Should lecturers have to pass a digital literacy test for providing lectures?

How Will People Cope If There Is A Stricter Lockdown Put in Place?

By Matthew Geraghty

Rising cases and a move to Level Three restrictions makes one wonder- how will students cope with these ever-imposing restrictions? Of course, such measures are very much necessary in order to curb the spread of Covid-19 in the community, but it would be foolish to ignore the ways in which such restrictions will impact the lives of young people. Over the summer months we have got reacquainted with the practice of meeting up with friends for a few drinks at the pub, taking trips to the cinema and even visiting other counties on staycations.

When we went through lockdown the first time around there was a ‘we’re all in this together’ mentality. It was the first time ever that any of us had been through such a pandemic or the experience of isolating at home, away from our friends and life at college.

However, despite the horrifying tragedy of it- rising numbers of people falling sick each day, ever increasing death rates and the inability to hold hands with our grandparents and those closest to us As Covid-19 cases rise the counties pubs and public amenities have shut once again. Photo: Lovin.ie

during a time when nearly all of us were impacted in one way or another- we made the most of things. In hard times it’s the small things that count. Back in March and April, we embraced the grand stretch in the evenings and took to comforting activities such as baking banana bread, watching ‘Tiger King’ and partaking in virtual Zoom quizzes. For those of us lucky enough to just have to stay at home and not work on the frontline in the health sector, there were even some positives to be found in the situation. Many found an opportunity to reconnect with their family and friends from home who they had had grown apart from. Those few months, allowed for the time and space to re-evaluate how we had been living our lives up until now. Some came to the conclusion that the 9-5 corporate lifestyle wasn’t for them and have continued working from home.

However, as a second lockdown edges nearer and nearer and with the winter drawing in, our prospects look fairly bleak. It will soon begin to get dark between four and five., leaving little room for long walks evaluating our current life situations and barbeques under the sun in groups of six.

Going into lockdown the first time around people were more willing to stick to the rules as it was the first time any of us had been through this, and community spirit was at an all-time high. Now, however, people know what lockdown entails. Despite the positives outlined above, lockdown largely consists of being stuck in the same house with the same people all day, every day, for weeks

By Mareen Breslin

By now, everyone is well-acquainted with the notion of working remotely and learning remotely. Since March 2020, third level-education has primarily been taught in online form. This has led to mixed responses from students, educators, and policymakers alike. Many students and teachers have complained of a dampened quality of education, and certainly that of the traditional university experience on campus, calling into question if a discount is in order for students on their fees and housing. Universities have been working hard in the past few months to deal with these unprecedented circumstances due to the pandemic, as well as to ensure the quality of education and standards of learning are upheld, despite Covid-19 limitations.

Something that has been suggested to potentially enhance the quality of online learning is a digital literacy test for lecturers and professors. This test could guarantee that lecturers have the aptitude to function digital learning tools, such as Blackboard or Zoom, in order to more effectively present course materials and online lectures to their classes. Many proponents of a designated digital test argue that if students are paying the same rate of fees, tests are a fair way to evaluate and certify that their teachers are proficient enough to sufficiently educate them through the web to the best degree possible.

If students are expected to make sacrifices and learn how to navigate online learning, on top of continuing to pay the rate of standard fees, it does not seem like much to suggest that teachers be held to an online performance standard. Digital tools and being savvy with technology have become essential to the very function of education amidst the pandemic. To ask a student to use this digital technology, requires the educator to as well. If an educator is to use it, he or she should be held to at on end. Nearly eight months into the pandemic many have exhausted their Netflix recommendation lists, recipe books, and quiz questions by now.

In the event of another lockdown, mental health will have to be at the fore of the conversation. Students and the general population at large will struggle at the prospect of further restrictions. It is imperative to look after yourself during these times. While socialising isn’t exactly encouraged at the moment it is still a crucial component in the lives of young people so where it is safe to do so within the government guidelines see a friend, and if not take advantage of Facetime.

Being back in college is an added stress we are also facing at the moment with everything being online until at least Christmas, but rest assured in the knowledge that lecturers are extremely understanding- they are also adjusting to online education. Exercise and diet are crucial to minding oneself and will make you feel better and remember not to let personal hygiene slip.

We will get through this and the sesh will be

Should lecturers have to pass a digital literacy test for providing lectures?

immense on the other side. least a minimum standard of performance and understanding of video presentation, posting course materials, email correspondence, and assortments of digital file distribution as needed by the class and module.

Those against any sort of digital literacy test have made claims that it is unfair to older lecturers, who may not be digital denizens. People have stated that it is disadvantageous to ask an older professor to take a test in order to prove a level of adeptness in online teaching, when this has never been an aspect of their lecturing life before, and could discriminate against them for something out of their control. This is in contrast to many students, who tend to be in a younger demographic at large.

However, everyone, regardless of their age, has been forced to take on new skills which are out of their control in recent times. It is paramount to delivering high quality online learning that the person in charge of teaching understands how to use the tools at their disposal. The test could also be seen as an opportunity for learning. Universities and institutions could provide lessons for teachers who might not know the ins and outs of digital education to get them up to speed. After undergoing these lessons, it could then be required for them to take the base line digital literacy test to move forward to online learning.

These are challenging times for everyone, particularly students and educators. A digital literacy test could bring about reassurance to students that their education is being held to the highest standards. It could also ensure that professors are knowledgeable in how they are using the online tools in order to best teach students. This would also be beneficial to teachers because it could open a window for them to better understand digital education and broaden their own skillsets. It would be a positive thing for all parties, especially within the growing concern that the entire academic year is likely to be, at the very least, a hybrid experience.

This Government may have passed 100 days but, is a Government of the past.

By Darren Casserly Opinion Editor The coalition of Fianna Fail and Fine Gael goes to show how the political landscape has changed over the decades, the two parties which held the over-

By Niamh Casey

Ireland has really rapidly modernised in the past three decades. Many large companies, such as Facebook and Twitter, have their European headquarters in Ireland. We produces and employ some of the world’s leading IT experts. It wasn’t that long ago that nobody was emigrating to Ireland, quite the opposite was true. There was very little that could be called modern about Ireland until nearly the early 90s.

However, since then Ireland has really transformed and brought itself into the modern world in many ways. We are a very forward thinking and open population as a whole for the most part, but when it comes to mental health, many aspects of Ireland are still in the dark ages.

In Irish culture nowadays, it seems that there isn’t anything more taboo to talk about than mental health, and it’s hard to say where this comes from. It could have something to do with the fact that in the past a person could literally lose rights to their land and their general independence if they were deemed not to be sane enough, and it seems that stigma has lingered on in Irish society. Mental health is not talked about in open conversation in Ireland. Even when talking among friends, the feeling is that you’re “admitting” to having had mental health issues. Though you never feel like you have to “admit” to having physical health issues.

There is a clear line in Ireland between the two, where one is ok to be talked about openly and the other is generally not. Some would say that the hospitals in this country are hardly adequate for modern Ireland. So, if Ireland as a whole struggle to even talk about mental health, how are we to expect our mental health facilities to be up to modern day standards?

There is a blatant shortage of mental health support and facilities in this country. Children and whelming majority of support among the entirety It has been a tumultuous start for this current gov- of Irish independence, now having to join with the ernment, with the last 100 days feeling more like 100 Green Party to form a government. years and some ministerial posts having a merry-go- The breakdown of voting by age groups also does round feeling to them. However, it still is a historic not make good reading for the government, it is government with what they’ve had to deal with as highly plausible that in the next 10 -15 years Fianna well as what parties they’ve been made up with. Fail and Fine Gael join together as more progressive parties grow in popularity. The Green Party may be the worst affected in this government as they have turned their backs on their votership and have folded to every Fine Gael and Fianna Fail policy since the beginning, even on the anti-environmental policy. I could easily see a huge fall in Green Party popularity in the next election if they continue to turn their backs on the voter base. teenagers often spend years just trying to get a decent diagnosis or assigned to the right psychiatrist, which can then lead to other issues later in life as well. In NUI Galway there are only three councillors for over 18,000 students and appointments must be made often weeks in advance as there is such a demand for the services. It was only last month that a 24/7 text service to provide mental health support to students was launched. This demand for better mental health services isn’t just a student’s issue either. There is a huge demand for more counselling services to be made available nationally as they are so limited. People in desperate need of help are often waiting months, even years, to start seeking professional help, and they often don’t even see the head psychiatrist they were assigned. More often than not in the public system, it’s psychiatrists intraining that people are actually seeing, not the head psychiatrist themselves. Even still, there is no official helpline in Ireland for those in a crisis. A post went viral on Facebook saying that there had been 33 cases of deaths caused by suicide in one week as opposed to only 13 deaths causes by Coronavirus in the whole month of August. Which when put into comparison is quite staggering. There is nothing to prove that this was the case however, yet even still people reacted quite defensively. Bearing in mind that so many people turned to Facebook for their facts about Coronavirus, the same people were now saying that “you can’t believe everything you read online” and that there was no proof to back up the post. Which is a fair statement, but quite hypocritical and it really just goes to show the reaction that talking about mental health evokes in people in Ireland. There is no doubt that the mental health facilities are long overdue a serious boost in order to make them adequate for modern Ireland Two Ministers for Agriculture have already gone with Barry Cowen (Right) and Dara Calleary (Left) both being forced out of their posts within the first 100 days of the new government. Photo: RTÉ.ie. This looks even worse for the government if you think about the fact that Sinn Féin could have had even had more TDs if they had fielded more candidates. In

many cases the party could have got another candidate elected just from their first candidates surplus alone.

The pandemic for a while did improve public perceptions of this government, but the longer it went on as well as the rotating of the Taoiseach eroded that small bounce in popularity. The messaging has been too unclear for a lot of people these past couple of months with Varadkar speeding up the reopening of the country, which looks like it will backfire in the long-term. This pandemic has overshadThe 33rd Dáil has endured a rocky start to life. Photo: The Irish Times government has tried to achieve and has really soon and what has been a major problem for too been put to the wayside. The biggest problem that long takes its toll. this government will face in the coming months The final point I want to make is how student and could yet determine how history will look nurses and doctors who have been a cornerstone of back on them is how they handle the healthcare the pandemic response have not received any sort of system going into the winter months. The num- state support? It really is a disgrace when everyone is ber of ICU beds has been a concern for quite a thanking these frontline workers, many of whom face while and hospital capacity has been a problem long daily commutes and just barely getting by, They for years. It would not be out of the question that have been taken advantage of. This is a government something disastrous could happen in this sector of the past and the future cannot come soon enough.

Are Mental Health Facilities Adequate for Modern Ireland?

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