KEIGHLEY College has brought together a new wave of learning to combat the difficulties brought about by the coronavirus outbreak.

The institution, in Bradford Road, has rolled out a wide range of strategic educational activities to maintain engagement while students study from home.

A weekly timetable of positive personal development, behaviours and attitudes (PDBA) activities is provided to students in order to create structure to daily learning routines.

The key activities cover five themes; exercise and physical activity, wellbeing and mental health, healthy eating, fun activities and current affairs.

Google Hangouts is regularly used to maintain communication between students and teachers and provide online tutoring.

Through this platform, small groups regularly interact to discuss a range of topics from sports, to gaming and films.

The video feature is being used to deliver live classes including engineering and electrical.

Students are also benefitting from live video sessions on Discord, an application designed for video communication between various users.

Steve Kelly, principal of Keighley College, said: "We’re committed to creating a fun, interactive and engaging environment for students.

"While this is a difficult time and learning from home can be challenging for many, we have developed a learning strategy to cover a range of fun and educational activities to involve all our students."

Social media platforms are used to provide regular updates throughout the college.

Positive news stories and opportunities to volunteer in essential areas are constantly shared in order to maintain interaction with students.

A dedicated independent learning team have launched Google Classroom templates and activities to support distance learning at the college.

The virtual classrooms aim to mirror a real life learning environment, allowing teachers to share files, foster communication and mark assignments.

Debra Granger, Head of Technology at Keighley College, said: "Communication is a key focus for us and we are using Google Hangouts to ensure students have regular contact with peers and teachers. Students are also participating in virtual lessons through Google Classrooms and YouTube videos, providing structure and continuity to their learning."

Learners are encouraged to develop their academic skills through the completion of online courses to support soft skills, such as critical thinking and leadership.

This learning experience allows students to access and engage learning at any point within a given timescale.

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