The style of teaching and studying in Ireland is quite different than what you might be accustomed to in your home country, but sometimes different can be better… Student Ambassador Steven son Koninti Mark from India was blown away by the Irish style of teaching and learning and believes he’s made one of the best decisions ever choosing to study in Ireland!
(photo: LightFieldStudios via Canva)
The way of academic study in Ireland is very different from the ways that are followed back in my country. The Indian way of teaching is to a reasonable extent, theoretical, without any practical applications being taught while the module is taught at universities.
When I started my degree in Ireland, I was pleasantly surprised by how approachable the lecturers were, and how everybody, regardless of age, preferred to be called by their first names. This approach allows for a more flexible relationship between teachers and students, which aids academic success by allowing students to relax while focusing on their studies. In my home country, where students and teachers have highly formal and very strict relationships, such an approach does not exist. It causes students to become stressed, which impedes their academic success. I’m encouraged to approach every member of the faculty in a very short period of time here in Ireland.
The manner in which grades are distributed to students, in particular, is admirable. It’s all done in private, and the grades aren’t made public. Not everybody may have met or exceeded high standards, and every student should be able to keep their grades private. In my home country, however, such policies are not practised, and universities publish ratings, which is a source of shame for many students and, in my view, should not be permitted.
Students may discover their full potential by doing proper research and submitting the assignment on time thanks to the scheme of individual and group assignments. Universities in India do not follow this scheme, often relying solely on written exams to assess a student’s academic success. Students also struggle to perform to their full capacity in written tests as a result of the excessive pressure they must apply to themselves in order to recall what they have learned. I particularly respect the freedom afforded to students to select which module they would like to learn, rather than pressuring students to study a series of modules that they must study even though they dislike them.
Letterkenny Institute of Technology (photo: lyit.ie)
Along with regular classes, there are customized modules available, such as advocacy for law students, which encourages students to seek placement with an agency that the respective department may position them in. It allows students to explore the realistic facets of the course they are taking rather than limiting themselves to academics only. I would advise anyone who wants to come to Ireland, to come here and experience its excellence first-hand. It certainly has been a wonderful experience for me.
Steven is pursuing a Masters in Computing (Big Data Analytics) at Letterkenny Institute of Technology, County Donegal.