Case Study: The Vocational College achieves higher student engagement and improved grades with SMART Technologies

Measuring the success of student engagement

The Vocational College in Liverpool, serving hard-to-reach young people across Merseyside and neighbouring boroughs through the Government’s E2E programme and vocational diplomas, faced low retention, weak vocational skills and disengaged students. To tackle these challenges the college sought dynamic, visual technologies that would connect learners and boost participation.

The college invested in SMART collaborative tools — interactive whiteboards (including a rear-projection unit), an AirLiner wireless slate and Senteo response systems — and ran a research programme comparing sessions with and without the technology. Results were strong: 95% of students preferred the interactive teaching style, 86% said it improved understanding, 89% wanted the resources used more often, around 80% reported better workshop comprehension, and most participants’ grades rose by one or two levels, prompting plans to extend the technology across the campus.

The Vocational College