Sam Broadhead, John Gamble, Zuzanna Marekova and Sarah Binless

Research, scholarship and pedagogy: Working with students to develop

undergraduate research in Art & Design

Working together to improve FE to HE progression for Access

students

Sam Broadhead – Access to HE (part-time) course Leader

John Gamble – Second year Access studentZuzana Marekova – First year Surface

Pattern and printed Textiles undergraduate student

Sarah Binless – First year Interdisciplinary Art and Design undergraduate student

Who are Access students ?

Mature students with Access backgrounds tend to be in a different stage in their life and it could be argued that they are untypical to students who have studied A levels and the pre BA Foundation course, (Penketh and Goddard, 2008, p316).

Although most Access students are as mature, the statistics based on 2011 National cohorts of Access provision across all subject areas show that 47% students are under 25 (QAA, 2012, p7).

It is not useful to make assumptions about the class, gender, race or age of these students, as non-traditional, mature students are not a homogenous group (Osborne et al, 2004, p295).

The research funded by LSIS over 3 yearsPhase oneHow well are Access students prepared for HE? 18 ex-Access students were participants and

HE course leaderStudents reported they were not always

confidentStudents from specialist areas like

photography felt they had not been prepared well

HE course leader reported some students needed to think more critically

Phase 2Access staff and HE staff worked

collaboratively to improve progression from Access to HE

Various shadowing activities between Access and HE staff and students were documented and evaluated

Focus on the studio critique was basis of observations and discussions between Access and HE staff

Practices were modified and carried out in the studio

Phase 3 (currently being undertaken)Develop a wider community of researchers

interested in improving transition experience of FE students into HE

Focus on identifying new design skills needed by undergraduate students

Working with Pre BA Foundation staff, HE staff and Progression manager

Theoretical framework Joint Practice Development (JPD), (Fielding et al, 2005).Rather than passing or cascading practices to

colleagues a more sustainable process would be to develop relationships and trust between groups of professionals where ideas can be explored together over time, (Fielding et al, 2005).

Other aspects that need consideration are; teacher and institutional identity in practice transfer; learner engagement; and an understanding of the time needed to successfully engage with JPD, (Fielding et al, 2005).

JPD could be seen as a move towards the ideal of democratic-professionalism which proposes co-operation between teachers and other partners in education as an alternative way forward to the market model of education, (Coffield and Williamson, 2011, p72).

Changing practises in the Access studio based JDPIntroduce cross-year studio critiques Four or five first and second year learners who

would manage the process rather than the teachers.

Everyone would present one piece of art, craft or design work to be discussed.

One group member would be responsible for asking questions,

Another would make notes about the conversations that took place.

In their groups they would critique each other’s work using modified Socratic questions as a prompt.

After the process the two year groups met up again to feed back to the teachers.

Socratic questioning for the studio critique Seek clarification Can you explain why you have made this work? Probe reasons Why do you think it works? How can it be improved? Explore alternative views Is there another way you could have responded

to the brief? Test implications and consequences Do you agree with what people have said about

your work?

Students engaged in critical evaluation of work

Impact from point of view from TutorsThe findings have provided additional ideas

for improving critiques as formative assessment.

Access students felt validated in choice of course and in their own readiness to progress

More contact between FE and HE courses

Increased motivation and engagement with professional development

Impact from the student’s point of view, over to John, Zuzana and Sarah

John’s Drawing work

Zuzana’ s Access work

First project on degree

Zuzana’s degree work

Sarah Binless

Sarah’s degree work

Bibliography Broadhead, S (2012) Using action-research evidence to change art studio

critiques Inside Evidence bulletin issue 13 Summer 2012 pp29-30 found at http://repository.excellencegateway.org.uk/fedora/objects/eg:2216/datastreams/DOC/content

Broadhead, S and Garland S (2012)The Art of Surviving and Thriving: How Well are Access Students Prepared for their Degrees in Art and Design? Networks, Issue 17: April 2012, University of Brighton found at http://arts.brighton.ac.uk/projects/networks/issue-17-april-2012

Coffield, F and Williamson, B (2011) From Exam Factories to Communities of Discovery: The democratic route

Coffield, F (2006) Just suppose teaching and learning became the first priority London, Learning and Skills Network

Fielding, M. et al (2005) Factors Influencing the Transfer of Good Practice, Nottingham, DfES Publications.

Leeds College of Art, (2010) Further Education Student Achievements and Career Routes 2009-2010

Osborne, et al. (2004) Becoming a Mature Student: How Adult Applicants Weigh the Advantages and Disadvantages of Higher Education in Higher Education , Vol. 48, No. 3 (Oct., 2004), pp. 291-315

Penketh, C., and Goddard, G.,(2008) Students in transition: mature women students moving from Foundation Degree to Honours level 6 in Research in Post-Compulsory Education Vol. 13, Iss. 3, 2008

QAA, (2012) Access to Higher Education: Joint agency statistical report, June 2012 Gloucester, The Quality Assurance Agency for Higher Education