Uncertainty remains over return of students to college campuses next month

At the University of Limerick, all activities will resume on campus, bar lectures of more than 300 students, which will remain online. File picture: Brian Arthur

Uncertainty remains over how the return to campus will be managed for thousands of students with just a few weeks to go before the beginning of the semester. 

The Irish Examiner asked colleges about the measures in place for students when they return to a mix of on-campus activities and remote lectures this semester. 

All colleges must adhere to public health guidelines, and the framework agreed with the Department of Further and Higher Education, but the return-to-campus plans will vary depending on set-ups. 

Vaccination will not be mandatory for students, and many colleges are also planning orientation activities for second-year students. 

The HEIs represented by @IUAofficial, @THEA_Irl & @RCSI_Irl have joined together to announce their plans for a safe return to campuses this September with maximum on-site presence. Read the full release and Return To Campus statement below 👇https://t.co/eXhsz1LURt

— Irish Universities Assoc. (@IUAofficial) August 9, 2021

At Trinity College Dublin (TCD), lectures attended by more than 150 students will remain online this semester.

Individual departments will also decide whether classes with between 50 to 150 students should be in-person or online.

This compares to the University of Limerick (UL), where all activities will resume on campus, bar lectures of more than 300 students, which will remain online. 

On-campus attendance will vary by discipline at University College Cork (UCC) but every effort is being made to maximize this within guidelines, according to a spokesman for the university. 

In-person lecture numbers will be subject to a number of variable factors. This includes the capacities of any lecture hall and the public health guidelines. 

Munster Technological University (MTU) said it is aiming to adopt a similar approach as it did last year for the first semester, but with the “expectation that more students will be able to attend campus.” Students must continue to book scheduled access to study spaces, and first-year students will have on-campus orientation.

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Lectures, tutorials, practicals, labs, workshops, studios, and classroom teaching are all planned to take place on campus at Limerick Institute of Technology (LIT), with the numbers in given lectures depending on the size of the relevant lecture hall, and the size of the group. 

Mary Immaculate College said all small to medium-sized lectures and tutorials will take place on campus, with larger lectures online initially. 

Waterford Institute of Technology (WIT) said it is currently finalizing its plans for semester one and will be in touch with students and staff directly ahead of the start of the semester.

NUI Galway said it is committed to optimizing the on-campus experience for students this year. 

“We are continuing to work on planning for this in order to carefully balance the public health advice with the known pedagogical, student experience and mental health benefits of bringing students and staff back on campus.” 

Maynooth University said it is still developing plans for the upcoming academic year but that it is committed to the “widest possible opening up of campus”. Lectures of up to 250 students as well as practicals and tutorials will be on campus. 

Dublin City University (DCU) said it expects that small groups, labs, workshops, practicals, and skills-based sessions will run on campus, with the majority of lectures proceeding at or near normal capacities.