Enhancing Transferrable Skills Through UpGrade
Subject knowledge is integral, but no longer the only requirement for successful schooling. Students must have transferrable skills, which will enable them to be agile and adaptable in the current school environment.
At Santa Maria College, the girls learn transferrable skills through the College’s digital platform, UpGrade. The eCourses available on UpGrade are open to all students who would like to brush up on their study skills, referencing skills, communication skills, leadership skills, information management skills, and even their wellbeing. All students have access to the self-paced eCourses, at home or school via the UpGrade logo on SEQTA.
Amanda Crossley and Amy Hollingsworth, Heads of Library & Information, have taught the UpGrade program to our Year 7s over Term 2. Establishing good study skills now is imperative to their advancement throughout their time at Santa Maria.
“Just learning how to make the best use of their nightly hour study session can make a big difference in avoiding the late-night cramming sessions. One suggestion we work through is how to firstly make flashcards and then how to effectively use them to study” states Amanda Crossley.
The Year 7s are currently halfway through their Study Skills lessons which utilises the eCourse platform to teach techniques including note-taking and memorisation. Students are encouraged to continue to use UpGrade in their own time to build on skills they are developing during the UpGrade lessons.
Incentives are provided to further encourage this self-paced learning. With the completion of each eCourse, students earn ‘SMC coins’ which can be spent on such things as canteen vouchers and printing credit. Leader boards are used to show students’ weekly achievements and overall achievements.
When you have a spare minute, we ask that you encourage your daughter to log on to UpGrade via SEQTA and give one of the eCourses a go. Whether she is studying at school or home, she could be earning some highly sought-after SMC coins and gain the much-needed transferrable skills for her future!
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Author: Santa Maria College
Santa Maria College is a vibrant girls school with a growing local presence and reputation. Our Mission is to educate young Mercy women who act with courage and compassion to enrich our world. Santa Maria College is located in Attadale in Western Australia, 16 km from the Perth CBD. We offer a Catholic education for girls in Years 5 – 12 and have 1300 students, including 152 boarders.
