Third-level students are to receive a payment of €250 each to compensate for the costs involved in online learning. Not all students are having a hard time, however: mature students, students with children, part-time students and some students with disabilities are finding that online learning provides them with a lot of flexibility and it’s very likely that at the end of this crisis third-levels will seek to maintain flexible-learning options. Some students say they are struggling to stay motivated with online learning and haven’t been given any support in learning how to learn online. “It’s harder to engage students online,” says Peadar Collins, students’ union welfare officer at the University of Limerick. Laura Harmon, president of the Irish Council for International Students, says students who are far from home are feeling particularly isolated.

Source: The Irish Times November 24, 2020 00:00 UTC