Academic Practice

All first year undergraduate students are given an initial screening for dyslexia, and other literacy based issues which may have an impact on their writing development across the course. The aim is to flag up students very early in their course so that they can be referred for further assessment or targetted for in-studio support for units 1 and 3.

The Visual Research presentation was created to inform 1st year Tailoring students of the purpose of research for Creative Practice and seek to explain the various methods of visual and contextual research used to inform the design process. This was demonstrated through visual examples of students work and suggested sources of material. It also highlighted the many strains of research to inform market placement, contextual understanding and design development.

The Harvard or 'author - date' style of referencing work is the standard required by the University of the Arts, as stated in the Academic Affairs Handbook. This guide explains how to use Harvard, with examples for books, web sites and other media.

These resources have been used to explore with students the nature of academic writing. The focus is on identifying key features of academic writing, and looking at sample paragraphs in order to determine whether they are ‘academic’. This can be followed up with an exploration of the nature of plagiarism, and exercises on how to use citations. These exercises tend to work best with smaller groups, but have been used in lecture sessions as well.

A great practical teaching resource with tips and activities to begin student discussions and dynamic group work. Suggestions for ice breakers, a section on facilitating effective online discussion and how to assess student participation in verbal and written group activities.

Getting discussion going can be difficult,
especially with diverse groups of students, and
not all students and staff are comfortable with
leading and participating in discussions. This guide
contains some ideas for you to consider when
using discussions in your teaching.