For courses described as Blended Online all classes are delivered online and will continue in that mode for the remainder of the academic year 2021/22. Delivery online in academic year 2022/23 where applicable, is subject to QQI approval. 

For programmes that have self-paced learning hours attributed. These are online directed learning course; meaning that time will be split between live online classroom sessions and tutorials/ videos on the College’s e-learning system. This split allows for class time to be interactive, practical, and focused, with theory-based content being covered outside of class time with self-paced tutorials/videos, and practical content being covered in live online classes with support from lecturers and lab assistants. The self-paced hours will not show up on your timetable.

For programmes described as Classroom Delivery, there will be a mixture of online and on-campus delivery, which may vary by course. The college will transition back to classes on campus in accordance with Government guidelines.

For the Postgraduate Diploma in Business in Entrepreneurship. This is a Blended delivery programme. There will be a mixture of online and on-campus delivery. The programme will be run via evening online delivery, with Saturday sessions taking place in the college but the delivery is subject to change based on government guidelines.

Career Bridge classes will be delivered one day per week in Semester 2 from 17.00 to 18.00. Day to be confirmed.

Higher Diploma Programmes

Postgraduate Diploma Programmes

Certificate in Computing

Active engagement with your Work Placement Advisor is essential as placements are subject to application and interview process. Relevant Employment/Placement can be undertaken within the course timeline or commenced within 3 months of course completion. In order for our Career’s team to determine if work placement is applicable to you (depending on your employment status and the job position that you hold) you will need to register for the Career Bridge module on Moodle in September when you start. No action necessary at this time.

Attendance at all classes is compulsory and is electronically monitored

The Springboard+ and ICT Skills scheme allows for 100% funding of the tuition cost of these programmes if you fall into one of the below categories

• Unemployed and in receipt of an eligible DEASP payment or signing for credits
• Returners
• Formerly self-employed (this being your most recent status)

A student contribution fee of 10% of total course fee is applicable if you are in employment.  More information can be found in Step 1 below about how to pay your fees.

Recent graduates who are unemployed are eligible to enrol on the one-year full-time programmes and two-year part-time programmes but they are liable for the 10% contribution fee.  Any subsequent costs such as travel and course materials must be borne by the participant. 

This course and funding for it is guaranteed from w/b 20th September 2021 for the duration of the course only.

Refund Policy: If a student withdraws before the commencement of the course the full amount that they have paid is refundable. No refund will be processed once the student commences the course the w/b 20^th September 2021

Continued Eligibility for Funding: Please note that documentation supporting applicant’s status will be required as part of the application process. Further proof confirming an applicant’s continued eligibility will also be required at the time of course commencement. Please note you will be asked to reverify your status and provide updated verification of status for w/b 20^th September 2021 (exception to this is the Certificate in Computing where you will be asked to provide updated verification of status for w/b 4th October 2021) when completing the first registration process on the Springboard system. If it becomes apparent at the point of this registration process you are not eligible for a Springboard+ course we will not be able to draw down funding from the HEA on your behalf. In addition, if your employment status/social welfare payment changes from the point of application to course commencement we advise that you declare this to the Springboard team as a matter of priority who will need to reassess your funding eligibility.

Eligible DEASP clients who are accepted on a course should immediately contact their local social welfare office.

Part Time Courses (Postgraduate Diplomas) People in receipt of the Covid-19 Pandemic Unemployment Payment (PUP)

The can apply for a Springboard+ part-time course (1-year Postgraduate programmes and our Certificate in Business Analysis) The fee will be waived for these applicants. It is however the responsibility of the applicant in receipt of a PUP payment to discuss retaining a DEASP payment with their case officer in their local INTREO office when their offer is accepted and before they complete first registration for the course through the Springboard+ website.

HCI Pillar 1 / ICT Conversion Courses: 

Students will not be permitted to retain Covid-19 PUP if enrolled on a 1 year full-time HCI Pillar 1/ICT Conversion Course (These are the 1 Year Higher Diploma Courses that NCI are running) Covid-19 PUP recipients may be eligible for BTEA, it is the responsibility of the applicant in receipt of a PUP to discuss transferring to BTEA payment with their case officer in their local INTREO office when their offer is accepted and before they complete first registration for the course through the Springboard+ website.. The 10% course fee will be waived for applicants in receipt of BTEA 

The Temporary COVID-19 Wage Subsidy Scheme: 

This is not an eligible DEASP payment. Those who are in receipt of the wage subsidy are classed as employed and those eligibility criteria apply. Therefore, those in receipt of this payment will be required to pay 10% of the course fee when undertaking courses at Level 7 or above.

2020 & 2021 graduates 

This group will not be eligible to retain their benefit to do a full-time course (These are the 1 Year Higher Diploma Courses that NCI are running) if they have not been on the payment for 9 out of the previous 12 months. These applicants have to pay 10% of the course fee and would not be able to retain any benefit for the duration of the course.

Two Year Part-time Courses: 

If you are in receipt of a Covid-19 PUP or a DEASP payment (including Farm Assist and Qualified Adults of Working Age) you are not eligible for the two-year ICT Conversion Courses. Please also see Springboard+ Participant Eligibility. 

One Year Full-time Courses: 

If you are unemployed and in receipt of a jobseekers payment (including Farm Assist and Qualified Adults of Working Age) you must be in receipt of an eligible DEASP payment for 9 of the previous 12 months Please also see Springboard+ Participant Eligibility to be check if you are eligible for funding on our 1 Year Higher Diploma Courses.

Level 9 Postgraduate Courses: 

Level 9 courses are open to both the employed and the unemployed however NCI must prioritize those in receipt of a social protection payment and those as ‘returners’ so that they can upskill and reskill and re-enter the workforce. Therefore, a number of places will be reserved for these on our Level 9 Postgraduate Courses. Please note that to participate in NFQ Level 9 (postgraduate) course, a period of at least one year must have elapsed since completing a full-time undergraduate degree course leading to a major award at level 8 on the NFQ.

Restrictions Regarding Previous Applicants: 

For more information click here. Please also see Springboard+ Participant Eligibility. 

Please note that certain courses (particularly ICT courses) may have specific laptop requirements. You are asked to consult your course information page where any further requirements will be specified. Please note these are recommendations and should be seen as guidelines only.

It is recommended that your laptop should have:

Processor:

• Intel 7^th (or higher) generation processors (Core i-3, i-5, i-7,i-9-7x)
• or AMD Ryzen 3rd Generation Processors , running at 2.0Ghz and above.

(Intel Atom/Celeron or AMD Athlon/Sempron Processors may cost less, but may not meet your requirements.

Random Access Memory (RAM):

• 8 Gigabytes minimum

Solid State Drive (SSD) Capacity:

• 256 Gigabytes minimum

Wireless Card:

• 802.11 a/b/g/n compliant with Bluetooth Capability
  (incompatibilities have been noted with the Qualcomm Atheros Wireless Adapters and software device drivers)

Graphics Card:

• Direct X9 or later

Supported Operating Systems

• Windows 10 Pro

Laptop Fund

As part of the package of COVID supports for higher and further education institutions, the Department of Further and Higher Education, Research, Innovation and Science has allocated funding for a once-off COVID-19 grant to support disadvantaged students in the higher education sector in accessing ICT devices. 

This, cash limited, grant will allow NCI to provide eligible students with a laptop to assist them in completing their chosen course. Further details including eligibility criteria and application guidelines can be found here. 

Any queries around this should be directed to laptopfund@ncirl.ie.
 

The Springboard+ and ICT Skills scheme allows for 100% funding of the tuition cost of these programmes if you fall into one of the below categories*

• Unemployed and in receipt of an eligible DEASP payment or signing for credits
• Returners
• Formerly self-employed (this being your most recent status)

*Note; In order to receive 100% funding, you must fall into one of these categories upon course commencement. The Springboard office will be contacting students to ensure the employment/unemployment status upon application remains the same at course commencement.

For those in employment a student contribution fee is required. This is payable by the participant or their employer and must be paid in full by 19th November 2021.

Recent graduates who are unemployed are eligible to apply for one-year full-time and two-year part-time ICT Skills Conversion courses; however, they are liable for the 10% fee 

Action Item: Please review your Springboard application form, if you have indicated that you are in employment or if you are applying under the status student, then this 10% contribution fee is applicable. The course fees that are applicable are outlined below.

Please note: Documentation supporting your employment status will be provided by you as part of the application process, however, please be advised that the HEA will request further proof confirming your continued eligibility at the time of course commencement. A change in your employment status from unemployed to employed will mean that a student contribution fee is applicable. 
 

Payable by the student

An online payment link will open mid-October and students will be notified of this link once it is live and payment can then be made online. Please note that as a Springboard+ student you are permitted to start class before these fees are paid.
 
Employer-Sponsored

If your fees are being paid by your company you will need to complete a sponsorship form and return it to fees@ncirl.ie within 2 weeks of accepting your place on the course. When the form has been received, the company will be issued an invoice within 5 working days. Please note that as a Springboard+ student it is permitted to start classes before these fees are paid. 

Refund Policy

If a student withdraws before the commencement of the course the full amount that they have paid is refundable. No refund will be processed once the student commences the course the week beginning 20th September 2021.

You can set your login details using the Password Management section of the website.

Please select RESET PASSWORD (Springboard students do not need to select the 'REGISTER BUTTON'

The Setting your Password guide will give you a step-by-step guide of how to reset your password to allow you access to your NCI email account.

To reset your login details you will need your Student No. This number will be on the 'Confirmation of Enrolment' email that you will receive from NCI shortly after you accept your offer on the Springboard Courses Website.

Please note that you cannot proceed to Step 3 'Getting your student card' until you reset your login details first.

NCI offers a service which allows students to download a photo app to their smart phone or desktop/laptop and take their own Student Identification Photo. This photo will then be used to print your student card.

New students must submit their ID photo via the app in order to receive their student card. Please follow our step by step guide to downloading the app and taking your student card photo. 

Student cards will be posted to students shortly before the commencement of their course subject to government guidelines. 

Students who submit photos less than two weeks in advance of their course commencement are asked to allow two weeks between the submission of their photo and the printing of their student card

(Please note photos uploaded during the application process will not be used for your student card).

A registration link will be sent to your student email upon course acceptance.  You will need your NCI student number and course name when completing this online form.  (Note: Please ensure that you have actioned Step 2 above in order to get access to your student email)

Please note that Springboard students are not required to attend the college in person before their first class. Registration and Orientation is conducted online.

Orientation

All classes will start the week commencing the 20th September 2021.

You have already been provided with an indicative timetable for your course. However, please note that timetables are never confirmed until they are published on the NCI website. You will be able to view your timetable with relevant room allocation the 2 -3 days before classes commence: You can access your timetable online by using the dedicated  timetable section of the website. Simply search for your course then choose your week & day range.

Please check your timetables regularly as they can be subject to room changes.

ONLINE/BLENDED CLASSES:

For anyone who has enrolled on an online course, we will provide you with details in a separate email a few days before classes commence with additional information as to how you can access your online class.

In order to access your online classroom please follow the steps below. This guide is for Windows 10 users. A mac guide will be available shortly

Download Teams

• Follow the steps below;
  • You do this opening your browser and searching for "Microsoft teams download"
  • Click into the Microsoft link
  • Click the "Download for desktop" option
  • Click "Download Teams"
  • Once the application is downloaded and installed you will need to login using your NCI username (e.g. x12345678@student.ncirl.ie) and password. To set your logins please refer to Step 2 above.
• Next you need to check your timetable to see what lecture is scheduled. 
• Then go to Teams and click on the Calendar icon
• You should see your class has been scheduled and you will be able to join by clicking into the event and pressing "Join".

Troubleshooting

Q. What if there is no learning event scheduled in Teams or Outlook?

A. You may have registered with the College after your learning event was set up and cannot see a scheduled event in Teams or Outlook.  This is nothing to worry about it, simply watch the instructional video on syncing your lecture calendar. 

Please be aware when doing the above the sync is not immediate, it will take a couple of hours for your events to show in your calendar. Please ensure you complete the above in enough time BEFORE your lecture is due to commence. 

Q. The course commences today and I have only registered yesterday or today. 

A. part time students who are registered or pre-registered 48 hours before the course commences will be able to see their learning events. Unfortunately if you register later than that you may not be able to access your learning event. 

You can access a recording of your missed learning event once your access has been enabled. 

Q. I have been told my class will not be using Teams

A. Some specific classes will be using Adobe Connect. These classes will be contacted directly by the School of Computing with further information.

NCI staff, in collaboration with representatives from the Students' Union, have put together a protocol for students ahead of your return to campus. The document outlines the measures the college has put in place for your safety and it is a requirement that you read through the protocol before returning to campus. 

Return to Campus Safety Protocol for Students (PDF 676KB)

It is mandatory for students to complete a COVID-19 Questionnaire and to receive a response confirming that you may return to campus. You may be asked to show this email confirmation at the entrance of the College. If you receive an email saying that you must not attend a campus, be assured that the COVID Manager will contact you within 48 hours to explain why or to better understand your circumstances.

Please check out our Covid-19 update page where we will regularly post information about the return to campus. 

If you have any questions related to Springboard+, take a look at our Springboard+ FAQs or our Springboard+ online courses FAQs for further information. 

Here are some helpful videos for getting started in NCI.

How To Change Your Password

How To Login to Moodle

How To Access Cloud Services

How To Login to MyDetails

How To Download Office 365

How To Download Citrix Receiver

How To Login to MyApps

How To Access OnTheHub

How To Top-Up and Check Printing Credit

How To Register for a Password

How To Access Student email

How To Access Eduroam Wifi on iOS

Programme Co-ordinators administer the daily management of all courses in the college.  The school administration offices are located in Room 3.03 on the 3^rd floor.   Please follow signs provided.

The programme co-ordinators can help you with course information, queries around timetables and any issues or concerns you may have while completing your studies with NCI.  You will be assigned a specific programme co-ordinator depending on your course of study.

All students should enrol on the School of Business or School of Computing information page on Moodle. Here you will find all required details for your programme such as your Programme Director, Programme Co-ordinator, Continual Assessment schedule and Programme Handbook.

You can contact a Programme Co-ordinator by emailing:

School of Business - SOBoffice@ncirl.ie

School of Computing – SOCoffice@ncirl.ie

The Library – we have a range of services and all the information is just a click away from the front page of the college website.

The Library Essentials – starting out as a new student, the best place to find the information you need to know is our #10 Library Essentials guide.

Opening Hours & Access – take a look at when we’re open and how best to access the library.

Finding Books – once you start looking at your reading lists, you’ll need to know how to find a book in the library; this guide shows you how to do it.

Borrowing & Renewing Books – how you can borrow books, how they are renewed and how you can keep an eye on your library account.

Computers, Printing & Photocopying – all you need to know about using the PCs or your own devices in the library and how to use the printers and photocopiers.

Library Guides – instead of just searching the internet, we highly recommend you use our library guides to help you discover the best online resources for your course; you can access these guides here.

Discovery – another way of accessing the library’s online resources is by using the library search engine Discovery; this guide shows you how best to use it.

Referencing & Avoiding Plagiarism – when writing your assignments, you will be asked to reference the information you use and avoid plagiarism; this guide helps you better understand what’s required.

Group Study Rooms – you can book the library’s group study rooms online, further details here.

Library Help Centre – you can get advice and assistance from the Library Help Centre to help you with your assignments and research; further details can be found here.

International Students – if you are an international student, you may find adjusting to college life a little more challenging; this guide is designed to help you make that adjustment.

Contact Us - As you begin your course, please don’t hesitate to ask us for help; drop into the library, call us on 01-4498590 or email us at library@ncirl.ie

Important note: All Springboard students, regardless of employment status, are required to fill out the Career Bridge Registration which will be emailed to you at the start of Semester 1.

Embedded into each programme schedule, Career Bridge is delivered across all semesters for both online and face-to-face students and appears on final transcripts. Students are required to engage with Career Bridge by completing module assignments, attending classes and coaching sessions, and visiting relevant career events and career fairs both on and off campus at times that may be outside their timetable. Module assessments are practical and related to the students’ career aspirations.

Up to 86% of graduates from the 2017 cohort used their course, with the help of the Career Bridge module, to successfully change job roles. We work with industry partners and students who are unemployed or in unrelated work to identify suitable relevant employment/placement opportunities. We work proactively and collaboratively with students, through workshops and targeted interventions, to help them search for, identify and secure relevant employment or placement.

The reality is that placements, in today’s environment, are usually paid and lead to more permanent roles. Relevant Employment / Placement can be completed within the course timeline, generally 2nd or 3rd semester in a 1-year course, or commenced within 3 months of course completion.

If you have questions relating to Career Bridge, you can contact:  

Orla O'Sullivan - orla.osullivan@ncirl.ie
 

In the Learning and Teaching Office you will find the Student Support team who are available to help you in a variety of areas. Through their “Getting to Grips” sessions, they will help you with academic support. You will also find the Disability Support service here who can provide learning, assistive technology, exam support and more.

If you need any help while in NCI drop into the Learning and Teaching Office beside reception, the team are always happy to offer a listening ear, have a chat or they can link you with the college counsellor and medical service.

The Students’ Union is your voice in the college. Whether it’s issues concerning your course or the college entertainments, student welfare, clubs & societies or entertainments, the Executive team represent all NCI students and provide support for any problems you face throughout your time here.

The SU space is one of the social hubs of college. A great place to relax, here you’ll find pool tables, games consoles, casual seating space and the Executive offices. Events are held throughout the year and all students are encouraged to get involved.

You can find out all about the SU on their website.

Have a look at the published Academic Calendar to assist you with your planning over the coming year