Higher failings

Your report (Scotsman, 9 August) that for two successive years a complete Higher Media class had failed the exam is concerning. To misquote Oscar Wilde “To fail one class may be regarded as a misfortune; to lose two looks like carelessness.”

The acting principal’s statement - “The results are not in line with ongoing feedback and monitoring of the course, which was stringent this year given last year’s results” - suggests a severe management failure.

During over 20 years in education most of it lecturing in FE I did actually lecture in IT and Broadcast Technology to Media students. I found the SQA provided materials straightforward even if their language is somewhat complicated by use of too many buzz words. The college needs to have a thorough examination of all the factors concerned from the resources available, the qualifications and experience of the lecturers, the attendance records of the students and the lecturer’s teaching records.

It would be preferable if such an investigation was conducted by an experienced education professional with no link to the college.

Media studies is an important subject with the increase in broadcast media and the rapid development of the internet.

Students must be capable of understanding both the context and the development of content in the various forms of media.

One hundred years ago print was the main form of information. To that we have added radio, TV and now the internet and now information that once took a roomful of printing presses can now be displayed on a mobile phone.

Ironically Inverness UHI is based around many centres including Gairloch which can be serviced using modern IT. We need students from all parts of the country and UHI Inverness serves a large area and should be using the very media techniques it teaches to allow it to service students in the whole Highland area with a success rate which matches other colleges. BRUCE D SKIVINGTON

Gairloch , Wester Ross