Remote education provision: information for parents, carers and learners
This information is intended to provide clarity and transparency to students, apprentices and parents or carers about what to expect from remote education if local restrictions require entire cohorts (or bubbles) to remain at home.
Please read the questions and answers below.
For details of what to expect where individual learners are self-isolating, please see the final section of this page.
The remote curriculum
Remote education provision: information for parents/learners 2021/22
The current expectation is that learners will be taught the majority of their taught hours on site underpinned with supportive online environments.
Some sessions may be taught online and/or appropriate work will be set if staff have to await results of a PCR test if someone in their household tests positive and this will be communicated to the students with an appropriate link.
If individual learners have Covid and, therefore, are unable to attend college and are unwell they would need to catch up on work missed upon their return. Staff will outline what is required and provide support as required.
Where individual learners need to self-isolate (due to testing positive or awaiting PCR results) and are well enough it is possible they may be able to attend a face to face session through a virtual link dependent upon the subject/session. However, predominantly education will be provided through the online supportive environments and/or work will be set for completion at home.
All courses and apprenticeships are underpinned by a supportive online environment – this might include Virtual Learning Environments, Microsoft Teams, Learner Desktops and e-portfolio systems.
Learners will have received an overview in induction on how to access and use these environments. This is supported through a guide: https://rise.articulate.com/share/pDbNAG4QaCqpR1wLd9DrCywWASWcry7F#/
If there are any further lockdowns or outbreaks that result in entire campuses/cohorts remaining at home, then full remote learning would be re-introduced.
This information is intended to provide clarity and transparency to students, apprentices and parents or carers about what to expect from remote education ONLY if local restrictions require campus closure or cohorts are asked to remain at home.
The remote curriculum (when sites are closed): what is taught to learners at home?
The college offers a wide range of courses and apprenticeships, therefore, what is taught to learners at home will vary dependent upon the nature of the qualification being studied.
All courses and apprenticeships are underpinned by a supportive online environment – this might include Virtual Learning Environments, Microsoft Teams, Learner Desktops and e-portfolio systems. These will focus, predominantly upon theoretical work and assignment/assessment work.
Learners will have received an overview in induction on how to access and use these environments. This is supported through a guide: https://rise.articulate.com/share/pDbNAG4QaCqpR1wLd9DrCywWASWcry7F#/
Each course/apprenticeship will provide a mixture of live online sessions; tutorials; work set via an online platform to be completed by a set deadline and, where appropriate, the completion of workbooks/portfolios supported by staff (either online or via phone/email).
Following the first few days of full remote education, will learners be taught broadly the same curriculum as they would if they were in college?
Learners will be taught broadly the same curriculum as they would if they were in college but the sequencing or order of the delivery may change. This is especially where a course/apprenticeship is predominantly practical in nature. In remote delivery staff may re-order and focus upon theoretical work. Some practical aspects may be demonstrated through video instruction but mostly the remote work will concentrate on more theoretical aspects of the course.
Remote teaching and study time each day
How long can I expect work set by the college to take each day?
We expect that remote education (including remote teaching and independent work) will provide learners with broadly the same number of hours of work as they are usually timetabled each day/week.
Accessing remote education
How will the learners access any online remote education you are providing?
Learners should be clear on which learning environment they are using for their course and they will access any remote education through this platform. This is predominantly Microsoft Teams, VLE, Office 365 or their portfolio system.
If a learner does not have digital or online access at home, how will you support them to access remote education?
We recognise that some pupils may not have suitable online access at home. We take the following approaches to support those pupils to access remote education:
- There are libraries available on each campus equipped with devices
- All online delivery will be accessible through mobile devices
- Devices will be made available for booking if there is full closure
How will learners be taught remotely?
We use a combination of the following approaches to teach learners remotely:
- Live sessions via Microsoft Teams/Zoom
- Recorded sessions accessible via online platforms
- Online tutorials
- Supportive online environments with work, assignments and tests to underpin study requirements
- Work booklets
- Phone tutorials where required
Engagement and feedback
We expect learners to be fully engaged with any form of remote learning. They should be active in online live sessions (answering questions live or through chat facilities), complete and submit activities and work set by deadlines provided.
We would hope that you would continue to support and encourage engagement at home. We would not expect you to provide subject specialist guidance but check that they are suitably engaged with the work provided.
How will you check whether learners are engaging with their work and how will I be informed if there are concerns?
We would monitor engagement and progress against learning objectives; any concerns would be addressed through the usual methods, which is dependent upon the age of the learner and the type of programme.
How will you assess learner’s work and progress?
Feedback can take many forms and may not always mean extensive written comments for individual learners. For example, whole-class feedback or quizzes marked automatically via digital platforms are also valid and effective methods, amongst many others.
Our approach to feeding back on learner work is as follows:
- Verbal feedback through online sessions
- Written feedback through chat facilities and/or upon submitted work (as per exam board expectations)
- How to improve targets
- Feedback against learning outcomes (verbal and written)