Forth Valley College Core Skills Lecturer McLean McIntosh has set his sights on a PHd after successfully attaining a Master of Arts in Online and Distance Learning – which he says has changed the way he teaches in a new hybrid learning environment.
McLean (42) from the Bog in Falkirk, started his academic career as a student at Falkirk College of Technology in 1997 on an HND in Maths, Statistics and Computing.
He then moved on to study a BSc Open Degree at the Open University while working as a supply lecturer at the College. In 2000 he became a full-time lecturer in the Maths Department where he spent six years, before moving to the Access and Progression Department and a two year stint as Acting Curriculum and Quality Leader.
McLean, said: “I have grown up living across from the College, became a student and have loved being a lecturer for the last two decades or more. I really enjoy being a Core Skills lecturer as each group and class you encounter are different and challenging and that’s what I like about it.
“I started the Master of Arts in 2019 by chance after a conversation with an Open University tutor friend of mine, who mentioned to me about a Future Learning Module and how that could be developed into a qualification on how to teach technology enhanced learning. And here I am three years later with a Master of Arts.
“I loved it and worked throughout the lockdown period online with some really fantastic experts and learning how to use technology that will support learning rather than complicate it. It also looks at future trends and where technology will take us in the future.
“It also made me think on how I manage my own personal digital presence and to be conscious of what you use it for, so it was also a very reflective process. It really has changed the way I teach and I am writing more blogs for students and my peers and creating my own courses for others too. The feedback I have also had from students is very positive too, one said that my new approached helped them to successfully complete a maths qualification for the first time ever.
“I am also convinced it has benefited my teaching skills in the classroom and I would recommend it to any lecturer. I have to thank my colleagues in the Core Skills Department who have been a great support to me through the Masters course. I am proud of myself for completing it, but now I have my eyes fixed on a PHd in Technology and Enhanced Learning, which will take me about eight years… but it will be worth it!”Stephen Grainger, Curriculum Manager in Forth Valley College’s Department of Business and Communities, said: “I am delighted for McLean to have achieved a Distinction for this MA in Online and Distance Learning. He has come a long way since he was a student in my Software Development class in 1997 and it’s great to see him still enhancing his qualifications all these years later.
“McLean has always been a frontrunner in the use of digital technologies for education, supporting many of his peers in the use of Moodle, MS Teams and various different learning apps. I look forward to seeing how he uses his new skills to benefit even more staff and students across the college. Congratulations from everyone in the Business and Communities Department McLean!”