIT, IADT and GMIT have industry partnerships and incubation centres, IADT and NCAD hold informal industry discussions on course content and IADT uses industry professionals as regular guest lecturers in digital media courses.
GMIT, however, has strong links with broadcasters that give studio access to film and television students.
The institutes have a strong undergraduate focus: 22 of 25 core digital media or media courses are available at undergraduate level.
On the negative side, postgraduate digital media education is spotty and the number of sector-dedicated courses is more limited than at universities - only three of 43 courses.
Surprisingly, sector-dedicated courses for key digital media industry areas - games, e-music, e-learning, wireless and mobile - are not delivered at all by the colleges, the report notes.
However, the report notes that the Ballyfermot College of Further Education and IT Carlow both have gaming programmes, and the universities cover these areas as well.
Overall, the institutes have less industry involvement than universities and fewer industry placements for students, most of which students must find themselves.
With the exception of IADT, the institutes also use guest lecturers less frequently.
As at the universities, course work is only informally benchmarked at national or international level at most institutes. IADT alone among universities or institutes has formal benchmarking processes to evaluate some courses against international standards.
And an overall concern for both universities and institutes is that the length of courses and small student intake produces few graduates for a growing employment sector that the Government is targeting as a focus area.
When the report was released on July 31st, Seán Dorgan, chief executive of IDA Ireland, noted that the sector was "an area of significant potential for future investment". However, it is understood that many in the sector feel most Government attention and financial support is focused on splashier research and development projects and sectors in science, software development and technology, given through bodies like Science Foundation Ireland.
A key recommendation of the report is that a ramping up of skills is required to stimulate overseas investment and boost the indigenous industry. Specifically, the recommendations address the weaknesses noted in the unpublished part of the education providers chapter:
• specialised courses and modules for the wireless and mobile sector, the film and television sectors, and the e-learning sector;
• creative courses (film-making, design, etc) should incorporate more training in the use of technology;
• course curriculums should incorporate practical, industry-oriented elements, and this should apply to both creative and technical courses, and
• closer links between colleges and industry through structured work placements and internships, and the use of guest lecturers.
Universities
Good:
• Broad degree courses offer bulk of material in digital media and good general technology background
• Strong on postgraduate education
• Good though informal dialogue with industry in developing course content
• Guest lecturers from industry used regularly
• Business development/incubation centres
Bad:
• Courses not sector-specific
• "Limited" level of technology specialisation in core media/digital media courses
• Technologies delivered in courses are not always industry standard
• Combination of length of courses and small student intake produces few graduates for growing employment sector
• Weak on undergraduate education
• Benchmarking is informal
Institutes
Good:
• Some strong sector-dedicated courses
• Some industry partnership and incubation centres
• Some informal industry discussion on course content
• Strong undergraduate focus
Bad:
• Number of sector-dedicated courses is more limited than at universities
• Sector-dedicated courses for key media sectors are not delivered
• Less industry involvement than universities and fewer industry placements
• Less frequent use of guest lecturers
• Weaker postgraduate focus
• Only informal benchmarking
• Combination of length of courses and small student intake produces few graduates for growing employment sector
