Formal feedback did manifest itself on a form which I picked up last Friday. Together with the provisional mark of 64 (a 2:1 in academic assessment terms) and a number of boxes that were ticked by the tutor who 'looked after me' for the duration of the last set project. Because—in a recent comment—I was accused to obviously not understand the links between the given projects and therefor failing to meet the aim of the module which was to gain an understanding of my design process, I was now going to explain (for those that are unfamiliar with it) the underlying assessment criteria and what my level of achievement of 64% actually means. However, having just read through those criteria, I think it could be both difficult and a bit pointless to do so. The criteria given in the module brief have been—who would have thought—apparently copied and pasted together from some other document and therefor make it difficult to me to make sense of it in a way that outsiders would understand. I only just noticed that it contains phrases such as "exceeds the threshold profile in respect of at least three out of four of the criteria" when the stated threshold profile actually contains five criteria. In my opinion this is not just a little typo, it becomes a big issue when someone tries to weigh my work against those criteria that don't make it clear if 75% is meant (equals three out of four) or 60% (equals three out of five) or perhaps 80% (equals four out of five in the attempt to adjust the threshold). I'm never happy am I? Ok Liam and everybody else who´s rolling their eyes right now, I'll stop finding errors of sloppiness relating to this module and therefor move on to something more substantial—the actual feedback (not without pointing out that that box, which reads "Demonstrate an understanding of their personal design methodology" has the highest rated tick on the entire form right in the middle of the column reading 'very good'—Yep, looks like I didn't miss so much after all).
Right, here we go, actual feedback: "Very well presented module file ..." (I created an information system that divided up my supporting and research work into logical parts relating to the assumed assessment criteria) "... with strong technical ability through out [sic]. For me the most considered piece of work in your portfolio was the typo-graphy book. Excelent [sic] application". This is interesting, apparently the book really caught attention and many people liked it, which makes me feel proud and relieved. The book wasn't part of the set tasks, I spent a few spare hours on it and therefor didn't invest a lot of time into research or experimentation. It was an idea conceived out of anger, frustration and a cheeky mood and quickly implemented, considering mostly practical issues relating to the production of it. I agree, it was an excellent application. With it being seen as the "most considered", it´s good to know that this consideration seems to come naturally to me. I suppose this assumption is reconfirmed in the next section where it states that I am working well and must continue to challenge myself on a daily basis in order to improve as a designer. All well and good, I just can't help being left a bit puzzled about the phrase that says "I would like to see this level of engagement with all your work". I mean, there was no secondary research, no experimentation, nothing new compared to the other projects which I spent weeks on. For me, there was a much higher level of engagement in—for example—creating Digby´s Trumpet, with plenty of freshly acquired skills being applied or the "How To ..." book with a load of research into all sorts of vaguely related matters. Perhaps the outcomes of those aren't as "nice", but isn't that just a spontaneous aesthetic judgement rather than an evident level of engagement? Or is the area of improvement for me merely in the perceived level of engagement ie. work that looks like it was lots of work? I suppose that´s what I can extract for myself from this feedback, and that´s fair enough.
I have also fed back my personal opinion of what should be changed in relation to the teaching methods applied in this module. We were given a feedback form to fill out for the tutors and I sat down with a friend and discussed the issues that pissed us off the most. We then put them down on paper, hoping things will be considered and changed not only for the next generation of students but also for ourselves in future modules. Just to pick up the matter of what all the complaining is about: I personally think we have a responsibility for our own education, that´s why I complain and fill out feedback forms with open and honest opinions; but I also think this can be a valuable public debate for future generations of students. By making these things public, other people can be aware of those issues and it doesn't just get brushed under the carpet. Prospective students increasingly make use of the web and social networks for their research in order to find out what university is most suitable for them. By voicing my opinion through those media, I allow them to get some inside opinions about a course like this one (when they put "University of the West of England" or "UWE" and "Graphic Design" into Google—yes, that was to make sure it gets found ;-) ). I certainly would have appreciated this at the time when I was researching which course to choose to steer my career and my future. And this is why I'm doing this publicly. It´s not naming and shaming (note that I haven't mentioned any names), if anything it´s more or less a warning (besides all the other things that I already mentioned).
To sum it up, here´s a list of things that I'd like to have changed if possible. It´s suggestions how—in my opinion—the module could benefit. It´s probably more work for tutors and lecturers but also better value for money for students. And that´s what should matter to a university, or in other words a business that sells education.
- ban the copy & paste mentality
- consider information architecture in briefs
- ensure suggested references are relevant and up-to-date
- communicate clearly both visually and verbally
- prepare instead of improvise lectures
- practice what you preach
- eliminate sloppy and time-wasting activities
- take students' feedback seriously, judgemental comments ("whoever wrote this didn't get it") are inappropriate
- treat students as adults
- ensure written and spoken instructions match up
- spell-check everything
- embrace change, just because it´s been done for years doesn't mean it'll work forever
- treat students with respect, not as a "pain in the arse"
- embrace university-wide standard information tools such as blackboard and (real) timetables
- revise information policy, students need to know what´s going on
- attendance does not suffer when students are informed but when they don't see the point in attending (cf. attendance record in Research in the Commercial World)
- project weighting should be made clear ("100% for everything" doesn't help students prioritising their work when project durations differ so vastly)
- do not use a meaningless numbering system in briefs (project one, one and three quarter, one and half, two, ...)
- consider professionalism, a process-based module doesn't have to be unprofessional
- be nice every now and then
Some of these suggestions might be trivial, nevertheless they should be taken seriously. I would really just like to enjoy a good university experience. Unfortunately it feels all to often like primary school. Let´s see if we can change something.
To refer to one of Liam´s points in his recent comment, why don't I fuck off elsewhere if I don't like it here? Well, I got the opportunity to spend the next semester in Switzerland. I'm currently preparing myself to take the plane to Zurich this Wednesday coming and experience design education at the Zurich University of the Arts. I will be studying visual communication there until the summer and hopefully gain an insight into a different university life. It might be better, it might be worse. Either way, I'll keep the readers of this blog and my tutors at UWE updated about my experiences. Let´s hope for the best.
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