How have you guys found the transition to home working and teaching?

The transition from face-to-face teaching happened at great pace – nobody had foreseen the change, and it wasn’t without its challenges. At Glasgow Clyde College, we use OneFile to support engagement, process student progression and inform employers of their employee’s progress. So, the transition was seamless, however, the romance of working from home for students and staff would soon diminish.

Did you face any challenges as a tutor and how did you overcome them?

Yes, there were more challenges than we’d anticipated and pretty much all of them were out of our control.

Communication between staff, students and management became protracted, so I turned to social media to relay messages to students, realising that they would be engaging in this on a regular basis. Overall, student engagement has been our greatest challenge as most students, initially, were still at work as keyworkers. However, as time passed more and more students were furloughed. Once this occurred, the student mindset was that they were on holiday – thus, it became our daily challenge to communicate and encourage our students to complete their coursework. The adoption of social media, email and the ease of access to OneFile ensured we overcame 90% of issues.

How have you used OneFile to support your remote working?

We use OneFile in a number of ways;

• To track student apprenticeship progression
• To submit onsite activities
• To create employer progress reports from college staff
• To feed back to students regarding their performance

Are there any features in particular that have helped?

OneFile’s tracking features have been very useful. As have student submissions, remote reviews and the phone app, as well as the easy access of the OneFile dashboard.

Your learners are more engaged than ever. How has OneFile impacted this?

Without OneFile, the students would not have been able to see their “real-time” progression or submit their work efficiently. In a world where people expect instant gratification, OneFile offers this seamless process. OneFile is a one-stop format which is easy and efficient to use – the dashboard displays all the information you need at a glance and students love it.

What advice would you give to other centres to help them adapt to remote working?

There is a place for remote working in today’s world, however, it is important that you find the correct support mechanism to enable you to be successful. Remote working requires self-discipline, organisation, good communication with your staff and students, and an acceptance that you can get it wrong. Using OneFile gives centres confidence and a strong foundation to achieve this successfully.

 

Anthony McGinley, senior lecturer | Glasgow Clyde College

Working from home is a big adjustment for learners, tutors, managers and providers. To make sure make sure you have the right systems and processes in place for remote working, download your remote working checklist. It covers everything from video calling to safeguarding apprentices.