Atlantic Technological University is creating two more free online courses in forensic toxicology and social robotics.

This is part of ATU’s Higher Education 4.0 Project and in addition to the 50 free short courses already available online.

Higher Education 4.0, which is funded by the Human Capital Initiative (HCI) Pillar 3, has supported over 20 of the 50 plus free courses available, including Introduction to Lean Construction, Health & Safety, Introduction to Marketing, Ocean Pollution, the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) and the Fundamentals of Garden Design.

Dr Geraldine M. Dowling is to build a new free course – or MOOC (Massive Open Online Course) – around the subject area of forensic toxicology, while Drs John Pender and Perry Share will develop their third free course in social robotics.

Welcoming the establishment of two more free courses at ATU, Head of Innovation at ATU’s Online, Flexible & Professional Development and Lead for Higher Education 4.0’s Innovation Projects, Gavin Clinch, said:

“These new MOOCs demonstrate how ATU continues to open up access to specialist knowledge for learners everywhere.

“By combining world-class academic expertise with the flexibility of online learning, we are not only responding to global demand but also strengthening ATU’s role as a leader in lifelong learning and professional development.”

Experience

Boasting a wealth of experience, Dr Dowling aims to develop an industry-focused MOOC that will appeal to professionals, including law enforcement, government, industry, clinicians, and private and public laboratory staff, along with the general public, and by doing so address the global demand for knowledge, training opportunities and continuous professional development in forensic toxicology.

Dr Geraldine Dowling.

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Dr Dowling said: “This Global MOOC will provide free accessible, high-quality, international standard training and, we hope, will position ATU as a leader in online, flexible, professional development surrounding cutting edge online MOOC practice and knowledge collaboration in the field of forensic toxicology.

“For the first time, students will have direct access to this level of specialised training in forensic toxicology through an open, online format complementing and building upon the foundational work of established professional bodies in the field and aligning with the needs for continuing professional development.”

Robotics

Meanwhile, Drs John Pender and Perry Share are set to develop their third social robotics free course over the coming academic year.

Earlier in 2025, their BA (Hons) Social Care Practice final-year students who enrolled on the elective module, ‘Futures of Care, Society and Welfare’, got the opportunity to build a robot named Blossom.

John Pender and Perry Share with Blossom the robot.

Drs Pender and Share have undertaken extensive research on the possibilities of human-robot interactions in the delivery of future care, having joined an Interreg Europe-funded project (TechSocialCare) that will explore ways to regulate assistive technologies in care, including social robotics.

This will provide an excellent opportunity to link the work they and their students engage in by exploring the broader ethical, social and political implications of these emergent technologies.

The free courses can be accessed on the freecourses.atu.ie website, which was relaunched by ATU President Dr Orla Flynn in November 2024. Since then, thousands of learners have signed up to undertake a wide range of short courses on the online platform.

For more, check out freecourses.atu.ie.