A semester like no other: A student and lecturer perspective on the impact of Covid-19 on 3rd level academic life

The Covid-19 pandemic has drastically altered the nature of pedagogical life at all levels of academia, with 3rd level education being no exception. The sudden pivot to emergency online teaching at the onset of the pandemic has transformed the day-day activities of both lecturing staff and students alike, with both groups intertwined in an increasingly complex learning curve littered with obstacles and challenges. In this reflective paper, the impact of the Covid-19 pandemic on academic life is summarized by a 3rd year undergraduate student and a newly appointed lecturer in the Department of Life & Health Science at Dundalk Institute of Technology. They reflect on the initial response to the pandemic on their academic activities, how their approach to emergency online teaching evolved over the course of the spring semester and how issues of motivation, engagement and technological access might inform their practice in the future.