How students learn successfully at Associate degrees Academy

Change can be seen within education. Other solutions are coming into the picture for the provision of learning offerings and that is actually very pleasing! So too at Associate degrees Academy. Thomas Hopstaken and Annemiek Roovers, both ICTO coach and teacher at Associate degrees Academy, tell how they experience this.

About Associate degrees Academy

At Associate degrees Academy (Ad-academie), students can take a two-year college course after completing a mbo or havo degree. This is different from a regular college education, as it focuses more on practical experience. Thomas says, "Our teaching method (LEV) stands for: teachable, idiosyncratic and connecting. Our students learn from each other and with each other. They learn primarily by doing. That also calls for matching learning offerings that fit well with this learning method."

The move to online education

Last school year, Ad-academy chose to start offering online learning activities through SkillsTown's learning platform. Annemiek explains, "Because of corona, the education sector was obliged for a while to start looking for online solutions. Then you have to explore with colleagues what is the best way to offer this." Thomas says, "A colleague from Den Bosch was already working with SkillsTown's online learning platform and recommended it to us. That's how we got in touch with SkillsTown."

Tip from Annemiek: "Don't use the platform as an extra tool, but integrate it within your training curriculum and teaching program. That way you will really start to see the added value of this."

"Students learn in a hands-on way with us, we hardly have any books within our program. That's why this way of teaching suits our students so well," says Thomas. "With SkillsTown's online learning platform, students have variety. They can watch a movie, take an interactive e-learning, read a paper, complete assignments or listen to a podcast. That variety fits nicely with the way we work with students."

How online learning is used

Teachers within Ad Academy are free to use the platform as they see fit. This way they can adapt its use to their own students. Annemiek explains: "Some teachers let students take training courses as preparation or reference work for the lessons. Others include it in the assessment or just give tips for trainings to students." Thomas adds, "In addition, we have 9 different courses with different needs. Therefore, for each course we also put in different curricula applicable to those students. That way you personalize the platform for your students."

"We recorded podcasts with SkillsTown to update our colleagues on the tools on the online learning platform and tips on how to use them. So they can draw knowledge from this to use the platform to its fullest potential."

Students are enthusiastic

During the past school year, 300 licenses were taken, 250 of which were taken by students. In total, more than 2,000 training sessions were opened and a wonderful 477 certificates were obtained. Annemiek: "We notice that especially the personalized learning lines are followed a lot."

Trainings such as Presenting like a pro, Time Management and Successful negotiation are popular with students. Annemiek: "Some students are very enthusiastic and also look up for themselves what they find interesting. We see that outside school hours, late at night, students are still working in the platform. That students are doing this in their own time is a good sign."

Are your students also going to work?

Do you also want to give your students the opportunity to learn in a versatile way? With SkillsTown's online learning platform you ensure that students can work on their development whenever and wherever they want through different types of training. Whether it is in preparation for a lesson or they want to work on their own learning goals, it is all possible! Discover the possibilities during a no-obligation (online) demo.