I’d like to discuss the importance of technicians’ contribution in the delivery of the curriculum on Fashion Photography Year 2, of which I am year lead. The delivery content focus of Year 2 is an introduction to virtual imaging (in which students use 3D software to generate a rendered environment) and moving image. Each are 40 credit units and occupy most of the planned teaching time of the academic year.
‘The Technical Lecturer’ (Sams, 2016)
I’d like to use the terminology applied by Clare Sams as I think it’s a more suitable name for the technician role rather than technician. I myself refer to them as technical team member as I see it more suitable. The text by Sams argues the vital role of the technician, dividing their professional tasks into three main categories:
Supporting
Helping
Teaching
I’d like to argue that the role has more extensive duties in the current curriculum in which the focus has recently shifted further towards employability.
In Year 2 I have been developing ‘co-delivery’ sessions for the past 4 years (and continue to do so). The delivery design of these sessions implements a hybrid of academic and technical delivery. These deliveries run parallel to the planned technical workshops and is strategically planned and associated to the weekly academic and technical delivery. This planning process with the technical team involves exchanges of up-to-date knowledge of tools available for student to best achieve the objectives of the submission requirements and supports their learning journey. Thus, providing them with a skillset valuable when leaving the course/entering industry and meeting those expectations.
Following on Shreeve, Sims, and Trowler’s findings (2010), most of the technical team members do pursue artistic careers outside their roles, which provides them with current industry knowledge. This is a beneficial and important element of the delivery content planning of this co-delivery sessions. It also provides an opportunity for the students in crossing the boundaries between the academic world and professional one, as highlighted in the text on signature pedagogies and its benefits
From my perspective of teaching design and content, I find the outcomes of the collaborative aspects with the technical team something possibly not valued enough in academia. For my students these sessions provide a valuable convergence of theoretical and technical learning, which equips them with a solid contextual backbone to the core of their image making practice and future incomes.
References
Sams, C. (2016) ‘How do art and design technicians conceive of their role inhigher education?’ Spark: UAL Creative Teaching and Learning Journal / Vol 1 / Issue 2
Shreeve, A., Sims, E. and Trowler, P. (2010) ‘A kind of exchange’: learning from art and design teaching’, Higher Education Research and Development, 29(2), pp. 125-138, available in: http://dx.doi.org/10.1080/07294360903384269.