D R . N I C O S S O U L E L E S

2/30

E L E A R N I N G I N A R T A N D D E S I G N

the elephant in the room

3/30

Challenge of elearning

in art and design

Hardly discussed

Sector traditionally resistant

Elephant in the room

I N T R O D U C T I O N

4/30

Anecdotal evidence =

elearning can contribute

little or nothing to

studio-based disciplines

U N S U I T A B L E F O R

I N S T R U C T I O N A L P R A C T I C E S

I N A R T A N D D E S I G N

I N T R O D U C T I O N

5/30

6/30

After Dearing Report (1997) >> proliferation of policies,

strategies, initiatives on aspects of implementing ICTs in HE

elearning = supported by national

international policies

call for elearning in HE curricula

Competencies + skills >> graduate success

in knowledge economy

I N T R O D U C T I O N

7/30

Overarching arguments:

Structure of work

in advanced economies

Moving away from traditional

manufacturing modes

of production, towards

provision of services,

production, management and

circulation

of knowledge through ICTs

‘Knowledge Economy’ (KE) and

‘Information Society’ (IS)

W H Y E L E A R N I N G I N H E

8/30

Regular re-skilling and life-long learning >>

at least five times in a working lifetime

equivalent of three months of full-time learning

W H Y E L E A R N I N G I N H E

9/30

Skills and competencies

reflect and correspond

to milieu of global IS

21st Century Literacies -

include Information Literacy

ICTs >> significant contributor

for acquisition of required

competencies, facilitator of further

professional development

and lifelong learning

W H Y E L E A R N I N G I N H E

10/30

Government intention to embed elearning in HE curricula

in systemic manner and through nationally integrated

strategies

distance education

networked learning

lifelong learning

student-centred learning and

work-based learning

Facilitated through ICTs

W H Y E L E A R N I N G I N H E

11/30

Additional benefits (JISC):

Cost savings - resource efficiency e-assessments and

automated grading of large cohorts of students

Recruitment and retention especially international students

Support for widening participation and inclusion

of students unable to attend HE -

professionals, non-traditional learners

W H Y E L E A R N I N G I N H E

12/30

Overlapping disciplines

with vague boundaries

Low paradigmatic development

- little agreement on theory,

methods and techniques

High paradigmatic development

disciplines - biology, chemistry,

physics and the sciences

T H E A R T A N D D E S I G N C O N T E X T

13/30

Open-ended nature of most art and design outcomes

Instructional approaches - setting of a conceptual problem,

followed by series of critiques (crits)

Lengthy study period - presentation of completed projects

to group of peers - presence of teacher

Expert Informal feedback - formative assessment

A powerful vehicle for induction, enculturation

of students into dominant mores and beliefs

of the discipline

T H E A R T A N D D E S I G N C O N T E X T

14/30

Focus of instruction is project-based learning (PBL)

Replicate contextualised design problems in real life

settings

A visible dimension - outcomes manifest

as artefacts - open to debate and examination

Learning primarily social

Process and development - support ongoing exploration

and refinement of outputs

Assessment focuses on process as well as finished artefact

T H E A R T A N D D E S I G N C O N T E X T

15/30

Art and design education -

not immune from pressures -

confronted with complexities

of electronic Prometheus

Visual information extensively

modified - impact upon what

is perceived or experienced

Need to encompass in art and

design curricula new forms

of visual literacy -

competencies that cater for

digitally generated visual

outputs

E L E A R N I N G I N A R T A N D D E S I G N - C U R R E N T S I T U A T I O N

16/30

Incongruence between digital

native students and what is offered in curricula

When art and design students make transition to professional

practice, they bring knowledge and competencies acquired

from formal education

Changeable and varied working environments

a significant amount of informal learning (IL) takes place in

situ

Estimates suggest IL comprises between 70-80%

of learning that takes place in the workplace

>> the iceberg of IL

E L E A R N I N G I N A R T A N D D E S I G N - C U R R E N T S I T U A T I O N

17/30

A recent study >> what

sources

of information graphic design

students use to support their

IL

The dominant preference is

for online sources facilitated

by variety of electronic

devices that provide for ease

of access

E L E A R N I N G I N A R T A N D D E S I G N - C U R R E N T S I T U A T I O N

18/30

A number of studies identify faculty resistance

to the use of elearning and ICTs in art and design:Drew, 2002

Gruba, 2001

Grove-White & Johal, 2004

Extensive European-wide mapping exercise to establish

the use of elearning in different academic disciplines

four per cent (4%) of art and design disciplines

made frequent use of elearningGaebel, Kupriyanova, Morais & Colucci, 2014

E L E A R N I N G I N A R T A N D D E S I G N - C U R R E N T S I T U A T I O N

19/30

No studies provide extensive insights

into nature of obstacles

Indicative of obstacles:

...The physical interaction with artefacts is essential to the

studies [art and design] as is the real-life interaction between

learners and subject. This cannot be replaced...

...The main challenge is that the studio environment of

learners working together in the same space with the

lecturers cannot be simulated on the VLE. Practical subjects

can only be taught physically, hands on, not simulated

online...

E L E A R N I N G I N A R T A N D D E S I G N - C U R R E N T S I T U A T I O N

20/30

E L E A R N I N G I N A R T A N D D E S I G N - C U R R E N T S I T U A T I O N

How elearning is

conceptualised is central

to ongoing discussion and

development of practice

21/30

T H R E S H O L D C O N C E P T - M O V I N G F O R W A R D - A C K N O W L E D G E E L E P H A N T

22/30

THRESHOLD CONCEPTS =

Within each discipline there is essential and

significant body of troublesome knowledge

Difficult and unintuitive for learners to comprehend

Once understood has potential to transform perceptions

Irreversible and hard to unlearn

Integrative and exposes inter-relationships

between concepts and ideas

T H R E S H O L D C O N C E P T - M O V I N G F O R W A R D - A C K N O W L E D G E E L E P H A N T

23/30

The change >>

Focus away from replacing or replicating art and design

instructional strategies and face-to-face teaching

the social and physical interaction of the studio

Instead, elearning >>

Comprehended as essential and complimentary component

of variety of instructional strategies that it can enhance

Requires departure from the incorrectly perceived

role, conceptual move towards a new direction

Can trigger a transformative awareness of what

is possible instead of what is not doable

T H R E S H O L D C O N C E P T - M O V I N G F O R W A R D - A C K N O W L E D G E E L E P H A N T

24/30

The dictum:

form follows function

Links the relationship between the form

of an object and its intended purpose

Function precedes form, exists

independently from it and predates it

An object has to perform a specific

function, its design must support that

function to the fullest extent possible

T H R E S H O L D C O N C E P T - M O V I N G F O R W A R D - A C K N O W L E D G E E L E P H A N T

25/30

Example 1 of what is doable:

Barber (2011) investigated how the traditional crit with

associated problems (student performance anxiety), can be

complemented with blended learning approaches

Combined physical studio and online facilities such as

collaborative documents, mind-mapping tools and e-portfolios

The motivation >> to promote a participative community

of inquiry and to acculturate design students

to critical analysis and discourse

T H R E S H O L D C O N C E P T - M O V I N G F O R W A R D - A C K N O W L E D G E E L E P H A N T

26/30

Example 2 of what is doable:

Pirie, Cordiner and Triggs (2011) motivation to address

student dissatisfaction with assessment and feedback

Students did not understand learning

outcomes and assessment criteria

Online digital space developed to support

and enhance studio pedagogy and not replace it

Identified benefits >> students developing

meaningful feedback in relation to their work

T H R E S H O L D C O N C E P T - M O V I N G F O R W A R D - A C K N O W L E D G E E L E P H A N T

27/30

The above elearning examples not exhaustive but

demonstrate potential >>

What is doable when threshold concept

is embraced and comprehended

First the elephant in the room needs to be acknowledged

Awareness of skills and competencies facilitated with

elearning and accompanied by appropriate pedagogies

Underpinned through the dictum of form follows function,

instructional innovations with elearning are conceivable,

doable and worth exploring

C O N C L U S I O N

28/30

If the elephant

in the room continues

to be ignored,

then increasingly it will

resemble an ostrich

C O N C L U D I N G R E M A R K

29/30

A P O I N T E R F O R D I S C U S S I O N

30/30

How elearning

is conceptualised

is central to ongoing

discussion and

development

of art and design practice