Ninth Level Ireland

“Academic cheating using online ‘essay mills’ is posing a significant threat to the integrity of higher education, the State body responsible for policing standards in third level has warned. International research indicates there has been a sharp rise in written-to-order essays and dissertations, with as many as one in seven graduates admitting to paying someone to undertake an assignment for them …” (more)

[Carl O’Brien, Irish Times, 14 November]

“University College Dublin (UCD) has advised its students on exchange in two universities in Hong Kong to return home. The students, thought to number fewer than five in total, have been studying in the Chinese University of Hong Kong (CHUK) and the University of Hong Kong (HKU), both of which have closed for the remainder of term …” (more)

[Katherine Donnelly, Kate Lamb and Jessie Pang, Independent, 14 November]

“Once-robust fields are being broken up and stripped for parts. The humanities, we’re often told, are dying. And yet, even as traditional majors like English and history are indeed shrinking, the past decade has also seen the rise of a new kind of humanities, including a wave of hybrid fields such as the digital humanities, environmental humanities, energy humanities, global humanities, urban humanities, food humanities, medical humanities, legal humanities, and public humanities …” (more)

[Jeffrey J Williams, Chronicle of Higher Education, 14 November]

“Ireland should join Cern, the European Organisation for Nuclear Research, if ambition to be a global leader in innovation is to be realised, the Oireachtas Committee on Business, Enterprise and Innovation has strongly recommended. Based outside Geneva in Switzerland, Cern is one of the world’s leading scientific laboratories. Its primary focus is on particle physics but it also plays a vital role in developing the technology of tomorrow …” (more)

[Kevin O’Sullivan, Irish Times, 14 November]

“Preparatory work began yesterday at the Crow’s Nest site at Victoria Cross as crews gear up to begin construction on a new student development. Work has been undertaken in recent days to clear the site which is expected to house more than 200 student beds when completed …” (more)

[Darragh Bermingham, EchoLive, 13 November]

“Galway West TD Eamon O Cuiv has slammed the Government over what he calls a lack of coordination when dealing with third level students living in Rural Ireland. Students who live within 45 kilometres of their institution receive a much lower maintenance grant then those living further away and get accommodation assistance …” (more)

[Galway Bay FM, 13 November]

“Robert Troy (Longford-Westmeath, Fianna Fail): To ask the Minister for Education and Skills the status of the application by Waterford Institute of Technology for university status …” (more)

[Dáil written answers, 12 November]

“Róisín Shortall (Dublin North West, Social Democrats): To ask the Minister for Education and Skills the investment made in public and private higher education as a proportion of national income, that is GDP and GNI; the way in which this compares to key competitor countries such as the UK, Germany, the Netherlands, Denmark, Sweden, Norway and Finland; and if he will make a statement on the matter …” (more)

[Dáil written answers, 12 November]