GMIT spent €5k on independent probe into lecturers insulting students on video call

In December 2020, the President of the Galway and Mayo Institute of Technology (pictured), Dr Orla Flynn issued an apology after a recording emerged on social media of two GMIT lecturers using offensive language when heaping scorn on business students who had just given virtual presentations. File picture: Ray Ryan

A third-level college paid out €5,000 to an independent investigator to carry out a report into lecturers insulting and ridiculing students on a video call.

In December 2020, the president of Galway and Mayo Institute of Technology (GMIT), Dr Orla Flynn issued an apology after a recording emerged on social media of two GMIT lecturers using offensive language when heaping scorn on business students who had just given virtual presentations.

One of the lecturers was heard saying said: “I thought that fucking [name], I thought he’d never — and he’s sick, that lad — I didn’t like to, and eventually I said I have to do something, and he still didn’t stop.”

The other responded: “I couldn’t take much more of them anyway, I was exhausted. [Name] wasn’t too bad, I thought he was interesting, he was looking at the camera.

“But the other fella [student’s name], I thought I’d have to get a drill and start drilling my teeth, they were so painful to be listening to.”

The unnamed lecturers apparently believed it was a private discussion and that the connection to the students had ended. In fact, some were still watching and at least one recorded the exchange.

GMIT is part of the new multi-campus Atlantic Technological University (ATU).

In a reference to the episode, GMIT’s 2021/20 annual report states that a “significant data breach arose from a recording of student assessments”.

The annual report states that the “incident was the subject of a report by an independent investigator” and that it was “completed Q3 2021”. On the report into the incident, an ATU spokesman confirmed that the cost to GMIT was €5,000.

He said: “GMIT unreservedly apologised to all students involved in this incident and to the wider student body for the very regrettable occurrence which took place in December 2020.”

He said the recommendations “of this report included staff and student training — in technology & communications — and the instigation of a new student/staff forum to enhance relations and encourage open and transparent communication between students and staff”.

He said: “These recommendations have since been implemented.”

“At the outbreak of the pandemic, new technologies and remote learning methods were quickly adopted without the usual expected training and roll-out procedures.

“The training of staff and students in technology and communications have since been issued to help mitigate any future data breaches of this nature.”

Former chairman of the Labour Court Kevin Duffy carried out the report.