Inverness College UHI shortlisted for two national digital learning awards
INVERNESS College UHI and its partners have been shortlisted for two prestigious digital learning awards in just one week.
Inverness College UHI, North Highland College UHI and West Highland College UHI have been named as finalists in the Digital Learning Award category at this year’s College Development Network (CDN) College Awards for their Virtual School, Virtually Anywhere offer.
The CDN Awards recognise the talent, innovation and achievement demonstrated by Scotland’s colleges, their staff and their learners.
The Colleges have also been named as finalists in the Best Use of Technology in Education category at The Herald Digital Transformation Awards.
The Virtual Schools, Virtually Anywhere offer recognises the Colleges’ innovative use of digital technology to deliver courses to S4, S5 and S6 pupils in remote and rural areas across the Highland Council region.
Earlier this year, the Virtual School, Virtually Anywhere offer picked up the UK-wide Tes FE Award for ‘Outstanding Use of Technology in Delivering Remote Teaching and Learning.’
Lindsay Snodgrass, Assistant Principal – Student Experience and Quality at Inverness College UHI, said: “To win the Tes FE Award and now be shortlisted for two more national awards for our Virtual School, Virtually Anywhere offer is fantastic recognition for this very innovative digital learning project, which has brought so much benefit to young people across the Highland Council region. It is particularly special to us given the challenges posed by COVID-19 over the last 18 months.
“Using our expertise in remote learning, the ‘Virtual School’ offer responds to the needs of our communities and the rurality of the Highland Council region by ensuring S4, S5 and S6 pupils have access to a range of courses regardless of where they live. The ‘Virtual School’ offer is testament to the benefit of collaboration with other colleges within the University partnership and Highland Council.”
Working with Highland Council, the three colleges developed ‘Virtual School,’ which builds upon the Council’s Highland Virtual Academy initiative, allowing pupils to attend classes remotely using online learning technologies, providing an accessible curriculum to those pupils living in remote and rural regions.
‘Virtual School’ complements the colleges’ successful senior phase programme, which enables senior secondary school pupils to choose a college course to study one day, or across the week as part of their options choices in S4, S5 and S6.
This provides pupils with access to programmes, including National 5s, Highers, Advanced Highers, Degree Modules, Skills for Work programmes, Foundation Apprenticeships, National Progression Awards and Professional Development Awards, that aren’t available in their secondary school. Subjects available to secondary school pupils are showcased via the Highland Senior Phase website.
The Herald Digital Transformation Awards take place on Thursday, 4th November 2021. The winners of the CDN College Award will be announced at a celebration ceremony at Radisson Blu, Glasgow on Thursday 9 December 2021.
