Ecumenical e-learning at Mater Dei

Mater Dei promotes ecumenical education through web-based e-learning

An Taoiseach, Bertie Ahern td attended the Mater Dei Institute on 21 January to promote the new Religious Education programme currently being introduced to secondary schools. The event was also attended by the leaders of the main religions in Ireland in a gesture of support for the new venture.

For the first time Religious Education will be examined to Junior Certificate level in 2003. The Department of Education and Science intends to offer Religious Education to all schools and to extend the programme to Leaving Certificate level as a points-carrying subject. The syllabus was devised by the NCCA and the in-career training for teachers was developed by the Mater Dei Institute of Education.

The training programme (LOGOS - from the Greek meaning 'word') is the first web-based e-learning project to be offered for in-career development for teachers in Ireland. According to Dr Dermot Lane, President of Mater Dei, the e-learning techniques developed for in-service training of religious studies teachers could be extended to other subjects. "The response to our web-based programme has been extremely positive and Logos could become a model for e-learning in other subjects as teachers become more skilled in using computers and the web."

"The new Junior Certificate Syllabus in Religious Education marks a turning point in the way Religion is taught, studied and assessed in our secondary schools. The Mater Dei LOGOS web-based project is an innovative and effective approach to up-skilling the teachers of this new syllabus. I particularly welcome the ecumenical and inter-faith approach of LOGOS and the use of e-learning for teacher In-Career Development", said Anne Looney, CEO, National Council for Curriculum and Assessment.The Junior Certificate Religious Education course was devised to be used by all schools - including non-denominational schools. It aims to give students knowledge and understanding of Christianity, Judaism, Islam, Hinduism, Buddhism, and other world religions. Its purpose is also to give students the skills to appreciate other cultures and to develop attitudes of tolerance in an increasingly multi-cultural society.

"The need for Religious Education becomes even more relevant following the events of 11 September last", said Dermot Lane. "We must ensure that as Irish society becomes more pluralist, the gulf between world cultures and religions is not allowed to develop here. We witness every day the damage caused by mistrust between people of different religious traditions. Education must play a prominent role in bridging religious divides and promoting mutual understanding."