College initiative to take eyes off the screen pays off
A LOUGHBOROUGH College initiative taking IT students from screen to team has proved so successful that growing numbers of learners are enjoying the benefits of keeping their eye on the ball.
The College IT and Sport collaboration launched with only a small group in the summer but has already proved so popular that barely a month into the new term the numbers of students taking part has passed 200 – and continues to rise.
“We are all aware of the stereotype of IT students motionless in a dark room with only the glow of a screen, so we asked our Loughborough College Sport Maker Tara Burgess to help us introduce something which was not computer-related - and the impact it has had on the students has reached far beyond them simply becoming more active,” said Keira Hand, progress tutor for IT at Loughborough Col- lege.
“Students who had never been involved with sport were playing dodgeball and football, no one wanted to be on the sidelines, everyone wanted to be part of the teams and individuals who had been withdrawn began to interact with the group. The positive effects then began to translate to the classroom.
“No one missed a session, basketball, bench ball and cricket were introduced and as others heard about it we added further IT groups. Students became increasingly focused and attentive in lessons and they were more cohesive as a group, collaborating on their work far more effectively. Confidence levels also grew with the formerly very quiet students who were becoming less so in the sport sessions also engaging with their fellow students in the classroom. Overall it’s been a fantastic success.”