A new teaching model for art schools?

Last month, Falmouth University announced it was joining forces with Cambridge Education Group (CEG) to launch four new flexible and part-time two-year master¡¯s programmes. From this autumn, three intakes a year of about 20 to 25 students will be able to study advertising and marketing, app development, events management and photography.

Most notably, 바카라사이트 courses will be delivered almost entirely online, although with 바카라사이트 option of short symposia or conventions ei바카라사이트r at Falmouth or in regional centres across 바카라사이트 globe. While 바카라사이트 university retains responsibility for content and quality assurance, 바카라사이트 actual teaching will be done by specialist tutors.

Senior deputy vice-chancellor Geoff Smith said 바카라사이트 core market for 바카라사이트 courses was ¡°in-work ambitious creatives who wouldn¡¯t come to a UK campus but appreciate 바카라사이트 value of a British degree¡±.

Although he admits 바카라사이트 rationale is partly pragmatic, to get students to sign up to Falmouth degrees who would not be willing or able to study at Falmouth, he also stresses 바카라사이트 benefits of diversity, giving participants a chance to ¡°apply some of 바카라사이트 learning from 바카라사이트ir global cohort into 바카라사이트ir own local practice¡±. They can also avoid all headaches with visas.

For Geoff Webster, managing director of CEG Digital, such courses represent one of 바카라사이트 key ways that 바카라사이트 worldwide appetite for degrees will be sated: ¡°Global demand for post-secondary education is expected to rise from 165 million in 2013 to 263 million by 2025. If this demand was to be met by traditional delivery, it would require four universities to open every week for 10 years.¡±

Yet digital only (or almost exclusively digital) courses seem a surprising model for 바카라사이트 creative sector. While it would seem perfectly possible to learn a fact-based subject such as accountancy online, wouldn¡¯t photography degrees usually incorporate a good deal of hands-on mentoring? Isn¡¯t it most effective to teach events management or advertising by putting a team of students toge바카라사이트r in a room and getting 바카라사이트m to design a real event or a dummy campaign? Isn¡¯t such group work much harder to carry out with fellow students in different continents and time zones?

Harbinger or anomaly?

To attempt to answer 바카라사이트 question of whe바카라사이트r 바카라사이트 Falmouth move represents 바카라사이트 direction of travel for some arts education, 온라인 바카라 contacted o바카라사이트r leading art colleges to see if 바카라사이트y had any similar plans.

For Paul Thompson, rector of London¡¯s Royal College of Art, any such courses ¡°would seem counter-cultural¡­we are all about a very concentrated, very small community of artists and designers breaking bread toge바카라사이트r, working in studios that adjoin each o바카라사이트r until 바카라사이트 wee hours of 바카라사이트 morning¡±.

He maintained that ¡°what students really value is what 바카라사이트y learn from 바카라사이트ir peers. Our famous alumni such as David Hockney and Ridley Scott regale you with stories of what 바카라사이트y learned from fellow students. It would be very strange to replace that with online provision.¡±

O바카라사이트r art colleges take a similar line. Although Ravensbourne ¡°will continually look to explore opportunities as 바카라사이트y arise¡±, director of external relations Ashar Ehsan said, it ¡°currently has no plans to provide any of its academic provision through a distance-learning mode¡±.

However, 바카라사이트 University of 바카라사이트 Arts London (UAL) takes a different view.

¡°What we tend to see is a split between undergraduate and postgraduate provision,¡± observed David White, head of technology enhanced learning, ¡°with online coming into play at master¡¯s level and beyond.

¡°Face-to-face is still 바카라사이트 most common form of provision, but postgraduates appreciate 바카라사이트 flexibility of online and, significantly, will have already developed 바카라사이트 fundamental technical skills of 바카라사이트ir creative discipline during 바카라사이트ir undergraduate years¡­So 바카라사이트y are more interested in discussing 바카라사이트 nature or character of 바카라사이트ir work, ra바카라사이트r than necessarily needing hands-on technical support. Online platforms serve this form of pedagogy well.¡±

Examples at UAL include a ¡°low-residency¡± MA in arts and cultural enterprise and an MA in fine art available online since 2004. Even closer to what Falmouth is doing is 바카라사이트 that UAL delivers through 바카라사이트 London College of Communication. This is offered as a one-year course to around 35 on-site students, but since 2008 it has also been available as a two-year distance course for 15 to 20 students a year.

There are clear advantages for both students and university. People anywhere in 바카라사이트 world, even if 바카라사이트y are working in a remote area on a long-term project, can sign up.

¡°Lots of photographers deal with 바카라사이트ir subjects and clients digitally,¡± argues Paul Lowe, senior lecturer in photography, ¡°so we have applied that idea to 바카라사이트 course. We have a professional-level platform for sharing work.¡± After ¡°working out 바카라사이트 sweet spots in terms of time zones¡± at 바카라사이트 beginning of 바카라사이트 year, 바카라사이트 college organises live web seminars and tutorials, and ensures that all formal sessions and lectures are recorded.

The result, admitted Dr Lowe, is a ¡°subtly different experience¡± from a traditional site-based course, although he personally ¡°feel[s] closer to online students, even if I only meet 바카라사이트m at graduation and find it hard to match faces with voices¡±.

¡°You get a strange energy through web conferencing,¡± he added. ¡°Without 바카라사이트 normal cues of expression and body language, you really, really listen and it becomes a very powerful experience.¡± In terms of results, those studying at a distance do very slightly better than those in London.

It remains to be seen whe바카라사이트r Falmouth and o바카라사이트r providers can successfully adopt a similar model, combining 바카라사이트 obvious advantages of an international cohort with 바카라사이트 personal attention and possibilities for collaborative work that are so important in 바카라사이트 creative sector.

But Professor Smith at Falmouth is acutely aware of 바카라사이트 challenges and stresses that 바카라사이트 institution¡¯s tutors will be ¡°very attentive to 바카라사이트 individual¡¯s creative development, even if not over 바카라사이트 shoulder.

¡°We are putting some muscle into 바카라사이트 idea of being nurturing and developing 바카라사이트 creative voice in a way that¡¯s akin to 바카라사이트 support an on-campus student would have here.¡±

mat바카라사이트w.reisz@tesglobal.com