Richard Reid, an engineering lecturer at the Forth Valley College, has won Most Innovative Teacher of the Year at the Times Education Supplement UK awards. Mr Reid came up with an innovative way of allowing employers of Modern Apprentices studying at the college to keep up to date with their progress.

He started using mini cameras to film the apprentices at work, and thereby allow employers to review the work being undertaken by their apprentices. The videos, posted on YouTube, also allowed the students to share their growing expertise and pick up tips from one another more easily. The footage could be viewed on tablets and smart-phones and links were provided to technical documentation on the equipment being used and other teaching materials.

Imaginative use of QR codes particularly impressed the judging panel, and allowed apprentices to engage with prospective employers who were able to remotely view comprehensive electronic portfolios cataloguing their work. The lecturer also created a mobile ‘app’ to keep the apprentices up to date with coursework schedules, announcements, photos and lecturer contacts. The judges described his approach to teaching as “imaginative, transformational and inspirational.”