Tutors at City of Wolverhampton College have hit back at a report in today’s Times newspaper (May 4) which states that a quarter of students on A-level courses are not being given work to do during the current closedown.
Since the college was closed on March 20 due to the coronavirus outbreak, tutors have delivered 150 online teaching lessons to 177 A-level students in 17 subjects including law, physics and environmental science.
Students are logging-in to the college’s online learning classroom to participate in lessons, with tutors setting the same assessment tasks and homework as they would do if they were at college in person.
In addition, A-level students have been taking part in online quizzes to test their knowledge and took part in a live session run by De Montford University enabling them to ask questions about studying for a degree.
Sally Slater, curriculum manager for A-levels at the college, said: “The college may be physically closed at the moment, however it is very much business as usual regarding teaching.
“Students in the first year of their A-levels are attending online lessons so that they will be ready to start year two when they return to us in September, and those who were due to sit exams this summer are being prepared for moving on to university or into employment.”
Heather Reeves, aged 17, who is studying for A-levels in art, English language and psychology, said: “I enjoy my online classes as I am able to keep in touch with my classmates in a relaxed but very productive environment.
“Access to lesson PowerPoint presentations on Google Classroom has helped me to further expand my learning and having homework set every week helps me to stay motivated and focused.
“All my teachers are good at keeping in touch and I know they are there if I need anything.”
A-level tutors are also continuing to support those on the college’s Access to A-levels science pathway course, with 20 online GCSE science lessons being taught to 23 students.
Find out more about A-level subjects on offer at the college here
