While nothing can substitute the physical teaching-learning relationship, students and teachers need to adopt a ‘new normal’ way of interacting, says MCAST principal and CEO Joachim James Calleja in this interview.
How has COVID-19 affected MCAST?
The pandemic hit MCAST students and staff members hard. In various aspects, it transformed the college into a ghost town. But apart from the physical aspect, COVID-19 has been a wake-up call to realise how fragile human relations can be when faced with a crisis in which the only tangible deterrence is social distancing.
We invested heavily in online platforms to reach as many students as possible and to ensure teaching and learning takes place as much as possible. But in vocational education and training (VET), where practical and hands-on learning are central, online learning is limited.
Of course, we realise there are still many lessons to be learnt to ensure all learning takes place within planned time frames and as effectively as possible under normal lecture-room conditions. Although the efforts of the lecturing staff and managers has been outstanding, several students were disengaged.
Assessing beyond knowledge acquisition is difficult. In vocational training, the acquisition of skills and competences in a real work environment, is paramount. This hopefully will be tested in September when lecturing staff and students return to workshops and labs.
I strongly believe educational institutions in Malta should reopen in autumn while taking all necessary measures to safeguard the health and well-being of students and staff members. Imposing social distancing as a key measure and limiting the population on campus will be two measures that will hopefully help us return to a ‘new normal’.
Post-pandemic, what will be the ‘new normal’ for MCAST students?
We are taking different scenarios into account in the post-pandemic period. The aim is that students and staff members continue with their educational interaction even during these times of uncertainty. But, in moving towards the post-pandemic phase, we need to ensure students and staff return, where possible, to the physical environment.
Nothing substitutes the student-teacher physical teaching-learning relationship. MCAST is at the forefront in taking the measures needed to safeguard the health and well-being of its staff. A protocol has been prepared to ensure compliance. All measures recommended by the health authorities to prevent the spread of the virus are in place at MCAST. Most meetings are held online or spaced-out in boardrooms. This will continue to be the ‘new normal’ at MCAST, or as otherwise directed by the health authorities.
The ‘new normal’ will also impose restricted entrance to the college campus and premises. Blended learning will be part of our day-to-day teaching and learning processes. The use of the several online platforms available to lecturing staff and students will be structured around fixed timetabling.
As for practical sessions, plans are in hand to hold them while respecting social distancing and high levels of disinfection and hygiene. But we aim to have lectures as much as possible on campus.
For an educational institution, how important is continuous improvement?
The 2019-20 academic year was almost completed with the least possible disruptions thanks to the efforts of managers, lecturing staff and the vast majority of students. The learning was constant despite unpredictable challenges created by the pandemic, such as lack of IT equipment and limited connectivity in students’ homes, low participation of students to some online lessons, the verification of quality of online learning as well as the lack of practical sessions to test the acquired skills and competences.
On the whole, the online experience was positive from various angles, notably the flexibility it offers to study from the comfort of one’s home at any time; to engage with lecturers on a one-to-one basis at agreed times through verbal or written communication; the saving of hours of travelling to/from the college and the waiting time in-between lectures. Seen from this perspective, COVID-19 has shown that we can be more efficient by acting smartly. For instance, I have had countless meetings online which have saved me travelling time locally and abroad. The results were more or less the same from a practical point of view.
What has been tremendously missing is the human interaction, which no matter how sophisticated your connections are, enriches your work and your productivity, and build personal relations that enhance our effectiveness.
What are MCAST’s success stories?
MCAST has been a success ever since it began 20 years ago. It has seen the profile and esteem of vocational education and training grow exponentially. Thousands of students have been awarded qualifications at nearly every level of the Malta Qualifications Framework. Last year, the college started awarding master’s degrees and this autumn, we will launch a proposal for a professional doctorate at the highest level of qualifications.
The close relationship with industry has made a huge difference in the way we conduct education and training. We aspire to instil in every individual a work-based learning mindset. Last year, we launched six degree apprenticeships, sending a clear message that working and learning go together at all levels.
Research has seen a huge development since 2019. Today, over 45 lecturers are engaged in research projects, including EU-funded ones. Up to 2019, only a few researchers had obtained such funds. The launch in 2018 of the MCAST research journal was an important development. It serves as a platform to showcase locally and internationally vocational and applied research at MCAST.
The state-of-the-art infrastructure is also a success story, giving students and staff a modern environment to work in.
A fresh success story is that this year over 5,277 students applied to continue their studies at MCAST. This is a 20 per cent increase on last year. Of these, 1,851 are fresh students, a six per cent increase of admissions compared to last year.
In addition, over the past few years, over 3,500 students engaged in our part-time courses. A final call for applicants for MCAST’s new academic year will be conducted from September 7 to 11.
How responsive are MCAST courses to present and future needs of industry?
The employability rate of MCAST students is very high. Our students find jobs before they actually finish their studies. The secret lies in the students’ already established relationship with employers. All MCAST education and training programmes are reviewed with industry and this makes our courses relevant to what modern workplaces require.
Nevertheless we require more involvement from industry in the life of MCAST. Industry on Campus is an initiative we are planning to launch to entice industry to invest, through their equipment and knowhow, in the college. The closer industry is to MCAST, the more our students, future workers will hit the ground running when they are employed.
How does work-based learning boost learning and students’ employability?
Vocational and professional higher education and training is all about work-based learning. The sector’s philosophy is characterised by qualifications that respond to three acquired capabilities: knowledge, skills and competence. The latter two denote the ability of students to transform their know-how into practice. Learning how to fix an air conditioner does not necessarily make you competent to do so successfully.
Learning by doing is considered by many post-secondary education institutions around the world as the missing link in our digital world dominated by technology and practical knowledge. This is what MCAST is all about. Learning by doing in an inclusive and equitable environment marked by excellence.