DUNDALK INSTITUTE OF TECHNOLOGY (DKIT)

Dundalk Institute of Technology (DkIT) is a higher education institution in Ireland. Founded in 1970 it provides university level education and currently has over 4000 students. Divided into four academic faculties, the Institute has expertise in the following disciplines: Science, Engineering, Informatics, Humanities, Business Studies, Nursing, Creative Media and Music. Established in 1989 by Dundalk Institute of Technology, the Regional Development Centre acts as the Institute’s Innovation Support and Technology Transfer organisation. The Centre acts as a commercially oriented interface between DKIT and the industrial, commercial and business life of the region, and makes available the expertise, facilities and resources of the Institute for the wider benefit of the regional economy. Through the Research and Developmental endeavours of its Academic Staff, DKIT has developed a strong applied R&D reputation in Software Development, Electronics and Engineering Design, Applied Humanities, Creative Arts, Cultural Studies and Enterprise Development & Innovation with a new and emerging area in the field of Renewable Energy and Digital Media. The evolution of this range of Research expertise has a direct bearing on new course development, on staff development and on the relevance of graduate provision to the skills needs of the Regional and National economy. DkIT has been successful in receiving funding from a number of international sources and is a lead or partner in a number of European funded projects including Erasmus Plus, Interreg, AAL and CLIMATE JPI (ERA4CS). The Department of Creative Arts, Media and Music have established themselves as a leading provider of creative arts education. The approximately 40 staff members provide a wide range of complimentary skill sets that nurture learning across a range of programmes, all of which embrace technology and creativity. Alongside students, they lead an impressive annual programme of cultural and outreach events through performances, exhibitions and showcases that generate greater connections with stakeholders including surrounding communities and employers. Dissemination of research takes many forms including performances, compositions, publications, development of software and film, while staff regularly present their research at conferences and festivals. Ensembles from the Department have toured internationally to America, Norway, England and Brazil. Teams from the Department have previously been engaged in a range of education research projects with a focus on Creative and Aesthetic Learning, the development of Blended Learning and Virtual Learning Environments, and STEAM.
The Creative Arts is one of the key thematic areas for research at Dundalk Institute of Technology and the Creative Arts Research Centre (CARC) embraces both theory and practice in its academic and scholarly pursuits. The CARC brings together researchers from and aims to form synergies between the arts and humanities and innovative technologies areas without undermining the integrity of their core disciplines. The research strategy for the CARC aims to develop collaboration beyond departments and current centre and values communication as well as dissemination of research in its activities in areas including STEAM approaches to education. The Creative Arts Research Centre is to the fore in establishing strategic partnerships through collaboration and cooperation with national and international partners, whether from academia, industry or community.
DkIT has previously hosted a number of conferences and symposia including the Annual Conference of the Irish chapter of the International Council for Traditional Music, the Society for Music Education in Ireland, and the Society for Musicology in Ireland. It has hosted Erasmus Intensive Programme events with students attending from Norway and Belgium, and welcomed students from North American universities for collaborative performances and other events. Staff have developed strong collaborative networks with other institutions internationally for both teaching and research and these linkages have informed programme development at the Institute.