The staff development workshop lasted about 30 minutes. Each video has been clipped into 4 sections approximately up to 5 minutes each for easier viewing. You will need to input the password “CreativeCrowding” to watch each video.

I started the presentation before the video technician arrived, so the clip does not show my salutation to the participants, welcoming and thanking them for their participation and attendance.

Segment One

In the first clip, segment one, I introduce the title of the exhibition, CREATIVE CROWDING: Problem-Based Learning in an Active Real World Design Studio Environment. I then explain the theme of the exhibition which explores the outcomes of Problem-Based Learning activities in a real world studio environment to facilitate meaningful engagement and industry practice for tertiary-level visual communications students.

0001IWsm from Susan Lee Quee on Vimeo.

I talked about previous experiences relating to scenarios where students are disinterested, dis-engaged and apprehensive about their approach to the tasks in their assignments. I ask participants about their own experiences and their own personal connections to what was presented as problems in teaching.

Some of what was outlined, highlighted misunderstanding, time-management, fear of the unknown, inability to synthesize, give feedback and reflect on their process, experience and artifact. I discussed and related my observations of the students work where the concepts and aesthetic quality was more surface than deep-level design thinking. And that the work did not really represent the students living experience. Students defaulted to creating westernized symbolic representations and imagery instead of authenticity. The students dependence on Google was also discussed, also the complaints about “too much reading and writing in an arts and design college”

I argued the plight of teachers, faced with the task to motivate dis-engaged, disinterested students, to tailor learning to match a diverse range of abilities, and learning styles, and to ensure assessment criteria and standards are continuously met.

From the previously discussed issues with teaching in the presentation, I go on to reiterate in detail my auto didactic theory and rationalization of Creative Crowding as an instructional ‘mix up and blenda” approach that borrows from problem-based learning (PBL) and Just In Time teaching methods. In the Creative Crowding scenario, JIT considers the use of studio time for more active learning in design.

According to Biggs problem-based learning is more an approach vs a method, which may consist of various pedagogic activities and evaluation methods, in addition this approach mirrors the way learners experience and learn from the real world. They simply and intrinsically solve problems or varying degrees utilizing the tools and resources they have before them (pgs 231-2, Biggs, J 2003, Teaching for Quality Learning at University, Buckingham: Open University Press.

In the workshop, I continue to discuss Creative Crowding as the site of learning, a computer lab, posited as a real-world studio environment doubling as our active and adaptive teaching and learning space. A space where foundation first year, second, third and final year students share and work in the space simultaneously.

Creative Crowding Part 2 from Susan Lee Quee on Vimeo.

I take the participation through some the steps taken during my experience with problem-based learning, realised through an intercultural communication assignment, I gave to third year students.

I explain that teaching begins with the discussion of the problem-based theme with students, this is done so students can make connections to prior concepts and knowledge they may have about the topic. And that the lecturer takes on the role of the facilitator, using the information and ideas provided by the students to further formulate and problematize the theme for the assignment.

Further into my presentation, I explain how PBL at the creative crowding site centralizes conceptual re-framing, necessary for students to organize the information before they begin the design task. Conceptual re-framing in this case uses big ideas, essential or driving questions with connections to social and cultural contexts for meaningful authentic problem-solving and relevance. Ownership is also necessary for students to take responsibility and see themselves in their learning and art making. PBL in the creative crowding scenario is not only product oriented but also process oriented and considers the cycle of multiple viewpoints, social dialogue, problem discovery, solving approach, collaboration.

PBL learning extensions (Project-Based, Design-Based and Studio-Based) are introduced and I explain to the participants they may be familiar teaching scenarios which they already engage in their practice.

I outline the advantages and disadvantages of PBL and as prompt for later discussion from the audience, I caution the approach may not be suitable for all art disciplines. Instead, I offer food for thought by recommending exploring conceptual re-framing of assignments using PBL as useful in packaging and delivering assignment objectives, learning tasks and content knowledge to encourage students to go off and work independently.

I further challenged participants to examine how PBL might work with interdisciplinary projects considering that the college is making strides to develop a more holistic and interconnected curriculum across various art disciplines.

Segment Two

Creative Crowding Part 3 from Susan Lee Quee on Vimeo.

In segment two, I continue the presentation by showcasing the footage taken during the intercultural project used for the PBL study. I go on to describe the premise of the project and the steps taken to set up the problem with the students from the start of the activity. In introducing the problem to the students, I presented to the audience the approach taken where the information was contextualized and discussed with driving questions before they advanced to their research activity of the project. I explained the outcomes of the first presentation to the students and that it was too broad. Therefore, I narrowed down the theme to ensure tighter relevance and connections specific to visual communications but also allowed them to explore social and cultural concepts wishing the topic . It was necessary tweak instances where I felt students would find difficulty rationalizing so much information in such a short time. I describe how necessary it was to give them prompts to help them navigate the content knowledge for the research phase of the intercultural project, this was done through an online survey which students were given the task to complete in 15 minutes during class, before and while doing sketches and formulating ideas for the project. This activity facilitated multi-tasking designer habits, students evoke during their creative process. Images captured during that activity were shown in the presentation.

I outlined to the workshop participants, how feedback from the online survey and statements from students about meaning and context, helped form the driving and essential questions in the second presentation of content, where the intercultural topic was narrowed down with more focus.

I gave a synopsis of what a PBL assignment/project package might consist of. In the this case, content knowledge tools presented in two powerpoint documents in addition to two short online surveys and reading resource list. The online surveys were created using Typeform, a good choice for creating visually rich data collection instruments, which I recommended to participants.

This was shown to the participants in the presentation along with image captures of the students working through the steps of the assignment. This segment presented in detail the conceptual re-framing, problem discovery and solving approach by the students evidence by their sketches, comps and final artifacts in the form of a poster. The images also showed students working collaboratively and engaged in discussion with each other and the facilitator.

0002YB 2 from Susan Lee Quee on Vimeo.

I highlight to the participants, how this process deepens and shapes their understanding of the content, and learning outcomes as they work towards the development of the final artifact, the poster.

Creative Crowding requires us, the facilitators to work collaboratively with “students to help them formulate their ideas of creativity and what constitutes the kind of creative works they might produce and how to self-assess it (Biggs, 2003).”

Towards the end I present, PBL imperatives for evaluating the efficacy of problem-based objectives for assignments with the hope that participants would use these as assessment tools in the process of creating PB assignments for students.

Two Questions

I had questions from two participants, unfortunately only one question and response was fully recorded.

Question one related to co-designing as an objective and how we might address assessment of projects in that scenario. My response, was that students during my modules are given or encouraged to take specific roles during the process of a project and are guided on what the roles entail in addition to what part they play in the making process.

The other question asked by the participant, relate to a project she was involved in where she had the task of putting together a team of artists from other disciplines. She wanted to know with the differences in each of the teams art discipline, if problem-based learning exercise might help facilitate the team stakeholders to work together and to help pitch the idea as a collaborative endeavour.

My response to the second question was to think about how individuals and groups can become a stakeholders in the process itself, so from early on, you get them to start thinking about their initial outcomes with possibilities for alternative options by being involved in the decision making and art making.