Ninth Level Ireland

“Rose Conway-Walsh (Mayo, Sinn Fein): To ask the Minister for Education and Skills the reason for including commercial premises in the roll-out of extended virtual campuses by a provider (details supplied); the selection criteria and process for commercial premises; if students will be able to assess the Wi-Fi without being paying customers; and if he will make a statement on the matter …” (more)

[Dáil written answers, 21 January]

“The government will extend internet access for students to 90 new locations across the country in order to create ‘extended virtual campuses’, Higher Education Minister Simon Harris announced today. HEAnet will lead the initiative, rolling out eduroam – a WiFi connection that students can automatically connect to – to locations accessible to students, such as libraries, museums, public offices, coffee shops and shopping centres …” (more)

[Cormac Watson, University Times, 5 January]

“As students move to the third week of classes, with the majority of classes being moved online until further notice, many students are still facing internet connectivity issues in their student accommodation. First-year students living in Trinity Hall (Halls) in particular have reported WiFi connection issues …” (more)

[Audrey Brown, Trinity News, 16 October]

“Cork Institute of Technology (CIT) president Dr Barry O’Connor wants progress on the National Broadband Plan to ensure that students and lecturers in rural areas can participate in e-learning and can access online resources. Dr O’Connor praised the Department of Education and the Higher Education Authority (HEA) for providing funding to combat the pandemic and support learning during the lockdown …” (more)

[Darragh Bermingham, EchoLive, 8 October]

“When we were told, at the start of this term, to move all our teaching online my initial intention was to record most of the lectures in my office for the students to watch at their leisure rather than streaming them live …” (more)

[In the Dark, 7 October]

“With most Colleges and Universities returning to class this week there are understandable worries about how incoming new students will perform. In the 19th September edition of The Guardian newspaper, Anna Fazackerley writes about fears that UK universities predict record student dropout rate …” (more)

[Careful With That Axe, Eugene, 1 October]

“They say that there’s a first time for everything and this morning I conducted my first ever viva voce examination as an External Examiner via Zoom. Given the Covid-19 restrictions it was inevitable that I’d have to do this at some point! As it turned out candidate in question happened to be at University College London …” (more)

[In the Dark, 13 July]

“Sir, – The College Tribune’s report on Jim Miley’s concerns regarding Teaching and Learning in the next academic year hints at wider problems that UCD (along with all other universities) now has to face. In March and April, lecturers transitioned material designed for face-to-face delivery to the virtual realm, yet this stopgap measure is not something that can be repeated for a full trimester …” (more)

[Wolfgang Marx, College Tribune, 18 May]

“Online classes are likely to continue into next year, along with a return to real-life contact ‘in a responsible way’, Provost Patrick Prendergast said this evening. While large lectures will be delivered online, smaller lectures, seminars and tutorials will return to campus, Prendergast said, in a video released on Twitter tonight. Groups will, however, be moved into larger lecture theatres to allow for social distancing …” (more)

[Cormac Watson, University Times, 9 May]

“INDEx Survey Report Published by National Forum Reveals Digital Lives of Both Students and Staff Who Teach in Higher Education. The Minister for Higher Education, Mary Mitchell O’Connor, officially unveiled data capturing the first national picture of the digital lives of almost 30,000 students and staff who teach across 32 higher education institutions today …” (more)

[Maura O’Shea, HEA, 7 May]

“Ulster University has launched a series of virtual talks for secondary school children in Derry, allowing future applicants the opportunity to engage in career development conversations and to find out more about life at the university …” (more)

[Derry Journal, 3 May]

“The Chief Medical Officer Dr Tony Holohan and President Michael D Higgins have sent messages of congratulations to over 130 new doctors who have graduated from the University of Limerick. The final year students at the Graduate Entry Medical School (GEMS) are UL’s first ever cohort of students to be conferred remotely in absentia due to the Covid-19 crisis …” (more)

[David Hurley, Limerick Leader, 29 April]

“Taoiseach Leo Varadkar today told Trinity’s graduating medicine students that they’ll play a vital role in battling the coronavirus pandemic, in an online graduation ceremony held so students can join the frontlines in the next month …” (more)

[Donal MacNamee, University Times, 28 April]

“NUI Galway’s Undergraduate Open Day will be held online for the first time on Thursday, 7 May. The Open Day will give students, parents and guidance counsellors the chance to connect with staff and students at NUIG and explore the undergraduate courses on offer …” (more)

[Michael Malone, Galway Daily, 27 April]

“Tomorrow is going to be interesting! Saturday 25th April was scheduled to be an Open Day at Maynooth University for undergraduate admissions which would normally have led to thousands of students visiting the Campus …” (more)

[In the Dark, 24 April]

“Twitter, Facebook and the news media are filled with people lamenting their weariness after Zoom class sessions. I feel that, too. The first day I had two Zoom classes in a row, I ended up bleary-eyed and exhausted. I just sat and watched something silly on Netflix, drank a glass of wine and did nothing productive until I could finally go to sleep. I’d had countless Zoom meetings previously, many of which I’d hosted. Some were almost joy-filled. So what was different? …” (more)

[Susan D Blum, Inside Higher Ed, 22 April]

“Maynooth University has adapted its annual Spring Open Day for prospective students to a truly virtual experience of student life and third-level courses. Traditionally the Open Day attracts more than 5,000 visitors to the historic campus and gives potential students the opportunity to meet academics, university students and support staff …” (more)

[Donegal Live, 21 April]

“The Taoiseach, Leo Varadkar will address 197 medical graduates at University College Cork (UCC) in a special video message tomorrow (Friday, April 17th) as they take part in the University’s first-ever online graduation ceremony. Their graduation has been brought forward to assist the health service during the COVID-19 pandemic …” (more)

[Mary Corcoran, EchoLive, 16 April]

“Trinity will elect its Scholars and Fellows – a longstanding tradition that takes place every year as part of Trinity Week – online next Monday, amid the ongoing shutdown of the College due to the coronavirus pandemic …” (more)

[Emma Donohoe, University Times, 16 April]

“In a break from tradition for some departments, many final year students submitted their dissertations online this year due to college’s closure in light of the Covid-19 pandemic. Students were stripped of the opportunity to post photographs of their printed and bound thesis’ on social media, as typically occurs in mid-Hilary Term, as many final year project deadlines occurred after the shutdown of Irish colleges …” (more)

[Aisling Grace, Trinity News, 13 April]