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STUDENTS WILL BE required to maintain a two-metre social distance while on campus when the upcoming semester begins next month, with face coverings required where this is not possible.
The guidelines were published by the Irish Universities Association on how to safely bring students back to campus during the ongoing Covid-19 pandemic.
TheJournal.ie last month reported that the two-metre rule would likely be applied for the upcoming year and that €100 million in funding was being sought to support the new Covid-19 measures.
The assessment took into consideration the size of institutes’ student populations – up to 30,000 in some institutions – student and staff needs, age demographics, and access to campus facilities.
“These features present very specific challenges and demand bespoke solutions in the context of reopening. The on-site/on-campus experience is a fundamental and essential component of a third-level education,” it said.
“This does not preclude online or blended teaching and learning, particularly in the first semester of 2020-21.”
The guidelines recommend that “a physical distance of 2 metres should be maintained under all circumstances possible… and in the exceptional circumstances where this cannot be achieved, appropriate precautions (such as face coverings, visors or barriers) should be employed.”
It recommends that lecture halls and work stations should also facilitate a 2 metre distance where possible but this can be reduced to 1 metre if necessary.
Facilities on campus such as gyms, pubs, restaurants and common spaces should all be monitored and operated in line with sector-specific guidelines.
A pathway of access to an area on campus where students with symptoms of Covid-19 can self-isolate should also be established.
Students will be reminded at the start of each session that they should leave if they
have symptoms of Covid-19 or if they are a ‘close contact’ of a person that has been diagnosed with Covid-19.
After each group of students leaves a lecture hall, workstations, lab, surface areas will need to be cleaned and disinfected.
A Department of Higher Education spokesperson said: “Minister Simon Harris has put in place an overall framework for re-opening the HE and FE systems underpinned by a detailed Roadmap for Re-opening and extensive public health guidance.
“The Roadmap for Re-opening explicitly envisaged that the various sectors of the tertiary system could develop their own detailed implementation public health advice and guidelines to deal with particular context-specific issues arising in different HE and FET settings.
The Guidelines published today were developed and issued by the higher education sector itself led by the by the representative body for universities – the Irish Universities Association – working with the representative body for Institutes of Technology THEA and TU Dublin.”
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In lecture halls of 200+ people for an hour or two. Going to be a nightmare
@Ciarán Barry: Not happening maximum of 50 people allowed
@Ciarán Barry: highly doubt any lectures that size will be taking place. It’s just as easy to do them online now
@Ciarán Barry: I went to UCD in 2008. I studied Science. Basic Calculus was a mandatory lecture for every first year Science student. There were 300+ students in those lecture halls. Students sitting in the aisles and stairwells
@Cocker: Max no allowed now is 50, with all big group lectures going online.
@Ciarán Barry: yeah that wont be happening
@Cocker: in 2008
Absolutely going to be a nightmare. We’ve seen outbreaks in factories building sites and direct provision centres, why wouldn’t college be any different. On campus accommodation is basically Co-living and factor in the odd party in the first few weeks when students from all over the country decend on a campus and you can see the results already.
@Hugh Mc Donnell: yeah classes are online mostly. On campus activities strictly controlled. Students wont be hanging around
What about courses that are practical-based? There is no way my old college could cater now for 2m social distancing in it’s tiny photo lab/darkroom, small lecture hall, at workstations, etc. What is happening for those colleges and the students attending their courses? Or are we only catering for lecture-based courses and big colleges and universities?
@Carol C. is Social Distancing from You: what would you like them to do? I’m not sure there’s a solution to those problems, bar you demolish and rebuild.
@Carol C. is Social Distancing from You: small pods taking turns in these areas I believe
@Carol C. is Social Distancing from You: they are not universities also have practical based courses. Those students who have to be on campus will be …but they will probably be they only ones
@Dave Harris: Actually no Dave. My husband is an instructor at a 3rd level institution and there is very much a practical aspect to the course and they’ve been told that they have to get on with this without social distancing which is absolutely ridiculous.
@Sinead Foley: it obviously depends on the institution. The one is work in is going above and beyond in its care for students and staff. Hopefully things improve for your husband
@Dave Harris: hopefully Dave. The Government have forgotten that there’s more to 3rd level education than Universities and IT’s. We can only hope that the same rules will apply to all and at the end of the day everyone is safe. That’s the bottom line.
@Sinead Foley: they dont and they should speak to their union. All of this is subject to agreement with social partners
@Sinead Foley: it seems by the look of these comments that the Government aren’t the only ones who are ignorant to anything but lectures and Universities.
Proved my point.
The classism is palpable.
“Students will be reminded at the start of each session that they should leave if they
have symptoms of Covid-19 or if they are a ‘close contact’ of a person that has been diagnosed with Covid-19″.
come winter, and given the propensity for sneaky time off then there are gonna be an awful lot of empty classrooms
plus, what happens when a Tutor has a symptom?
I think you’re gonna need 1 billion rather than a 100 million before this madness stops
Now is a good opportunity to modernise the college. Drop the present ridiculous and outdated 12 week semesters with only fifteen or so hours per week. Go for two year degrees at 40 hours per week with a months holiday in summer and two weeks for Christmas.
@Michael Duckster: labs & reports ,tutorials, reading times, study times. More to uni than just lectures
@Michael Duckster: yeah, now is the time to modernise working life – 50 hour days, 10 day weeks and 500 day years!
@Michael Duckster: it’s all job preservation for the lecturers and the general staff
@Michael Duckster: Agree completely. Ridiculous amount of spare time in the academic year. Institutions draw out the programmes for the money though so probably won’t change.
@Michael Duckster: Ever looked into the “Student handbook” you were given at the beginning of the year? Where it says you should spend 2-3 hours of study by yourself for every 1 class hour?
@Hugh Mc Donnell: you forgot the word overpaid!
@Niall Byrne: depends….i remember in my last yr being in library 9am – 9pm any spare time i had….first yr…well that was different
@Kevin Bury: Depends what you’re studying I suppose. But humanities and business courses could be done in half the time.
@Michael Duckster: excellent baiting.
What do the students do in their 9 bed accommodation ?? Has the landlord any responsibility?
@Emer Caffrey: what about on campus accommodation UL in Limerick has 6 to an apartment and some have an ensuite each other have to share bathroom facilities. They actually wanted to put in bunk beds and double it to 12 persons. I can’t see it being safe at all and really blended learning with most online and maybe book an on campus room for lab work if required sort of an air B&B type setup
@Emer Caffrey: personal responsibility comes a long way. My one had to give up her accommodation this year as she is on immune suppressants and steroids. She has to attend college for 2 days a week for labs. Not sure what extra (If any) measures they will have in place for her. She will have to commute Some days but other days she can use the car as she is now in the insurance. It will be safer for her.
I work in the restaurant in ucd and it’s the hub for students to hang out, there can be 200 or more student in at any time of the day, don’t see how the 2 meter will work out ?
@Heisen berg1: they wont be hanging out or congregating
What about shifting? Is that online too?
No campus baby’s this year
Wondering do they only preparing starting of now?
@8-Bit-Relic: No. Not UCD or TCD anyway – both sent out emails re arrangements re both accommodation and blended learning weeks ago.
@Mairead Jenkins: Yes, they were reports for these.
@Mairead Jenkins: yeah this is weird. Mine finalised this months ago
@8-Bit-Relic: Basically colleges get on with it and sort it out themselves and then the government (the elephant in every 3rd level room) come in at the last minute and some jobbing nueb has to sign it all of.
These measures are superficial and will not be adhered to: the nature of student accommodation alone makes this a joke, never mind what a quick glance at ‘staycation’ TikTok and Instagram shows you about teenagers social distancing.
The current decision-making environment is ‘Herd, but slowly’: most non-vulnerable students will probably get off lightly, but the over-50s they share classrooms, shops, public transport etc. with are going to be fecked this winter. A good time to invest in portacabins, but I’d get right out of the stairlift market.
@Tordel Back: jaysus how many times. They wont be in class. Blended learning with some on campus time. Not sure why students will be availing of student accommodation but really depends on often they will be on campus
Universities and colleges are going to be riddled with Covid.
@Davis Payne: lol they have been already. Nothing new there
Well this is gonna really end well…..
I am deffering my college course this year, too much risk, too much hassle. I cant stand attendin college knowing that I can be infected by anyone at anytime.
You can be sure of one thing, with the amount of brain power in the Universities and IOT’s, they will set the standard on how to handle this Covid :-)
@Aire Dezamba: Within a couple of weeks…
What planet are they on; this won’t work & not required.
have your say