We like to drop-in at TAFE campuses, for coffee, for lunch, and especially for a hall packed full of dedicated TAFE teachers. Last week we visited TAFE South West Sydney during their management day, as well as TAFE Western NSW and South West Institute in VIC for staff training. What did we learn from you?
#1 What did we learn? Teachers are feeling the technology burden. Teachers are doing more because the technology facilitates it, so it’s harder to ‘switch off’ at home. Plus, students have fewer time and technology boundaries themselves so are making requests to teachers anytime of night, any day, including over session breaks.
When it's hard to switch off, TAFE teachers feel the pressure to support students 24/7.
... What did TAFE teachers learn from us? Studiosity is 24/7 access for a reason - because TAFE teachers have enough course content and expertise to deliver without also explaining grammar and sentence structure at 10.30pm on a Sunday night.
#2. What did we learn? English writing skills are still a problem... for everyone. From engineering to design to policing, students can always do better with writing, because English competency will impact career prospects and success. Teachers also said that even when writing isn’t part of the marked grade, bad writing certainly makes assignments hard to read. We hear you.
...What did TAFE teachers learn from us? We believe that even the best writer in the world needs a ‘second pair of eyes’ on their draft. Students can never do enough critical thinking and revision. So whatever performance band, all students need to upload a draft to Studiosity. They'll get feedback in less than 24 hours that will help them improve their own writing every time.
Every student, course area, and career requires good language skills. Source: telegraph.co.uk
#3. What did we learn? The teacher-student dynamic and personalised attention are still the best determinants of student success. However, increasingly, online learning and class sizes prevent a beneficial teacher-student relationship and make one-to-one attention impossible.
Personal attention is still best for learning, but what happens when students expect it 24/7? Source: personalbrandinguk.com
...What did TAFE teachers learn from us? We founded Studiosity on this same premise. One-to-one is best. When your students know to sign in to Studiosity, they are getting the safety net of one-to-one support outside your contact hours, when you can't be there to provide the personal attention instead.
Thanks for your hospitality, we promise we'll visit again soon
In the meantime, we're here to help. Make sure your students know Studiosity is their after-hours go-to point.
TAFE teachers can visit: studiosity.com/partners/resources for free resources.
