Setanta: a university-school collaboration project

Abstract

This article reports on a collaborative project between the school of Computer Applications, Dublin City University (DCU) and St. Aidan's Secondary school. The project involves the development of courseware, which takes the form of a Virtual Art Museum (VAM), for use in Irish Secondary schools. It suggests that a partnership between Second and Third level institutions is one way of facilitating the creation of courseware and it highlights the organisational and technical challenges inherent in such a project. The paper traces the design and development of courseware, offers suggestions for improvements, and notes the pedagogical advantages of the courseware. The openness of the participants' to the learning of new skills is a key factor if this type of project is to succeed.