Next Steps
With a focus on my wider creative practice, the ARP project has given me the opportunity to consider how I connect more clearly my skills, areas of interest and expertise to a deeper research culture within my teaching practice. Whilst research and development underpins my work, unit delivery and studio teaching, moving forward a greater awareness of systems, policy and existing UAL support structures will enhance and frame more clearly the delivery of my student facing work.
This learning experience has exposed me to research methods and toolswith the aim to test, refine, and align my vocational undergraduate teaching with industry demands, student needs, and pedagogical practice, ensuring graduates are well prepared for employment after graduation.
Further to my work and proposal during this unit, I am pleased to move forward with a tangible outcome and increased awareness of the challenges faced by international students. I will have further opportunities during the forthcoming academic year to test and implement my findings as follows:
- Speak to and discuss this topic further with year 3 undergraduate students.(Data gathering).
- Test the Intervention with both year 2 and 3 undergraduate students during term 1.
- Encourage these cohorts to reflect on their skillsets, consider their first career steps and set up Padlet.
- Develop ideas and content for the year 3 Careers and Employability unit that I will be leading from September 2026.
- Speak to my line manager about how I can manage a teaching and research practice within my .6 fractional position at Chelsea.
- Meet with the UAL Careers & Employability and Alumni teams with a view to increased involvement and visibility within my taught sessions.
Further thoughts to be considered in the future, in no particular order: include:
- How can I collaborate with employers, alumni, or overseas organisations to improve students’ awareness of opportunities in their home countries?
- How can I complement the UAL Careers and Employability service and delivery?
- How could this improved provision impact international students’ satisfaction, career readiness, and grdautae futures?
- The development of my students facing research evidence within within my teaching practice.
A (2021) study by the Higher Education Policy Institute (HEPI) and Kaplan states: ‘Careers support is a big consideration when choosing where to study: An overwhelming majority of international students say the careers support (82%) and employability skills (92%) they thought they would receive were ‘important’ or ‘very important’…Yet only around half (52%) think their institution is doing well at satisfying the careers support needs of international students.’ This illustrates how inadequate careers and employability delivery is for international students, highlighting a gap in delivery. Underpinning questions around adapting service delivery to better meet international student needs—especially if we consider extending support tailored to employment in their home countries.
In response to this data (listed above) and to the results of the student questionnaire shared earlier, it would be interesting to gather a cross section of data from the International students at Chelsea.
Reflecting On My PG Cert Learning Journey
Before commencing on this third and final unit of my PG Cert studies, I have been reflecting upon this learning journey, what I have learnt, the experience of being a student, the challenges of study and in particular managing time whilst engaging with all areas of my teaching and creative practices along with reacting to family issues, illnesses and a bereavement during the latter part of my studies on this course. This could have been an ARP research question in itself.
I have asked myself, ‘could I have managed my time any better during this academic experience if I worked on one course rather than across multiple courses and universities’? The answer to that question, I would have to answer is ‘I don’t know.’ Or being really truthful, no matter what the level of on going working commitments, I would have struggled with time during this learning experience. A valuable learning experience for me to reflect upon about managing time and prioritising work within a given time frame.
Arriving in academia with 20 years design industry experience, early challenging exchanges with teaching colleagues have at times caused me to doubt ‘Why am I here?’. Feelings such as ‘less than’ or ‘an imposter’ have prevailed throughout my time and work at UAL (University of the Arts London). Coming to the realisation that I am already ‘doing it’ during my time on this PG cert course, has empowered me with a sense of ownership of my teaching practice. My aim now is to develop and enhance my teaching delivery with a clearer academic framework to supplement my industry experience, skills, and knowledge.
The teaching observations during unit 1 and the work I engaged with in response to and bias in unit 2 proved to be not only insightful but also extremely important in the development and growth of my teaching practice. My human and empathetic attributes have always been key in the delivery of my teaching. The teaching throughout this course and in particular during unit 2, has resonated with me not only in an academic context, but it also challenged me to consider what I have learnt and how I could apply it to all areas of my life.
Moving forward, my principles and an awareness of my strengths and weaknesses, how I respond to them and where possible improve on them, will be fundamental to the continued development of my teaching practice.
