Our project aims to improve learners’ and educators’ digital skills in the creative and media arts across diverse fields of cultural production such as media, film and TV, performing arts, digital post-production and music technology etc., in response to the current skills shortages outlined by the LSIP. The funding has offered us the chance to consider how we could meet this skill challenge as well as enhancing existing and developing new courses – informed by LSIP and our skills partners. We also want to strengthen our employer engagement in this area and to build sustainable relationships with local creative employers, working dynamically with them to ensure that our courses match sector and industry needs as well as providing learners with a world-class education.
Our approach is to build exciting new rooms, studios and spaces for our music, media and creative arts production courses and to install industry-standard facilities and equipment, e.g. digital theatre DAV lighting and sound, digital cameras, music recording and video studio facilities, to provide an industry standard environment where students can learn the skills needed to work in the media and creative sectors. To this effect, we have already purchased and installed cutting-edge digital sound and lighting systems for the Theatre and Manning Hall, so students and teachers can use up to date, industry standard kit.
In addition, we want teachers to develop their own digital skills and digital efficacy in emerging areas such as in the use of edtech, immersive classrooms, digital collaboration, AI and digital pedagogies – which has already begun. One of the biggest challenges, however, has been the requirement to train teachers before having all the equipment and rooms in place, due to the scheduling of the revenue funding. We are nevertheless confident that the new learning spaces will be ready to use from September, so our key focus will be on developing excellent curricula and content that students engage with – and is in line with the expectations of employers.
