Curiosity is critical for learning in the arts. Indeed, the current University strategy positions it ‘at the heart of our curriculum’. But how do we set up the conditions for it to flourish? What strategies, environments, triggers, scaffolds, assignments and methods are being used to develop students’ appetite and capacity for independent learning? We know that UAL teaching and support staff are the highly-skilled architects behind hundreds of well-designed student experiences every day. Connected to UAL’s enhancement theme of enquiry-based learning, this year’s Learning and Teaching Day sets out to explore the important work that goes into designing curricula that helps students to take ownership of their learning.
This is an opportunity to open up our teaching toolkits and share the best of what we do with our students, with each other. How does our research, whether disciplinary, practice-based or pedagogic, inform our teaching? What are the signature pedagogies of our creative disciplines? And how do oft-used terms such as ambiguity, play, resilience and risk manifest themselves in our teaching and in our environment?
Ways to contribute
We invite you to participate in the debate, and particularly welcome proposals that use alternative presentation formats to stimulate dialogue or new ways to engage colleagues:
- Workshop
- Paper
- Roundtable
- Lightning talk
- Poster
- Alternative presentation formats
Please note that to enable us to accommodate as many contributions as possible during the programme for the day, an outcome of the peer review process may be the recommendation that a contribution is presented in a different format.
Call for contributions is now closed
The submitted proposals are now undergoing peer review.
Important dates
- Deadline (extended) for submission of proposals: Wednesday 1 February 2017 (5pm)
- Outcome of peer review: Monday 13 February 2017
- Registration opens: Monday 13 February 2017 (TBC)
Peer review criteria
All proposals will be peer reviewed against the following four criteria:
- Engagement with the conference theme
- Potential for participation and engagement as part of proposed session
- Relevance to the wider UAL community
- Innovative approaches.
Exploring the theme
We understand the idea of ‘Cultivating Curiosity’ broadly and aim to generate multidisciplinary discussion around topics such as:
- how can our art and design practices / thinking and spaces (studio, library, technical resource areas, digital environments) engender curiosity in our teaching and learning?
- how does the idea of enquiry inform teaching and learning? And how do we make spaces for students and staff to enquire together?
- how does research (disciplinary, practice-based or pedagogic) inform the teaching on your course?
- which teaching and assessment methods foster curiosity and deep subject engagement?
- given the current educational landscape, how might we harness our disciplinary practices to communicate the richness of an arts-based education?
- how do we generate a social and pedagogic environment that is genuinely inclusive for all students?
- what role can / does / might the digital play in developing student curiosity?
- how do internships, mentoring, live projects and third sector opportunities benefit practice-led enquiry?
- what are the roles of ambiguity, play, risk and resilience in an arts and design university?
Choosing a session format
Workshop (45 minutes)
A workshop is intended to be a fully participatory and experiential session where colleagues can engage, discuss and reflect on learning and teaching strategies relevant to the Learning and Teaching Day theme. It is an opportunity to be creative and we encourage alternative formats such as visual, sound, video or performance approaches that particularly suit our university context to facilitate the workshop.
Paper (15 minutes)
This format provides an opportunity to give a 15 minute oral, visual, film or slide presentation outlining your research, project or curriculum innovation. Each 45 minute paper session will include two papers and an opportunity for discussion and feedback. It can be useful to prepare 2-3 focussed questions at the end of each presentation to start the discussion.
Roundtable (45 minutes)
This format brings together three linked presentations of approximately 10 minutes around a shared topic with 15 minutes for discussion facilitated by a chair. Roundtable sessions provide the opportunity for networking to bring together colleagues from different disciplines or different colleges and can be useful for developing work in progress. Roundtables are submitted as a single session and include an abstract for each presentation and a rationale for how the presentations are linked.
Lightning talk (5 minutes)
Lightning Talks are short think pieces limited to 5 minutes. Each presentation includes a maximum of 20 slides and each slide will advance every 15 seconds. The aim is to keep each talk concise to stimulate ideas and discussion as well as enable multiple speakers to contribute to a theme. Lightning Talks are an excellent format for sharing a teaching innovation or an interesting solution to a problem from your experience.
Posters/Artefacts/Installations (45 minutes)
Posters and alternative formats such as objects, artefacts, installations or demonstrations are a format that allow you to present a developing idea, innovation, service or project and get immediate feedback. Items will be on display for the duration of the day but there will be a timetabled slot for contributors to present their work.
