Two Irish lecturers were reportedly caught on a video meeting insulting their own students following their virtual presentations.
The two lecturers at the Galway-Mayo Institute of Technology were caught on unmuted Zoom microphones, harshly criticizing their own students following the completion of their online presentations, according to a Tuesday report from The Guardian.
The conversation, which the lecturers thought was held in private, was recorded by a student who was still online and then posted on social media.
College apologises after lecturers overheard insulting student online https://t.co/XvUHBwqBxX
— The Irish Times (@IrishTimes) December 14, 2020
“I thought I’d have to get a drill and start drilling my teeth they were so painful,” one of the lecturers reportedly said about the students’ presentations. (RELATED: Report: Professor Claims That China Has Long Had ‘Old Friends Who Are At The Top Of America’s Core Inner Circle’)
In another section of the video, one of the two lecturers seemed to question whether or not a particular student had a disability, saying that she had “something wrong with her.” The colleague can reportedly be heard replying, “Funny, I was thinking that.”
College president Orla Flynn issued an apology on behalf of the college to the students who had seen the video, according to the Guardian.
“I would like to wholeheartedly apologize to our students for the data breach that has caused such deep hurt and dismay,” Flynn reportedly said, stating that the comments of the staff were not reflective of the college’s values.
Video conferencing blunders have only increased with the shift to online education and business as a result of the coronavirus pandemic, with one University of Miami professor reportedly resigning after students saw a porn tab on his browser while sharing his screen.