iruiz's blog

Having a group with different expertise has been invaluable to give shape to my proposed intervention. The idea of decentralising the print studio and making it more flexible can have a big impact on student experience. They identified that the intervention is heavily hinting at the co-authorship between Academic / Technical / Student in relation to print. what would a project shaped by 3 areas look like?

The first thing my group picked up on was “how will technical staff react to such a proposal?” and this is absolutely correct. This proposal impacts staff directly and it would be unreasonable to expect technicians to be on board with it if there is no benefit to them. This would be a key area to research.

After a tutorial with Tim he picked up on the central aspect of the intervention that I had not considered and had to be the centre of it: the social justice aspect. He pointed out that the main thing to target is the accessibility of the space and then every other issue will follow. Could a wheelchair user be able to access the space? if not, this is a barrier to learning and falls under the most immediate issue to tackle.

Tim brought to my attention Edward De Bono’s theory of the six thinking hats: 6 perspectives to be considered when looking at a challenge. This helped me to visualise this intervention from the different perspectives needed and not stay with the emotional aspect of the proposal. I might feel very passionately about this subject, but not everyone will. I realised that there where 2 “hats” that I had to focus on if this intervention was going to be successful:

White hat (objective): how possible is this intervention? who do I need to contact in order to realise it? what information do i need to source / bring? (materials needed, lesson plan for technicians, space available, line manager support and clarity of division of roles, briefing materials)

Black hat (Negative): what are the obstacles to enact the intervention? how do I counter them? anything that could possibly go wrong (too large group sizes, not enough space in studios to accommodate printing, water source in studio for cleanup, who delivers the instruction – technician or tutor? )

This feedback from peers and tutor have helped clarify the avenue of my intervention and ground it in reality with the key aim being centred in social justice.

Sources:

UAL (2020). Disability and dyslexia. [online] UAL. Available at: https://www.arts.ac.uk/students/student-services/disability-and-dyslexia. (accessed 19 Jun. 2025

Bourke, J. (2018) ‘The Diversity and inclusion revolution. Eight powerful truths’, Deloitte review, pp. 1 – 19

The De Bono Group (1985) Six thinking hats – Edward De Bono [online] (Available at: https://www.debonogroup.com/services/core-programs/six-thinking-hats/) (accessed 7 July 2025)

The UAL foundation merger and move to Lime Grove has impacted the delivery of curriculum in the illustration area where I teach. In our previous building, we had the printmaking studio attached to the teaching studio, facilitating the use of printmaking as a teaching tool and allowing easy access to students with impaired mobility. Students made the connection between academic learning and technical learning because of the visibility of the space. The importance of print is not only subject specific, but is integral to the “thinking through making” approach we encourage in foundation. The aim is not to make students into prolific printmakers, but to help them make the connection between academic learning and technical learning to realise their ideas. This is a step towards building confidence in seeking out other technical and expert resources they might need in the future. The accessibility of the studio ensured that any student with mobility issues did not find a barrier to entering the space.

In its current state, the Printmaking studio is not easily accessible to students with mobility issues due to its location and layout. It is located at the back of the campus, only accessible by a long walk in a broken pavement making wheeling anything difficult. The access door to the building is heavy and only manually opened. Currently, there is only 1 lift in the campus that is not close to the studio and is not appropriate for the capacity of the campus. The layout of the space is cramped and does not allow free movement of anyone that needs more manoeuvring space.

Under the Equality act, the university has the legal duty to make ‘reasonable adjustment/s’ to accommodate students that have impaired mobility. For this reason, I would like to create an intervention that explores the idea of a movable print studio.

My intervention would look at how processes present in the print studio such as screenprinting and relief printing can be miniaturised and moved into other spaces of the campus, bringing the possibility of printmaking to anyone that cannot easily go to the studio. By tackling the most important accessibility issue, many others will follow. By encouraging deeper connections between studio teaching and technical resources, students will be empowered to take ownership of how they arrange workspace and encounter scale in their work. Making print visible and accessible to more students, not less, is a starting point for eliminating barriers for learning.

Sources:

Hackathorn, J. (2011) ‘Learning by Doing: An Empirical Study of Active Teaching Techniques’, The Journal of Effective Teaching, pp. 45 – 60

Bamber, V & Jones, A (2015), Enabling inclusive learning, ch 11, pp 154-16

Evol Stud Imaginative Cult. 2020 ; 4(1): 77–90. doi:10.26613/esic/4.1.172, Thinking avant la lettre: A Review of 4E Cognition James Carney [Wellcome Trust Fellow in the Medical Humanities]

UAL (2020). Disability and dyslexia. [online] UAL. Available at: https://www.arts.ac.uk/students/student-services/disability-and-dyslexia. (accessed 19 Jun. 2025)

Arts.ac.uk. (2025). [online] Available at: https://canvas.arts.ac.uk/sites/explore/SitePage/45679/disability-service-training (Accessed 19 Jun. 2025).

Recently, Christine Sun Kim’s exhibition 1880 THAT opened at the Wellcome Collection. After watching “Friends and strangers” and understanding her work process better, I visited the exhibition.

One of the reasons I gravitate towards art is because it can marry process and meaning impactfully – Being stood in front of a 3 meter tall brick wall with the words “I AM NOT CROSS” was a clash of experience and message that was dizzying. This exhibition was a very small glimpse into navigating the world with a disability. From my own position, someone that has no disabilities impacting how I navigate life, I was struck by how exhausting it is to be constantly adapting to others rather than the other way around. From building access to communication nuances – people with disabilities are expected to be perennially patient and evaluate challenges at every turn.

Sara Novic’s tweet “I can one hundred percent promise that you learning sign language is easier than a deaf person learning to hear” has a humorous angle, but rings true.

I noticed this as a recurring theme on the other interviews with Ade Adepitan and Chay Brown: the expectation on the individual to adapt. When you add elements of intersectionality such as race and gender, you have a percentage of the population that fall into blind spots that hold them back. Kimberle Crenshaw talks about the urgency of intersectionality by illustrating “patterns of recognition” and how people can fall into blind spots because their identities intersect and fall into more than 1 category.

Ade Adepitan, paralympian and TV presenter, mentions about systemic discrimination and racism “If you can’t see a problem, you can’t solve it” and “Its not the disability that makes you disabled, its society and its systemic discrimination that holds you back” which makes me think: are potential students not applying because they can see that they won’t get the right support?

I reflect on my teaching practice and how unless we are faced with a crisis, we don’t often know what resources are available within the university, or even shared through conversation with colleagues, to support students. During a recent tutorial, one of my peers mentioned that the simple act of turning on the captions on her lecture had been triggered by a deaf student’s interpreter not arriving. This in turn made a more inclusive environment for all students. This discovery would not have happened if the interpreter had been in the room.

Chay Brown, director of operations at TransActual UK, mentions how even in places that host marginalised communities there are accessibility issues. He gives an example on how one of the festivals he attended had addressed accessibility issues successfully because “people in the organising committee understood accessibility, and that was coming from lived experience” This highlights the need for representation in staff and policy makers within the university.

The social model of disability at UAL mentions “creating a university that removes barriers for everyone”, but it is often a lengthy process for students to access disability support. Last academic year I had a student that eventually got access to one-to-one support in taught sessions, but it took roughly 6 months for this to be put in place. For 6 out of the 9 months of the Foundation course, her assessment scores where low, but increased significantly after this. According to the UAL awarding gap report for 2023/24, there is a 3% difference between students with declared disabilities compared to students without, in favour of students with declared disabilities. This could indicate that when the playing field is more even, the gap disappears.

Sources:

1880 THAT (2025) [Exhibition]. Wellcome Collection. 17 April 2025 – 16 November 2025. Available at: https://wellcomecollection.org/exhibitions/1880-that (Accessed: 30/04/2025).

Art 21 (October 2023) Christine Sun Kim in Friends and strangers. Available at: https://art21.org/watch/art-in-the-twenty-first-century/s11/christine-sun-kim-in-friends-strangers/ (Accessed: 30/04/2025).

UAL Undergraduate Attainment Report, 23-24. Available at: https://canvas.arts.ac.uk/documents/sppreview/1cdc0ff4-8830-4787-b187-f7db576ab259 (Accessed 30/04/2025)

ParaPride (2023) Intersectionality in focus: Empowering voices during UK disability history month. Available at: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_yID8_s5tjc&t=23s (Accessed: 30/04/2025).

TED (December 2016) Kimberele Crenshaw The urgency of intersectionality . Available at: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=akOe5-UsQ2o (Accessed: 30/04/2025).

As I’ve progressed through this unit, I’ve been reflecting on a couple of things that are relevant to the Foundation Course at UAL in regards to race and how it can impact student’s experience.

1. Progression into BA

2.Retainment gap for BAME students throughout their studies

1.Progression

The first one is progression into BA education. Most of the students that come to UAL FAD have the intention of staying within UAL, but something that we don’t often focus on is how students envision themselves progressing to a BA.

Rihanna Garret poses “If imaginations have the potential to transform our political, social and cultural understandings of the globe and communities within it, they also have the ability to transform career trajectories in academia.” (Garett, 2024)

I think this applies to Foundation students as well. Students are preparing to progress to a BA and they come face to face with choices and the trajectory they can imagine. Can they see themselves thriving in one of UAL’s colleges? or in a BA at all?

I’ve had comments from students around UCAS time saying “I don’t think I can apply to Central Saint Martins because I’m not cool and rich enough” (CSM is sometimes perceived this way due to its strong connection to the Fashion industry). A couple of years ago, one student expressed to me that he only wanted to progress to LCC because it was the only college where he saw more black students. Last year, one student decided to take up her place at CSM after she saw (and spoke) to a black lecturer during an offer holder day I urged her to go to. Things like this make me realise that progression is way more nuanced than we think.

When I think about progression, the aim is for students to make decisions based on things like the curriculum they want to engage with, career aspirations and what they consider is the right choice for them and not so much if they will “fit in” or be perceived differently while studying.

“Their identities intersected with their perceptions of how they would be treated within an academic career, based on past and present lived experiences” (Garett, 2024)

If a BAME student cannot envision themselves achieving at high capacity, progressing into their desired courses and even entering industry then we are not supporting our students in the best way and the University has not done enough to address this. As Alice Bradbury mentions: racial inequality is maintained by policies which systematically discriminate against minoritised groups (Bradbury, 2020), there are probably “blind spots” that could be addressed by involving BAME student voices in the progression process instead of continuing with a Business as usual (Delgado and Stefancic, 2000) mentality

2.Retention

According to UAL data, The retention gap still shows a difference between white and BAME home students which I believe shows that systemic barriers are present. The concept of the “leaky pipeline” (Wong, 2021) seems evident in the data. Yet even though UK universities have international cohorts, there is no demand by the government to have data on the retention gap for ALL students regardless of nationality. I think this is a big blind spot, especially when a common theme that pops up over and over in interviews with students is the mention of the sense of belonging being a reason not to call out racist incidents or microagressions – better not to rock the boat or my peers won’t accept me.

‘none of us speak up about it . . . because I’m the only Asian . . . we tend not to take any action’ and admitted his fears of retribution because ‘my flatmates, I think it’s seven of them, they formed a gang’ (Wong, 2021)

Is an aspect of the leaky pipeline linked to students finding it difficult to create a sense of community? and is the sense of not finding community exacerbated by a sense of otherness? and if so, what meaningful institutional changes can happen within the university?

Sources:

Wong, B., et al (2021) Is race still relevant? Student perceptions and experiences of racism in higher education. Cambridge Journal of Education 51(3), pp 359-375.

Garrett, R (11 Feb 2024): Racism shapes careers: career trajectories and imagined futures of racialised minority PhDs in UK higher education, Globalisation, Societies and Education, DOI: 10.1080/14767724.2024.2307886

UAL Undergraduate Attainment Report, 23-24. Available at: https://canvas.arts.ac.uk/documents/sppreview/1cdc0ff4-8830-4787-b187-f7db576ab259 (Accessed 30/04/2025)

Bradbury, A., 2020. A critical race theory framework for education policy analysis: The case of bilingual learners and assessment policy in England. Race Ethnicity and Education, 23(2).

Observer: Victor Gullien

Observee: Ignacia Ruiz

Observer: Ignacia Ruiz

Observee: Jasper Zheng

Observer: Jasper Zheng

Observee: Ignacia Ruiz

Contextual Background: 

The Foundation course has recently gained access to the Lime Grove Printmaking studio, prompting me to revisit a project that would benefit from screen-printing as a medium. For illustration students, inducting them into screen-printing would broaden the technical toolkit they have for future, more independent work. Moreover, introducing them to the print facilities and print technicians will make them gain confidence to seek them out on their own. It was important that students had hands on experience with the medium.

‘The benefit of an in-class activity is the same as demonstrations, in that it increases attention and students are able to see a phenomena unfold, but are also able to personally manipulate and practice using that phenomena in a first-hand environment’ (Forsyth, 2003).

Evaluation:

The workshop successfully inducted 64 illustration students into screenprinting with varied results, opening the option for some of them to return in their own time. The process used was a 2 colour, paper stencil, A2 print. Each student created an image that was split into 2 colour layers and worked in pairs to print.

Working closely with the 2 technicians was key to iron out the logistics of the workshops, especially determining the size of the printable area, the amount of students that could be in the print studio at a time and what colours where available to use.

Moving forwards: 

For future print projects, there are a few technical and exploratory things to consider. After the workshop and speaking to students and technicians I would like to implement or test the following:

1.Aranging students in more efficient groups in advance: Grouping students by colour would provide a smoother workflow, cutting the waiting time and allowing for cleaning and drying time of screens. This includes pairing up students before arriving in the studio and explicitly asking them to pair with someone that has the same colour palette (not with just a friend!).

2. Allowing students to use screenprinting in a more exploratory way: this workshop focused on the technical aspect of the technique, which is needed for beginner learners, but i would like for some students to take the lead in future work. In his paper “Aesthetic learning about, in, with and through the arts” Lars Lindstrom talks about ‘convergent’ and ‘divergent’ learning. If convergent learning is goal oriented (induction screenprinting workshop) and divergent learning is explorative and intuitive, it would be of interest to me to push students to use print as a divergent way of learning, where they combine what they have learned with their own ambitions to realise their projects.

“The strategy is convergent if the goal is to achieve something that is given in advance; it is divergent if the goal is rather to combine what you know for new purposes” (Lindstrom, 2012)

3. Trying facilities myself by arranging time with technicians: If time allowed, I would like to explore what the print studio can offer without thinking about relaying knowledge back to students just yet. We often forget that staff development is an important aspect of teaching and that updating our knowledge benefits everyone.

References:

Lindstrom, L. (2012) ‘Aesthetic Learning About, In, With and Through the Arts: A Curriculum Study, pp. 166–178.

Hackathorn, J. (2011) ‘Learning by Doing: An Empirical Study of Active Teaching Techniques’, The Journal of Effective Teaching, pp. 45 – 60

Forsyth, D. R. (2003). The professor’s guide to teaching: Psychological principles and practices. Washington, DC: American Psychological Association.

Contextual Background: 

Foundation students come from diverse backgrounds, including a high number of international learners that are away from their native country for the first time and have entered the UK education system for the first time. One of the challenges I observe is that many learners have English as a second language and need more support adapting to a new language and education system.

Evaluation:

For the past years, we have taken the approach of having presentations that outline the aims and tasks for the day to support the sessions. Students are briefed at the beginning of the session to make the expectations and timings clear. This allows students to know clearly the expectations and outcomes for the day. These presentations are available the day before on Moodle, where they can be accessed in anticipation if needed.

“One important consideration when teaching international students is the clarity of explanations. this means providing a clear outline of what is required, providing models of successful practice and aligning objectives with teaching and assessment” (Bamber & Jones, 2015)

An unexpected outcome was that students with English as a second language use the presentations on their phones to translate words as the briefing is going on, helping them to understand it in real time rather than asking for clarification later. I have also observed many students clarify concepts and discuss the tasks in table groups during the session using the slides.

Moving forwards:

Even though the slides are extremely helpful for students with english as a second language, there are other strategies to deliver briefings that Im considering implementing in future.

1.Diversify the way I deliver information: presentations can be long and rely solely on the tutor for delivery. Verbal instructions in english could be hard to hear or retain. After the Microteaching sessions, I’ve been intending on incorporating objects rather than just slides into the briefings. Asking students to bring in an object that relates to the project to share in table groups and illustrate the concepts of the brief would bring a more personal angle to the session, giving students with english as a second language a chance to discuss the brief from a more familiar angle, and in turn get to know other students through their chosen objects. As Kirsten Hardie describes in ‘Wow: The power of objects in object-based learning and teaching’

“the use of objects in small group work at the start of a course can offer a valuable ice-breaker activity as learners focus on items while developing their social interactions with their peers” (Hardie, 2008)

2.Changing the time of day when I do briefings: Briefings happen first thing in the morning, and even though it makes sense to outline the day at the beginning, I would like to test briefing students at other times. For example, having 1 hour in the morning for reflection or research before delivering the briefing could have an impact on how it is received. Some students arrive late or need a bit of time to get used to the studio environment before they are ready to take in information.

3.Encouraging more peer to peer discussion using slides in table groups or pairs: Ive observed students tend to do this unprompted, but it could be incorporated into the session more purposely. The briefing could be a discussion in groups where they decipher the task for the day together, allowing students to read, translate and discuss at their own pace.

References: 

Hardie, K. (2015) Innovative pedagogies series: Wow: The power of objects in object-based learning and teaching, pp. 4-20.

Bamber, V & Jones, A (2015), Enabling inclusive learning, ch 11, pp 154-168