We’ve stepped up to give students what they need – Dorothee Leslie

Fife College is ready to meet the challenges posed by Covid and beyond, says Dorothee Leslie

Dorothee Leslie, Vice-Principal of Fife College

As a place of learning we’re used to having our classrooms, workshops and study areas buzzing with students. To therefore have to halt that back in March and temporarily suspend the teaching of so many people due to the Coronavirus outbreak, was tough to take – especially for all of our lecturers and staff who have dedicated themselves to their students over the course of the year.

It was therefore hugely satisfying to reopen our buildings to students this month for the start of the new academic year. While not everyone will be back in class at first, those with practical elements to their teaching will return, and we will be applying a blended learning approach for others.

To make our campuses safer for those who are returning, one-way systems are now in place in hallways, we have guidance in each room with regards to social distancing, and hand sanitising stations have been installed. This is in addition to more regular cleaning, and a guide for students on how to keep safe on campus.

For those who can’t return, it’s important that they don’t miss out on their education. Early on in the pandemic we invested heavily in digital technology for students, at one stage going out and delivering 300 devices around the region to students.

We’ve continued this investment since then in a bid to ensure that every student has access to the resources they need.

We’ve also developed a system to live stream and record lessons as they are happening, allowing those who are at home can still view lessons and ask questions of the lecturer as if they were in class. It’s also recorded so that those who aren’t able to tune-in at the time can watch it later at a time convenient to them.

Ensuring a high-quality learning experience is vitally important for Fife College, but we’ve also been working hard to ensure that our students don’t miss out on the social side of the college experience either.

Our students association has done great work to put on a virtual Freshers’ Fayre and organised a full Freshers’ Festival, including an online quiz with ‘The Beast’ Mark Labbett from ITV’s The Chase. We hope this will go some way to giving those at the college experience they deserve.

The challenge faced by students across Scotland at this time is undoubted. Figures published at the end of last month predicted youth unemployment hitting six-figures by the end of the year, which is why we have to do everything we can now to prepare for it.

The recently published Higgins Report called for an education-led recovery, stating that “As in the aftermath of 2008, colleges will need to be at the heart of the recovery effort.”

We, and other colleges around Scotland, are ideally placed to react to provide the skills Scots will need to gain employment in the future.

We know this will be a big task, and colleges will need to offer more places to students looking to start or to change their careers.

Fife College however is ready for the challenge, and as we enter the new academic term we’re looking forward to providing tens of thousands of our students with the opportunity to progress in life.

Dorothee Leslie, Vice-Principal of Fife College