This Institute has a long history of developing and delivering courses which have been devised following articulated community & national needs. Our mission statement is "To excel in teaching, research and development work, for the benefit of students, industry and the wider community".
Contextualised learning has always been the aim of the Institute, where students gain real world experience, in the local community, through work experience inbuilt into academic courses, or through service learning experiences which have been designed as part of course delivery.
This is a pedagogical practice which integrates and enhances academic learning, through engagement with programmes/projects in community settings. It is a collaborative teaching and learning strategy which is designed to promote academic development, personal growth and civic learning. It emphasises meaningful student learning which is applied, active, project-based, while drawing on multiple knowledge sources, and enabling students to engage in ethical and critical reflection.
The following is a sample of Service Learning elements across Institute Schools and Departments: