Engagement
If you are a peer mentor, Future You mentor or a PATH community mentor make sure you continue to engage in this role. You are an important part of UCD’s community and your mentorship and friendship to others is now more important than ever. Reach out to your mentees, your classmates and friends and make sure we all stay connected. If you have the time you can even volunteer to help others in your community who may be feeling particularly isolated at the moment.
If you work with UCD ALL as a mentor you’ll be hearing directly from our outreach team to tell you how we will keep our mentoring programmes active and engaging.
Teaching & Learning
Learning at distance is a new challenge for most students but remember we are here to support you. You can brush up on your academic skills using our online resources, attend some of our live online workshops, or listen back to the recordings made available afterwards.
If you’re having any difficulties with engaging it’s important to let your module coordinator know so we can all find a solution.
Student Supports and Services
UCD ALL provides lots of resources to help you manage stress and practice self-care. Check out these videos on (opens in a new window)minding your mental health and (opens in a new window)designing your routine developed by Occupational Therapists. Check out all of our resources and use our (opens in a new window)guide to study and exam preparation. We will be offering a live self-care workshop Friday 3rd April at 1pm on Zoom with a recording made available afterwards.
Remember the supports you had previously are still in place.
- The Writing Support Centre offers a variety of downloadable resources on how to write an essay and improve your academic writing. They are using Google Meet to do writing support sessions. If you are stuck with your writing; unsure about the structure of the essay/literature review/reflective piece/report, or other assignments/projects you have to do; unsure about the way you are developing or phrasing your ideas; or if you have other questions about writing, you could make an appointment here (the instructions are on this page, too, and further instructions in the confirmation email, once you book an appointment)
- UCD Library also offers a range of online resources which you should investigate including a (opens in a new window)guide to remote access.
Our Occupational Therapists have put together a (opens in a new window)video guide on how to set up a study/exam space in your home to benefit your studies, while also maintaining separate spaces for productivity and relaxation. Please also check out (opens in a new window)these helpful tips on working from home and increasing the effectiveness of your space.
While normally you may be used to moving from location to location for your study, it is likely you are now working from just one place. It is important your workspace is set up in the best way possible to help you achieve your best productivity and to keep your body healthy.
There are also some technology options that may make your physical space more ergonomic. For example, sitting at a computer screen for a long time can become uncomfortable. One way to reduce this time if you have a lot of reading material to get through is to use (opens in a new window)text-to-speech software and listen to articles being read aloud.
Spending a long time on the computer can also strain your eyes, which can lead to fatigue or headaches. One way to alleviate this is to use a screen-masking tool like (opens in a new window)MyStudyBar from EduApps or (opens in a new window)change the built-in display settings on your desktop or laptop. This will allow you to change the contrast and colour schemes, enlarge your cursor, mouse pointer and icons, or turn on the magnifier. You may need to try out a few different settings to find the one that works best for you. Another tool which can help you to focus is a highlight bar, which highlights the line of text you are reading, or you can opt to change the colour of the text as it is being read. Again, there are a number of tools that can do this such as (opens in a new window)Immersive Reader which is available under the View tab in Microsoft Word and (opens in a new window)ReadSpeaker TextAid.
Your Technology
It’s important that you remain engaged with your programme even when at distance. Check your email regularly for updates and information on assessment and teaching. You should also check UCD’s frequently asked questions frequently as they are regularly updated as the situation changes.
Collaborate
Many of your lectures may now be delivered through the Collaborate Virtual Classroom in Brightspace. If you are not familiar with Collaborate, (opens in a new window)this handy guide created by Will Smith from the School of Mechanical and Materials Engineering will give you a great overview on how to use it.
If you would like to rewatch or download your virtual classes, you can find out how in this (opens in a new window)video guide.
Accessing Books Remotely
As well as being able to access ebooks through the UCD Library, there are thousands of academic titles available through (opens in a new window)NCBI's Bookshare EasyReader app.
This app is available to anyone with a print impairment and books are provided in a number of digital formats. You can download the app and search for the books you need but in order to download them, you must complete this (opens in a new window)registration form and email it to lina.kouzi@ncbi.ie
(Please note that the form does not currently need to be completed by our office).
Assistive Technology
We have further information about a range of Assistive Technology solutions relating to exam and classroom accommodations available in our FAQs below.