Designing a virtual college: here’s how we did it

At Weston College, a strong vision for digital engagement supported the move to teaching exclusively online during lockdown
9th July 2020, 4:28pm

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Designing a virtual college: here’s how we did it

https://www.tes.com/magazine/archive/designing-virtual-college-heres-how-we-did-it
Virtual Colleges: Here's How Weston College Designed Theirs

At Weston College, we aren’t at the start of our digital journey, but we aren’t at the end of it, either. With technology, there is never an end: only evolution. 

To be able to evolve successfully, vision, ethos and leadership buy-in are key. Without a clear vision, departments purchase in silos, implementing systems that cannot communicate with each other. As a result, students disengage and staff have more problems than they started with, all as a result of a fragmented approach.

Weston College launched its technology in learning strategy in 2015. The strategy was designed to holistically embed accessibility to enable inclusion, reduce barriers to learning, foster digital communities, respond to emerging technologies in industry and embed modern ways of working. This was centred on improving productivity and digital capability for students, staff and our employers, including fostering digital wellbeing. 

The college regularly reviews the approach against national strategies, research and initiatives, including the recent Department for Education (DfE) edtech strategy, Wales’ Digital 2030 strategic framework and Jisc’s Education 4.0.

It’s so important to work within national strategies and agendas. Colleges must use expert advice and guidance or best practice offered by Jisc, the Association of Colleges (AoC), the Education Training Foundation, Microsoft, Apple, Amazon Web Services, GCHQ, Young Minds, Big White Wall, Kooth and others leading digital optimisation, wellbeing and security.


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When Covid-19 hit, we were able to flick the switch prior to closure as a result of the college having a clear strategy, which resulted in significant investment in digital infrastructure, an expansive CPD programme and leadership buy-in.  

Prior to the college closure, this strategy was boosted with a £200,000 bursary fund injection to rapidly bridge the digital poverty divide, getting devices out quickly to where they were needed most and ensuring day-one readiness for all students. Staff readiness was further bolstered prior to closing, with all staff inducted and supported to access a purpose-built Covid-19 edtech hub, which provided a dedicated online community space for staff to learn from. The hub was supported by the college’s expansive learning technologists, enabling staff to regularly attend bitesize CPD based around emerging themes.

From day one of lockdown, the #MyVirtualCollege dropbox was set up, to allow college leaders to access and circulate real-time learner, parental/carer, staff and employer feedback, with the aim of shaping innovation at pace. 

For Covid-19, we fostered a ground-up approach to ensure as many staff could contribute ideas and best practice. It meant innovation remained high with staff feeling motivated and connected to their peers and leaders who would listen and make change happen.

College community 

Building a sense of a virtual college community was crucial. More than 4,000 virtual teaching and support sessions were delivered in the first week, and all existing timetabling or support sessions working remotely were in place from day one. The strategy was designed to make the learner still feel part of the college learning experience through highly accessible digital connectivity to their course and their wider college community. Learners work and learn together within a shared digital conversational space connected to their tutor with peer support encouraged. Learners can quickly access wider college services, including welfare, specialist special educational needs and disability (SEND) support, careers, mental health support, learning mentors and more, just as they did prior to lockdown.

Students and staff have digitally engaged in body-and-mind exercises such as fitness and mindfulness and have created strategies to reduce self-isolation: #TuesdayTeaonTeams, #MentoringMonday, #NetflixNatters and virtual support groups such as #LGBTQ+. 

Substantive remote networking has also taken place for employers with virtual business support: hosting #WednesdayWorkingLunch, with topics covered such as crisis leadership and rebuilding for the new normal, in order to promote networking and create successful roadmaps for economic recovery. 

The strategy has seen impressive results during lockdown, with 88 per cent overall remote lesson attendance. The remaining 12 per cent (SEND, vulnerable, looked-after students), being supported or attending via a differentiated 1:1 style individual approach and overcoming personal barriers to engagement linked into wider support teams. This was attainable with daily contact via the college’s inclusive practice and welfare teams to reduce isolation and identify safeguarding concerns in real time.

Employer engagement

At Weston, virtual employer engagement has been a key focus for Covid-19. A new digital training needs analysis has ensured that we can respond at pace to create new online and blended programmes to meet the needs of employers. For example, innovative bespoke training has been created for apprentices and the region’s employees in furlough. 

The college’s in-house digital learning development team has also worked collaboratively with employers, learners and awarding bodies to introduce a range of different digital teaching methodologies, approaches and technologies and to bring employer-led teaching and learning ideas to life.

This two-way co-design with employers and stakeholders has ensured that the college remains abreast of new and emerging industry technologies and innovations. A strong ethos of partnership has provided a directory of industry contacts ready to offer virtual guest speakers to raise the aspirations of learners with real-world examples from industry leaders. There is no doubt, however, that as acknowledged in AoC’s early summer survey, reform of funding flexibilities, audit and evidence collection more befitting to a digital world (including online enrolments) also needs to be in sync.

Covid-19 has become a catalyst for further transformational agendas that include augmented reality and recognition of a new way of working. If we can achieve truly blended delivery, then work-life balance, delivery models and learner satisfaction will themselves help to sustain a very different future.

Dr Paul Phillips is the principal and chief executive at Weston College and Jon Hofgartner is the director of technology, learning resources skills and progression at Weston College.

These articles will contribute to a post-Covid edtech strategy eBook funded by Ufi that will be available to download for free on Amazon from 10 July

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