AIDA21 Programme Booklet

// VIRTUAL RESEARCH SEMINAR // 18 AUGUST 2021 | 3-6PM | ZOOM

In the context of educational inquiry process, there is a search for truth, through the collection, documentation and analysis of rich data.

CONTENTS

3

PROGRAMME

4

P R E FAC E

5

PROFILES

8

KEYNOTE SPEECH

9

S E M I N A R P R E S E N TAT I O N S

3

PROGRAMME W E D N E S D AY, 1 8 A U G 2 0 2 1 , 3 - 6 P M

ZOOM Meeting ID :

890 3201 5340

https://nafa.zoom.us/j/89032015340?pwd=bXZsdkY4ckszb2sxWldNcGVpL1pTZz09

Pa s scode : 5 8 2 9 8

KEYNOTE SPEECH

Quality in interview-based research: The role of reflexivity Dr Stefanie Reissner, Newcastle University Business School, UK

SEMINAR PRESENTATIONS

Learner profiles and the need for differentiated activities in the Design Studio Seah Hui Ling (Programme Co-Ordinator, 3D Design)

Understanding Music Students' Evolving Preferences on Pitch Vocalization in Aural and Musicianship Lim Tee Heong (Senior Lecturer, Music)

Integrating Social-Emotional Learning into the Curriculum: Nurturing Holistic Learners with Different Cultural Background James Sin (Senior Lecturer, Design Media)

4

P R E FA C E

A

AIDA, short for An Inquiry through a

Through this methodology, colleagues

Data-Driven Approach, draws inspiration

were led to act, examine and reflect on

from one of the most popular works in

their

the operatic canon set in ancient Egypt.

procedures in collecting data, and a

From a contemporary perspective, three

rigorous process of analysing the data. It

symbols central to the ancient Egyptians

remains to be examined whether these

are

findings have a more general relevance to

analogous

to

the

processes

of

practices

guided

by

ethical

our higher arts educational landscape.

educational inquiry.

In this virtual seminar, we feature three presentations by lecturers in Design & Media, 3D Design and Music. Discover The first is a search for truth, as represented by the feather of Truth. The second is the papyrus, the earliest form of paper invented by the

Egyptians from

the papyrus plant, which conveys the concept of freshness, vigour and growth.

Third, is the ankh, a key which symbolized both mortal existence and the afterlife, where findings may take on a new life in your

own

teaching

practice.

perspectives of differentiated instruction with 3D Design Programme Co-Ordinator Seah

Hui

Ling,

understanding

and

pitch

engage

vocalisation

in with

Music lecturer Lim Tee Heong. Senior Lecturer in Design & Media, James Sin, will

highlight

the

importance

of

foregrounding socio-emotional learning in the

curriculum,

with

findings

that

highlight SEL for academic performance, self-management,

holistic-learning,

On this occasion in AIDA 21, we explore

inter/intra intelligence in group learning

the notion of educational inquiry that is

and storytelling.

unleashed

from

a

cage.

Qualitative

research in particular releases freedom and power of evidence-based knowledge to inform new educational practice. We consider how student perceptions can be untrapped research.

through

interview-based

Brought to you by Pedagogy and Research Unit Office of Academic Affairs August 2021

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PROFILES KEYNOTE PRESENTER Dr Stefanie Reissner Newcastle University Business School, UK Dr Stefanie Reissner is a Reader at Newcastle University Business School in the UK. Her research interest is in how social actors make sense of their experiences and how they talk about these experiences through language and storytelling. Recently, Stefanie has studied professional identity formation and written about qualitative interviewing and researcher reflexivity in management and organization research.

SEMINAR PRESENTERS Seah Hui Ling Programme Co-Ordinator, 3D Design Specialized in Architecture and with five years of industry experience, Hui Ling engaged in a series of projects, including residential, institutional and infrastructure. Her involvement in education started with the planning and running of the Landscape and Architecture Design Studio modules. She brings along the dedication of design and vigour of her experience to the curriculum and holistic teaching. Design presents a playground of opportunities for Hui Ling, where she believes in developing meaningful and effective design solutions, including instructional design.

6

PROFILES

Lim Tee Heong Senior Lecturer, Music Tee Heong started his musical career at the Singapore Armed Forces Central Band. In 2001, he graduated from the University of Melbourne in Australia with a Bachelor of Music Degree with First Class Honours, and in 2003, he completed a Master’s Degree in Music specializing in Bassoon Performance on a full scholarship from the University.

Tee Heong has performed in solo recitals in both Australia and Singapore.

He has also won various prizes for his compositions, including ‘The Diva’s New Voice’, winner of the University of Melbourne Opera Prize in 2002; and ‘Adam in Paradise, but not for long!’, winner of the inaugural Percy Grainger Composition Prize in 1999. His most recent compositions include ‘The Devil’s Dancing’ for Piano Solo and ‘Long Gao Tsui’ for solo Zhonghu.

Tee Heong has played bassoon and contrabassoon with various ensembles such as Orchestra Victoria, Singapore Symphony Orchestra, The Orchestra of The Music Makers, The Metropolitan Festival Orchestra, The Philharmonic Orchestra, Singapore Lyric Opera Orchestra, The Magnetic Band, and most recently, the Myanmar National Symphony Orchestra

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PROFILES James Sin Senior Lecturer, Design Media James' practice-led research interests include educational experimentation in engaging and impacting the Generation Y & Generation iY, intellectual property advocacy, innovative digital media projects collaborations, learning network typologies through communities of learning and engagement connected via cyberspace and WiFi network, learning and connectivity via social media with a framework as a foundational operational platform, and mobile-learning & blended-mobilelearning in design education through harvesting the available potentials of innovative technologies.

James believes that place of elevated projection is propagated by the phase of learning rather than teaching and the pace of elevation is determined by its proportionate dreams and interaction. The initial educational frontline is probed by the visionary plotting process of planning and placement engaging the learners through the creative application of technologies. The potential of place of elevated projection is evolved from embryo to existence into a phenomenally extraordinary personified educational place where life's pulse is animated and motivatedlearning takes its throne.

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KEYNOTE SPEECH Quality in interview-based research: The role of reflexivity Dr Stefanie Reissner Interviewing is a popular qualitative research method in the social sciences.

Despite detailed coverage in methods texts, surprisingly little is known about the practices by which authors report interview-based research. Our review of 225 empirical journal articles using the interview method in management and organisation studies (Reissner and Whittle, in press) identified diversity in the practices by which methodological decisions and findings were reported. To make sense of this diversity, we discussed which practices are consistent within different onto-epistemological paradigms.

In this keynote speech, I will focus on the notion of research quality in interviewbased research. While in positivist analyses of interview data quality checks such as triangulation and interrater reliability tend to be undertaken to enhance rigour, I will argue that in more interpretivist studies reflexivity (that is, awareness of the researcher’s role in a study) serves as a quality check. Drawing on Reissner (2018), I will discuss different approaches to fostering reflexivity, including the novel, visual method of conversational space mapping. I will conclude that better understanding of both the practices used to report interview-based research and the ways of advancing researcher reflexivity can develop scholars’ paradigmatic and methodological awareness.

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S E M I N A R P R E S E N TAT I O N S Learner profiles and the need for differentiated activities in the Design Studio Seah Hui Ling Design education is mainly conducted in a studio-based environment, with high variability in design activities and outcomes. The review of the curriculum, in consideration of the different learning profiles, is essential for improving the quality of learning in design education (Demirbas & Demirkan, 2007). Therefore, the understanding of learner profiles could better inform curriculum design. The purpose of the study is to explore the preferences of different learner profiles on the activities in the Design Studio, specifically (a) how different learner profiles respond towards the design activities, and (b) how design activities can be differentiated for different learner profiles to enhance learning quality.

This qualitative study gathers data from interviews with four NAFA Diploma Year 2 Landscape and Architecture learners, together with lecturer observation notes, to account for the varied perspectives and experiences in the Design Studio. All four learner profiles, based on the Kolb's Learning Styles Questionnaire, are represented and the data coded for the generation of themes.

The results reveal distinct patterns in learners’ response in the area of visualization mediums, perception of challenges and preferences in multi-faceted design activities. Key findings uncover differentiated types of interactions and levels of autonomy that are significant to the different learner profiles in their learning. The study concludes that a Design studio that caters to different learner profiles is one that supports the concurrence of participative and observative interactions, and simultaneous transitions between collective and independent learning.

Beyond the Design Studio as a place of learning, the synergy between learner profiles and curated design activities is necessary to create a safe, stimulating, yet challenging, learning environment. The findings are useful to scope the school’s curriculum and influence effective teaching practices in design. Integration of the different learning profiles in curriculum is able to improve the quality of studiobased learning in design education and presents a plethora of opportunities in design pedagogy.

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S E M I N A R P R E S E N TAT I O N S Understanding Music Students' Evolving Preferences on Pitch Vocalization in Aural and Musicianship Lim Tee Heong Musicianship training is often built on a foundation of strong aural perception which is a basis for the students’ professional application. Understanding young musicians’ preference of pitch vocalization method can help in shaping musician education pedagogy (Butler & Lochstampfor, 1993). This study aims to understand young musicians’ evolving preferences on pitch vocalization in aural and musicianship and their personal journey in developing such preferences. In this qualitative study, 4 participants including 3 current NAFA students and 1 graduate, of mixed aural ability and instrumental specialisation were interviewed for their preferences with the various solfege methods and the possible reasons for adopting a different solfege method. The data was coded and themes were generated using constant comparative methods (Creswell, 2014). The results show that the students will change their methods based on their perceived professional and future needs however peers’ influence is not a factor. The results will help instructors decide on the choice of pitch vocalization methods to use in class based on the students’ expressed preferences.

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S E M I N A R P R E S E N TAT I O N S Integrating Social-Emotional Learning into the Curriculum: Nurturing Holistic Learners with Different Cultural Background James Sin Social-Emotional Learning (SEL) has lifelong impact on learners’ success and wellbeing. especially when emotions are the centre of learners’ navigation through life.

The integration of SEL is therefore of foremost priority in curriculum development for international and local students, since such qualities impact attention, will and character.

In order to better understand this development, an intentional SEL structure has been integrated in a module at NAFA with the aim of nurturing holistic learners whom come from different cultural backgrounds and various nationalities.

Four NAFA students (two international and two local) were interviewed individually.

A focus group interview was also conducted to triangulate the collected individual interview data. The data obtained from this qualitative study was analysed using coding to generate themes with constant comparative methods (Creswell, 2014).

Five categories of social-emotional learning were established from the collected data including academic performances, self-management, holistic-learning, inter/intra intelligence in group learning and storytelling in paraphrasing academic learning.

This study has shown that both international and local students strongly stamp SEL through interactions with lecturers and students, which has significantly impacted their academic performance and emotional well-being.

The results of this SEL study inform and highlight the importance of SEL in our education system and enhance meaningful learning for Gen-Y (Tim, 2011) & Gen-Z (Tim, 2019), especially during this pandemic.