module specification

The Methods and Enquiry 1 studio practice module consists of thematic workshops and group-initiated projects in an art or photography studio practice setting. These provide an opportunity for group work, research and collaboration, including work with outside agencies where appropriate, as well as for individual art practice.  In investigating method and enquiry in practice, the module will reflect upon trends in current practice as well as historical models. Case studies and seminar sessions with practitioners are intended to encourage engagement with and understanding of the character, institutional and professional practices of art or photography.

The Methods and Enquiry 1 module is delivered holistically in Level 5 with the Project Work 2 module, in a seamless and integral relationship with the work of that module in the level. Students are expected to reflect upon, represent and evaluate the complexity of critical and creative relationships between and across the body of work.

The module aims to enable students to develop key skills and knowledge in critical thinking as well as in the concepts and principles of art. Through experiment with or testing of new abstract concepts or approaches or methods of enquiry in new situations in an unprompted way, this module’s objectives are to enable students to develop the skill of applying what was learned in the studio to novel situations in a work environment. The module also aims to provide students with information about method and enquiry for later recall in the application of critical thinking for the building of the conceptual and contextual boundaries within which they then create and make their own work. This element of the curriculum also aims to develop the key Art & Design skill of making strong, decisive judgements about practice through regular reflection on and evaluation of learning, as well as the general transferable skill of collaborating well with others in a group on a collective objective.

Pre-requisite of equivalent of 120 L4 credits in a related subject and portfolio submission and review.
Co-requisite with FA5P01A Project Work 2.

At the beginning of the module, its aims and key concepts will be outlined to all students. A series of teamwork sessions will then be used to solve problems in art by applying method, approach, research and enquiry to a set brief using experimentation, trials and tests in group critique format (Learning Outcomes 2 and 5). Later in the module, sessions will be dedicated to each student positioning their own practice in a wider context, and constructing and using a method or approach in enquiry, as applied to their own individual work (Learning Outcomes 1 and 3). At points throughout the module, students will be required to document learning successes and failures and to reflect on these (Learning Outcome 4), before a final evaluation at the end of the module.

LO 1 - 4

Scheduled teaching ensures that independent study is effective and addresses the learning outcomes and assessment tasks. Students are expected to (and to have the opportunity to) continue with their studies outside of scheduled classes. There will be a range of learning strategies deployed and individual learning styles will be accommodated. The module’s learning outcomes, its contents and delivery, have been scrutinised and will be regularly reviewed to ensure an inclusive approach to pedagogic practice.

The module and course utilise the University’s blended learning platform to support and reinforce learning, to foster peer-to-peer communication and to facilitate tutorial support for students. Reflective learning is promoted through assessment items and interim formative feedback points that ask students to reflect on their progress, seek help where they identify the opportunity for improvement in learning strategies and outcomes, and make recommendations to themselves for future development. Throughout the module, students build a body of work, including reflections on progress and achievement.

The School’s programme of employability events and embedded work-related learning within the curriculum supports students’ personal development planning. Through these initiatives, students are increasingly able, as they progress from year to year, to understand the professional environment of their disciplines, the various opportunities available to them, and how to shape their learning according to their ambitions.

On completing the module, students should be able to:

1. position an individual art or photography practice within a wider context by explaining that context in journal format to peers;
2. apply different concepts and methods of enquiry and processes to solve new problems by experiment and testing in the world of art or photography;
3. construct and deploy an individual set of critical parameters for making art or photography;
4. connect learning experience to improvement of future performance by critical thinking in reflection and evaluation;
5. co-operate in teamwork on a group project.

The module is assessed through the methods and approaches of research and enquiry applied in project work as well as through documentation of and self-evaluation of studio practice learning, uploaded as a weblog in the University’s virtual learning environment (WebLearn).

The assessment strategy includes formative assessments throughout the teaching period, with tutorial feedback designed to encourage and help students to develop and improve their work. These will inform the student of their progress through the course.

Students will evaluate their own learning on the module using the criteria given and write a short critical appraisal of their work.

Summative assessment takes place at the end of the module. Written feedback addresses the strengths and weaknesses of individual presentations in relation to the grading criteria.

Reading list to be provided.