‘Being an artist you kind of, I mean, you get used to excellence’: Identity, Values and Fine Art Assessment Practices

In this article I report on a study into fine art lecturers’ assessment practices in higher education. This study explores the ways that lecturers bring themselves into the act of assessment (Hand & Clewes 2000). I interviewed twelve fine art lecturers who worked across six English universities. Lecturers were asked to relate to me how they learnt to assess student artwork and what informed their judgement making. My research explores the interfaces between fine art lecturers’ assessment practices, their values and identity/ies. My analysis offers a rendering of the ways that values underpin lecturers’ assessment practices. The article explores the ways that lecturers’ assessment decisions relate to their experiences as ex art students, their identity as artists, their own artistic practices, their conceptualisation of the arts arenas and the HE sector. My key overarching argument is that identity/ies and values underpin and enrich fine art lecturers’ assessment practices

Managing assessment : student and staff perspectives

‘I never realised assessment was for learning’ Laura Ludman BSc (Hons) Nursing, University of Central England Managing Assessment: Student and Staff Perspectives is a practical tool developed by the Managing Effective Student Assessment (MESA) benchmarking club. It aims to give senior management, staff and educational developers, teachers, and support staff insight into assessment issues along with ideas and tools to enable them to improve student learning and reduce the burden on staff. It is hoped that, as well as enriching the learning experience, the case studies will also encourage students to reflect on their experiences of assessment and promote student and staff dialogue around assessment practices. The underlying principle of the Managing Effective Student Assessment (MESA) benchmarking club was the emphasis and value placed on the student perspective. However, it was recognised that assessment is complex and needs careful management. This includes appropriate strategies, structures and support to ensure effective student learning. The initiative was led by the Higher Education Academy (formerly the Learning and Teaching Support Network Generic Centre) and University of Central England (UCE) with the aim of refocusing staff time into providing better support for students and making student learning more effective. The MESA group comprised of a senior manager at departmental level, a member of the educational/faculty development staff and up to three students from each of eight institutions: the UCE, University of Brighton, Coventry University, De Montfort University, University of Glamorgan, Northumbria University, University of Sussex, and York St John College. The students and staff involved were from a range of different discipline areas and diverse institutions. The aims of the MESA group were to: • Share effective practices and issues in assessment; • Use assessment to enrich the student learning experience and seek to demystify assessment; • Enhance assessment practice to improve student retention and progression; • Manage change effectively and embed within institutions. The active involvement of students was facilitated through a student discussion forum which ran parallel to the inputs made by academic managers. The students were invited to discuss experiences of good assessment practice and identify assessment related issues that impacted on their experiences. The group then worked together to seek effective resolutions to the issues raised, which led to the creation of the case studies presented in this publication. The MESA project encouraged students and staff to learn from one another, as well as learning across subject boundaries and types of institutions. Managing Assessment: Student and Staff Perspectives was created in order to share this learning and to help others develop their understanding of what students need from assessment. It also considers how change can be managed and embedded within institutions

Foreign-Born Population in Upstate New York

For immigrants coming to New York State, NYC has traditionally been the gateway, the area where many first arrive and settle. Since the large number of foreign-born city residents has contributed significantly to population growth in the area, it is not surprising that downstate immigration trends have been well documented. Less often recognized, however, is the fact that a substantial number of immigrants -- more than 200,000 -- make their home in major upstate metropolitan areas. This influx of immigrants upstate has gone relatively unnoticed -- masked, no doubt, by the negligible growth in the region's overall population. This paper relies on 2000 Census data to create a profile of the upstate immigrants and to shed light on the role they play in the region's population growth and economy. It compares the demographic characteristics of this group with those of the foreign-born in New York City. It also investigates the extent to which the immigrants' education and occupational skills put them in competition for jobs with U.S.-born residents or enable them to fill jobs that complement those held by the native-born

Space and place: writing encounters self

In addition to contributing this editorial article, Susan Orr and Claire Hind guest edited this issue

Reflect on this!

In this article we reflect on reflection. To do this, we share examples of pedagogic approaches used in undergraduate performance programmes at York St John University that re-situate reflective practice within creative practice. For example, we explore the creative, multimodal use of a catalogue document that two of the authors used to encourage students to reflect as part of the B.A. (Hons) Theatre level 2 modules entitled performing the self & artist as witness. These modules aim to encourage students to consider themselves in some sense auteurs of themselves and their art practice. The case study illustrates that we need to go beyond the familiar if we are to be reflexive about the role of reflection in creative practice education

Deadlines, delegate divisions and demographics helped determine the New York presidential primary result

Yesterday the Empire State held its presidential primary contest for the Republican and Democratic parties, with local billionaire Donald Trump and the state’s former US Senator Hillary Clinton winning the most delegates in the respective GOP and Democratic contests. Susan Orr writes that while in previous years, party nominations have been sewn up by this time; New York’s primary has been competitive for the first time ever this year. Despite its importance this time round, however, New York’s closed primary has made it harder for many to vote, and questions remain over just how representative those who voted are of the electorate as a whole

The foreign-born population in upstate New York

An analysis of upstate New York's foreign-born residents suggests that they contribute to the region's human capital in important ways. This population boasts a greater concentration of college graduates than either the region's native-born population or immigrants downstate. While some immigrants upstate may compete with U.S.-born workers for jobs, the more highly educated appear to be entering skilled occupations - in medicine, science, and research particularly - that complement those of native-born residents. Subseries: Second District Highlights.Labor mobility ; Immigrants ; Federal Reserve District, 2nd ; Labor supply

‘We kind of try to merge our own experience with the objectivity of the criteria’: The role of connoisseurship and tacit practice in undergraduate fine art assessment

This article explores connoisseurship in the context of fine art undergraduate assessment practice. I interviewed twelve fine art lecturers in order to explore and unpack the concept of connoisseurship in relation to subjectivity, objectivity and tacit practice. Building on the work of Bourdieu (1973, 1977, 1986) and Shay (2003, 2005), both of whom problematize the view that subjectivity and objectivity are binary opposites, my research illustrates the ways that connoisseurship is underpinned by informed professional judgements located in communities of practice. Within this particular conception of connoisseurship, the lecturers’ expertise is co-constituted in communities of assessors through participation and engagement. Standards reside in communities of practice

Strategic Approaches to the Development and Management of Personal Tutorial Systems in UK Higher Education

This chapter explores our experience, over nine years, of taking a strategic approach to personal tutoring within University of the Arts London. University of the Arts London comprises (at time of writing) five colleges and is specialist within the disciplines of art, design and communication. It is the biggest art and design educational institution in Europe and possibly the world. The chapter outlines the positive development we have been able to achieve in some colleges of the university and the tensions and difficulties encountered