Survey profiles College communication struggles in shutdown 

Posted on: 25 September 2020

Many staff and students at Trinity College Dublin experienced difficulty with online communication and felt they missed social opportunities following the College’s closure due to the COVID-19 pandemic, a survey has found. 

Forty five per cent of those surveyed by researchers at the School of Linguistic, Speech and Communication Sciences reported being uncomfortable with the sudden move to online interaction; 39 per cent said they were comfortable while 16 pc were neutral. Issues raised included being more easily distracted on calls and feeling self-conscious on video. 

One respondent said:  

Collaboration became harder. It’s less fluid to have to basically schedule every interaction. 

Another noted: 

I feel like I’m being watched without knowing the reaction.

The researchers found that IT support proved invaluable to reduce communication problems. The individual home environment and IT setup were pivotal for communication success, the researchers found. 

The survey was conducted online by Dr Ciarán Kenny and Dr Irene Walsh in May and June 2020. They received 1,698 valid responses, of which 31 pc came from College staff, 49 pc from undergraduate students and 20 pc from postgraduate students. 

The team is currently undertaking more analysis of their findings to provide more detailed feedback to the community. 

More information can be found here (https://www.tcd.ie/slscs/clinical-speech-language/covid-19_communication_project). 

ENDS