Event

Creative Education Online (CEO) Seminar Series

Date17 May 2024 - 14 Feb 2025

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A conversational seminar series exploring the future of creative art and design education in digital spaces.

Digital spaces and practices are evident in almost all creative and learning journeys. This is reflected in students’ experience of Higher Education and in the Creative Industries’ increasing emphasis on online collaboration.

However, fully online creative education remains difficult to imagine as it appears to contradict key characteristics inherent in ‘residential’ provision in various ways.

In conversation with experts, we will explore the challenges and opportunities for fully online and digital creative education, the implications for the identity of our subjects and institutions.

Seminar themes

The ‘desituating’ of material practices, embodiment and notions of co-presence.
An assumed lack of ‘togetherness’ and group cohesion through increased flexibility of provision.
The extent to which online provision amplifies and reflects current tensions around access, scale, and creativity
Which aspects of subject tradition that should be questioned or protected in the attempt to be more inclusive

Schedule

All events take place on Fridays at 12pm BST/GMT unless otherwise noted. Ticket sales for each event close 2 hours prior to the start.

15 November – TAD292 Art and Environment: Where Simon Nicholson’s Loose Parts Went Next… with Ben Hall (Senior Lecturer in Illustration at Leeds Beckett University and Open College of the Arts).

Simon Nicholson’s legacy will most likely be his much-celebrated Theory of Loose Parts, an approach and attitude to children’s play formed in the 1970s. Ben will discuss the not as well known, but no less influential, TAD292 Art and Environment, a course unit for the Open University that Nicholson authored, built upon a development of his important philosophy. Ben will discuss how we can still use this course as a useful case study for distance learning methods today.

29 November - Why is online always the future? with Tobias Revell (Design Futures Lead at Arup University's Foresight team and former Programme Director, Graphic Design Communication at London College of Communication, UAL.)

Tobias will question the institutional habit of connecting ‘digital’ with ‘innovation’ and how this affects creative education online. Is fully online education seen as a kind of techno-magic which can increase access, inclusion and revenue while also holding true to all of the tenets of the traditional art school? Which kind of future or futures does this imply for our institutions and our students?

13 December – Open Creative Education with Christian Lloyd (Director of Learning at the Open College of the Arts)

Christian will discuss the origins and history of Open College of the Arts, including its past and present links with the Open University and its transition from a traditional distance learning offering to a fully online model.

17 January 2025 – Where does this all end? with Peter Bryant (Associate Dean and Professor of Business Education at The University of Sydney)

In this session Peter will take creative education to its most digital extreme and question what it might mean to have a hyper-digital art school which incorporates all Silicon Valley hype. What does this futures experiment tell us about where we might be heading and what are the implications for creativity and creative education? Which aspects of this speculative future are present now and how might we respond?

31 January 2025 – Anti-oppressive pedagogies in online learning with María Miguéliz Valcarlos (Graduate Research Assistant, University of South Florida)

Maria will discuss the implementation of anti-oppressive pedagogies in online classrooms, highlighting educators' efforts to encourage reflection, promote critical awareness, and equalize roles. (rescheduled from 18 Oct)

14 February 2025 – Translating Art School with Georgia Steele (Head of Design and Development for UAL Online).

In this session Georgia will discuss the approach UAL Online has taken to moving Creative Education Online. Specifically, the thinking behind the UAL Online teaching and learning model and how this aims to provide a ‘UAL Education’ in a fully online context.

Extra information

Registration Instructions

Please only register for yourself, if you wish to share with others please refer them to the event listing.

Who Should Attend

This series is open for anyone interested to join in.

Where

This event will take place online using Teams. You do not need a Microsoft account or Teams app to join. You will be prompted to join in the browser and enter in a name for yourself.

Event booking confirmation and reminders

When you book your place you will receive email booking confirmation and reminders to your email. Please check your spam/junk folder.

Cancellation

If you can no longer attend this event we’d appreciate it if you could cancel your place within the booking system. This gives others the opportunity to take your space.

We reserve the right to cancel this event if we do not get enough numbers, or due to other circumstances outside of our control. You will be notified via email if this happens.

Accessibility

The Exchange strives to make both our physical and online events accessible for all our participants. If you would like to discuss your needs prior to booking please contact us: teachingexchange@arts.ac.uk.