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UCD School of Information & Library Studies

Scoil an Léinn Eolais agus na Leabharlannaíochta UCD

Auditing and Occasional Students 2011/2012

SILS provides access to its undergraduate and graduate courses (i.e., modules) to individuals who wish to audit a course or to receive university credit for a course. 

Auditing a Course

Auditing courses provides a unique opportunity to obtain new knowledge and skills without a large investment in time and money. Auditing is ideal if you are:

  • a professional who wishes to participate in continuing professional education, learning about current state-of-the-art and future developments in particular areas
  • an individual who is considering a career change and wants to explore a new subject
  • a grandparent who wishes to learn about today's social media to better communicate with grandchildren.

When auditing a course you have the opportunity to attend all course lectures and any labs and/or tutorials offered in conjunction with lectures. Typically each course meets for two hours per week, for 12 weeks.

You will also have access to all course materials provided by the instructor. You will not be required to participate in any assessments (e.g., you will not be required to take exams, turn in papers or make a presentation), nor will you recieve feedback on assessments should you do them. To help ensure you have a postive learning experience, you are asked to do the reading required by the instructor and to constructively participate in classroom activities, e.g., small group exercises.

At the end of the course, upon request you will be issued a statement saying that you audited the course along with a short description of the course. This statement could be included in your portfolio or resume as evidence of your participation in continuing professional development.

What courses are available?

The following undergraduate and graduate courses are available for auditing  in the autumn semester (semester 1, beginning 12 September 2011):

The following undergraduate and graduate courses may be available for audit in the spring semester (semester 2, 2012):

How much?

It costs just €190 per course to audit a course during Semester 1 (the autumn semester), 2011. This is less than €8 per hour of course lecture. Semester 1 begins Monday, 12 September 2011. Semester 2 begins 16 January 2012. The academic calender is available here .

How to apply?

Click here for the SILS Auditing Application.  

Applications should be sent to SILS School Administrator, sils@ucd.ie

Lectures for most courses in semester 2 (the spring semester) commence during the week of 16 January 2012.

Documentation  

A statement documenting that you audited the course and a description of the course will be issued free of charge on request.

Occasional Students: Taking a Course for Credit

If  you  have the equivalent of an undergraduate degree or a previous LIS qualification, work experience or training  in the information and library professions, and are now seeking to continue professional development, you are welcome to take most any of modules in the SILS Graduate Programmes as an Occasional Student.

Occasional Students will have access to  UCD IT Services and Computer Lab facilities, and will attend classes with the  main cohort of  Graduate Students. They will complete the same module assessment components as other registered students. All courses, except IS 40450, currently take place at the UCD Belfield campus. 

A new 5-credit graduate module, IS40540: Reflective Professional, is being offered both semesters and can be taken in a face-to-face or distance learning mode. The purpose of this course is to offer professionals the opportunity to reflect on their work experiences, and learn from this reflection.

What courses are available?

The following advanced undergraduate and graduate courses are provisionally available to Occasional Students (5 credits each)  in the autumn semester (Semester 1, beginning 12 September 2011):

The following advanced undergraduate and graduate courses may be available to Occasional Students (5 credits each)  in the spring semester (begining 16 January 2012):

Other courses may be added to the above.

How much?

The cost per course is € 700 (subject to review).

How to apply?

Click here for the SILS Occasional Student Application Form

Lectures for most courses in the autumn semester commence on Monday 12 September 2011.

Lectures for most courses in spring semester commence on Monday 16 January 2012.

Applications should be sent to SILS School Administrator, Claire Nolan. The deadline for applications for taking courses in the autumn semester (semester 1) is 12 September 2011. The deadline for taking courses in the spring semester (semester 2)  is 16 January 2012.

Documentation  

A short Certificate of  Registration and Attendance will be issued free of charge on request.

A Transcript (a more detailed statement of results on completion of  module(s) is available from the Registry for a fee of approximately €20.00.



 SILS_Aine_Lynch  Occasional Student Testimonial: Aine Lynch

In 2010 I audited the course, The Teaching Librarian. It had been quite a while since I completed my Higher Diploma in Library and Information Studies and I was a little nervous about returning to UCD. But information literacy is a hot topic in my workplace right now and it was an area that I wanted to learn more about. The idea of doing the module without the stress of exams, and for a relatively low fee, made it all the more attractive. The class was highly interactive and each week we had a one hour-hour lecture followed by a one-hour tutorial. It was an energising and informative term and I really enjoyed being part of college life again.

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