Art, Design & Communication in Higher Education - Volume 5, Issue 3, 2007

Research can be seen as a journey in which the researcher reconstructs perceptions of the phenomena in question as a result, suggesting a new description of the phenomena and, in some cases, a new theoretical perspective as well. This article asserts that the results of such research processes are greatly subjected to the researcher's epistemological stances and methodological decisions. This essential procedure, in which one chooses a method of acquiring knowledge about the examined phenomena, is often described as a set of technical decisions, yet it can go beyond that.

This article will present a way in which methodological discussion can become the core of a meaningful process determining the researcher's path and the view that will be revealed. It will describe such a research journey, which focused on the learning experience of design students and particularly on the role of their emotions in studio courses. Since information on emotions, and their influence on the educational process, is generally concealed, special methodological concern was required. Thus, the article will describe and discuss the qualitative methods used to shed light on the educational process from the students' point of view. The advantages of each research method will be discussed, and the researcher's experiences in using these research methods will be compared.

Led by Schn and others, reflective practice has been widely explored in the last twenty years; however the kinds of practices focussed on have primarily been those in written format. The inclusion of Personal Development Planning activities (also known as Personal and Professional Development, or PPD) in higher education courses has reinforced the importance of both reflection and textual expression. Core modes of learning in the creative arts are not text-based, however, and the tension between writing and practice is familiar territory for debate. In spring 2006, a small-scale research project was conducted at the London College of Fashion (LCF) with staff and students on fashion courses. Its main goal was to examine perceptions of critical reflection, whether this is taught, how expressed, the extent to which it is measured and student responses to it. In addition, it considered the presence of the emotions in the fostering of reflective practice. This paper reports on both the project methodology and the findings, and raises questions about the ways in which critical reflection is currently stimulated in fashion learning which may have some resonance for other disciplines also.

It is widely hypothesized that the problem-based learning approach is effective for learning and teaching practice-oriented professions. In architecture, which is highly practice-oriented, there is a serious and continuous search for new pedagogical approaches and educational practices to improve communication and understanding of architecture in general and its backbone design education in particular. There is not enough research about the effectiveness of the problem-based learning approach and how to employ and optimize it in teaching architectural design praxis. Furthermore, little is known about how the approach guidelines can be explicitly articulated and systematically applied to creatively and effectively solve practical design problems. The project discussed in this article is set out to fill this particular void. It is an experimental pilot that incorporates emergent design concepts about animated four-dimensional design and visualization that is carried out in a digital architectural design studio into a problem-based learning approach to determine whether or not this method of learning is more effective for design knowledge building than the traditional methods. The pilot employs computer aids not only to integrate different data and to communicate online, but also to emphasize concepts that are typically considered difficult to visualize in design generation and representation such as responsive metamorphosis of architecture.

This paper aims to explore the concepts of student-centred, experiential, problem-based and enquiry-based learning through the critical consideration of On Trial a specific case study example of a particularly successful approach to learning that celebrates what Finkel (2000) calls teaching with your mouth shut.

The discussion explores how the format, language and dynamics of the courtroom drama are used as the context and vehicle to secure deep learning through dynamic role play where the tutor is the silent witness.

This article considers how this learning experience harnesses popular culture to help students engage with tough academic issues and wider ethical concerns relevant to their specialist discipline. It explores the challenges and nuances of such learning and considers the reasons for its success and popularity with both learners and fellow teachers.

This article relates to the ongoing research of a UK National Teaching Fellow.

Picturing Mind: Paradox, Indeterminacy and Consciousness in Art and Poetry, Consciousness, Literature and the Arts Series 03, John Danvers, (2006) Amsterdam/New York: Rodopi, 368 pp., ISBN 90-420-1809-7, ISSN: 1573-2193

Fluxus and Higher Education Pedagogy Fluxus and Legacy, Visible Language, Special Issue, Part One, 39.3, 2006, ISSN 0022-22244 and Fluxus after Fluxus, Visible Language, Special Issue, Part Two, 40.1, 2006, ISSN 0022-22244, Guest editors (for both): Ken Friedman and Owen F. Smith