Trinity’s academic staff will be allowed to use the college’s conference travel fund to cover the costs of purchasing a laptop for remote working, College Board decided this week.
In an email to academic staff, Vice-Provost Jürgen Barkhoff said that a once-off amendment had been made to the university’s Conference Travel Scheme in order to reimburse staff the cost of purchasing laptops for online teaching.
The Conference Travel Scheme, set up in 2010, offers academics financial support of up to €700 pro rata per year to cover the cost of attending conferences, seminars and travel relating to their academic field.
Barkhoff wrote that the limited amount of travelling possible this year due to the coronavirus and a request from the Irish Federation of University Teachers had both factored into the decision to make the amendment.
“I trust this amendment may be of support to you as we continue to work together in these challenging times”, Barkhoff added.
On Friday, Trinity announced that classes in the Faculty of Arts, Humanities and Social Sciences, apart from those which must be delivered in person, will move online until level three restrictions are lifted.
In an email to all students, signed by Provost Patrick Prendergast, Vice-Provost Jürgen Barkhoff and Chair of the Resumption of Teaching Working Group Áine Kelly, College said that in-person teaching for Health Science and Engineering, Mathematics and Science students will continue as planned “either because it is laboratory, practical or other teaching requiring physical presence or because it is required for professional accreditation”.
Some in-person teaching in the Faculty of Arts, Humanities and Social Sciences, however, will move online until Dublin re-emerges from the newly imposed level three restrictions that the government announced this evening
“It is important to say that not all teaching will move online because some of it may be deemed to be essential for in-person delivery by the academics involved in teaching the course, or by accrediting bodies”, the College added regarding Arts, Humanities and Social Science courses.
“Furthermore the timetables will not change because teaching will just switch from in-person to online.”
The teaching term is due to commence on September 28th, with second, third and fourth years scheduled to begin classes that week. Freshers’ week is set to take place on September 28th also.
