Thanks to a colleague being under the weather I’ve had a chance to work with our HNC and HND groups as a lecturer and general helper over the last few days. I’ve had a bit of an epiphany.

A year ago we went into lockdown and college teaching hasn’t been the same since.

Studio access has been sporadic and almost all classes have been delivered over Zoom. Course and lesson plans have been reinvented at vanishingly short notice and working with the SQA Assessments have been modified to match the experience of many of those who are broadcasting from home.

Until a few weeks ago I felt a bit desolate about that as it meant the students weren’t getting the benefit of our years of planning and high tech studios.

I was so wrong.

The written work is great but more importantly, I’ve heard some of the best student audio I’ve heard in years.

Why?

Because they’re spending more time on it. Many have also invested in microphones, mixers and decent headphones. So they’re concentrating on audio quality to a much higher degree.

Today I’ve heard storytelling worthy of NPR, a trail that while long is as good as anything you’ll hear on the radio and a sports interview recorded over Zoom that you’d swear was recorded in a studio.

Perhaps in adversity we’ve created a group of students with grit, determination, creativity and good ears.

In anybody’s world, that’s a win.