Intro

Assessment, and specifically, how a piece of work is being assessed, has always been a difficult subject, especially in creative education. Due to the fact you cannot assess if your work is either ‘right’ or ‘wrong’ it becomes even more confusing for a student to understand as there are no specific parameters. As a student coming from a theoretical background where assessment was based on how well you could remember facts and offer answers that are either right or wrong, I was struggling to understand how my tutors will assess my work in a creative, seemingly subjective, specialism.  It took a lot of work and observation to understand that the development and process of my practice was the most important part of my learning.

Context

Process and Research Document

This intervention focuses on assessment undertaken as part of the ‘Level 4, CertHE: Preparation for Design, Media and Screen’ which uses a document called the ‘Process and Research Document’. As part of the assessment process, students are required to complete a specific template with all their research and show the process and their development whilst following a very specific set of guidelines which is really prescriptive.

The problem is that instead of teaching how to edit and present their work based on specific parameters as they would come across working in the creative industries, this particular way is removing the opportunity for each student to potentially demonstrate the skill of problem solving and thinking outside the box. It also focuses on subject area – Design – without consideration for other subject areas.

Positionality

I will be looking into this intervention as a student as well as an academic. This is one the main reasons I chose to do an intervention on the issue mentioned above. I am also neurodivergent, which adds another layer into the perspective I’m taking. English is also not my first language and this has been a big part of my experience both as a student and academic- especially understanding key terms, phrases and academic language. My experience has played a key part in this intervention, so I will be exploring ways of making assessment more inclusive and less confusing for both students and academics, based on research and comments and observations from academics and students. I would also like to mention here that my experience as a student and academic has heavily influenced this intervention. I have been struggling a lot with academic language and heavily academic papers when researching. This has resulted in me not having confidence in my writing but also discussing themes that other students or colleagues are using specific terminology as I have to look into it and take my time to understand in my own way.

Intervention

Lindström suggests that effective assessment in arts education requires a multidimensional approach that aligns with the diverse objectives of arts education. (Lindström, 2012).

Recommendations:

Glossary: Creating a glossary of key terms such as primary and secondary research and how it maps with learning outcomes. This will help students that struggle with the language but also students that come from nontraditional art and design backgrounds. It will also help students to understand academic language in their own terms without being forced upon them with no explanation.

Mapping Learning Outcomes and Assessment: A case study by Dr David Preston at Central Saint Martins have looked at a project that it was developed for the BA (Hons) Graphic Communication Design. “Capture/ Curate is a student toolkit for recording and representing the material evidence of process work associated with experiential learning.” (Preston, 2024)

The Design Process Toolkit (Preston,2024) was built to be a two-phase model where the students are capturing and recording their process and then edit and curate. The project also looked into mapping the learning outcomes with different stages of process and development by creating a process map.

Some of the key outcomes are a positive impact on staff and student experience and student are more prepared and have a better understanding of what assessment involves. Some key learnings are that an initiative targeted to students can be beneficial for staff and the skills that the students learn through the ‘Capture/ /Curate toolkit’ are transferable outside their studies.

Preston also notes that “Documenting experiential learning remains challenging for students who favour practical know – how and tacit performance over explicit forms of technical rationality” (Preston, 2024) and it can take some time to make it common practice while using the chosen terminology.

Sketchbook/ Journal: When I started studying photography, keeping a sketchbook was really important to document my practice and my progress. I didn’t really know what a sketchbook was or how to use it or even how it would be assessed when one of the criteria was to produce one. The advice and the feedback that I would receive were  vague and would not help me to understand how to improve my sketchbook and how it connects with assessment.

Keeping a sketchbook or a journal is a record of the process and development of a project which shows thought process, idea development, experimentation and problem solving. The students can then use the contents of the sketchbook/journal for assessment but also for purposes of building a portfolio. I work closely with the College Admissions Tutors (CATS) at LCC who are making the decisions on undergraduate applications as part of my role as a Student Recruitment Officer. I also deliver a lot of portfolio development advice talk for applying to universities. We have seen a decline on using sketchbook work and focusing a lot of showing final outcomes, especially for people applying to study photography and film. This does not help the students or the CATS as they can’t subjectively judge a student’s work by how ‘nice’ it looks.

Students at CertHE are expected to submit a portfolio as part of their applications for universities if it’s a requirement. It is important for them to understand what a sketchbook is and how to develop one but also what kind of skills are learning. “Some could not comprehend the difference between a sketchbook developed for their own benefit and a submission document charting the narrative development of their projects aligned to the relevant Learning Outcomes and designed for an external audience.” (Preston, 2024)

Feedback:  Students receive feedback either verbal or written and lot of times could vague and ambiguous with no substance. Feedback should be clear and progressive so they students how to move forward and which areas they should focus on.  Formative and summative feedback should be a “continuous cycle”  (Hall, 2024). When it comes to verbal feedback, there should be the option of having it in written format to support students more inclusively as not everyone can retain verbal information or even struggle with the language and might need to revisit.

Showcase/ exhibition/ presentation: We should also offer different options and ways for students to show and talk about their work depending on what suit each student needs. Showcases and presentations offer the opportunity of peer feedback which are really important for their development. The challenge with this is that not all students are comfortable with showing their works in this way or delivering presentations in front of other people, so it’s important to offer alternatives such as prerecording and visual essays.

Communication: A constant communication between the student and the academic will help and support the learning experience.  Reviewing the needs of the student throughout their learning experience and not only in the beginning.

Action Plan

In September I will attend the planning meeting for the new academic year for the L4 CertHE, where I’m going to introduce the recommendations mentioned in this intervention.

The ideal for me would have been to remove completely the Process and Research Document and look into alternative forms of assessment, adapted around the students’ individual needs.

Unfortunately, it won’t be something that can be drastically changed at this time of the academic year as everything is already scheduled and set. But we could look into adopting some of the other recommendations mentioned above.

In the planning meeting, I will suggest offering more flexibility in how the students can present their process and work, so we can allow for creative independence while  still retaining some structure. That means that the students could use the Process and Research Document more as a guide and an example instead of a highly structured template that they have to fill in.

I will also look into creating a glossary of key terms and mapping them to the different stages of a project as well as the learning outcomes and assessment based on the ‘Capture/Curate’ toolkit (Preston, 2024).

I believe that mapping learning outcomes to the different stages of development and process and deciphering academic language will help both students and academics.

 Conclusion

Before we look into improving the assessment experience for both students and academics we heed to look into the learning experience and how unique is for each individual.  We have to provide structure and clear guidelines when it comes to assessment and the connections with the learning experience, but also be flexible and adaptable. I believe communication between the students and the academics it is key as well as a student led approach. Improving the student experience of learning and assessment will also improve staff experience, removing ambiguity and improving understanding by being inclusive for all.

References

Bradshaw, P. & Hickman, J. & Jones, J. ‘Stories & Streams: overcoming the student as consumer mindset through peer-to-peer learning’ Networks (18) Available at: http://arts.brighton.ac.uk/projects/networks/issue-18-july-2012/stories-and-streams-overcoming-the-student-as-consumer-mindset-through-peer-to-peer-learning (Accessed: 20 March 2024)

Davies, A. (2012) ‘Learning outcomes and assessment criteria in art and design. What’s the recurring problem?’ Networks (18) Available at: http://arts.brighton.ac.uk/projects/networks/issue-18-july-2012/learning-outcomes-and-assessment-criteria-in-art-and-design.-whats-the-recurring-problem (Accessed: 10 March 2024)

Hall, R. (2024) Using Discussion as a Summative Assessment. Available at: https://www.edutopia.org/article/classroom-discussion-summative-assessment

(Accessed: 30 July 2024)

Lindström, L. (2012),  Aesthetic Learning About, In, With and Through the Arts: A Curriculum Study, Available at: https://onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/10.1111/j.1476-8070.2012.01737.x (Accessed: 10 March)

Nicol, David J. and Macfarlane-Dick, Debra(2006) ‘Formative assessment and self-regulated learning: a model and seven principles of good feedback practice’, Studies in Higher Education, 31: 2, 199 — 218 http://dx.doi.org/10.1080/03075070600572090

Philips, L.(2014) ‘Assessment towards Innovation: Examinig Fedback Methods in the Design Studio’, Athens Journal of Humanities & Arts, 1 (1), pp. 45-54 doi: doi=10.30958/ajha.1-1-4

Preston, D. (2024) Capture/Curate: Designing a Student Process Toolkit. Available at: https://www.arts.ac.uk/__data/assets/pdf_file/0028/425737/AE_Capture-Curate_Toolkit.pdf (Accessed: 31 July 2024)

Asif Sadiq’s TEDs Talk was really interesting and talks about the trouble with EDI training and learning. As part of my role at UAL I have to do a lot of EDI training and staff development which I always thought it was a tickbox exercise. As a neurodivergent person myself, I find that I struggle to take in and retain all the information. As part of the training, especially on E-Learning module on Canvas, there was a lot of policies and theory involved which I understand that they are important to know but I didn’t feel that helped me to understand the lived experiences.

Reading Café was a book club at LCC, where staff members, mainly from the Professional Services, were invited to join and read EDI subject related books. Every term we came together to discuss the chosen book and talk about subjects that we might not felt comfortable to discuss in a different setting. I have to mention that the the main principal of the book club was to create a safe space for uncomfortable conversations with no judgement. Through storytelling, we were able to explore EDI subjects and learn through lived experiences. “Experiences are powerful. This is how we learn” (Sadiq, 2023). Storytelling is a powerful tool and it can be accessible and inclusive way of learning.

Films have always been a powerful form of storytelling. Ali Aksu notes that “In a world grappling with complex challenges, it is crucial for the film industry to take responsibility for the narratives it shares” (Aksu, 2023). The shift to impact-oriented storytelling has the potential to inspire change and raise awareness. Aksu mentions that filmmakers should prioritise authenticity, collaborate with people and organisations that the can provide valuable insights and access to resources and real-life stories. Filmmakers should focus on representation and diversity and their goal should be to educate and create engagement. (Aksu, 2023)

When you learn about subjects like race, discrimination and prejudices, it has to come from a diverse perspective. Sadiq mentions that EDI training is biased, not always diverse, is built with stereotypes and is not inclusive. (Sadiq,2023) He also mentions that we have to look into what we learned at school where we didn’t learn things from a diverse perspective but more from a biased one.

There has been a lot of talks and work on decolonising the curriculum which is really important. Students would be able to have access to diverse resources, perspectives and opinions. They would also be able to learn about and from people who they can identify with. However, we should look into diversifying the academic body but also the people in strategic positions who make the decisions as they would be able to support students in a more understanding and inclusive approach.

Self-led learning is also really important. Through the PGCert workshop as part of the Inclusive Practices unit there were a lot of times that made me want to look deeper into the areas that we talked about. I also learned to be more comfortable around uncomfortable conversations and hear from so many different perspectives. I felt that these kinds of conversation were a lot more informative that any EDI training and staff development that I’ve been involved with.

References:

Aksu, A. (2023) How the film industry can focus toward impact-oriented storytelling, Available at: https://www.forbes.com/sites/forbesbusinesscouncil/2023/07/13/how-the-film-industry-can-shift-toward-impact-oriented-storytelling/ (Accessed: 1 August 2024)

Chanel 4 Entertainment (2020) Heartbreaking Moment When Kids Learn About White Privilege | The School That Tried to End Racism, 30 June, Available at:  https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=1I3wJ7pJUjg (Accessed: 1 August 2024)

Muldon, J. (2019) Academics: it’s time to get behind decolonising the curriculum, Available at:  https://www.theguardian.com/education/2019/mar/20/academics-its-time-to-get-behind-decolonising-the-curriculum

TEDx Talks (2023) Decolonising the Curriculum | Feizah Bhatti | TEDxNottinghamGirlsGDST, 8 June, Available at: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=b3KSRbdlWcw (Accessed: 28 June 2024)

TEDx Talks (2023), Diversity, Equity & Inclusion. Learning how to get it right | Asif Sadiq | TEDxCroydon, 2 March Available at: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=HR4wz1b54hw (Accessed: 1 August 2024)

The Telegraph (2022) Revealed: The charity turning UK universities woke, 5 August, Available at: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=FRM6vOPTjuU (Accessed: 1 August 2024)

Trinity University (2016) Challenging Race, Religion , and Stereotypes in Classroom, 1 December,  Available at: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=0CAOKTo_DOk (Accessed: 28 June 2024)

“It’s not about the burqa: Muslim women on faith, feminism, sexuality and race” (Khan, 2019) was one of the books that made me understand intersectionality but also view faith from a different perspective. The book includes stories from different writers that delve into talking about various themes such faith and sexuality, feminism and mental health.

Afshan D’souza-Lodhi talks about her relationship with wearing a hijab and how it changed throughout the different stages of her life. D’souza-Lodhi takes us through different experiences and peoples assumptions and reactions on her wearing a hijab or not. “The moment I arrived, I was faced with people making assumptions about what I believed and how I would behave.” (Khan, 2019). She also talks about her experience of being a Muslim, person of colour, bisexual woman and how she struggled to feel that she belongs in the LGBTQI+ community, “I didn’t fit the stereotypes of what queer woman looked like” (Khan, 2019). D’souza-Lodhi mentions how she changed the way that she dresses, talks, using a different name and removed her hijab in order to be accepted. (Khan, 2019)

Reikis talks about the two different religious identities, the social identity and worldview. “Religious subjects can be harmed when their religion is racialised or when their gender and dress are mistakenly though to be predictive of their beliefs and practices” (Rekis, 2023) whereas worldview is when we underestimate the person’s intersectionality and its power.

Making the assumption that faith and sexuality don’t mix is a really harmful narrative who doesn’t allow people to be included in communities such as the LGBTQI+ community. It contradicts the ethos and ideology of inclusion and that everybody is accepted no matter of who they are and embraces the diversity. Thus, creating a safe space only for certain people.

Another informative piece is by Haifa Jawad, who talks about Muslim women and the challenges that they face when competing in western sporting environments. Jawad mentions the ‘Accept and Respect’ declaration which has recommended in educational and sport systems to ‘accept and respect’ the diverse ways in which Muslim women and girls practice their religion and participate in sport and physical activity” (Jawad, 2023).  

Before the start of the Olympics 2024, France put in place a hijab ban only for the French players, forcing a lot of Muslim women to choose between competing in a lifetime achievement or faith. This ban was based falsely on secularism that shows the discrimination against Muslim female athletes when male athletes are allowed to compete while wearing religious crosses. (Durie, 2024) It comes in contrast with the message of French Olympics 2024 being the most inclusive Olympics (Diallo, 2024)

Shireen Ahmed said that “this ban relates to issues around women’s bodily autonomy and shows attempt by policymakers to dictate what women can or cannot wear.” (Durie, 2024) You can’t claim equality, diversity and inclusion when you exclude individuals based on their faith but also gender.

References

Diallo, R. (2024) The Paris Olympics may look fair and inclusive on TV. The truth is much darker. Available at: https://www.theguardian.com/commentisfree/article/2024/aug/01/paris-olympics-tv-france-headscarf-ban-games (Accessed: 20 June 2024)

Durie, A. (2024) The Paris Olympics may look fair and inclusive on TV. The truth is much darker. Available at: https://www.aljazeera.com/sports/2024/6/13/basket-pour-toutes-fighting-against-frances-sports-and-olympics-hijab-ban  (Accessed: 20 June 2024)

Jawad, H. (2022) Islam, Women and Sport: The Case of Visible Muslim Women. Available at: https://blogs.lse.ac.uk/religionglobalsociety/2022/09/islam-women-and-sport-the-case-of-visible-muslim-women/ (Accessed: 19 June 2024)

Khan, M. (2019) It’s not about the burqa: Muslim women on faith, feminism, sexuality and race [Kindle]. London: Picador (Accessed: 20 June 2024)

Reki, J. (2023) Religious Identity and Epistemic Injustice: An Intersectional Account. Hypatia 38, pp779–800

TED (2014) Kwame Anthony Appiah: Is religion good or bad? (This is a trick question), 16 June, Available at: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=X2et2KO8gcY Accessed: 19 June 2024)

Trinity University (2016) Challenging Race, Religion, and Stereotypes in the Classroom. [Online]. Available at: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=0CAOKTo_DOk (Accessed: 19 June 2024)

Wazir, B. (2019) It’s Not About the Burqa review – courageous essays. Available at: https://www.theguardian.com/books/2019/mar/26/its-not-about-the-burqa-muslim-women-faith-feminism-sexuality-race-essays-mariam-khan-review  (Accessed: 20 June 2024)

When we talk about removing barriers, we cannot not mention how the different identities of an individual intersect with each other. We can’t just acknowledge one by ignoring the other because it’s easier.

 “What makes people disabled is not their disability, is society” (ParalympicsGB, 2020). Society tends to see disability as a sole entity, as a problem to be solved and fix, looking mainly through the medical model lens. The social model of disability helps us understand and recognise the barriers that interfere and make life difficult. The barriers could be from the physical environment to how organisations run, how we communicate with each other but also people’s behaviours.

Christine Sun Kim in “Friends and Strangers” (Art21, 2023) talks about when she was not able to access classes in university when she was studying as they would not provide an interpreter. It was an instant reject with no consideration to support one of their students. She also also mentions how people would ask her why she doesn’t read lips (Art21, 2023). There’s this constant expectation that disabled people should fit in and adapt, conform in the able-bodied, neurotypical world instead.  

Ade Adepitan (ParalympicsGB, 2020) talks about how the Paralympics is a good example of what happens when you remove barriers and “give people opportunities to shine” (ParalympicsGB, 2020). When we create inclusive and accessible environments, we create spaces for everyone where they can grow, create and flourish. However, we can’t ignore the intersectionality of an individual and how it shapes their life. Adepitan (ParalympicsGB, 2020) also notes how there’s an inbuilt racism within society systems which gives opportunities and remove barriers for certain people without creating a safe and inclusive society for all.

Accessibility can’t only focus on access certain parts such as having step free access or accessible toilets or focusing only creating policies and initiatives. It can’t only be a tick box exercise. We need a safe space and a community that understands that people are multidimensional.  Include people that understand what accessibility and inclusion means who are coming from lived experiencem, in the conversation. “If you don’t see us, we have no place to be” (Art21, 2023)

I still remember vividly when I supported a colleague running workshop and there was a deaf student. The workshop included collaboration between the students.  The immediate reaction from my colleague was to separate the student and to let them know that they can work with their interpreter instead of collaborating with the other students.  I could see the disappointment on both the student and the interpreter. My colleague had made an assumption on what is best for the student without considering what the student actually wanted.  I subtly intervene and included the student in one of the groups where they collaborated with the other students, and they all produce some really good work together.

Creating a safe space and a community is really important in education. Listening to the student needs is a key element to create a space that is inclusive and accessible and sees and understands intersectionality.

 Society tends to hide, remove or fix anything that is not under its understanding of ‘normal’. Disability is one of them where society thinks by ‘tick-boxing’ they create an accessible and inclusive environment where instead are putting more barriers rather than removing them.

References

Art21 (2023) Christine Sun Kim in “Friends & Strangers” – Season 11 | Art21, 1 November, Available at: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=2NpRaEDlLsI (Accessed: 25 May 2024)

Buder, S. & Perry, R. (2024) The Social Model of Disability Explained, Available at: https://www.thesocialcreatures.org/thecreaturetimes/the-social-model-of-disability (Accessed: 1 June 2024)

ParalympicsGB (2020) Ade Adepitan gives amazing explanation of systemic racism, 16 October, Available at: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=KAsxndpgagU&t=23s (Accessed: 25 May 2024)

ParalympicsGB (2023) Paralympian Karé Adenegan breaks down the intersectionality of race, disability and gender, 25 April, Available at: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=RRmi7-SiuTs (Accessed: 25 May 2024)

Parapride (2023) Intersectionality in Focus: Empowering Voices during UK Disability History Month 2023, 13 December, Available at: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_yID8_s5tjc (Accessed: 25 May 2024)

TEDx Talks (2016) The Importance of Intersectional Accessibility in Activism | Hayden Kristal | TEDxMU, 2 June, Available at: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=W0I9kXwxIu0 (Accessed: 28 May 2024)

Inclusion in Assessment

Introduction

Assessment has always been a difficult subject for both academics and students, especially in creative education. In my experience as a student, I struggled to understand the assessment criteria as well as the sometimes vague or ambiguous feedback.

Context

I have been teaching at LCC on the CertHE: Preparation for Design, Media and Screen Studies course for the last two years or so. At the end of each unit, students must submit a document that is called the ‘Process and Research Document’ along with an ‘Outcome Document’, both of which, they upload on Moodle. This document is very prescriptive and detailed in its specifications. I believe this form of assessment is restrictive and does not support students and their individual needs. This type of assessment has been created in a way that helps the tutor assess the work easier (based on the assessment criteria) but it doesn’t encourage the students to explore their creativity or develop their own understanding of the brief.

This type of assessment:

– limits their creative process and independence

–  is not inclusive to students that come from different academic and learning backgrounds

– presents a language barrier

– is not inclusive for neurodivergent students

– does not allow students to understand the importance of the transferable skills you learn through development, process and research

The intervention will look at alternative forms of assessment and how to support the students learning and experience by focusing on student-led approaches and experiential learning.

Some of the recommendations as part of my intervention:

– introduce a more flexible and adaptable form of assessment to replace the ‘Process and Research Document’

– re-introduce the notion and practice of keeping a journal or sketchbook

– glossary of terms such as ‘primary’ and ‘secondary’ research

– constant communication with students about how they would like to showcase their work and research

– re-introduce showcase and presentations to support their work and as other elements of assessment.

– focus on clear and unambiguous feedback

References:

Bradshaw, P. & Hickman, J. & Jones, J. ‘Stories & Streams: overcoming the student as consumer mindset through peer-to-peer learning’ Networks (18) Available at: http://arts.brighton.ac.uk/projects/networks/issue-18-july-2012/stories-and-streams-overcoming-the-student-as-consumer-mindset-through-peer-to-peer-learning (Accessed: 20 March 2024)

Davies, A. (2012) ‘Learning outcomes and assessment criteria in art and design. What’s the recurring problem?’ Networks (18) Available at: http://arts.brighton.ac.uk/projects/networks/issue-18-july-2012/learning-outcomes-and-assessment-criteria-in-art-and-design.-whats-the-recurring-problem (Accessed: 10 March 2024)

Lindström, L. (2012),  Aesthetic Learning About, In, With and Through the Arts: A Curriculum Study, Available at: https://onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/10.1111/j.1476-8070.2012.01737.x (Accessed: 10 March)

Nicol, David J. and Macfarlane-Dick, Debra(2006) ‘Formative assessment and self-regulated learning: a model and seven principles of good feedback practice’, Studies in Higher Education, 31: 2, 199 — 218 http://dx.doi.org/10.1080/03075070600572090