Students at Plaistow’s NewVIc sixth-form college have been accessing increasing amounts of their course material on the web before lessons.

The move has been hailed as a way of freeing up time for under pressure teachers to get involved in discussions.

It means less time is taken explaining material in class because students have already downloaded the material from their Moodle learning management systems.

During an online interview with the JISC technology support service group, New VIc English teacher Susan Landeryou said the quality of lessons had improved.

She said: “(Before) it was kind of very static, to engage students, I think was quite difficult.

“It has really improved (students) involvement and its allowed them to get up and to take control in a way that I always wanted students to do before.”

In NewVIc’s vocational travel and tourism module, teachers have been recording their feedback to students’ work and posting it to students online, according to JISC.

The development received a cautious welcome from the National Union of Teachers (NUT).

Divisional secretary and former teacher Peter Smith said: “Provided the members are happy with it and it helps them then this is fine. It hasn’t been raised with me so I assume they are.

“My concern with regards to computers, and I raised this in 2000, was in case there was an agenda to replace teachers with computers, so at the end of the day the teacher’s role is only when a pupil has a problem with the computer.”