Faked screenshots were circulated this afternoon showing Trinity publishing an exam contingency plan on its website in which students are awarded a grade of 65 in the event that exams are cancelled.
A Trinity spokesperson confirmed to Trinity News that the communications team knows of no such exam plans and College did not publish this information on the website. The fake screenshots circulating among students read: “In the event that exams are unable to proceed as planned, students will be awarded a default final grade of 65 percent (Second Class Honours). However, your academic transcript will specify that this was as a result of the COVID-19 situation.”
In the FAQ section, the response to the question “how will the outbreak affect my exams?” currently reads: “We are currently putting in place contingency plans to ensure that final assessments for semester two can take place.
The Irish Times reported last week that Trinity was exploring the possibility of conducting exams remotely in the event that government limits are placed on mass gatherings of people.
As up to 2,500 students can ordinarily sit in the RDS for exams at any one time, a spokesperson from College told the Irish Times, the college must explore alternatives in case the coronavirus continues to spread in Ireland.
In an email statement to Trinity News, Thomas Deane, Trinity’s Media Relations Officer, said last week: “Trinity is continuing to explore options for the online delivery of course content and assessments, as well as considering a range of other accommodations that may be put in place to ensure that our students are able to complete their studies for this academic year.”
Trinity announced in an email to staff and students earlier today that all lectures will be delivered online for the rest of the semester but tutorials, seminars and laboratory practicals will all continue to be given in college,
Trinity have also taken the decision to close tourist attractions in College, including the Book of Kells exhibition and Old Library, the Science Gallery and the Douglas Hyde Gallery. All were closed from 1pm today.
The first case of coronavirus within Trinity was confirmed last Thursday. The fourth floor and lifts of the Trinity Biomedical Science Institute (TBSI) were closed as a precaution. Hand sanitisers have been provided across campus and in off-campus locations in a bid to prevent a possible spread of infection. College has placed posters across campus with information on the virus, and has established a dedicated web page to provide updates and advice.
Trinity set up an expert working group to monitor the ongoing situation with the coronavirus in January.
An earlier version of this article stated that College had published these plans on their website. However, it now appears that these screenshots were faked. The article was updated to reflect this at 2:55pm, 10 March.
