How we’re combating lockdown lesson fatigue using owl pellets!

We know learning in lockdown is hard! At Riseholme College we are a specialist land-based college with plenty of practical hands-on experience built into our teaching. Obviously, this has added an extra level of difficulty when moving to online learning during the national lockdown.

However, our dedicated academic staff at the College have been working hard and thinking innovatively about how we can bring practical experience into digital learning. Bridging the gap between distance learning at home and our amazing facilities, our dedicated staff and student-centred learning experience is central to our approach at all times.

The Riseholme College Science Labs are still open and staff have been using the on-site facilities to record practical demonstration videos to share with students during online lessons, to enhance their online learning.

Our Animal Management team have gone one step further and are introducing practical dissection experiments which our students can do in the safety of their own home. Amanda Gray from the Animal Management teaching team said,

Students will receive their very own laboratory pack which will be posted to their home. Each pack will contain all the key equipment for them to carry out the experiments for their assessments. The first will include owl pellets, tweezers, gloves, Agar plates, swabs and testing strips. Once everyone has their packs students will work using Microsoft Teams, together with teaching colleagues and taught just like an experience would be as if they were in college within the laboratories. Three experiments have been confirmed so far with more planned over the next few weeks.

This innovative thinking and practice from our teaching staff shows how we are continuing to offer specialist teaching and learning, whilst recognising the need to adapt and excite through our new way of digital learning.

Applications for September 2021 are open, click here to check out our Animal Management courses.