Provost Patrick Prendergast told Trinity College Dublin Students’ Union (TCDSU) council tonight that a survey ran by College found that around 80 per cent of students surveyed “want more in-person activities under level three”.
Prendergast said that over 6,000 respondents had filled out College’s recent survey on semester two teaching.
“Even if we went to level five, 65 per cent of people want more in-person activities”, he said. “It’s fairly clear that the College should respond to that.”
Prendergast also reflected on the new guidance from the Minister for Higher Education Simon Harris that in-person activities don’t have to be teaching related to be deemed essential.
Council were told that “myself and the Vice-Provost will be trying to persuade academic staff to put on more in-person events and to use the hybrid technology to allow people who can’t attend in-person to do it remotely.”
“That seems to me to be the way forward for arts, humanities and social sciences, in particular to do tutorials in that hybrid fashion.”
Speaking about the return to in-person activities and how this might reduce social isolation, Prendergast also recognised that “academic staff can’t be forced to do what they don’t want to do, it has to be voluntary on all sides.”
Prendergast also inquired about the motion that Council were discussing to have a referendum to provide that the student body would vote to allocate student representative votes in the Provost elections.
The Provost said: “that it was good to see the student voice is organised and focused on what the issues are.”
Last month, it was announced that Trinity plans to increase the amount of face-to-face teaching in small group seminars next semester, while large lectures will remain online for the rest of the year.
To facilitate students unable to attend face-to-face teaching, the College plans to increase the amount of “hybrid teaching” offered next semester.
This move will be incremental and may include more recorded lectures or more classes that combine face-to-face teaching with online elements.
An email sent to all staff and students – signed by Prendergast, Vice-Provost Jürgen Barkhoff and Secretary to the College John Coman – stated that the increase in in-person teaching was enabled by the impending move out of level-five restrictions, and “further recognition by the Minister for Further and Higher Education, Research, Innovation and Science that some students require additional support over and above that which can be provided online”.
Students in the Faculty of Arts, Humanities and Social Sciences – one of the hardest-hit faculties – in particular, can expect more face-to-face teaching.
