Until next week.

I found that any horizontal movement represents time that I was really learning something. Gaining knowledge. Although at the same time during this period I also felt I was doing nothing. In reality these time I was usually in “reflection” mode and during those times, quite often you don’t realize what you have learned until a bit after or quite awhile after! This is why after periods of reflection the line dips (representing deeper learning or understanding).  Got to go more later…

Let’s start again.
Throughout this mapping process, I learned about my progression, knowledge, and learning throughout this research. At first I included all the projects and what I learned from each project as well as comments from GRC panels and successive shifts in my research question. Papers were pasted up on my wall, from acceptance letters and rejections…to first skype meetings with my supervisors. I tried to remember what I was thinking during that time, what was I researching and why.
Here’s an excerpt on some of my thoughts then.

After filling up my wall, I tried to connect various projects with/within others, grouping, eliminating and really reflecting on what may have caused the shift of knowledge which I described in my last iteration of my map. To my supervisors and to myself it may be obvious of the progression but now especially wrapping things up I want to try and make this learning and knowledge explicit. In the last shift I tried to express major shifts in my research and thinking by placing horizontal dotted lines. But back to the progress…
Here is the one the first drafts:

I first tried to represent my learning by suggesting and linear vertical movement. I have not seen this time as a linear horizontal movement because that limits depth. The problem with this map is that it does not take into account for periods of learning, just depth. There were many times where I was reflecting on past projects, assembling fragments of discussions, activities, reading, sketching that needed to be accounted for visually. It seemed like a stairs going down, at each rise there was a project then (space) which was the step. Reflecting back on this (learning) space, at the time, I didn’t think I was learning. For the most part I was struggling with concepts and thinking about how to develop the research further (asking new questions). The space led to deeper learning and then another project. If I look that time now I see I was progressing my research by reflecting, reading, teaching and mapping. At one point on the map I pinpointed collecting material, reading literature surrounding educational structures and models. At the time I didn’t think much of it but now I find that information gave me the starting terminology to commence my deep reflection excersise where I wrote about my past teaching experiences. I started to introduce a lexicon into my writing through my previous research. That’s cool!

Other learning phases also consisted of presentations. For example my presentation at New Views 2 in London where I was locked up in a room with experienced educators from all over the globe! Here was the first time I felt very different opinions about design research, practice based research and the future of graphic design education. After my presentation I reflected on comments about my research and comic and I tried to begin to understand who my audience really was and how I could sculpt my narrative to engage educators. I also started to think about the use of the comic medium and graphics in general and how they may be better in communicating pedagogical theory. I didn’t know why yet but it definately laid a foundation.

Here’s what I have been doing in the mean time.
To dig deeper into this question I went through a design process as any researcher would…right?
- I investigated the comic craft: You can’t use comics unless you attempt to learn how it works as a medium of communication. This means practicing illustrating, narrating, etc.

- An understanding of visual/graphic literacy through lit. reviews and comic design process

- The writing and design of a poster paper for Glide’08 (design education conference) Here I described the role that graphic literacy may have in facilitating teaching and learning principles to graphic design educators.

- Reflection from interviews of three design educators

- Mapping, and reflecting on my past projects and exercises in order to understand my learning.

This has led to some discoveries:

- Graphic design education may have not kept up with advances in pedagogical theory because of its past separation of practice, research and theory in its teaching/learning structure

- Has led to the consequence that teachers may find it difficult to encourage process-led enquiries and deep learning approaches in the classroom.

- Which may be attributed towards the lack of understanding and familiarity of the academic lexicon that is quite often used in pedagogical theories.

- Graphic literacy can aid in this facilitation

- Comics may act as a bridge in the awareness of pedagogical theories

That’s a lot of stuff to think about but I feel this shift, makes sense and has caused an enlightened approach to the dessiminiation and future of my research.

All this has led to a research title and question change:

FACILITATING PEDAGOGICAL AWARENESS THROUGH GRAPHIC LITERACY IN GRAPHIC DESIGN EDUCATION

How can graphic literacy help facilitate pedagogical awareness in graphic design education?

So I passed my penultimate but these are some items that the panel would like me to work on:

- Incorporate other types of graphic literacies into the comic (diagrams, maps)

- Elevating the presentation and writing to a point that it is taken seriously

- Who am I talking to? All graphic design teachers? Casual/sessional teachers? Tenure?

- Dive deeper into graphic literacy literature to provide a better foundation for my writing

- Watch my language! Rhetoric phrases, pretentious language, historical references

Next post: Reflecting on my research diagram.

This was my 2nd GRC presentation but officially my 3rd. My next presentation is my penultimate. For some reason I was not that nervous. I think it went quite well and my examiners thought so as well. I thought I would post my research presentation and document to see what my readers thoughts are. My main comments from the panel were that I perhaps needed to look at my research as ‘using graphic literacy to facilitate and research learning environment.’ Also, I should be looking much closer into the craft and language of comics. More so, my panel thought my interviews were not necessary and I should be looking into some sort of a probe to find the ‘answers’ to my questions.

1.What am I researching?

Currently, this research is focusing on this main question:
How can reflection and teaching and learning principles facilitate a research-learning environment in tertiary graphic design education?

Through my primary research (projects) I have identified that key elements towards student engagement in a research-learning environment are deep approaches towards the synthesis and visualization of the complex communication problems faced today.

This research has looked at educational theorists to establish a framework for my understanding of the development of an aligned curriculum, establishing objectives, teaching and learning activities, assessment and learning outcomes within the course environment. This is uncovering a deeper understanding of:

-    How the students approach towards learning and the teachers’ perception of the learning environment may lead students engaging in either surface or deep approaches to learning

-    How principles of teaching and learning may encourage process-led inquiries and deep learning approaches

-    How teaching and learning principles can provide a pathway for design students to participate in their learning of reflection and practice-based research

Two working questions have risen from my current secondary research. This will uncover and deepen my understanding of pedagogical principles used in tertiary teaching and explore connecting ‘forces’ surrounding process-led environments. Also it may investigate their implications with professional practice and the approaches to learning at the departmental level.

-    What effect does a department’s predisposition towards the facilitation of learning have on the students’ approach to learning and how does this differ in a professional studio environment?

-    To what extent does the awareness of surface and deep focused strategies aid design educators in their approach to teaching?

Outcomes
Through this research I aim to:

-    Gain a deeper understanding of teaching and learning

-    An understanding of how design research specifically reflection and teaching/learning principles can be used in graphic design tertiary education

-    Become a better teacher

-    Help students become better learners

-    Deepen my knowledge to become a better learning facilitator

-     Increase my ability to communicate process oriented research skills

2. Outline Progress

Since my last review, the area in which I have been researching has refined quite significantly in that I have developed a deeper understanding of pedagogical knowledge and how it can be visualised through a communication design approach. My original research question focused broadly on how design research could be integrated into course curricula and its implications on professional practice. Although the questions are still valid, my approach has shifted to a more thorough and methodical exploration of the internal and external forces that surround tertiary learning and teaching.

Project 1: Deep Reflection Exercise (http://designteaching.wordpress.com)
This project enabled me to reflect on my own past teaching experiences that led to a discovery of the ‘forces’ surrounding tertiary education and perceptions of institutional and professional practice design research. Not only did the exercise widen my knowledge of influential pedagogical principles and theories but also initiated a focus of the research towards deep learning environments and reflective practice.

What did I learn:
-    The value of an aligned curriculum: assessment, objectives, institutional environment and teaching and learning activities

-    The implications of surface and deep learning

-    How the teachers’ approach to teaching and learning creates a different learning environment for the student

-    How the students’ approach to learning may shift depending on the how they conceive of the learning environment

Where did it lead me:
This exercise was the initiator towards defining and focusing on key elements of my research. It allowed me to explore my perceptions of teaching and broaden my general knowledge of tertiary education. It also created a synthesis of information to lead me towards deeper questioning.

Project 2: Comic Book Series (on-going)
The comic book was chosen as a method to visualise my research findings from the deep reflection exercise and on-going readings. It was important to find a way through communication design to explore principles of teaching and learning in the context of graphic design teaching. The approach created a flexibility that allowed me to sculpt the narrative linking literature review with possible teaching scenarios. It also allows me to deepen my understanding of the learning and teaching environment through reflection.

What am I learning?
-    How to communicate knowledge of reflection and teaching and learning principles in an engaging and formative artefact directed towards graphic design teachers

-    How to synthesise my research questions so that the body of the knowledge is clearly understood and may elicit a deeper learning approach in an educators’ teaching.

-    Hypothesizing and testing my research findings by creating ‘conversations’ between teachers and students.

-    A deeper understanding of teaching and learning principles

Where will it lead me
The comic will be combined with my exegesis in some form. This will allow me to create relationships between academic literature and engaging narrative.

Project 3: Teaching Diary
My teaching experience has been an integral part of my research because it may give insight in the understanding of the students’ and teachers’ perception of teaching and learning, students’ response to reflection and whether the outcome of the teaching and learning activities elicited either a surface or deep approach. The reflective diary of class teaching and learning experiences I can use the course as a case study where I am constantly creating links and references to my research questions.

What am I learning:
-    How to synthesise a reflective study and shift the knowledge from implicit to the explicit.

-    The role of deep and surface approaches to learning in relation to:
o    Teachers’ perception of the teaching environment
o    Teachers’ approach to teaching
o    Students’ perceptions of the teaching environment
o    Students’ approach to learning
o    Students’ response to reflection

Where will it lead me
-    A more comprehensive knowledge of the research-learning environment
-    Creates strong links with the comic by integrating new ‘conversations’

Up-coming project: Interviews
Interviews with various design educators will be undertaken to provide the research with current user-centred knowledge of the perceptions and approaches educators are using in undergraduate graphic design education.

Proposed Participants:

Florence Design Academy (Florence, Italy)
Director Robert Malagrino

SRISA School of Art (Florence, Italy)
Director Rebecca Olsen

Instituto Europeo di Design (Barcelona)
Head of Communication
Giulia Setzu

Universidad Nebrija (Madrid)
Director of Research and Communication

Chelsea College of Art and Design
Professor Linda Drew

Ohio State University, College of Art
Paul Nini
Associate Professor, Department of Design

Illinois Institute of Technology, Institute of Design
Senior Lecturer Katherine McCoy

UTS (Sydney)
Darrall Thompson
Director-Teaching and Learning, School of Design

University of Wollongong, NSW
Grant Ellmers
Lecturer

Changes to candidature
In response to the change of the research question the project will have a more focused approach to design research. The research will be driven by how reflection and pedagogical principles can facilitate a research-learning environment in graphic design education.

How should the research be evaluated
The research should be evaluated by:
-    A stronger focus of research questions in response to critique and reflection

-    How I communicate ideas from other disciplines to communication design pedagogy

-    Changes in my practice

-    Changes in the experience of colleagues and students

To my surprise many educators I spoke with did not have the research culture that I am use to. Many did not understand the importance of Design Research or even what it really is. If you discuss the method of design research and practice-based research, there seemed more of a consensous. I’ll brief this later as well. This was suppose to be just an introductory entry.

So welcome back!

As I have been writing, I have been increasingly blocked by frustrations and doubts concerning the method I have chosen to communicate my project. There seems sometimes so many problems concerning the “voice” and keeping the style fresh and engaging for all types of educators not to mention that I’m trying to slip in some learning and teaching principles. I need to test it out and that’s the great thing about design is that I can. But since, I think I only have two faithful readers I won’t do it on this blog yet. Another problem I have been having are the scenarios that I’m staging, the story. That’s another doubt. I might enjoy scenes about basically nothing and the behind the scenes of a “design school” but maybe its not the best way to attack most university educators in graphic design. I mean, there is a huge age group I’m dealing with! In any case, I will push on and hopefully in a week everyone can see what I have done and I can re-evaluate some more.

Something I have been thinking about in general and for another project. How can reflection be structured in the design process? Can it be shown as a tool in practice to illicit obtainable results. Confusing. Next Blog

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