Ninth Level Ireland

“Trinity’s Fellows are divided over an idea mooted by Provost Patrick Prendergast that could see the number of Irish students admitted by the College fall dramatically in the coming years, with some rejecting it for ‘moral reasons’ while others argue it is ‘only option available’ to a College in rankings freefall …” (more)

[Donal MacNamee, University Times, 16 October]

“To ensure accessibility of education and the well-being of its students, UCD should make its fees proportional to parental income. Not all fees are covered by the free fees initiative and Student Universal Support Ireland (SUSI). The most daunting factor of university is accommodation. With the rising cost of living in Dublin, any undue financial burden could keep a student from being able to attend school …” (more)

[University Observer, 12 October]

Abstract: Some of the main concerns in international higher education are the feeling of isolation among international students and their inability to adapt to the host environment, which may result in sub-optimal academic performance. Theoretically, peer learning can be an effective method to reduce these problems since it has the capacity to address isolation and adaptability issues among international students in a way that improves their learning experience and outcomes. Given the above, our study was designed to investigate this topic, focusing on the experience of international students. In this exploratory case study of a leading Irish university, we adopted a survey method via questionnaire to quantify and compare the experiences of a sample of international students at the said university. Five aspects of peer learning were explored, namely usage rate, current practices, outcomes, challenges, and coping strategies. We also included an open-ended section in the survey instrument for respondents to offer qualitative suggestions to the host institution. Through methodological triangulation of the quantitative and qualitative data, we discovered diverse practices, challenges, and outcomes of peer learning across different groups of international students in this university. The paper concludes with a discussion of research implications and suggestions for future studies.

Idris, A, Ion, G, Seery A Peer learning in international higher education: the experience of international students in an Irish university, Irish Educational Studies, 2018, 38, 1, 1-24.

“Bonus points in Leaving Cert higher-level Maths have not necessarily improved standards in the subject. Student uptake of the ‘honours’ paper has doubled since the bonus of 25 CAO points for a minimum 40% mark was introduced, but it has not been matched by a corresponding improvement in students’ ability in maths …” (more)

[Katherine Donnelly, Independent, 11 October]

“Students who stay in luxury accommodation achieve, on average, lower grades that those who stay in more traditional style student accommodation, according to a study carried out in the United States. The study, which examined the academic performances of college students staying in accommodation with a luxury-style apartment design that provided privacy and added amenities and students staying in a traditional double-corridor design with shared bathrooms at the ends, found that those staying in the latter type of accommodation achieved higher first semester grade point averages …” (more)

[Finn Purdy, Trinity News, 10 October]

“YES by Manasa Bramhanya: Education can be defined in simple words as the process of acquiring knowledge, skills, values and applying the same for innovation purposes. Education undoubtedly enhances people’s lives and plays a key role in a country’s development …” (more)

[Manasa Bramhanya, University Observer, 10 October]

“Thomas Byrne (Meath East, Fianna Fail): To ask the Minister for Education and Skills the third level institutions which have informed his Department of plans to reduce enrolment in the coming years; the institute and planned enrolment reduction; and if he will make a statement on the matter …” (more)

[Dáil written answers, 9 October]

“New research commissioned by Bank of Ireland as part of its Financial Wellbeing programme which helps ‘inform and educate students on spending and saving in a way that suits their needs’, has been recently published. The third level research was conducted by iReach on behalf of Bank of Ireland and was carried out in August of this year …” (more)

[Mark Jackson, University Observer, 9 October]

“Callaghan Commons is the Vice President for Academic Affairs at Dublin City University Students’ Union. Here, he writes about how Budget 2020 should focus on students and access to education …” (more)

[TheJournal.ie, 5 October]

“Student unions across Ireland having been contacting government ministers and TDs today to urge them to take action to alleviate the financial burdens that students face by attending college and to call for greater funding for the higher education sector …” (more)

[Finn Purdy, Trinity News, 3 October]

“Sinn Féin Education spokesperson Donnchadh Ó Laoghaire TD has said that the proposal being considered by Trinity College to reduce the places available for Irish based students by a quarter over the next 5 years is a cause for concern, and reflects the underfunding of the third level sector. Speaking this morning, Teachta Ó Laoghaire said …” (more)

[Sinn Féin, 3 October]

“According to media reports, the Higher Education Authority (HEA) is soon to publish the results of a study on levels of inequality in access to third-level. That students from poorer households are less likely to attend college is not surprising to anyone who has been paying attention in recent decades …” (more)

[Declan Jordan, University Times, 2 October]

“Trinity College Dublin is considering cutting its intake of Irish students by up to a quarter over the next five years in order to protect the quality of its education. Such a move would likely result in a sharp increase in the number of CAO points required for courses due to increased competition for fewer places …” (more)

[Carl O’Brien, Irish Times, 2 October]

“Provost Patrick Prendergast has warned that Trinity may need to reduce the number of students it admits in the next five years, arguing that reducing the staff–student ratio is crucial if the College is to arrest slides in university rankings. Speaking today on the Seán O’Rourke show on RTÉ Radio 1, Prendergast said …” (more)

[Donal MacNamee, University News, 2 October]

“The most common query Ireland’s Higher Education Authority is receiving in relation to Brexit comes from school students who hope to study in the UK after their Leaving Certificate exams. These students want to know will this still be possible …” (more)

[Emma O Kelly, RTÉ News, 1 October]

“On Thursday, 3rd October the Union of Students in Ireland are hosting the National Demonstration to Break the Barriers to higher education. Currently, some of the barriers to education include: Ireland has the second-highest fees in the EU [will be the highest after Brexit]; …” (more)

[USI, 30 September]

“Trinity has the highest number of ‘sugar babies’ of any college in Ireland, according to figures released by a US-based dating website that often sees young women paired with wealthy older men. The Irish Mirror today reported that information released by seekingarrangement.com shows a rise in the number of Irish students turning to ‘sugar daddies’ to fund their third-level education …” (more)

[Orla Murnaghan, University Times, 26 September]

“Government Ministers have intervened to pressurise universities into providing college places for dozens of students who were told in recent days that they could not take up their places until next year. Thirty-five students were told last Thursday there was no college place for them in the current year after they secured places following rechecks and upgrades of their Leaving Cert exam papers, The Irish Times understands …” (more)

[Carl O’Brien, Irish Times, 22 September]

“The number of late CAO offers made to Leaving Cert candidates who were awarded a results upgrade has more than doubled to 594. It follows an almost doubling in applications for exam rechecks after major changes to the appeals process and, in turn, a doubling in the number of successful appeals to 2,916 …” (more)

[Katherine Donnelly, Independent, 23 September]

“The provost, Patrick Prendergast, has said that he is now in favour of an ‘income-contingent student loan scheme’ as his preferred option proposed in the Cassells report to plug the gap in third-level education funding. The provost made this announcement in an interview with the Sunday Business Post where he also warned that Trinity may have to cut student numbers to improve its position in the global rankings …” (more)

[Finn Purdy, Trinity News, 22 September]