Riseholme College embraces Covid challenges further enhancing its digital provision
17 Feb 2021 | College
Riseholme College embraces Covid challenges further enhancing its digital provision
Digital fatigue and burnout, fed up or feeling confused by endless Zoom and Teams meetings and lessons? These are phrases that twelve months ago wouldn’t have made much sense. But today they are at the forefront of our learning and work experiences... "you’re on mute Janet!”
At Riseholme College, we are constantly looking for new and innovative ways to strengthen our digital capability and this is more important now than ever before. The College has embraced the challenges the pandemic has presented and pushed forward with its Digital Transformation strategy to help sustain its high level of learning and teaching by successfully adapting to online learning platforms quickly, with minimal disruption to the students learning.
Online learning has been well received at Riseholme, with an impressive 92% of students satisfied with how they are getting on.
Providing additional digital support and upskilling staff across our college network has the potential to make learning more flexible and enhances our provision that is available to students. In light of this, the College has invested in a brand-new ‘Digital Technologist’ role, to make sure both its students and staff have access to a dedicated front-line service and support.
Bradley Plows joined Riseholme in January and will fulfil a range of essential functions in support of the College’s aspiration to continually develop its students’ learning experience. His role will also focus on enhancing the College’s software and hardware capability, improving safety and security online and supporting staff to build confidence and skills in digital learning.
The appointment of Bradley demonstrates the College is a step closer in supporting each of its students’ employment chances by deepening their skills set within the ‘digital’ sphere, an ever-growing sector and increasingly essential employer requirement in all areas of work. According to a report published by the Government in June 2019;
‘Digital skills are required in at least 82% of online advertised [job] openings across the UK.'
This is just one reason why investment in this area is a central element of the College’s digital and curriculum transformation strategy, ensuring students can confidently gain these valuable employment skills, across all the College’s curriculum.
The College has also provided many students with free loan laptops during the 3 national lockdowns, to make sure that all students are able to continue to access online lessons and support. Bundles of Vodaphone SIM cards, pre-loaded with data, have also be given to those students with the greatest need of support, to make sure that quality remote teaching delivery and learning can continue.
The College is excited to make this investment in enhancing its digital provision and support, building on its Digital Strategy. We hope to be able to share our best practice and benefits both long and short term from making this key appointment. As well as continue to build on our digital technology improvements which are central to current and future student learning.
100s of laptops being set up for students at Riseholme College, as part of the Department for Education’s #GetHelpWithTech scheme
