29 September 2021
Fife College has been named as a finalist in two categories at the very first Herald Digital Transformation Awards.
The College has been shortlisted at the new awards which celebrate how organisations across all sectors successfully adopted digital technology into daily practices last year in the wake of the pandemic.
In ‘The Best Use of Technology in Education’ category, the College has been recognised for its key role in the development of the Regional Learner Passport Partnership (RLPP). Led by the College, alongside Edinburgh College and Queen Margaret University, the RLPP has helped increase the visibility of positive learner pathways from the SQA Higher National (HN) qualification to university degrees.
By working with a range of other educational partners, the partnership created a ‘Pathways’ web app which pulled together often-complex articulation information into one platform that makes routes across colleges and universities easier to understand.
Fife College Students’ Association (FCSA) has also been named a finalist in the Digital Community category for the establishment of the ‘FCSA Digital Office’. Launched in March 2020 on Microsoft Teams, the online platform offered new ways for students to connect with the College during the pandemic.
The FCSA developed a complete online environment to organise groups, activities and content which brought students together during a period where they were feeling isolated from college life.
The FCSA Digital Office has also been used to promote external volunteer opportunities for students. Student Shannon Harris, saw a volunteer opportunity with Active Sports Hubs Fife advertised in the digital office and went on to set up her own walking group, which has since achieved a national award from Scottish Student Sport.
Fife College Vice-Principal Dorothee Leslie said:
“The commitment and dedication of our staff over the last 18 months has been truly inspiring.
“Despite the challenges of the pandemic, they pulled out all the stops to ensure we continued to deliver our curriculum and support our students.
“The implementation of digital solutions to overcome some of the challenges we faced has been a real focus for us, so it’s fantastic boost to see staff get recognition on a national stage for their efforts in this area.”
Craig Walker, FCSA Manager, said:
“We are very happy that the Digital Office helped our student community to overcome the isolation and barriers that were introduced by lockdown. To receive recognition for this service really makes a difference to the team.
“The Digital Office has also provided us with a new platform, so that our members can interact with us at times which suits them. The popularity of the Digital Office has meant that even as we return to more on-campus delivery we have expanded the office to host more activities to meet the demand from our students.”
The winners of the Herald Digital Transformation Awards 2021 will be announced during a virtual awards ceremony on Thursday 4 November.
