Perrotis College, in collaboration with Cardiff Metropolitan University, has taken all necessary measures to ensure a smooth transition to distance learning following the suspension of classes as a precautionary measure against COVID-19. In an effort to secure that the semester is not lost, faculty has activated all online tools available and has been in constant contact with the students.
Over 30 e-sessions are delivered every week through the Big Blue Button distance learning platform, many of which are recorded for asynchronous learning. The majority of the faculty has experience with e-teaching tools; as a result the transition to distance learning was relatively easy. One of the main challenges was to schedule online classes for the Study Abroad students because of the time difference. Nonetheless, with the valuable support of the Student Services Department, Study Abroad students have been able to follow online lectures.
Perrotis College is currently working on organizing a workshop on distance teaching for faculty, in collaboration with Cardiff Met, while an evaluation survey to measure students’ perception on the effectiveness of e-learning will be distributed to them before Easter.
During this difficult time, the College focuses its efforts to also respond to the emotional attachment of the residential students with the institution. Suspension of classes subsequently meant that students had to move out of the residence, adding to the emotional pressure caused by the pandemic. For this reason, communication with students is not limited to course work; it extends to providing support and reassurement that Perrotis College continues to offer a 360o educational experience.