Year 1 Digital Days

Dear Student,

We are delighted to welcome you to the College and we look forward to a really productive year ahead.

Our experience during the pandemic has required all of us to develop new skills including those associated with working successfully from home. This has been true for many people in employment, who have also had to learn to adapt their methods of working. In fact, we have noticed that some employers and many universities are planning to retain significant elements of remote working in the future.

In order to help prepare all of our students for this emerging approach, and to ensure that the College can maximise learning in whatever circumstances the future holds, we have decided to include a brief two day digital experience as part of this year’s induction package. For First Year students, this will take place on Monday 27^th and Tuesday 28^th September 2021. First Year students will be expected to stay at home during these two days to access their lessons.

During the ‘Digital Experience’ you will continue to engage fully in a normal timetable of taught sessions. The only difference will be that this is a remote learning experience. There are many benefits that you will derive from the inclusion of the ‘Digital Week’ early in this year’s calendar. These include:

• Refreshing your skills in accessing and participating in remote lessons, which will prepare you in case of any future restrictions, local lockdowns or situations where you may need to self-isolate.
• Familiarising yourself with Google Meet, the system used at QE alongside Google Classroom.
• Preparing you for a method of learning being used across a large range of university courses.
• Developing your confidence and proficiency with online working, which will enhance your employability in readiness for work.
• As the global economy expands, many UK employees will work internationally. The ability to work online will be paramount to your success in this situation.
• The ability to learn independently is the key to your academic success. Proficiency in remote learning is a vital step on your journey to autonomy as a learner.

Your teachers will work with you throughout the ‘Digital Experience’ to help you make the most of your time. Some of your sessions will take place live via Google Meet, others will involve you testing your ability at guided independent learning activities. By the end of the experience, you will not only have made progress in your subjects, but also learnt more about yourself as a learner and further developed your independent learning skills.

QE teachers will be there to support you throughout the two days and to reflect upon and consolidate your learning afterwards. Any issues you experience can therefore be addressed collaboratively. As part of this initiative, please complete this short survey that indicates what technology you have access to at home to help you engage with online learning:

https://forms.gle/btN2YQuF2c7RXx9Z6

Please note, you need to use your College Gmail account to log in to the survey.

The timing of the ‘Digital Experience’ has been carefully chosen at this point in the term to form part of your academic induction and preparation for the year ahead. If, for any reason, you have difficulty in accessing materials or lessons remotely, you should inform us immediately so that we can work to resolve any issues.

We trust that the ‘Digital Experience’ will deliver benefits to students both in their College work and life beyond QE.

Best wishes,

Theresa Amarawansa

Assistant Principal – Teaching & Learning