Introduction
As a specialist technician in the Sculpture and Computational Arts departments at Camberwell College of Arts, my role includes running workshops that support course learning outcomes. While we do not provide formal feedback for assessments, students receive informal feedback through hands-on learning, which significantly contributes to their overall educational experience. To explore how technicians contribute to student learning, I will use the Photo Documentation Workshop for final-year Sculpture students as a case study.
Evaluation
The Photo Documentation Workshop introduces students to digital photography principles through a presentation and hands-on demonstration of equipment setup, including tripods, lights, cameras, and the camera booth. They then apply this knowledge by documenting a medium-sized artwork in a makeshift studio setting.
Initially, I assumed my contribution to assessments was minimal since I do not grade student work. However, after attending a PgCert workshop on formative and summative assessments, I reassessed the impact of informal feedback. Formative feedback helps students identify areas for improvement and track progress, preparing them for summative assessments, which evaluate learning against a benchmark. Understanding this interplay has reshaped my approach to feedback in workshops.
Moving Forward
Strengthening Cross-Year Learning Connections
Designed in collaboration with course leaders, this workshop equips students with essential documentation skills. Cross-year modules are interconnected through feedback, enabling students to apply insights from one module to another. As their documented works are later assessed in pop-up shows or final-year exhibitions, this creates a continuous feedback loop, where formative feedback enhances the quality of their work for summative assessments. As Mark Russell suggests in Assessment Patterns: A Review of the Possible Consequences, integrating formative and summative feedback strengthens learning by identifying strengths and areas for improvement.
Promoting a Holistic Educational Experience
This structured approach supports a balanced workload, reducing last-minute effort and ensuring students can commit to all tasks effectively. The combination of formative and summative feedback introduces varied assessment stakes—low, medium, and high—making learning less stressful. Additionally, it promotes engagement and retention by structuring assessment activities to support continuous learning. As Phil Race states in A Briefing on Self, Peer and Group Assessment, “Assessment is how well you can get your act together, in the right ways, at the right times and in the right places, to show what you can do with what you’ve learned that counts.”
Enhancing Career and Employability Focus
Sculpture students may not immediately recognize the importance of digital photography, as it is not their primary discipline. However, in today’s digital landscape, artwork is often encountered online rather than in physical spaces. Equipping students with the skills to present their work digitally is essential. Moving forward, I aim to refine the workshop to emphasize career and employability skills. According to UAL’s Creative Attributes Framework, this workshop can empower students by developing key professional skills. Learning to operate a digital camera, set up a studio, and edit images through hands-on activities and instant feedback will better prepare them for their future careers in fine arts.
References
Russell, M. (2010). Assessment Patterns: A Review of the Possible Consequences.
Race, P. (2001). A Briefing on Self, Peer and Group Assessment.
UAL (2020). Creative Attributes Framework. [online] UAL. Available at: https://www.arts.ac.uk/about-ual/teaching-and-learning-exchange/careers-and-employability/creative-attributes-framework.