Induction Support

This powerpoint was produced to support first year graphic design students with writing their Unit 4 2000 word essay. The focus of the resource is on identifying areas of research and how to turn that research into writing. The Unit 4 assignment required students to research the structures, systems or working processes of an art movement of their choice. The resource provides step by step guidance on how to research and set up a writing frame for this essay using the context of the feminist art movement.

These study guides were produced by Palgrave Macmillan on a range of study skills themes; Critical analysis, Presenting skills and speaking clearly, Referencing (avoiding plagiarism), Tricks of the writers trade, Creative Thinking and Skills for success. They are short 3-5 minute MP3 audios and PDF transcription documents; either can be used depending on a student’s preferred learning style.

This resource was originally created for FE Foundation students at Camberwell to support the planning and visualising of essay writing. It has subsequently been used in the in-studio support sessions on the Drawing BA. Students have used it enthusiastically, commenting that it takes the mystery out of structuring an essay. It has been particularly beneficial for students who have been out of education for some time or for those who have not written to academic conventions before or for a very long time.

The SWOT was used as a tool to initiate student reflection on strengths, weaknesses, opportunities and threats in preparation for writing an evaluative report in unit 1. Students in Graphic design worked in groups to identify common issues, then independently, to create an individual action plan to revisit at future points during the term which would form the basis for a more extensive written piece for assessment. *The SWOT is a widely available, established learning tool

Introduction to Research & Writing Skills PowerPoint presentation was developed to support and build students’ confidence with the first essay exercise at Camberwell, on all the BA courses. It uses the tutor’s own research interests to illustrate points made and bring an otherwise ‘dry’ subject to life and helps show students how to align their area(s) of interest to their essay writing and content.

This project was realised by a small group of stage 1 FdA Illustration for sequence and interaction students in response to the often dense and difficult art specific language used in the crit, tutorial and verbal/written feedback. It was one outcome of the Inclusive Induction Project and was undertaken as part of the students Live project/work placement; a compulsory component of the first year. The Jargon Buster was originally created to live on the Camberwell Induction Blackboard site The Camberwell Ma-ze.

The in-studio embedded support pilot began in 2009-10 on all stage 1 UG courses at Camberwell. It was the result of student and staff consultation about how to diversify delivery and make student access to academic support more open and visible. Each course was assigned an academic support tutor who had 12 hours for the year to work in the studio alongside course teams and deliver workshops, discussions and 1:1 tutorials around writing, research and time management skills.

The following feedback was generated after discussions with first year students about responding to an art or design brief. Did they understand what was being asked of them and where did they go if they had questions or support needs?

In the following resource document Unpicking the Brief, students suggested a short exercise to help them clarify questions and ambiguities from a new brief as they arose.

The following resources are used to provide guidance to students for an essay requiring them to analyse an object or an image. Each one provides them with a methodology for this type of analysis.

This resource was created to support staff to facilitate a large, Art area cross course crit. The crits take place twice a year and involve aprox. 150 students and staff from Photography, Painting, Sculpture, Drawing and Ceramics working in small mixed groups to critique the work. Student feedback is generally very positive, they enjoy the opportunity to look at and discuss work from other disciplines. The aide memoire was used as a prompt for staff and to ensure that all students were accessing the same sort of entitlement on the day.