What is the context of your teaching practice, your positionality in relation to your practice?
I am a Digital Fabrication Technician at CCW Foundation, soon to move to Lime Grove when Pre-Degree courses combine in September. I work in the Creative Tech Lab, a digital fabrication space that encompasses tools like 3D printing, laser cutting and pen plotting. I am white man, able-bodied and neuro-diverse, working in education since 2019 and at UAL as a technician from 2021. I am a practising multi-disciplinary artist, primarily focusing on painting and installation and I’m part of an art collective that specialises in performance art and film.
After considering my positionality, primarily as an artist, I realise I could provide some unconscious bias or extra support to those students who develop art projects as this is my preference and what I find more interesting. As a technician at CCW Foundation we support all students from the art, design and communication pathways so I see a variety of students on any given day so it is paramount i give the same level of support to each student regardless of discipline.
With booking data gathered from student cohort 2023-24, it shows art pathways are less likely to book the Creative Tech Lab. Although, for reference, we are quite relaxed on officially booking as most often discussions are informal and not logged. (Fig.1)
Fig.1
With this information In mind, I think it’s important to encourage students from historically low attended disciplines to use the Creative Tech Lab, and workshops in general to help alleviate the gap of ‘epistemic injustices.’ (Reki, 2023) One way I believe is to highlight our positionality within the video induction as technicians and our practices from a wider, art/design context. For example, in ‘How do art and design technicians conceive of their role in higher education?’ (Sams, 2016) It finds that ‘the majority of technicians who took part in this survey were also active arts practitioners.’ (Sams, 2016)’ And I believe this should be something celebrated within a technical induction video so students from pathways who might not consider the relevance a certain area can provide. As Haifaa Jawad states: our prejudices ‘are often based on lack of knowledge and understanding about each other’s lives.’ (Jawad, H, 2022) Moving forward, additional targeted outreach and curriculum integration could further bridge this gap.
I have also previously tailored workshops to low-attendance areas (Fig.2) and recently exhibited my own artwork at Wilson Road highlighting fabrication techniques in the context of a painting installation to encourage attendance. (Fig.3) I took inspiration from reading ‘An a/r/tographic métissage: Storying the self as pedagogic practice’ (Osler et al, 2019) and using the ‘self’ as subject matter to explain how the processes available within the workshop have benefited my own ongoing artistic practice. This has allowed deeper and more interesting discussions with students as we can converse as fellow practitioners, rather than teacher/student: ‘An opportunity for dialogue on equal and inclusive terms develops.’ (Osler, et al, 2019)
Fig.2
Fig.3
What is the intervention you have designed in your teaching practice (what is the aim, when will it take place, what resources, training, support is required)?
My intervention is to redesign/reimagine the format of an induction video that students will access on Moodle and watch before accessing the workshop for the first time. With the move from Camberwell to Lime Grove this is something that will have to be done in the future and historically it was an induction to the space and technicians, along with a health and safety video. With resources learnt from the inclusive practices section of the PG Cert I think this can be improved and I want to redesign the process of creating an induction video that includes intersectionality, hidden disabilities and social justice. An inclusive induction model is also of use not just to my team in the Creative Tech Lab but to similar teams across the university and beyond just technician areas.
After reflecting with peers, both of whom I work with in the Technical department at CCW and my peer to peer presentation group, some common themes occurred. These will be highlighted throughout to show how they can be used for a better induction video.
Firstly, a video, rather than an in person induction, means students can either watch in a large group together or at their own pace. They can pause, and go back, in case they missed anything in person amongst a large crowd. Small but pivotal changes can be done to the video format to make it more inclusive. For example, currently subtitles are below the video but these could include closed captions to support students who are hard of hearing and audio descriptions for visual elements for students with visual impairments. It could also be available in different languages for those students who aren’t as confident with English, to help remove the narrative that bilingual students are a ‘challenge’ to institutions, (Bradbury, A. 2020) use inclusive language and have sign language for students who are deaf. It should use a consistent visual style and sound level to avoid sensory overload for those with autism, ADHD, PTSD or sensory processing disorder. The video should also highlight how to navigate the lab with mobility aids and access language support and mental health services, ensuring all students feel accommodated.
As mentioned previously, I believe Introducing staff and technicians to students, explaining their roles and expertise would benefit staff/student relations. Using our own positionality would help students know who to approach with specific questions and fosters better communication and respect. There is often a misunderstanding of what technicians can offer in terms of help, as mentioned above, we are often practitioners outside of our role at UAL. Currently we have a section stating our names and roles, but this could be expanded to briefly state our individual practices/interests/expertise. (Fig.4)
Fig.4
‘Space is not recognised as neutral but are recognised to operate in explicit and implicit ways that reflect structural inequalities of power and privilege’ (Wong, 2023) This is something that should be addressed within the induction. A key point should highlight the fact that the workshops are a safe-space where all students are welcome. This should be a prominent within the video, highlighting ‘success stories’ (Sadiq, 2023) as often students feel nervous to enter a workshop environment. ‘…recognising the importance of others, such as peers, in the co-creation of shared meaning at the University.’ (Wong, B. 2023) For example, it could feature past work of students from various backgrounds with testimonials of how they benefited from the Creative Tech Lab to help inspire new students.
Along with being a safe space for students, workshops should also be an anti-racist and anti-hate space. One solution discussed amongst my peers could be similar to a health and safety checklist, with a list of rules that students have to accept to enter the workshop. Highlighting respect for diversity, use of inclusive language, mindful of inclusivity needs etc. A point raised during the discussions is how staff have inclusivity training but students don’t, and this could be one small step to providing that.
Space itself is a huge factor when creating an inclusive workshop environment, although we can’t change the building, we can modify the feel, movement and agency of the space to help benefit all students. I was unable to get student feedback for this report as the students have all left, but I have received this previous email from a student alumni that highlights the importance of space. (Fig.5)
Fig.5
Another key point taken from workshops during this part of the PG Cert is hidden disabilities and supporting those students with neurodiversity. An area which can be improved in the induction is highlighting this support so students don’t have to ask for support, removing the barrier of ‘being seen.’ (Thomas, C, 2022) For example, the Creative Tech Lab can become quite noisy so an area where students can access headphones could be highlighted for those who might feel overstimulated, if they can access this themselves then it reduces the chance of ‘identity threat.’ (Thomas, C, 2022). Small improvements like this would benefit all students, not just those with neurodiversity. These should be highlighted in the induction, showing their ease of use for students to feel comfortable accessing them at their own leisure.
It is also worth noting that the premise of an inclusive induction video is one that’s ever changing, similar to students’ needs, and would benefit from being updated regularly. ‘Research must consider how adaptations can be tailored, as opposed to being a ‘one size fits all’ (MacLennan, 2022) Getting student feedback is key, potentially trialling a video to a focus group to get responses, for example having a diverse group of students and staff review the script for the induction video to ensure inclusivity and clarity in language. Also a feedback form could be linked at the end of the video, inviting students to share their thoughts and suggestions. This could be regularly reviewed and incorporated to keep the content relevant.
Bibliography
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