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MANY OF THE Irish third level institutions have said they will continue to implement in-person exams this Christmas despite pushback from students.
Students’ groups have cited concerns over attending large examinations in halls due to Covid infection fears.
The Journal has asked some of the nation’s major universities and third level institutions how they plan on mitigating any potential spread for the forthcoming exams.
Two Trinity College students on 1 December sent Minister for Higher Education, Simon Harris, and Health Minister Stephen Donnelly an open letter in which they urged the ministers to make all third level exams be conducted online.
The letter has received over 5,000 signatures since it was placed online late last month.
In it, the students argue that “the students who have signed have been calling us from around the country in a state of heightened anxiety at the prospect of having to attend in-person exams”.
Responding to queries, a spokesperson for Trinity College said: “Trinity is working on contingency plans in case the public health guidelines change and we are not permitted to deliver in-person exams. However, in line with most other universities, we still expect to carry out exams using a mix of in-person and online assessments.
“The assessment period for most students runs from 8 to 17 December (including three contingency days). Procedures are in place for students to defer exams if they contract Covid display symptoms or are named as a close contact.”
It’s a similar story for all those students attending Technological University Dublin (TU Dublin. Their spokesperson told us that there will be a mix of in-person and online testing, with many students involved in continuous assessments over the course of the whole academic year.
Some universities, such as University College Cork, have decided to dispense with in-person exams and to carry out the vast majority of the tests online. Griffith College in Dublin has also made the decision to move all exams online due to what it described as “ the deteriorating situation with Covid”.
Other institutions, such as NUI Galway, say they have strict measures in place to adhere to the Covid guidelines during exams. It is also allowing students to apply to sit their exams in alternative venues, including in single rooms.
University College Dublin did not respond to a request for a statement. However, communication sent by UCD to students in the last week stated that in-person exams are still to go ahead in three locations, including the large RDS test centre in Ballsbridge.
Sinn Féin Senator Rose Conway-Walsh has urged all third level colleges and universities to ensure that exams are held online.
“There is no real reason why most assessments/exams cannot be done online to enable students to comply with public health guidance and ensure they can have a family Christmas.
“We have seen a consistent failure to put contingency plans in place for very unwelcome but foreseeable deteriorations in the Covid situation. The department and the wider government have been reactive rather than proactive. But now the Minister and his department need to react quickly to this demand from many students and staff members.”
Last year, summer exams in higher and further education did not take place in exam centres due to Covid-19 concerns. Students returned to campus in several colleges in the last term but the latest wave of the coronavirus has prompted NPHET to again warn of the danger of increased infections and the government to consider the need for further restrictions such as working from home, masks for young children and reduced household socialisation.
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And yet they will happily head off to parties
Let them all have first class honours so they don’t need to waste time studying when they could be at house parties instead
@Mattress Dick: minus the mattress part, your name says it all. I have 3 grown children in college. The stress that this is causing the majority of college students around the country is very very understated. Beside the additional cost of having to sit in person, the high possibility of people turning up to exams with covid has the real possibility of increasing. Deferrals being offered are due to be sat two weeks before the next set of exams. That’s a possible total of up to 13 module exams having to be done in that tiny space of time. Not all students are pi$$_heads party going covid hoors. Some, believe it or not are there to better themselves academically. On that note, would you like to see a syllabus?
@Aine O’Connor: if the educated enough to be vaxed, being in a distanced exam hall should have a risk level that is extremely low akin to normal e eryday tasks…
Having seen the queues to get into pubs for college Christmas parties in limerick and waterford, in particular, students need to set a better example if they want to their concerns to be taken seriously
@Disco Inferno: Students aren’t a singular entity, there are 20,000 students in Limerick alone and you’re judging them based on the actions of a handful. Those include study abroad students, mature students and a huge number who commute and spend very little time in the city of their college. The majority of students don’t actually go near pubs or clubs on a regular basis even in pre-pandemic days yet all of them will be forced into confined halls for several hours for exams.
Their “concerns” are also not for themselves but for the older family members they may infect over the Christmas period so it’s pretty disgusting to say it shouldn’t be taken seriously.
@Rochelle: do you live or work in either of those cities?
@Disco Inferno: Yes, Limerick.
@Rochelle: you didn’t see the scenes outside flannerys in the past few weeks or the apple Market in Waterford?
I know my son and his friend want exams online in WIT because they are much easier than in person .There may be some students afraid of going into a big exam hall but the majority just want an easier exam session.Plus the have been in lecture halls sitting beside each other and pubs and nightclubs all semester.Sitting in well spaced out desks in large well ventilated exam halls is less dangerous
Some students have genuine fears about sitting in large halls for exams and its creating a lot of anxiety and stress. The colleges already carried out exams remotely last year so why not do that again due to the increasing cases of covid ? Don’t deflect by saying they are all partying and need to set better examples. If there are outbreaks which could have been prevented beforehand why not implement these measures ?
@John Mark Creedon: because there was a massive increase in the amount of cases brought to the integrity board due to suspected cheating. It’s also incredibly difficult to rewrite an exam that keeps the integrity and eliminates the possibility of cheating like a live exams does. I finished my degree online last year and in general they were easier and the opportunity to cheat was absolutely there. Lots did. Lots got caught or at least raised suspicion.
If this is for real that is a joke, so sitting in an exam hall for 1-3 hours with limited social distancing is fine but nightclubs for a couple of hours = covid spreading nightmare. NPHET’s needs reshuffling as there only answer is restrictions always. Can’t keep doing this for ever.
@Twitruser2021: aside from restrictions, what do you suggest? Bare in mind, not everyone abides by anything they are asked to do to begin with
@Disco Inferno: Get on with life and if HSE can’t cope take over private hospitals. Vaccine is working it’s just not stopping spread but people are not getting as sick.
@Twitruser2021: the icu numbers are saying different. They would drop but in order to do that you either make vaccines mandatory or prevent unvaccinated people from leaving their home.
The same age students (18 & 19 year olds) are sitting in PP schools throughout the country. Small low ceiling classrooms with only windows open for ventilation. Exam halls in colleges are vast open ventilated venues.
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