This study investigates the qualitatively different ways in which students approach the ‘research’ component within the design project. The study was undertaken with students in their first or second year of an honours degree course in fashion design at four UK universities.
In a previous study, students were interviewed to discover the qualitative differences in approach to study in fashion design (Drew, Bailey and Shreeve, 2001; Bailey, 2002). The data set was interrogated again to specifically investigate the approaches students had to the research element
of the project method in the original study. A phenomenographic methodology was used to look at the relationship of differences within the student experiences described in the transcripts. Four qualitatively different ways to approach research were construed which indicated an increasing complexity
of strategies used. The study indicates that students approach research in different ways, and that the simplest way is undertaken to reproduce visual elements of the found material in a final product. More complex approaches build a personal conceptual response to the project through research.
These differences have implications for teaching, learning and assessment in the design project.
This article examines a course team, who have a joint responsibility in the design of the student learning experience, as they reflect on their professional learning. The focus of the study is, therefore, on the value added to professional development as a course team when so often, staff development is aimed at the individual teacher. What is highlighted in this case is a strategy for linking development activities to course teams to create an integrated approach, informed by current research. Examples are given of how the development focus has shifted from the individual to a whole course team in an attempt to have more impact on the student learning experience and innovative models of course design. As a result, the team has adopted a common student-focused approach, and has been able to accommodate the individual variation in approach to teaching and still produce an outcome that is likely to benefit student learning. This is consistent with studies that suggest developments aimed at improving student learning need to be focused at the individual staff level and at the course and department levels, and to have internal consistency
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