Northern Regional College, in common with the other five colleges of further and higher education, (Belfast Metropolitan College, North West Regional College, South Eastern Regional College, South West College and Southern Regional College) has developed new ways to support their students, and have adapted to technology to help maintain quality education standards.
A fundamental part of a fulfilling college life for many students is the delivery of support services, including pastoral care, counselling, health and well-being and learning support. As such, student support, particularly with regards to mental health and well-being throughout this challenging time, has been paramount in all actions taken by further and higher education colleges.
The colleges have moved quickly to implement alternative support arrangements for all students, whose day-to-day lives have been drastically changed by the pandemic. Learning and support services are continuing online through a series of workshops, and there has been constant promotion of external support services. The counselling provision across all colleges, available through Inspire, has also been open for business.
Outgoing SU president Reece Cochrane, has encouraged his peers to take advantage of the support services offered by the College.
“Like many students, I didn’t get off to a great start with online learning as it was a big step into the unknown, not just for me but also for my lecturers. It was all just so different! There were so many uncertainties but with the help of my lecturers and the College’s Student Services team, I was able to get the answers I needed.”
Reece explained that for questions specific to his course, he dealt directly with course lecturers, while he was able to get the answers to non-course specific questions from the FAQ page on the College website.
“The support from the College’s Student Services staff has been spectacular and they continually updated the FAQ section on the College’s website as the situation unfolded to make sure we had all the necessary information,” he added.
Another student at the College, who is doing a Level 3 Health and Social Care Diploma, agreed:
“I definitely struggled with the initial transition from face-to-face classes to online learning. The first few weeks were incredibly difficult and I considered dropping out of the course. Thankfully, the Education Support Team and lecturers were on hand to help with supportive emails, online calls, extra tuition and additional online classes. Without this support, I wouldn't have finished the course and I can't thank everyone enough for all the support and help I received throughout the COVID-19 situation.
Stephen McCartney, Student Services Manager acknowledged that the lockdown had created many challenges for everyone, not least for students.
“Students are facing an incredibly challenging time – some students and their families may contract the Coronavirus, some have caring responsibilities, some students may struggle to study from home due to lack of equipment or internet access and others may be contributing to the frontline effort. If students are having any difficulties, I would urge them get help. Our dedicated team is working immensely hard to ensure that students have the support and resources needed to keep up with their studies and also to keep a healthy frame of mind in these uncertain times.”
For information on support available to students at Northern Regional College, visit Student Support