All over the world, 2020 will certainly be remembered because the 12 months of COVID-19, the 12 months through which all our certainties have been questioned and we realised how fragile we’re. This pandemic has taken its toll on all of us in some ways, each in our private lives in addition to in our careers. Quite a few companies have struggled to outlive, and plenty of did so as a result of they have been fast to adapt to the brand new realities via a number of methods. Most of those methods included additional and higher use of know-how. The training sector was not exempt from dealing with these new realities.
In January 2020, our faculty had began works on a long-term plan which might see the college specializing in the additional use of ICT to boost its student-centred pedagogy. Throughout the weeks previous to the closure of all colleges, San Andrea College had finalised the method of offering college e-mail addresses to all of its educators and college students.
The administration staff at San Andrea College, along with its Digital Studying Environments tech staff, labored tirelessly all through the final seven months with the only goal of welcoming all its college students and educators, whereas guaranteeing that every one obligatory precautions have been as a way to assure the most secure atmosphere doable, for all workers members and college students alike.
Nothing was taken with no consideration and each element was rigorously analysed to make sure the assorted protocols issued by the well being authorities have been strictly adhered to. Furthermore, numerous coaching periods have been held all through summer season for all educators to strengthen their digital literacy expertise, in view of an improved student-centred pedagogy via a blended studying method.
Dwell classes
Aside from guaranteeing a secure atmosphere, San Andrea can be centered on guaranteeing continuity to the training of each one in all its college students, whereas acknowledging the proper of fogeys who choose to maintain their youngsters at residence, or are in quarantine. On this respect, academics are concurrently delivering classes to all college students bodily current at school, whereas transmitting them reside to college students at residence. The varsity went via a significant web improve all through summer season, to resist the elevated Wi-Fi site visitors being envisaged.
San Andrea is concentrated on guaranteeing continuity to the training of each one in all its college students
We additionally launched a two-way sound communication for teams of scholars. Academics have been already outfitted with a Bluetooth headset to speak with distant learners. College students attending college have been in a position to view their friends on Microsoft Groups projected through a wi-fi projector/smart-board outfitted with an onboard wi-fi speaker system.
As classes began to unfold, the necessity for a two-way communication between studyers at school and people at residence was being felt. Academics and learners alike felt there was one thing lacking throughout dialogue time.
College students and academics at school. PVC curtains in all courses separate the scholars’ desks from the instructor.The Digital Studying Environments tech staff put in a small diaphragm condenser microphone in all courses. When required, on the academics’ discretion, throughout dialogue occasions or Microsoft Groups periods, learners at residence would be capable of hear each instructor and college students at college. Everybody current throughout that dialogue time would be capable of voice their opinion and listen to clearly what the opposite social gathering is saying.
One-to-one know-how
In view of all the present and future wants of our college students, San Andrea College has launched a system of one-to-one know-how within the school rooms. All educators have additionally been given a graphic pad to permit them to appropriate the scholars’ work, since that is all being achieved on-line.
The significance of one-to-one know-how goes effectively past addressing the challenges encountered by this pandemic. Our goal is to concentrate on 4 major objectives:
College students-centred pedagogy: That is being achieved in a myriad of the way, similar to bettering teacher-student interplay via the usage of numerous academic instruments, facilitating collaboration amongst college students utilizing functions similar to quizzes, on-line actions and simulations as a way to diversify studying methods, in addition to for various evaluation strategies and to allow all college students to study higher at their very own tempo, since all classroom materials will be made simply accessible. Common display screen breaks are supplied to all learners.
Attitudes: We’re searching for to foster a technology-enhanced/ -enabled studying atmosphere to be embraced by the complete San Andrea College group as an angle.
Environmentally pleasant college: By way of the usage of tablets, the college is decreasing the quantity of printed materials. Conventional handouts distributed by academics have now been changed by comfortable copies. Within the longer-term, the college will even be working to introduce digital books.
College bag weight: A direct consequence of the digitalisation of varied assets is that college students now carry much less books and different assets of their baggage, therefore making them lighter. On the identical time, college students even have to fret much less about forgetting any gadgets at residence.
Imaginative and prescient of the long run
UNESCO estimates about 24 million learners, from pre-primary to school stage throughout the globe, are prone to not returning to highschool this 12 months following the disruptions on account of COVID-19.
The UNESCO COVID-19 Schooling Response doc recommends that coverage responses ought to guarantee enchancment of curriculum readiness and introduce modern approaches to educating and studying.This contains the gradual integration of hybrid/blended studying programmes via a mixture of distance and school-based studying and leveraging the potential of other modalities as a way to handle and meet the varied and differential studying wants of learners. The above-mentioned actions, insurance policies and the angle in direction of technology-enabled training, are all a part of San Andrea’s response, as outlined and really helpful by UNESCO.
Our college will even delve into the usage of synthetic intelligence (AI) in training. We are going to develop a typical AI competency framework for academics and learners. This framework can make clear the mixing of AI expertise at school and institutional curricula, and will function a blueprint for different colleges.
We’re longing for what the long run holds in our imaginative and prescient and we search to have all our group and stakeholders embrace this shift. We really feel assured that San Andrea College will but once more set itself as a trendsetter in training in Malta. Furthermore, we really feel that we are able to put Malta on the map with this long-term plan.
Stefania Bartolo, head, San Andrea College
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