Academic
Year 2021-2022
Update
to MTU Students (All Cork Campuses) 17 September 2021
As
previously advised, MTU is planning for a substantially increased on-campus
delivery in 2021-2022, in line with public health guidelines and specific
government guidance for higher education. This
will be done in a careful and phased manner, under the overarching guidance of
the prevailing Covid-19 public health advice.
Our
planning continues to be informed by the following key principles:
· the health and safety of MTU students
and staff
· the effective and consistent delivery
of academic programmes, maintaining the integrity and high academic and
professional standing of our MTU awards
· the effective and safe continued
operation of our research, enterprise and other outreach activities
General
university information regarding practical classes, tutorials, lectures, and
work placement has
been previously posted on the university website and on the Covid-19
portal.
Please
note that while we aim to achieve an overall consistent approach, there will necessarily
be some variance in this approach across the various campuses and departments,
as follows:
Faculty of Business and Humanities
School of Business
In
the School of Business, each Head of Department has communicated with students
on each full and part-time programme. An overview of the approach to on-campus
and remote activity has been provided to them this week. In general, full
time undergraduate students are on campus for one to two days per week with the
remainder delivered online. This is subject to change as the semester
progresses and students are reminded to check their timetable daily,
particularly for the first two weeks. We will try not to make any significant
changes in weeks 3 to 5 and timetables may change again when students return
after reading week. Students have received information on registering for
electives, return to campus, coordinator contact details and alerting them that
further communication will be sent with specific information for next week’s
timetable.
School of Humanities
The
School of Humanities, comprising the Department of Tourism and Hospitality,
Department of Sport, Leisure and Childhood Studies, and the Department of
Applied Social Studies all have different requirements, and each of the three
Heads of Department have been in contact with their students this week advising
them of their timetables. Programmes which have practical or lab-based
elements will all be delivered on-campus. It is still necessary to
deliver some theoretical modules online for the immediate future.
Faculty of Engineering and Science
School of Science and Informatics
Currently
we plan to have first year students in the Department of Biological Sciences
and Department of Physical Sciences on campus for laboratory classes on Mondays
and Tuesdays with continuing students on campus one/two days per week on
Wednesday, Thursday and Fridays.
Students
in the Department of Computer Science will be on campus for laboratory classes
with class groups timetabled over approximately two days.
School of Building & Civil Engineering
It
is the intention to have all full-time undergraduate students on campus for a
minimum of two days per week for key laboratory, fieldwork and tutorial
activity, some lectures may also be delivered on campus on these days.
Remaining lectures and tutorial will be delivered online on other days.
School of Mechanical, Electrical and Process Engineering
The
plan is to have students on campus at least one day per week for
workshop/lab/CAD practical classes. Students in the Department of Electrical
and Electronic Engineering will be on campus two consecutive days per week for
lab/computer-based practical classes.
Centre of Craft Studies
Craft
apprentices across ten trades will be fully on-campus for all labs/practical
classes; delivery of theory classes will be done remotely in most cases.
National Maritime College of Ireland (NMCI)
NMCI’s
maritime programmes are subject to international maritime regulation. In light
of the ongoing Covid-19 situation NMCI is in receipt of a number of derogations
from the regulator to support the delivery of your programme for the coming
Academic Year. Timetables are being finalised at this time on the basis of
those derogations. Individual student cohorts have been contacted about
timetabling for this year and you will be in receipt of further information
shortly.
NMCI’s
maritime programmes involve compulsory sea time requirements under
international maritime regulation. Particular sectors of the shipping industry
have been significantly impacted by the pandemic and this has resulted in a
shortage of berths on ships for cadets at present. This situation will impact
programme timetables for all of the coming Academic Year.
All
maritime programme practical and lab elements will be delivered on-site NMCI.
Lectures will generally be delivered on-site with some exceptions.
Crawford College of Art and Design(including Media Communications)
Each
Head of Department has communicated with students on each full and part-time
programme. An overview of the approach to on-campus and remote activity has
been provided to them this week. All programmes will have significant
activity in-practical based modules on campus, with the large number of
theoretical lectures delivered remotely except for some Masters
programmes. Students can expect to be on campus across the full
week. Students have received information on their class timetables or
studio and workshop arrangements, information on electives, return to
campus and coordinator contact details.
Cork School of Music
All
programmes will have significant activity in-person on campus, with a very
small number of theoretical whole-class lectures delivered
remotely. Students can expect to be in the School across the full
week. Timetables have been issued.
IMPORTANT The specific
delivery arrangements for your programme will be notified to you locally by
the relevant academic department. All class timetables will be made available
on the online timetabling system, with live updates if and when required. Please
continue to monitor your email for updates. |
COVID-19
Guidelines
MTU has a
comprehensive range of risk controls in place including ventilation, physical
distancing, cleaning, face coverings, maintaining good hand and respiratory
hygiene, and staying at home if feeling unwell. Further
information on these protocols is available at (https://covid19.cit.ie/
In
particular, please note that:
1. Details on the return to campus process for students are available here
2. Mask
wearing continues to be mandatory within university
buildings. While this policy will be reviewed for 22 October, it is expected
that mask wearing is likely to continue to be a requirement in many settings
through Semester 1. For now, exceptions will be made only in
exceptional cases, for example, in the case of specific types of practical
classes. Academic departments will advise students locally. Any such exceptions are subject to hand and
respiratory hygiene.
3. Hand
and respiratory hygiene and desk wipe-down protocols must be
observed. Please wash your hands regularly and use the hand
sanitisers available on entry and exit of all buildings.
4. Lectures will be of duration 45 minutes
in the hour to allow time to mask break, move between classes, and avert the
possibility of large congregations in corridors, etc.
5. Students must advise the university if
they
i. Have been diagnosed with Covid-19,
ii. Are experiencing Covid-19
symptoms.
In the above instances, the student is
advised to remain off campus and follow
HSE guidelines.
6. Further
information on the procedures to be followed re dealing with symptoms of
Covid-19, reporting of sickness, testing, and return to campus following
illness will be posted on the Covid-19 portal
7. The university urges all staff and
students to avail of the national vaccination programme. Please consult with your doctor should you have any concerns.
However, in line with guidelines governing personal medical data, the university
will not distinguish between vaccinated and unvaccinated staff and students
attending on campus.
8. Students who have concerns about their
health status and on how this might impact on their study should communicate these to the academic department at the
earliest possible opportunity, under the Individual
Extenuating Circumstances Policy.
IMPORTANT As set out in the Student Regulations, students are
expected to adopt a responsible approach to their studies, and must not
engage in any behaviour which may constitute inconvenience or nuisance to any
person(s) within or outside the university. Failure to comply with these
regulations will render a student liable to disciplinary action in accordance
with the Student Disciplinary Procedure. |
Key
Semester 1 Dates
Information
regarding key dates for Semester 1 (including Reading Week and Examinations)
has been posted on the university website.Academic departments will issue programme-specific
information regarding assessment in the coming weeks.
Student
services and supports
The Student
Experience is central to the MTU Community ethos. Student services and supports
will continue to be available, both onsite and remotely, to assist and enable
students over the coming year. It is
anticipated that there will be substantially increased onsite activity in the
area of sports, clubs and societies from Semester 1.
We will also
continue to work with the Students’ Unionto reach out and include all students.
Details of all student services and supports are available on the Covid-19 Portal and are
updated regularly. These supports include the Student Assistance Fund (SAF). Students experiencing financial difficulties
may apply for SAF support.
Library
Opening hours
and details regarding ‘click and collect’ services will be posted on the
relevant library websites and Covid-19 portals. Please note that the
Bishopstown Campus Library is currently closed due to essential maintenance
works. It will open in late September/early October: updates will be posted here
Canvas
Learning Management System, IT Support
The
Canvas Learning Management System will continue to a very important teaching,
learning and assessment tool this academic year; click here to access support for students. General IT
support for students is available here
Students
are reminded of the importance of access to a computer and internet
connectivity to support their learning. Those students experiencing financial
difficulties in this context are advised to apply to the Student Assistance Fund (SAF) for support.