Universities/colleges

Mrs OBumble

gauchesnell wrote: »

Maybe find out what are the backup plans for students who cant go back

Why should there be one?

Its a 3rd level course, you either get with the programme (online, offline, blended, whatever it is) or you don't do the programme. You don't get a personalised version.

Smegging hell

Looks like planned face to face teaching will be cut back even before campuses reopen. https://twitter.com/MichealLehane/status/1306560993703661570

Smegging hell

Meanwhile, NUIG expects postgrads to come back to campus to work without pay. https://twitter.com/pgwanuig/status/1306225286309122050

deckie66

With the increased measures being proposed for Dublin should the four Dublin universities and indeed maynooth as well, due to its proximity, keep their campuses close and deliver all lectures online?

All four are due to open for the academic year in the next fortnight, some such as UCD as soon as next Monday.

While there is no doubt that distancing can be applied in lecture halls, the bigger issue is the sheer volume of students descending on Dublin in the next fortnight.

Once any level of campus activity is occurring then students will congregate and socialise near to campuses , in student accommodation etc?

Unlike schools, the higher education has the technology to move efficiently online - they did in March and indeed to carry out assessment and examining remotely.

The four Dublin universities have almost 100,000 students between them, not to mention staff.

Surely the government needs to ere on the side of caution and instruct the higher education sector to have online delivery only until the situation improves?

ShineOn7

Absolutely not. It's 2020 ffs, there's broadband and all students have a laptop or a PC or access to either (failing that, Chromebooks are now very affordable)

Dublin is fúcked as it is and this is before the colleges are back

mikhail

UCD just sent an email to all students to say next week's classes are probably all online. (And I think they're just hedging their bets on the probably.)

Government advice is to close the campus at level 4. Government is moving Dublin to level 3, so this is the university being conservative.

vid36

mikhail wrote: »

UCD just sent an email to all students to say next week's classes are probably all online. (And I think they're just hedging their bets on the probably.)

Government advice is to close the campus at level 4. Government is moving Dublin to level 3, so this is the university being conservative.

From the leaks, its clear that level 4 restrictions will apply to third level as well as pubs and restaurants.

eviltwin

I'm back in college since last week. I'm doing a course that can be delivered completely online - and was, quite successfully, during March and April - but the powers that be have requested we have two days of classes per week in house.

Why this is I'm not sure. We have courses that require a practical element that need to be there more than we do but we are all being brought back. The rooms can be socially distanced fair enough but not so much the corridors. Bathrooms will be a huge issue as will smoking areas, library access etc.

LessOutragePlz

Yes they should all reopen I think attending lectures in person is more conducive to learning others may disagree but I always felt I got more out of attending lectures in person versus viewing them online.

ednwireland

ShineOn7 wrote: »

Absolutely not. It's 2020 ffs, there's broadband and all students have a laptop or a PC or access to either (failing that, Chromebooks are now very affordable)

you really think that ? i think you are out of touch with the student population , plenty don't have access to decent broadband, laptops, or even a decent smartphone .

LessOutragePlz

LessOutragePlz wrote: »

Yes they should all reopen I think attending lectures in person is more conducive to learning others may disagree but I always felt I got more out of attending lectures in person versus viewing them online.

I did too but there's no way campuses should be reopening given we're already heading back to the ha'penny place.

CRI0ST0IR

No they should not.

As this virus is still growing at a rapid rate, and large clusters the colleges shouldnt be allowed to open. Every college student most likely has a laptop or computer of some sort. With the colleges reopening also means more house parties and more clusters.

deckie66

Apparently UCD has announced that it is going fully online

Scuid Mhór

deckie66 wrote: »

Apparently UCD has announced that it is going fully online

Source?

Smegging hell

eviltwin wrote: »

Why this is I'm not sure. We have courses that require a practical element that need to be there more than we do but we are all being brought back. The rooms can be socially distanced fair enough but not so much the corridors. Bathrooms will be a huge issue as will smoking areas, library access etc.

In a word: money. Had a conversation with a university lecturer about this recently. He said 3rd level dependence on fees especially from students outside the EU is a major factor with the decision to at least be seen to go ahead with face to face teaching in some capacity.

However, I think it's inevitable universities across the state will follow UCD in moving to online teaching as case numbers rise. There are too many variables which will allow cases to spread on campuses and in wider communities when students go home on the weekends or go to work in part-time jobs etc.

Smegging hell

Scuid Mhór wrote: »

Source?

Email sent to UCD staff today. Moving online except for labs and similar practical subjects.



https://twitter.com/AidanOSulliva15/status/1306938832953249795


https://twitter.com/WhelanKarl/status/1306952252020723718


https://twitter.com/Orla_Hegarty/status/1306953385229398019

Away With The Fairies

Colleges in Dublin shouldn't open. Students travelling up to Dublin for class and going home at the weekend. What can possibly go wrong?

stephenjmcd

Not sure what the point is here, the vast majority had already announced 90% of the courses were going online for semester 1 at least.

My own brother in DIT is in campus once every 3 weeks and the rest is online

ShooterSF

I'm a little disappointed as I'm in ucd as a mature student and I found last semester very difficult learning from home even though it saves me 3 hours of a commute each day. But it is totally understandable given the way the numbers are going that precautions have to be taken and it probably further underlines the problem with primary and secondary education being used by our society as a daycare more than a place of education as it is the reason I feel they are keeping them open no matter level we end up at.

Open the Pubs

I'd be deferring the year or not attending this year if I was still a student. Full fees for online learning and loss of all the social aspects and making friends at college. Not worth it.

deckie66

Open the Pubs wrote: »

I'd be deferring the year or not attending this year if I was still a student. Full fees for online learning and loss of all the social aspects and making friends at college. Not worth it.

Interesting that when the deadline for CAO acceptances closed on wednesday, only 75% of Level 8 offers had been accepted

TCDStudent1

Open the Pubs wrote: »

I'd be deferring the year or not attending this year if I was still a student. Full fees for online learning and loss of all the social aspects and making friends at college. Not worth it.

I think I would advise Leaving Cert students from 2020 to do that too, or people at that age.



If you were a final year student, it might suit as allows you to focus on study rather than social life. Thats what I should have done in my last year of college! :)


I think they are right to move lectures online.

ShineOn7

ednwireland wrote: »

you really think that ? i think you are out of touch with the student population , plenty don't have access to decent broadband, laptops, or even a decent smartphone .

I think you're out of touch with reality if you don't think that Online Learning shouldn't be at least an option to students

Let the minority who don't have broadband go into the classes if they wish. It'll keep the numbers way down in colleges, which is needed in 2020

A secondhand Chromebook is about 100 euros. A student would spend that on two weekends partying pre Covid

deckie66

So the first two weeks will be online but its hard to see anything other than the whole term up to christmas being online.

They really need to get the students to stay at home. No pint in stopping lectures if students still show up and socialise at their accommodation

ShineOn7

ednwireland wrote: »

you really think that ? i think you are out of touch with the student population , plenty don't have access to decent broadband, laptops, or even a decent smartphone .

Are they living in Outer Mongolia? There's 14 year olds walking around with iPhone 11s ffs

As for broadband that's good enough for online learning; you don't need a lot of broadband juice to learn online. We're not talking about uploading 50Gbs a day here

Ll31

If it's entirely online how can colleges justify not reducing fees- quality of learning experience is definitely reduced, access to libraries etc reduced, tutorials poorer in terms of discussions etc. College experience itself non existent.

I genuinely feel sorry for current 3rd level students-think they are losing out hugely.

Gradius

Universities and colleges everywhere are going to face a really difficult value proposition.

All those potential fees for a better structured series of glorified youtube videos? A few guidelines and exams?

Yeah, big questions incoming sooner or later, fair or not.

Also, no, they should not be opening. Catch 22 and good luck

Beasty

Threads merged

Vital Transformation

"The Irish Universities Association has said the move is about trying to limit the cross-country movement of students, and avoiding the congregation of large groups on campus."

If this is the rationale behind the restrictions, how does moving things back two weeks change anything? I have a suspicion this is just to slowly ease in permanent restrictions in a fortnight. This would cause much annoyance with many students having already paid for accommodation.

I think Maynooths original approach was adequate, less than half of the usual classes on campus, a less crowded college. Ideally you would supplement this with allowing any student to stay at home and do everything online; allow others to make their own decisions and attend class if they wish.

Oranage2

I don't see why the government just say that universities can't open, 2 weeks here 3 weeks there isn't going to help anyone.