NUIG is making significant changes to the timetable and teaching methodology of the upcoming 2020/21 academic year in response to the impact of the Covid-19 crisis.
President of NUIG Professor Ciarán Ó hÓgartaigh, in an email sent to staff and students on Monday, outlined ways in which they are adapting to challenges posed by the public health emergency, and its accompanying restrictions.
The university is proposing a later than normal start date of September 28 for semester 1 of the coming academic year.
This would apply to all taught students with the exception of first year undergraduates.
New undergraduate students won’t be starting until even later in the year, with an anticipated date in November to accommodate the later leaving cert schedule.
When the university does reopen next academic year, don’t expect things to have gone back to exactly the way they were before the pandemic.
Teaching in semester 1 is planned to be delivered through a mix of face-to-face and online methods Prof Ó hÓgartaigh said.
“We will be contacting Heads of School to initiate a planning process at School level with Discipline Heads, Programme and Module Leaders to prepare to deliver programmes in these scenarios.”
“I want to reassure our university community that we will continue to consult with staff and student representatives in the coming weeks and months as we work out the details and try to overcome the challenges of this new approach.”
“We are also very conscious of the challenges this poses for colleagues and students and have been keen to signal our intentions early so as to accommodate and support planning in that regard.”
NUIG is also holding its first ever Virtual Open Day on May 7, with an enhanced online offering highlighting the university campus and courses on offer.
“Presenting all of this information online will be challenging, and I commend all the staff who are involved in making it happen,” Prof Ó hÓgartaigh said.
