Classes for incoming first-year students will take place during reading week to make up for teaching time lost due to their delayed start date, College announced today.
In an email sent to staff, Vice-Provost Jürgen Barkhoff said that the move will ensure that first-year students “will have caught up with all other cohorts by week 8 and end the semester together with all other students”.
Earlier this month, Trinity revealed that first-year students will begin college one week later than previously decided due to the Department of Education’s decision to delay the release of leaving certificate results.
In today’s email, Barkhoff said that “despite this further and unexpected delay in the start of the academic year for incoming undergraduates we must ensure that they are not further disadvantaged and receive the full 11 weeks of teaching in semester one”.
“The best way to ensure this is to teach JF students through study week in week 7 of semester one, the week commencing Monday 9 November.”
Traditionally, reading week is used by teaching staff for research purposes. Barkhoff said that it is “regrettable” that research will be disrupted by the change to the teaching schedule, but that it was “unavoidable and for students and staff the least disruptive option for catching up”.
Barkhoff added that classes usually delivered in-person “can exceptionally be delivered online during this week where lecturers have commitments that will prevent them from being in College that week”.
College announced earlier this month that incoming first-year students will begin classes on October 5th, with freshers’ week beginning on September 28th, a week later than originally planned.
All other students will begin classes on September 28th as previously decided, meaning that freshers’ week will clash with their first teaching week.
