Number of courses puts pressure on students

COLLEGES have been accused of increasing the number of specialised courses with limited places to push up points for entry — making them more attractive, but adding to pressure on Leaving Certificate students to get higher grades.

Professor Áine Hyland said these efforts by some third-level institutions strengthen the case for a smaller number of broader first-year entry courses, allowing students to specialise in their second or subsequent years and leading to lower points because of reduced competition for places.

This is just one of the revised college entry methods she has put forward.

Education Minister Ruairi Quinn described it as attractive and it was favoured by NUI Galway president Dr Jim Browne at yesterday’s conference.

Prof Hyland, the former head of University College Cork’s school of education, said the rising number of courses, which now stands at about 1,300, is partially a strategy by colleges to get students with higher points.

“If you have a demand of eight [applicants] to one [place] for a course, the cut-off point will be considerably higher than ... a demand of six to one. But the numbers admitted to a course do not [necessarily] translate to small classes,” she said, referring to students from different courses having common lectures.

Brian Mooney, the former Institute of Guidance Counsellors president, said that increased specialisation at entry is “plain and simple marketing” by colleges eager to have more courses with high CAO cut-off Leaving Certificate points.

Dr Brendan Murphy, the president of Cork Institute of Technology and chair of the group representing 13 institutes of technology, said changing to generic first-year courses could lead to pressure from professional bodies for longer courses, with additional cost implications for taxpayers and students.

Institutes of Technology Ireland, which represents that sector, also proposes lengthening the academic year for first-year students beyond the current maximum of 26 weeks to give students a smoother transition to third level.

Teachers Union of Ireland general secretary designate John MacGabhann told the conference this could be done within the existing contracts of lecturers he represents in the institutes of technology.

However, he said some students could be restricted in their access to courses by proposals that more CAO points be given for Leaving Cert subjects linked to certain college courses.

“Many schools simply don’t have the broad range [of subjects] that is being assumed by the debate. [It raises] political questions about how resourcing is sent to schools.”