Case study: The Courtauld Institute of Art

Courtauld logo
The Courtauld Institute of Art
  • A single suite of tools providing a secure and streamlined digital education platform.
  • Consistent classroom delivery framework that reduces admin effort and lets teachers focusing on teaching.
  • Students from countries across the world can connect and collaborate digitally.

As an educational institution specialising in the history of art and conservation, The Courtauld Institute of Art has students from all over the UK – and the world – who all have high expectations of learning that need to be met.

A digital education platform had been on The Courtauld’s radar for a little while – but like many organisations around the globe – being in the midst of a global pandemic accelerated the need to adapt and really start digitising. During the summer of 2020, it became clear they needed a strong digital education framework to deliver and support learning.

With not much time before the new school term began, The Courtauld needed to quickly adapt to a new way of working and find a robust and repeatable method for scaling the framework around digital learning to its students. 

With teachers and students who had varying degrees of technical proficiency and diverse needs, The Courtauld needed their digital education platform to: 

  • Bring together teachers and students whether they’re physically present or not
  • Streamline processes and ensure durablity for bookings, forms, and assignments
  • Ensure students have access to all the materials and content they need
  • Provide high levels of security to protect intellectual property, content, data, and assignments
  • Streamline processes and workflows across departments

It was vital to The Courtauld these new digital changes didn’t add more pressure to the internal IT department. We implemented the self-service model of Microsoft 365 for Education to leverage what The Courtauld already had. Microsoft 365 can also be accessed and used on any device and is straightforward to learn.

  • Teams: Microsoft Teams can be used to hold classes or for students to get together in smaller groups to discuss group projects. Live Events in Teams is scalable for larger classes and lectures to take place – with functionality to mute, put up a hand, or ask a question. The Teams interface lets students (and teachers) chat, store and share documents, and comment on existing files. The Teams Classroom template also allows teachers to create class templates that can be used again – with the same associated documents, materials, forms.
  • SharePoint: Microsoft SharePoint lets documents and files be stored securely, and easily accessed either within the SharePoint interface or through Teams. Using this, assignments and classroom materials can be uploaded – and students have access to download the course materials and content they need, when they need them.
  • Forms: Microsoft Forms is a straightforward way to create and share forms. The Courtauld can now use this for exams, quizzes, quick polls, or feedback from students. All the completed forms are stored securely and can be analysed within the Forms interface. Forms also integrates well with Teams, letting forms be sent out to selected groups of students.
  • Stream: Microsoft Stream provides the ability to record classes and share the recordings with ease. This lets students who missed classes, or just would like to refer back, to access the recordings at any time. Stream can also be used to upload other video content or module videos for students to watch.

By utilising the Microsoft 365 for Education suite to create a tailored digital education platform, The Courtauld experienced benefits for both teachers and students, including:

  • Reduced admin overheads through a classroom delivery framework that brings consistency each year
  • A high-level of accessible teaching materials that also freed up time to focus more on teaching and the quality of teaching
  • Accessible classes and course material for students even when they can’t get to a classroom
  • Simpler collaboration and communication, along with easier facilitation

Embracing education digital transformation sets The Courtauld up to provide a stronger and scalable experience for students in so many ways. By being at the forefront of the digital revolution, The Courtauld is making it easier for students to collaborate with each other, while also gaining more control over their education – so they can tailor how they learn to best suit their personal learning style.

There are more doors this all opens for The Courtauld going forward too. This digital-first approach increases global accessibility by opening education up to more people and removing barriers to attending courses. No matter where students are located, they can receive a high-level of education that gives them access to all the classes and course materials, while also facilitating collaboration and communication with their coursemates too.

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