The Bradbury Centre
The Bradbury Centre is a purpose built Information Technology and Resources Centre located at the heart of the college. The main objectives of the centre are to provide a facility for students to access the information they want during their free time with the appropriate levels of support and to co-ordinate the delivery of ICT Functional Skills across the college. Since opening in March 2006, it has remained a vibrant area throughout the working day as well as evenings and weekends when, because of demand, the Student Council were successful in requesting an extension to the weekend opening hours.
The many multimedia PCs can be used by students during their breaks throughout the day to surf the net, catch up on emails or plan trips out. Through the internet, students have access to a wide selection of popular sites and are supported in using them safely and appropriately. During the working day the main room is also the venue for various teaching sessions, where groups can take advantage of the many exciting technologies available and the Bradbury Centre staff’s expertise and support.
The Centre is also home to the college library, where students can browse and borrow a wide range of media including audio and interactive books. The newly developed careers library is also an invaluable resource for personal tutors and students preparing for further training or employment.
The Bradbury team are always on hand to support both staff in the effective use of e-learning and student access to inclusive applications. Some students have taken advantage of Skype to keep in touch with family members while others have been using the video conferencing facilities to ease the transition process.
The Bradbury Centre is at the forefront of new and emerging technologies and has been awarded LSC Technology Exemplar Status, one of only sixteen from all the colleges, including mainstream FE colleges, in the country. This award recognises that Derwen is committed to improving the quality of learning available to students by encouraging flexible and active approaches, motivating students to take ownership for their learning and assessment through the effective use of suitable technologies.
