Year 2 Digital Week

Dear Student,

We were delighted to welcome you back to the College last week and we look forward to a really productive year ahead. Despite very difficult circumstances last year, we were tremendously impressed with your positive approach to learning and your willingness to work in new ways. 

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 introduce an annual ‘Digital Week’ early in the academic year. For Year Two students, this will take place week commencing 20^th September 2021. 

During the ‘Digital Week’ 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 lessons via Google Meet, which will prepare you in case of any future restrictions, local lockdowns, or situations where you may need to self-isolate. 
• 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 Week’ to help you make the most of your experience. 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 week, 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 week 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 Week’ has been carefully chosen at this point in the term. In the week following, you will be taking internal assessments in your exam based subjects. If you manage your time carefully, you may therefore take advantage of the removal of travel time to maximise any preparation needed prior to these assessments. 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 the issues. 

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

Best wishes,

Theresa Amarawansa

Assistant Principal – Teaching & Learning