Promoting diversity in creative art education: the case of Fine Art at Goldsmiths,University of London

Students studying art at university in the United Kingdom tend to be female, from higher social classes and from majority ethnic groups. This paper considers some of the complex and deeply-rooted social and economic factors that militate against wider participation in the arts and describes how we started to tackle under-representation at Goldsmiths using a participatory action research approach. Working in partnership with local colleges, the project aimed to increase student diversity and widen participation in the Goldsmiths BA Fine Art Degree. The need for university applicants to have the ‘right sort’ of cultural capital is particularly marked in Fine Art, indicating that standard widening participation aspiration-raising activities would not solve the problem. A range of interventions were developed to support potential applicants, underpinned by participatory action research. The flexibility and responsiveness of the research model allowed us to reflect on and respond to issues as they arose and to achieve immediate positive impact.     

The Synergistic Thesis: Student and supervisor perspectives

The quality of the student-supervisor relationship is paramount in achieving many of the goals of postgraduate study. A self-regulatory, synergistic model of supervision is described briefly and a supervisor and student whose experiences closely fitted such a model each reflect on aspects of their roles and the outcomes, and evaluate their experience in terms of personal and professional development. The model incorporates four major aspects of the postgraduate experience-Motivation, Beliefs, Management strategies and Affect. Motivation requires a shared commitment to the usefulness of, and interest in the topic as well as mutual respect and a willingness to learn. Conceptualising the thesis topic requires a shared language between supervisor and student. Managing the process involves organisation of self and task, and selection and use of strategies and relevant resources at optimal stages of the research. In addition, the fundamental importance of Affect needs to be acknowledged in the development of strategies to address inevitable fluctuations of positive and negative feelings. Suggestions for practice that could facilitate a self-regulatory, synergistic research process are made.     

Access and equity programme provision-evaluation in Australian higher education: a what matters approach

This article draws on findings from a national review of the evaluation of access and equity initiatives across Australian higher education to argue that utilising responsive mixed methods focused on the values of participants enables crucial understanding of what matters to the people involved. Based on the evidence collected, a “what matters” conceptual guide is provided to assist with programme design and evaluation. The approach enables identification of the multiple complex variables involved in generating programme outcomes that matter to the groups they are intended for. Provision and evaluation processes must be iteratively connected so that they are responsive to changing contexts and needs over time. Key concepts from critical realism and complexity theory are applied to highlight that context, complexity, and temporality are critical elements to incorporate into approaches to provision-evaluation. The “what matters” guide is designed to enable programmes that are accessible, engaging, and valuable to all participants.     

Student estrangement in higher education: identity formation and the struggle against stigma

Abstract

While investigation on family estrangement is growing within academic circles, research regarding the interconnection between experiences of estrangement and higher education (HE) is still limited. Sociological understandings of these issues are even scarcer, with policy interventions and practical guidance forming early interventions in HE. Set within the context of Scotland, this paper explores the experiences of HE students who are estranged from their family, and interrogates the ways students develop a sense of identity in the context of their academic lives. The paper applies Goffman’s work on stigma and identity management in relation to Bourdieu’s concept of capitals to cast a critical eye on the identity formation of estranged students. In doing so, we challenge normative assumptions of what it means to be a university student in contemporary society and urge institutions and policy makers to rethink the complexity of students’ academic lives in more inclusive ways.     

浅谈展示设计中的“时-空”艺术

在信息时代,展示设计技术和手法的多样化形成了时间和空间完美结合的“时-空”艺术。在三维空间的基础上充分运用“第四维”时间,是创造现代展示动态空间形式的根本所在。在这样的空间之中,用陈列手法上的动态表现、规划上的有意识引导,使观众在三维空间中体验“时-空”产生的第四维效应。     

英国高校改革:学生资助与教育参与

英国工党上台后,奉行第三条道路的政治纲领.在高等教育领域,政府一方面延续了新自由主义的市场化政策,对大学生资助方式进行改革,进一步革除福利社会的弊端;另一方面又通过政府的管制,化解市场化造成的不良后果,扩大社会各界对高等教育的参与.本文从学生资助方式的改革和高等教育参与面的扩大两个方面介绍了英国高等教育改革的最新动向和措施.     

Fostering organizational change through deliberations: the deliberative jury in a university setting

Universities in Europe face a variety of reform initiatives, and university reform can be seen as a wicked problem that should be resolved through collaborative efforts. In Finland, there has been considerable resistance to proposed reforms, with university personnel complaining that they have not been heard. Students, on the other hand, seem reluctant to participate in the debate. The situation does not lend itself to the collaborative resolution of wicked problems. Organizational changes are liable to failure, if wicked problems are not addressed effectively. This article presents a deliberative jury method in a university setting as a participative way to solve wicked problems and to pave the way for change. The method is tested through two cases in a Finnish university. These cases suggest that students and staff working together can devise and explore more comprehensive solutions to wicked problems, overcome the participation dilemma and generate change in their organization.     

Mature and younger students' reasons for making the transition from further education into higher education

This paper reviews findings from a longitudinal study of students making the transition from FE to an ancient university. This paper compares the younger and older students' reasons for higher education study. Our analysis of the quantitative data suggests that the older students had different reasons for entering university. We use the qualitative data to investigate the meanings participants attributed to higher education study in order to make sense of the patterns in the quantitative data, drawing on Wenger's perspectives on identity development as encompassing participants' trajectories in relation to communities of practice. The findings show a positive picture of the motivations of the whole cohort but the mature students seemed to have a particularly rich understanding of the meaning and relevance of their studies. The study therefore has implications for policy-makers and teachers as they seek to make use of the positive aspects of greater diversity.     

有关实验室和工作室相结合的本科艺术设计实践教学探索

在艺术设计的本科教育体系中,除了方法论和基础理论教学,最为重要的就是把审美文化和理论需求物化成实体的实践教学。而在实践教学中,工艺性和艺术性常常处于对立统一的体系之中,如何寻求平衡,使二者在互补互动的良性循环中相互促进,是实践性教学探索的重要环节之一。本文通过对实验室和工作室教学相关侧重点的探索,力求解决实践教学中客观规律性和主观能动性的统一互动问题。     

加强高校艺术设计教育

加强高校艺术设计教育有着十分重要的意义。本文分析了当前高校艺术设计教育中存在的问题，提出了加强和改进高校艺术设计教育的主要举措。     

Getting Pole Position: Research strategies in the Humanities at Swedish universities

The aim of this paper is to study research strategies in the Humanities in Sweden. The Swedish higher education sector is under transformation and a new funding system has been proposed. The study investigates the university strategy processes, mainly at the dean’s level. The results show that most institutions are active in order to be well prepared when a new funding system is launched. There are, however, big differences between universities in attitudes towards the proposed changes as well as the level of activity.     

高职艺术类院校工作室制下普通文化课程改革

目前,高职艺术类院校在工作室制人才培养模式下重专业,尚技能,轻人文,且普通文化课程自身也存在一些问题,导致学生普通文化知识薄弱,人文素养低,从而影响其可持续发展,因此普通文化课程必须进行改革。改革的内容主要包括:在学校完整统一的课程指导思想下,适应工作室制人才培养模式建设普通文化课程体系,同时对普通文化课程自身进行改革,提高普通文化课教师的跨界能力。     

论艺术设计专业研究生的自我修炼

艺术设计专业研究生必须加强自我修炼,提高自己的人文修养、艺术修养和营销能力,其途径是读书、实践和创新。     

工作室教学对高等艺术设计人才实践能力的培养

在美术设计专业教学中,学生实践能力往往不能得到有效的提高。工作室教学模式的出现,在一定程度上解决了这些问题。本文主要从工作室教学模式的提出、工作室教学的主要内容及其对培养高等艺术设计人才实践能力的作用等方面,对工作室教学模式下培养学生实践能力进行相应研究。     

Three dimensions of equity of access to higher education

Concerns over equity of access to higher education are widespread, but there is significant disagreement over what should constitute a fair system. This article assesses diverse conceptualisations of equity and explores the ways in which they embody themselves in the policies of three systems, those of England, Brazil and Kenya. While showing significant disparities of income level and enrolment ratio, all three have made concerted efforts to expand higher education access, accompanied by increasing stratification in terms of the quality and prestige of institutions. Analysis of policy options and outcomes leads to a proposal of three principles for understanding equity of access: availability, accessibility and horizontality. The third of these principles addresses the little-acknowledged safeguard that disadvantaged students should not be confined to lower-quality institutions, while at the same time allowing for diversity of ethos and disciplinary focus.     

Negotiating a ‘Radically Ambiguous World’: Planning for the Future of Research at the Art and Design University

Theoretically and methodologically, understanding the role of research within art and design practices is a recurring theme within contemporary dialogue and debate. In the published literature, there are many questions around how categories and definitions of artistic research are employed within the increasingly under‐resourced realm of higher education. This article contributes to this larger discussion by building up our knowledge of a particular feature of this landscape: how research policy and planning documents at art and design universities represent and define artistic research. While examining research at the level of practice remains important, we must also understand the symbolic and practical weight that institutional directives carry. In light of recent literature on artistic research and the debates concerning its evaluation and institutionalisation, this article develops our contemporary understanding of the role of the art and design university as an important mediator of conflicting perspectives on the ‘value’ of art and design research. Based on a discourse analysis of research planning documents from Canada's three independent public art and design universities, this article will argue that it is not the definition of artistic research itself that is the most contentious feature of university research planning – it is defining the value of this research that invites conflict and concern.     

Discourses of widening participation in the prospectus documents and websites of six English higher education institutions

This article provides a comparative analysis of the discourses of widening participation used in the prospectus documents and websites of six English higher education institutions (HEIs). Taking 2007 and 2011 as snapshots, the article considers the nature of the messages being communicated to prospective students by the different HEIs in the context of the changing policy landscape. Critical discourse analysis is used to interpret the ways in which the case-study HEIs discursively positioned themselves and their prospective students – and the potential implications of this for widening participation practice. In 2007, the findings suggested sharp demarcations between the discourses chosen by the elite pre-1992 and the more accessible post-1992 institutions. By 2011, however, statements of commitment to widening participation were less overt in the post-1992 institutions, whilst there was some evidence of a shift towards a more inclusive tone by the elite universities.     

The assessment of learning

ABSTRACT

Opposition to university fees is often framed as a defence of higher education as a ‘right’ rather than a ‘privilege’. However, the basis and nature of this right is unclear. This article presents a conceptual exploration of the question, drawing on an initial analysis of international law. An argument is put forward for a right to higher education seen as one of a number of possible forms of post-school education, restricted only by a requirement for a minimum level of academic preparation.     

Moments of Intensity: Affect and the Making and Teaching of Art

Affect often arises unexpectedly within the process of making art (along with other creative activities). In this article I argue for affect as a necessary and constructive dynamic within educational processes specifically for art and design. After a consideration of its recent neglect within art education, I revisit the notion of affect with reference to a number of thinkers who provide different perspectives, but particularly through the lens of the US psychologist Silvan Tomkins. Through him and others I seek to understand how affect can be recognised and cultivated in pedagogic situations. I do so by reflecting on the making and teaching experiences of students following an MA in Art and Design in Education and a practice‐based PhD, as witnessed by me (supervisor/co‐tutor), as recounted by students and as discussed in post‐event conversation/semi‐structured interviews.     

美术教学与学生个性发展的思考

美术教学对学生个性发展起着重要作用。美术教学中要准确把握学生个性差异,寻找适合学生特点的美术教学途径;创设宽松的环境,启发学生想象,使其创造性思维与创造力得到充分发挥;赏析名家绘画风格,对学生绘画个性培养意义重大。