North East Scotland College is investing more than £130,000 to support access to online learning by loaning devices to students.
The college has adopted a blended learning approach for this academic year, meaning students will receive a mix of on-campus and remote learning to comply with Scottish Government coronavirus guidance.
As a result, students at Nescol’s Altens and Fraserburgh campuses can apply for loans of laptops to ensure there are no barriers to attending virtual classes or using digital resources.
More than 1,000 had already been procured this summer as part of the existing Bring Your Own Device scheme, and now an additional batch will be made available on a loan basis after The Scottish Funding Council allocated £132,000 to the college.
College principal Neil Cowie said: “As part of our planning for the new session we invited all students to provide feedback in a variety of areas, including access to digital learning.
“Through that we were able to identify a small but important group who were not catered for through the Bring Your Own Device programme and we have moved quickly to provide a solution.
“The additional funding is being invested to ensure loan laptops are available and to support equal access for our students.
“This will make a significant impact at a time when the college community is having to adapt to changing circumstances.”