My artefact aims to address the attainment gap on BA Illustration by employing strategies within a co-creative ‘transition’ workshop to make course content more accessible, inclusive and diverse. The artefact acknowledges that intersectionality (Crenshaw, 1990) plays a role in students’ engagement (Appendix A) and will work towards increasing participation from students from black and minority backgrounds, students with disabilities and students with intersecting identities to create a shared research platform.
I am a Transition Tutor for BA Illustration, a new role created when I became a lecturer on the course. This was introduced to help the transition between second and third year for students, and to establish a link between these year groups through workshops that focus primarily on progression aims for third years, and on meaningful research methods and criticality for second years. The sessions I run aim to support students progressing into their final year and towards graduation, and collaborate with Academic support to ensure there are sessions in place to prepare students for future units.
My experiences as both student and teacher have led me to a deeper awareness of how important inclusivity is. Although I do not have a personal experience of disability, I have previously endured mental health issues that impacted on my experience at University; it was this experience, and the invaluable support of my personal tutor that inspired me to consider the Lecturer position I now hold, so that I may help students who also face barriers to their learning. Furthermore, a previous SEN teaching role showed me the importance of addressing the intersectional needs of students, whose disabilities frequently intersected with their faith, race and class, compounding on their experience of learning and attainment. This artefact aims to address the intersections of identities faced by illustration students that impact the learning experience and ultimately attainment, by actively embracing how diverse cultural backgrounds and experience feed into the extensive, engaging ideas of our students.
‘Creative arts students’ identities are profoundly intrinsic to their practice’ (Sabri, 2017, p.3)
I believe that this intervention is needed to empower students, as the past 2 years has demonstrated students’ hesitancy to share ideas, resulting in low attendance to group tutorials and transition workshops. Reasons for this may be due to a barrier to learning within the teaching environment (Sabri, 2017, ), unfamiliarity with the subject or confidence in sharing cultural knowledge that is often closely linked to personal experience. The workshop will be focused on celebrating difference, as ‘ignoring difference within groups contributes to tension among groups’ (Crenshaw, 1990), in order to build a community of practice and knowledge sharing amongst the cohort. Furthermore, it aspires to see greater attendance by asking students to enjoy being critical thinkers and critical friends, and feel enthusiastic about contributing to their own and each other’s learning simultaneously:
‘The most exciting aspect of critical thinking in the classroom is that it calls for initiative from everyone, actively inviting all students to think passionately and to share ideas in a passionate, open manner’ (hooks, 2010, p.11)
To reduce the attainment gap on this course my artefact will be the introduction of a new workshop to transition activities that can encourage a more inclusive community. To support my understanding of how to do this, I have focused on the work of Duna Sabri and her report on the reasons for inequality in students’ attainment. The artefact I aim to deliver recognises Sabri’s research in which she refers to Nancy Fraser’s view that ‘a matter of misrecognition and lack of value attached to non-dominant cultures in our society’ is one cause of the attainment gap, which I aim to address through a workshop designed to move away from a Eurocentric or white London-centric (Sabri, 2017, p.3) standard:
‘Historical and ecological whiteness have imparted the normalisation of standard cultural practices that stem from colonial hierarchical structures. These norms and practices need to be critically interrogated when attempting to increase diversity in academic roles in UK higher education.’ (Garrett, 2024, p.3)
My intervention artefact will be a co-creative workshop, ‘Teach Me Something New’ as part of my transition teaching that aims to bring third year students together to create the content of a research sharing platform that can be accessed by all final year students (Appendix B). This will be held in the first term of year 3 and is intended as an initial workshop that can be develop into a subsequent session later in the term, depending on the students’ direction. This idea reflects on Paulo Friere’s concept that a pedagogy ‘must be forged with, not for, the oppressed, ’ (Friere, 1970, p.40). Students will be actively involved in creating the content within the session, that will be developed from their own final year topic research and made into a shared resource or platform for the year group, such as a padlet or zine; both content and final presentation will be defined by the students of each year, and be built upon with each consecutive cohort. Previous content sharing by students on the padlet platform and sandbox zine have proved successful with previous years and aims to evolve in a subsequent transition workshop later in the term (Appendix C). Co-creating in this way intends to consider how:
‘Students can bring fresh perspectives, innovative ideas and lived experiences to the table, challenging and enriching existing academic approaches and thinking.’ (O’Hara, 2023).
In situations when students share knowledge with staff, I am aware there can be a power imbalance with students deferring to staff opinions in what Mary Pratt describes as a ‘Contact Zone’ (Pratt, 1991,):
‘social spaces where cultures meet, clash, and grapple with each other, often in contexts of highly asymmetrical relations of power’ (Pratt, 1991, p.34)
In order to for this not to affect the dynamic within the workshop environment I have taken inspiration from ‘Critical Pedagogy’(Freire, 1970) and will support students’ gaining knowledge by participating in the teaching process with each other, alongside dialogue with the workshop leader, rather than solely instructing them. In this context students are not merely passive recipients of the teacher’s information, but active contributors to the educational experience. I have also taken note of Dr Gurnam Singh’s position on critical pedagogy who highlights the need for ‘teaching the human being’ ‘not just as a thinking being, but as a thinking and doing being, and not elevating one higher than the other’ (Singh, 2018). A main aim for the workshop environment is to treat all ideas as equal.
With this in mind, I will also reflect on‘Persona Pedagogy’ (Thomas, 2022) to influence an introductory exercise in the workshop, and ask students in their small groups to share their research topics anonymously. Students will select a topic different to their own to research, understand and teach each other in an exercise that aims to ‘build an environment where individuals feel more comfortable and secure to bring their true authentic self’, working towards ‘transformational learning’ (Thomas, 2022, p.3):
‘Sharing stories of difference and diversity can contribute to others’ understanding and expansion of their world view’. (Thomas, 2022, p.3)
The themes, and references presented on the platform can be taken into consideration when making minor modifications to reading lists and course content by the Illustration Programme team’s regular meetings on the course structure and intentions. The resource/platform will also be supportive to the current year’s cohort for knowledge sharing during their final Units.
The workshop intends to diversify the influences shared on BA Illustration and move away from a potentially eurocentric lens. The resource aims to broaden the conversations on Illustration and value all ideas from wider perspectives within a global framework in order to be more representative of the students cohort. The central idea behind this is to appeal to a greater number of students, and particularly support those who have felt their project ideas’ ‘irrelevant’ or ‘objects of history lacking any agency’ (Singh, 2018) by cultivating a workshop/studio culture that embraces all subject matter of relevance and significance.
‘We should aim to deploy a broader canvas – visual, auditory, tactile, that can engage and stimulate’ (Hill, 2018, p.23)
Simultaneously the workshop plans to make students feel comfortable in expressing their ideas, even if they are not culturally familiar to the rest of the group or the teaching staff, in order to see greater participation in course activities. Reflection on bell hook’s concept of ‘Engaged Pedagogy’ further underpins the concept of this workshop, in order to emphasise that each student has a ‘valuable contribution to make to the learning process’ (hooks, 2010, p.21). My hope is that by co-creating the content of the workshop and outcomes directly with the students, they will feel that their input is more valued and inclusive to their needs.
I also look to Jo Shah’s ideas on decolonizing the curriculum and aim to use this as an opportunity for both students and staff to learn from each other through participation in the workshop, and reflect on the material produced within both Illustration Programme and student representative meetings:
‘Expanding our knowledge base to consider broader contexts that exceed limiting eurocentrism and to ensure that such knowledge is treated equally and in balance.’ (Shah, 2018, p.16)
I aim to support all students achieving the most out of the course by providing Transition sessions in conjunction with Academic Support. Through taking attendance and researching UAL’s data dashboards, I am aware of the challenges in encouraging more students to attend these workshops, and how this impacts attainment (Appendix D). My hope is that if I can employ strategies to increase participation, more students will find these sessions accessible and join them to support their learning. Therefore, to promote further social justice on the Illustration course, I have initially consulted the disability guidelines set out by UAL (Appendix 2: ‘Inclusive Group Work). I noted that groups of approximately 5 students can help prevent barriers to communication, which is something that I aim to implement within this workshop structure by splitting a larger group into smaller satellite groups within the studio. From positive feedback received last term in response to a similar method used in a transition workshop, I have the confidence that students may feel supported with their participation, resulting in the ability to share knowledge more comfortably in a smaller group. It is also an aim to take feedback regularly throughout the year, integrating them into transition workshops, so that all transition sessions, including this artefact, can evolve to continually strive to be more inclusive by listening directly to students’ needs.
References
Crenshaw, K. (1990) Mapping the margins: Intersectionality, identity politics, and violence against women of color. Stanford Law Review.
Freire, P. (1970). Pedagogy of the Oppressed. New York Seabury Press.
Garret, R. (2024) Racism shapes careers: career trajectories and imagined futures of racialised minority PhDs in UK higher education. Available at: https://doi.org/10.1080/14767724.2024.2307886 [Accessed 12th June]
Hill, V. (2018) ‘Critical Pedagogy Bites: Delivering a Decolonised Curriculum’, Decolonising the Arts Curriculum: Perspectives on Higher Education. Available at: https://issuu.com/susanbubble/docs/final_decolonising_zine2.compressed [Accessed: 8th July 2024]
hooks, b. (1994) Teaching to transgress: education as the practice of freedom. London: Routledge.
hooks, b. (2010) Teaching critical thinking: Practical wisdom. New York: Routledge.
O’Hara, M. (2023) We’re better together: let’s co-create! Available at: https://www.advance-he.ac.uk/news-and-views/were-better-together-lets-co-create [Accessed 14th July 2024]
Pratt, M. L. (1991) Arts of the Contact Zone. Available at: http://www.jstor.org/stable/25595469 [Accessed June 8th 2024]
Sabri, Duna (2017) Students’ Experience of Identity and Attainment at UAL. Available at: https://ualresearchonline.arts.ac.uk/id/eprint/14370/1/year%204%20report%20-%20%20final.pdf [Accessed 5th July 2024]
Shah, J. (2018) ‘Why/how to decolonize art and design?’ Decolonising the Arts Curriculum: Perspectives on Higher Education, Available at: https://issuu.com/susanbubble/docs/final_decolonising_zine2.compressed [Accessed: 8th July 2024]
Singh, G. (2018) Vicki Hill: Pedagogy Bites #4: What does it look like in practice? 9th March. Available at: www.youtube.com/watch?v=K6ghTlyBDNk [Accessed June 8th 2024]
Singh, G. (2018) ‘Why/how to decolonize art and design?’ Decolonising the Arts Curriculum: Perspectives on Higher Education, Available at: https://issuu.com/susanbubble/docs/final_decolonising_zine2.compressed [Accessed: 9th July 2024]
Smyth, J. (2011)Critical pedagogy for social justice. New York: Bloomsbury Academic and Professional.
Thomas, C. (2022) Overcoming Identity Threat: Using Persona Pedagogy in Intersectionality and Inclusion Training. Available at: https://doi.org/10.3390/socsci11060249 [Accessed 12th July 2024]
Appendix A – Data Dashboards
Trends
(Trends have been identifies with coloured circles)
I have assessed the data dashboards for attainment on BA illustration according to student profile and cross referenced this with access to academic support, as this gives a good indication of students that are attending the transition workshops I run.
The main takeaway from looking at the Illustration data dashboards, is that female, home white students that attended Academic support sessions, were most likely to attain a 1st class or 2:1 Degree than any other student profile. In general, students attained higher when they had accessed academic support, although some results do not represent this, such as for home B.A.M.E students, there was a significant increase in 22-23 for attainment. This suggests that although these students did not access academic support, there has been a positive movement towards closing the attainment gap perhaps due to an increased dedication towards social justice strategies such as the UAL mentoring scheme. When looking at the data for all students, there was an increase in attainment for those that did access academic support.
The lack of data for many student profiles for either access or non access to academic support, mainly those from minority backgrounds and home Polar4 Q1-2, is a cause for concern in relation to attainment, demonstrating that more needs to be done to support higher grades for these students.
Declared Disability
There is no data for students with a declared disability having accessed Academic Support in 22-23, and a 21% decline in attainment since last year for those who did not.
Home B.A.M.E, Home Asian, Home Black, Home Mixed, Home other, and Home Polar4 Q1-2
Except for Home BAME in 22-23 (87% increase in attainment), there is 0% data for students in these groups for the past 4 years on both sides of the dashboard. Furthermore when looking closer at the data dashboards to see the attainment of students who have accessed Academic Support, Home Black, Home B.A.M.E, ’Home Mixed’ and Home Polar4 Q1-2 have 0% data for attainment in the 1st or 2:1 category for 2022-2023, which means that all these categories had less than 10 people accessing Academic support on BA Illustration. In comparison, 100% of home white students who accessed Academic support attained a 1st or 2:1.
For those students who have not accessed academic support, and attained a 2:1 or a 1st, there was a significant increase from 0% to 87% for Home B.A.M.E students which suggests access to Academic support did not support this increase, however there is the potential for this figure to rise if students did access it.
International Students
The UAL data dashboards for BA illustration show international students have attained less 1st’s and 2:1s than their home white counterparts for the past 4 years despite having attended academic support sessions or not. (Except 2020 for international students who did not access Academic Support)
Home Polar4 Q1-2 and EU students
There is no data for the past 4 years for students with this profile which highlights a need to support these students with their attainment.
Appendix B – Workshop Plan and Materials
Appendix C – Padlet and Zine examples from BA Illustration
Dungeness Trip Padlet
Example of student updated padlet during a trip workshop to Dungeness. Students formed small groups and were each given an individual prompt or task to work on together as a group. Results in the form of photographs, drawings, sculptures and more were posted up to share with the year group.
Sandbox Zine
A riso zine produced by and for Camberwell illustration students.
Appendix D – AL Inclusive Group Work PDF Guide
For further guidance I have consulted UAL’s ‘Inclusive Group Work’: https://canvas.arts.ac.uk/documents/sppreview/f1713f99-8951-4e40-b5ec-042b96ff1ff8