COP2 Evaluation

End of Module Student Evaluation BA (Hons) Illustration Module Code: OUIL501 Context of Practice Name: Sophia Watts Student ID: sw255328 Please identify where the evidence for each of the learning outcomes is within your submission and how well you feel you have met the learning outcomes. Please also grade yourself in relation to the learning outcomes using terms: poor, satisfactory, good, very good, excellent (Note - This is so that the team have an understanding of how well you feel you have done. It is not an indication of the actual grade you may receive.)

Learning Outcome

Evidenced where?

Blog, Visual Journal, Roughs, Final Illustrations, Storyboards, Development Sheets etc. (No more than 75 words)

Your grade Using words: > poor, satisfactory, good, very good, excellent

5A1 Demonstrate a critical understanding of the aesthetic, cultural, historical, technological, social, political or other contexts relevant to individual subject disciplines.

(Knowledge and understanding) (Research / critical awareness) 5A2 Demonstrate an awareness of the relationship between the theoretical and practical contexts of their own creative concerns. (Knowledge and understanding) (problem analysis/definition)

Using the library resources to gain contextual references, as well as links via estudio and my self initiated research, responses of which are documented on my blog, helped to evidence this.

The critical awareness of the chosen themes of society and aesthetics can also be found in my essay.

Very Good

My blog is the most obvious demonstration of this, particularly Study Task 6 which shows the links between the practical work in my visual journal, responding to the theoretical sources I looked in to.

The journal itself and the latter part of the essay also highlight the relationship of theory to practical process.

Excellent

5B1 Evidence the ability to use logic, reasoning and critical judgement to analyse ideas from a range of primary and secondary sources.

(Cognitive skills) (Critical awareness) 5C1 Evidence the capacity for undertaking practical and theoretical research that demonstrates an informed application of critical, effective and testable processes.

(Practical and professional skills) (research) 5D1 Organise and carry out selfdirected projects and communicate outcomes through written and other appropriate forms. (Key

Again, my blog and the tasks completed contain my thoughts and ideas in response to a range of sources, including; books, articles, films, videos and images.

Theories and analysis in response to research can also be found within my essay.

Very Good

The visual journal is the focus of the practical work produced, reflecting the general ideas and concepts highlighted in the essay, and the methodology undertaken because of this.

Blogging also helped to theorise the link between the two, using research techniques.

Very Good

Blogging throughout the module helped to determine the aspects of theory that would influence the work created.

I feel that the clarity and technical abilities demonstrated in the visual journal and essay also

Excellent

transferable skills) (professionalism / technical competence / visual quality)

communicate my strengths in this area.

Summative Evaluation At the start of the year I felt a bit nervous to start COP as it was my least favourite module in first year, mainly due to the subject matter I chose and my time management. This year, I was a lot more organised and gave myself enough time to research around a topic I was interested in. As I am usually quite indecisive when choosing a theme I realised that I needed more time to get my head around what it is I wanted to discuss in my essay, taking notes from a breadth of sources. The key texts I picked out were the starting point for the rest of my research, which ultimately came from the books I read, articles and watching Ted Talks on-line. Looking into different theories before committing to an idea is something I prefer to do, I like to be informed about my chosen theme and make an educated decision on how to develop my project further.

Because of this my initial research and essay draft covered a broad range of subjects, from which I chose the most relevant information. This also fed into my practical work, as the first few pages in particular concentrated on a more general depiction of aesthetic modification. As the project progressed I got more excited to write about a subject that resonated with me, from here I started to enjoy the module a lot more. I feel as though my writing skills are improving and the process of writing is more natural to me.

Blogging enabled me to record my research and ideas. It was especially useful when I got a bit stuck on how to narrow my project down to a specific subject area. I was able to pick apart the sections of my research that interested me the most and create work from that. Feedback sessions and crits also helped me to do this, sometimes its refreshing to be able to see things from another person's point of view. It opened my eyes to things I may not have thought about on my own. I felt as though the tutorials with Pete made me reevaluate and recognise successes within my work when I was going off on a tangent, this also encouraged me when I was unclear of my focus. Something I didn't enjoy about this module was being confined to an A5 concertina book for the practical work. Initially, I felt very restricted and precious about starting the book. I also like to work towards an end goal (a book, prints, etc). This format meant that the final outcome would be a more general visual discussion of the research I undertook, rather than a product, which is something I had never really done before. However, it was good practice to try and make something work for me, I learned a lot from working in this way. The sequential pages of the book meant that my work had a clear start and end point, I was also aware of what linked one idea to the next. Usually, this is something I don't actively take into consideration.

Although I think overall I am happy with the work I produces in this module, there are things that I would change if I could go back to the start of the year. Because I had conducted such broad research initially, I got a bit confused about how to narrow it down. I think if I had thought about this earlier I could have saved myself a lot of time later on. Also, my organisation skills were better but I could have arranged my time weekly, knowing what I was going to work on each day, using a timetable. This is something I will make a conscious effort to do more in third year. In COP3 I am looking forward to having the opportunity to conduct my own primary research based around a topic I am interested in. Also, I think the practical side of the module will make a lot more sense to me as I can identify an outcome to work towards, fitting cohesively with my practice. The biggest lesson I learned in COP this year was to allow myself an on-going investigation.

Before, I anticipated the resolution of my projects far too quickly and got frustration at the prospect of having to endlessly search the library. I now realise that drawings, stemming from research, are a vital part of idea development. This is something I look forward to reflecting upon over summer and carrying in to third year with me.