The Institutes of Technology are committed to the support of their students through this unprecedented crisis. This involves a detailed recalibration of the assessment approach and all institutions are in the process of completing arrangements for end-of-year assessments which are fully in line with the public health advices and are based on the principles outlined in the QQI (Quality and Qualifications Ireland) guidance documents published this week.
All disciplines in all institutes have alternative processes in place replacing exam-hall scenarios with remote procedures for assessment where appropriate.
All campus-based teaching and learning ceased on 12 March and has been replaced with distance and online learning provision. In the weeks following attention turned to refashioning the assessment approach to ensure students can complete the year consistent with the primary requirement to protect the health of the individual and community. The academic governance structures in each institute including Academic Councils and Programme Boards have worked hard to ensure that these arrangements are rigorous and fully consistent with national standards. The sector has given the assurance that no student will be disadvantaged as a result of the contingency plans that have been put in place, and no student will be unnecessarily delayed. Institutes are communicating arrangements and timeframes for assessments to students. In tandem guidelines on academic integrity and on-line assessment have been issued to staff.
This comes following a series of guidance documents published by THEA including the ‘statement of academic integrity', 24 March press-releases/statement-of-academic-continuity/ and the ‘Statement to Students’ 25 March: press-releases/note-to-students/
The health and wellbeing of students is of primary importance and student welfare provisions continue to be available to all students in all institutes. Welfare services and counselling teams continue to be available to students through various media.
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For more information, please contact:
Róisín O’Connell, Head of Communications THEA: (087) 9193333; roisin.oconnell@thea.ie
Note to editors:
The Technological Higher Education Association (TEHA) is the representative advocacy body for the Institutes of Technology in Ireland.
