UNIVERSITY FOR THE CREATIVE ARTS PROGRAMME SPECIFICATION FOR: BA (HONS) GRAPHIC DESIGN: VISUAL COMMUNICATIONS This document is a hybrid version for 2017/18 1 PROGRAMME SPECIFICATION 2017/18 This Programme Specification is designed for prospective students, current students, academic staff and potential employers. It provides a concise summary of the main features of the programme and the intended learning outcomes that a typical student might reasonably be expected to achieve and demonstrate if he/she takes full advantage of the learning opportunities that are provided. More detailed information on the teaching, learning and assessment methods, learning outcomes and content of each unit can be found in the Unit Descriptors. 1 This version combines Section A of the new 2016/17 Programme Specification template (which combines the following sections of the Programme Specification 2015/16: A, B, C, F and table of units) and the following sections of the 2015/16 Programme Specification for the course: Course Aims; Course Outcomes; Summary of Distinctive Features of the Course; Learning, Teaching & Assessment; Enhancing the Quality of Learning & Teaching.
Section A Material Course Information Validating Body University for the Creative Arts 2 Final Award Title and Type Course Title BA (Hons) Graphic Design: Visual Communications Course Location and Length Campus: Canterbury Length: 3 years Period of Validation 2015/16 to 2019/20 Name of Professional, Statutory or Regulatory Body Type of Accreditation Not Applicable Not Applicable Entry criteria and requirements 3 As the UK s highest-ranking creative arts university, we want to attract the best and most creative minds in the country so we take a balanced approach to candidate assessment, taking both individual portfolios and exam results into account. That s why your portfolio is an especially important part of your application to study with us and we can help. Our academics can offer you expert advice on how to showcase your creative work and build a portfolio that will make your application stand out. More advice on how to create an exceptional portfolio is also available here, along with specific portfolio requirements for this course. Along with your portfolio, the standard entry requirements** for this course are: 112 new UCAS tariff points (equivalent to 280 old UCAS tariff points) from accepted qualifications*, or Pass at Foundation Diploma in Art & Design (Level 3 or 4), or Distinction, Merit, Merit at BTEC Extended Diploma, or Merit at UAL Extended Diploma, or 112 new UCAS tariff points from an accredited Access to Higher Education Diploma in appropriate subject And four GCSE passes at grade A*-C and/or grade 4-9 including English (or Functional Skills English/Key Skills Communication Level 2). Other relevant and equivalent level 3 UK and international qualifications are considered on 2 Regulated by the Higher Education Funding Council for England 3 This should be the standard University Criteria unless otherwise approved by the Academic Board and include UCAS entry profile for undergraduate courses.
an individual basis, and we encourage students from diverse educational backgrounds apply. If your first language is not English, you will need an IELTS score of 6.0 or equivalent. If you require a visa to study in the UK, you will also need a minimum score of 5.5 in each individual component. *To see the accepted QCF qualifications, visit: http://uca.ac.uk/study/acceptedqualifications/ ** We occasionally make offers which are lower than the standard entry criteria, to students who have faced difficulties that have affected their performance and who were expected to achieve higher results. In these cases, a strong portfolio is especially helpful. Overall methods of assessment 4 Written exams: Practical exams: Coursework: Stage 1 0.0% 0.0% 100.0% Stage 2 0.0% 3.8% 96.3% Stage 3 0.0% 0.0% 100.0% Overall Learning & Teaching hours 5 Scheduled: Independent: Placement: Stage 1 41.7% 58.3% 0.0% Stage 2 37.5% 62.5% 0.0% Stage 3 21.7% 78.3% 0.0% General level of staff delivering the course 6 Mode of Study Full-time Part-time Language of Study English Subject/Qualification Benchmark Statement: Art & Design Framework for Higher Education Qualifications (FHEQ) 4 As confirmed for the KIS course stage data: the overall percentage in terms of Written exams; Practical exams and Coursework 5 As confirmed for the KIS course stage data: the overall percentage by stage 6 Include general information about the experience or status of the staff involved in delivering the course, for example Professor, Course Leader, Senior Lecturer
The course structure The structure of all of the University s awards complies with the University s Common Credit Framework. All students are registered for a particular award. Exit awards are available to students in line with 6.7 of the Common Credit Framework. Unit codes and titles Level Credit value Elective/ Core Year 1 CGRV4001 - Introduction to Visual 4 30 Core Communication CGRV4002 - Design Fundamentals 1 4 30 Core Image, Type, Print CGRV4003 - Design Fundamentals 2 4 30 Core Motion, Narrative, Screen CGRV4004 - Visual Theory Message, 4 30 Core Medium, Meaning Year 2 CGRV5001 - The Editorial Process 5 30 Core CGRV5002 - Social & Cultural Contexts 5 30 Core CGRV5007 - Spatial Practices 5 30 Core CGRV5008 - Developing Your Practice 5 30 Core CGRV5009 - Developing Your Practice No 5 30 Elective (Study Abroad Option) Study Abroad with Host Institution 5 60 Elective No Year 3 CGRV6001 - Professional Practices 6 30 Core CGRV6010 - Major Project 6 60 Core CGRV6011 - Combined Dissertation/ 6 30 Elective No Critical Reflection CGRV6012 - Dissertation 6 30 Elective Yes If elective is this the most popular student choice?
COURSE AIMS The course aims to: To provide a specialist education that encourages you to develop independent learning, critical thinking, engage in discourse and relate this to practice. To foster the development of visual, oral and written communication and engagement with the technologies and processes relevant to contemporary communication design practice. To encourage speculation, research, critical judgement and fluency in subject debate as a means of informing you of your own creative practice and that of others. To introduce you to the contexts and scope of professional practice, and the social and cultural mechanisms that mediate between graphic design, the public and other audiences. To enable you to articulate and synthesise your knowledge and understanding, attributes and skills in effective ways in the context of creative practice, employment, further study, research and self-fulfilment. To apply, consolidate and extend your learning in different contextual frameworks and situations both within and without the field of art and design. To provide a learning environment that allows an analytical exploration of the ways in which graphic design - in its broadest variety of media and contexts - can shape meaning and enable communication. COURSE OUTCOMES Upon successful completion of the course students are able to: Knowledge LO1 - to apply a wide range of practical and conceptual skills that are both adaptable and flexible. LO2 - determine how visual communications are disseminated and received Understanding LO3 - have developed the confidence to explore, debate and experiment. LO4 - to be capable of informed, sustained and rigorous visual and intellectual enquiry. Application LO5 - to apply an appropriate mechanism for distinctive, clear, innovative and visually
sophisticated design LO6 - have developed an autonomous working practice that is self-initiated and sustainable. LO7 - shape the meaning and impact of visual communications through a methodology of research > analysis> conceptualisation > planning > realisation SUMMARY OF DISTINCTIVE FEATURES OF THE COURSE The BA (Hons) Graphic Design: Visual Communication is committed to educating students to become graduates that have evolved something unique to offer and are prepared to meet the diverse and rapidly changing professional challenges confronting them at the conclusion of this course. There is recognition that acquiring those languages usually available within a Graphic Design course have outcomes beyond the narrow definitions of professional designers but is a kind of open-ended visual literacy that benefits a wide variety of outcomes and practices. A flexible emphasis is therefore placed on independence, self-awareness, experimentation and exploration as much as on professional skills and presentation. We believe that students need to think and reflect as well as do We frame the subject in its historical and contemporary context We ensure an understanding of the principles/ core issues of visual communication; we consider this to be their equipment for (a) life (in art and design ) We alert students to their social/ ethical responsibility as future designers We teach graphic design as an integrative/ interdisciplinary practice We explore the boundaries of the subject and anticipate future developments We consider conceptual-analytical skills as a lifelong transferable currency We consider skills and technology in relationship to ideas (a means to an end) rather than an entity in its own right We develop appropriate, varied, transferable methodologies with students A particular strength of the course is the broad based approach allowing individual students to find their own voices and ways of working within the broad scope of graphic design External Examiner Report We also place a great deal of emphasis on our students to critique the very nature and processes of graphic design, the purposes of communication and the nature of graphic authorship. The question "How do we communicate (now)?" remains a useful constant to return to educationally. Graphic Design is a dynamic subject that is in a dynamic relationship with the world. Graphic designers today are thinking, self-reflexive operators, who do not just respond to design problems identified by others, but are often themselves
the instigators of visual/design changes. The growth and success of the course is a result of its ability to adapt to critical change and it has developed into a unique learning experience in the field, which reflects the emergence of graphic design as an internationally debated field of academic study, and one that recognises the significant impact contemporary art practice has made on it. In the recognition that the practice of graphic design is not static and that its boundaries are no longer clearly defined, we as a consequence encourage our students to take risks and be open to many new and exciting possibilities and directions. By developing creative, contextual and technical understanding and skills we seek to enable them to respond to all the personal challenges that this offers and to embrace the responsibilities and challenges that are associated with it. We therefore seek through all stages of the course to guide students through a conceptual and analytical exploration of the ways in which communication design in its wide variety of media and contexts can create and change meaning. It seeks to open their mind to their own interests and subject focus, and to examine ways in which they can be authors of their own work whilst clearly understanding the placing of that work within a professional social, cultural and economic context. LEARNING, TEACHING AND ASSESSMENT 7 The BA (Hons) Graphic Design: Visual Communication course is founded on the principle that the most effective educational experience combines structured teaching and independent study. The programme seeks to empower students to become autonomous learners, by giving them maximum responsibility for the management of their own learning whilst strong guidance is offered at every stage. The teaching methods promote incremental innovation, encouraging independence and discouraging derivative thinking. The learning strategies used promote critical reflection and the capacity to sustain a commitment to study. Course Curriculum and Independent Learning The course is designed such that students progress through each stage by taking an increased responsibility for their independent learning. Briefs are constructed to progressively release greater developmental scope to students giving them the responsibility to prioritise the content of their project on the basis of their increasing familiarity, expertise and developing personal interests. The skill threads are gradually incorporated in the projects so that by the final project in stage 3 all the threads are combined. Earlier projects rotate and prioritise the inclusion of threads to allow focus on their successful inclusion. There is a steep learning curve in the course and students receive similar quantities of directed and part directed learning throughout the three years, alongside this they selfmanage increasingly complex projects that incorporate escalating demands. 7 Include reference to the following, where appropriate: PDP, online learning, independent learning, exchange, placement, employability & employer engagement
Methods of Delivery The following methods of delivery are routinely carried out in the school: Lectures - lectures are formal teaching sessions to large groups. Lectures may be supported by audio/visual/film presentations, include interactive elements, provide written or digital handouts and offer question and answer sessions. Seminars - seminars provide the opportunity for smaller groups to discuss material in more detail than is possible in a lecture situation. Students may also lead seminars with a staff member present. Tutorial - a meeting involving one-to-one or small group supervision, feedback or detailed discussion on a particular topic or project. Demonstration - a session involving the demonstration of a practical technique or skill. Practical class or workshop - a session involving the development and practical application of a particular skill or technique. Supervised time in studio/workshop - time in which students work independently but under supervision, in a specialist facility such as a studio or workshop. Fieldwork - practical work conducted at an external site. External visit - a visit to a location outside of the usual learning spaces, to experience a particular environment, event, or exhibition relevant to the course of study. Work-based learning - structured learning that takes place in the workplace. Guided independent study - higher education is distinguished from general and secondary education by its focus on independent learning. Scheduled learning and teaching activities typically feature alongside time in which students are expected to study independently, which may itself be 'guided'. Guided independent study might include preparation for scheduled sessions, follow-up work, wider reading or practice, completion of assessment tasks, revision, etc. The relative amounts of time that students are expected to spend engaged in scheduled activities and guided independent study varies between courses. Placement - learning away from the institution that is neither a year abroad nor work based learning. ERASMUS exchange - a semester spent at a partner institution typically in the second semester of Stage 2. Assessment Strategy: Common Credit Framework The common credit framework renders the assessment process explicit and transparent, noting credit achievement where it occurs and gives due recognition of transferable skills and related competencies. It is also designed to recognise achievement rather than to penalise failure, with progressive and incremental sanctions for poor performance within and across units, It also informs the basis for standard practice throughout the University for the calculation of progression and the recommendation of awards.
The range of assessment methods and criteria deployed across the provision are designed to serve the following purposes: To measure performance over a specified part of the course in relation to the learning outcomes, work requirement and outcomes. To provide feedback about performance, helping students to identify strengths and weaknesses. To determine suitability to progress to the next stage of the course. To determine the award of an appropriate qualification. The assessment scheme is a two tier process, which operates throughout the student s studies at unit and stage level through assessment. Unit Assessment The unit assessment is the basic component of assessment. The credit value of each unit is proportional to its study time, providing weighting for the unit and allowing each unit mark to contribute proportionately to the stage. Units are normally assessed within their duration. Assessment results are handed to students, posted on myuca, written and verbal feedback is provided in accordance with institute benchmarks. Each Unit Handbook contains a timetable for assessment, a clear statement of assessment requirements, and the assessment methods appropriate to its outcomes and length of study. Assessment requirements will vary depending on the nature of the unit. They may be a specified list of assessment requirements or obtained by a portfolio of evidence, which may include coursework, oral presentations, reflective learning journals, and written submissions. Student Presentations/Formative Reviews/Summative Reviews Students present their projects at various stages to both staff and to their peer groups to encourage the dissemination of good practice, information and experiences. Formative reviews support the student in receiving peer and staff comments at regular intervals through the course unit. Under our new proposals students will present their completed project at a final formative review at which they will receive detailed verbal feedback. They will then have a short period to enhance the material before submitting it in portfolio format for summative assessment. Formative Peer Feedback Comments Students are elected in turn to record their own comments and assessment of progress relative to the objectives set for the project at that point. Non-design Assessments Students submit a range of other materials including essays, reports, digital submissions, and physical model exercises which are double or team marked. Written communication skills are assessed through a range of written assignments, including a dissertation. Oral communication skills are assessed, in particular, through oral presentations, although they will also contribute to marks for other units (for example, communication skills might be one aspect of the mark awarded for individual contribution to a group project). The course uses formative review sessions throughout the three stages as a feedback
method to help students develop their work within a constructive and encouraging scenario ENHANCING THE QUALITY OF LEARNING AND TEACHING The course is subject to the University s rigorous quality assurance procedures which involve subject specialist and internal peer review of the course at periodic intervals, normally of 5 years. This process ensures that the course engages with the national Subject Benchmarks in Art & Design and references the Framework for Higher Education Qualifications. All courses are monitored on an annual basis where consideration is given to: External Examiner s Reports Key statistics including data on retention and achievement Results of the Student Satisfaction Surveys Feedback from Student Course Representatives