IT Sligo is fully committed to providing students with a full and varied college experience in the coming year. We will be using the Safe Return Plan document issued by Minister Harris to assist us in our current and future planning.
We are looking forward to our campus becoming a vibrant educational community once again in September with onsite learning and research and all the other activities that make college life enjoyable- sports, clubs & societies, socialising with friends and classmates, and participating in Student’s union events etc.
Our planning and subsequent roll-out of those plans will be done in a manner that is safe for you, our students, our staff and the wider community of Sligo. We will adhere to the prevailing public health guidelines at all times.
- Semester 1 will begin for returning students on September 20th, with teaching commencing on that day
- Semester 1 will begin for first-year students and apprentices on September 27th, with teaching commencing on that day
So what can you expect?
You can expect significant, meaningful onsite learning. The quantum of onsite learning will vary across programmes at the start of the academic year and will be influenced by the type of activity.
So, initially, you may not be on campus every day – but will have some on-campus experience. Part of your learning may still be delivered remotely in the early part of the academic year.
The onsite learning that will occur will be:
- Laboratory teaching and learning
- Tutorials
- Workshops
- Classroom-based teaching and learning, starting with smaller lecture sizes
We expect further public health guidance later in the summer, which will influence our planning around how large lectures will be delivered.
The library, canteen, and other activities such as clubs & societies, sports facilities etc. will all be open when you return and will operate in line with prevailing general public health advice for those activities.
Quality Learning Experience for High-Risk Students
We are also planning to provide high-risk students where vaccination is medically contraindicated with a quality learning experience. This may mean that some of their learning may have to take place remotely.
At the same time, we have been asked to plan for a more restricted learning environment that we would need to implement if there was a deterioration in the public health environment.
We are very aware that the pandemic has been very tough for some students, and we will have in place supports to assist you, such as counselling, student assistance fund etc.
Our health service will also be available to provide support to students who may become symptomatic and require COVID testing.
We feel that it would be safer that outgoing Erasmus mobilities did not occur in Semester 1. We will monitor the situation for semester 2.
Timetabling & planning will continue over the summer, and you will be provided with more definite information when we are in a position to do so.