Reflective practice and work-based learning

Dr Adrienne Lowy, PhD FHEA, senior lecturer, Liverpool School of Art & Design and work-
based learning module leader at Liverpool John Moores University.

Background
The original Liverpool School of Art and Design work-based learning module was written in
1994-5 in consultation with staff, students, graduates and employers. It was a response to
the need to create a module with the potential to award academic credit to a wide variety of
possible short-term placements (normally five to ten working days) across the then three
school programmes: Fashion and Textile Design, Fine Art, and Graphic Design (now Graphic
Arts). The range of programmes has since expanded to include students opting to
undertake the module from Interior Design, Product Design and Digital Modelling, as well as
History of Art and Museum Studies. In recent years the module has additionally attracted
students from the I-Media programme at Liverpool John Moores University’s (LJMU)
Liverpool Screen School. In Art and Design, regarded as one subject area by the Quality
Assurance Agency (QAA), the range of employers and employment status is wider than in
most subject areas. Graduates may well work for themselves, often beginning with
freelance work while still students. They may develop a portfolio career, start their own
business and/or work for a company of any size from a micro-SME (Small to Medium
Enterprise) through to a major national or international organisation. Therefore, the
learning outcomes required for successful completion of the module needed to reflect this
range in terms of placements and placement providers. The six module learning outcomes
require the students to:

• Comprehend employers’ methods and means of operation, their products and the
nature of student contribution to this process;
• Recognise their role within the organisation, their own objectives, and the role of
workplace colleagues;
• Demonstrate the use of their transferable skills (creative thinking, problem solving,
the ability to organise, teamwork, self-presentation, presentation of work, and
adaptability);
• Demonstrate the use of their time- and self-management skills, and the ability to
work to a set brief/commission/project (whichever is appropriate to placement);
• Show an informed and specific awareness of: the law as applied to art and design;
operation of the relevant Health and Safety legislation; their host organisation’s
financial responsibilities;
• Evaluate their experience both in terms of course work and their chosen career
path, and better judge employment opportunities in the relevant sector, including
an awareness of the benefits of networking.

Looking Out Case Study: Reflective practice and work-based learning 1

The students are made aware of the need to document in considerable detail their
workplace learning, beginning with the process of researching, applying for and gaining the
placement. It is made clear to students from the start that it is the evidence of the learning
gained from the placement that is assessed, not the placement itself. Thus, reflective
practice is embedded in the module. It is only by means of reflection on their collected
evidence that the students can be in a position to submit the required documentation
demonstrating achievement of the learning outcomes. In terms of art and design career
potential, the need for reflective practice is paramount. Self-employment requires high
levels of self-awareness in order to be able to secure funding, sponsorship, commissions,
exhibitions and residencies; also in order to respond effectively to work opportunities as
they arise. As a result, the individual practitioner must be constantly reflecting on and
evaluating their practice in order to operate effectively within their individual professional
working environment. Allan Gibbs has considered the nature of entrepreneurialism in
graduates in his 2005 policy paper ‘Towards an Entrepreneurial University’1 for the National
Council for Graduate Entrepreneurship. Meanwhile, the 2007 project report ‘Creating
Entrepreneurship'2, written and published by the Higher Education Academy Art, Design and
Media Centre (ADM-HEA), noted that the ways in which people learn to be entrepreneurial
are already embedded in the reflective-social learning contexts of project-based and studio-
based learning. Between 1997 and 2005, the Liverpool School of Art and Design Work-
based Learning Module Leader produced a series of school-wide events focussed on self-
employment in art and design and featuring external speakers, including graduate
practitioners, to present students with some of the information and contacts necessary to
self-employment.

Art and design students often begin working freelance while on their undergraduate
programmes; the work-based learning module encourages them to document and reflect on
their learning in this capacity. An example of this is a Product Design student from the
2008-9 academic year, who produced a two-minute animation which was streamed at a
music event. His client was a small organisation specialising in providing music events. The
student described the resources needed as "computer, camera, modelling clay and
software". He described his existing subject and transferable skills that helped him secure
the placement as "software knowledge, design process and knowledge of the industry". He
identified the skills acquired on his placement as "professional communication skills,
punctuality, meeting deadlines and further knowledge of software". Asked to give an
evaluation of the placement contribution to his career direction he stated: "This placement
has allowed me to experience how freelance work can further my knowledge of design".
Asked to describe the highlights of the placement experience he explained: "meeting new
people and networking was the main highlight as well as producing work to be exhibited at

1
Gibb, A. (2005). Towards the Entrepreneurial University: Entrepreneurship Education as
the Lever for Change, NCGE Policy Paper 3, NCGE, Birmingham.
2
ADM-HEA, (2007). Creating Entrepreneurship: Entrepreneurship Education for the
Creative Industries, University of Brighton, Brighton.

Looking Out Case Study: Reflective practice and work-based learning 2

a local event. I also enjoyed learning more about the music events industry". He was also
asked to comment on any negative aspects: "Not a conventional work placement which
therefore meant it did not reflect an average job, but instead reflected only freelance work".
The client stated his intention to use this student’s work for future events. The student
summarised his reflection on his learning by stating that the "placement has broadened my
interests within the industry and exposed me to other options for a career in the future".

Reflective practice in the curriculum

Art and design students are often required to present their work, both to tutors and to
peers. Verbal presentation skills and physical presentation skills (e.g. finishing and
mounting of work) are essential. This is the case both for work in progress and for the
finished artefact. Reflection on and evaluation of the process is considered as important as
the end product. Therefore students need to be able to reflect on and articulate their
creative process to their audience. Formative review (reviews of work in progress) requires
them to consider and discuss their progress. The introduction of Personal Development
Planning (PDP)3 in higher education (HE) across the UK shows the importance of individual
student self-management, where the student is required to be the proactive learner. This is
particularly the case in art and design where even set briefs require individual self-directed
responses. The element of self-direction is central to the production of the final portfolio
and the degree show in art and design disciplines. Students' recognition of their own
creative process, learning styles and working practices is core to this activity. Their self-
awareness, and the self-confidence engendered by this awareness, is key to an ability to
market themselves beyond graduation. Individual time management is also key as most
students balance part-time paid work with their university commitments. Students also
need to reflect on the skills gained from this work, however distinct they appear from their
academic experience. In addition to the time management skills, part-time paid jobs
(particularly in retail, catering and leisure), require the student to develop and demonstrate
effective communication and interpersonal skills in interactions with customers and
teamwork skills with colleagues. Over time, students gain promotions for taking on
increased responsibility in these jobs; this can include training and supervisory roles. Art
and design students have used visual creative work, which they have volunteered to carry
out for their part-time work employer, as part of the evidence for assessment of their work-
based learning module. This includes posters promoting store or restaurant events. These
have gained them published work for their portfolio and enhanced recognition of their
performance by the employer. Module documentation and reflection on these skills enhance
the student’s ability to recognise the way in which they complement the specialist discipline
skills. PDP further enhances and enables this reflective practice.

Reflective practice and the work-based learning module

3
For further information on Personal Development Planning see:
www.heacademy.ac.uk/ourwork/teachingandlearning/pdp.

Looking Out Case Study: Reflective practice and work-based learning 3

This is a Level Two (second year) option module, available to students across all of the
school’s disciplines (with the exception of Architecture). Even embarking on the work-based
learning module causes students to reflect on their own time and self-management skills:
they need to balance time spent on the placement, time reflecting on it to complete their
assessment assignment, and the time needed to complete their core modules. The length
and timing of placements is determined by the host/employer. Therefore, it is the student’s
responsibility to manage their time to accommodate both this and the other (more highly
credit-rated) areas of their study programme. Reflective practice is essential to the
production of the assessment tasks required to pass the module. As placements cannot be
assessed per se, it is the students’ evidence and evaluation of their learning which is
assessed. To this end students are required to complete and submit a set of documents
comprising of the following: a placement report(s); a diary; contact list, and portfolio of
work. The placement reports were designed for the School of Art and Design (LSAD,
formerly Liverpool Art School) as a series of forms, completed by the student, the employer
and the tutor respectively. They are intended to elicit succinct and focused responses which
are then expanded into the student’s report. The involvement of all three parties reflects
their signing up to the Learning Agreement and the three-way agreement detailed in the
university’s Code of Practice for Work-based Learning. The language used in the LSAD
modules has proved appropriate for student use across the range of participating
disciplines, enabling their understanding of the module requirements. In turn, they are then
able to communicate these to their employers, along with the module leader and their
programme tutors, who are involved in assessing the submitted documentation.

The learning agreement, a document praised in the school’s subject review (November
1999) as a model of good practice, requires the student to reflect from the outset on what
is required of them for their period of work-based learning. It is reviewed by the students'
tutors and employers and is evidence that the student has considered the nature of the
project, timescale, necessary resources and project outcome.

The student completes Student Placement Report 1 before the start of the module to
demonstrate their understanding of the operation and activities of their host/employer. This
report also helps with the assessment of the student’s existing occupational, discipline-
based and generic skills. At the end of the placement the student completes Report 2. In
this they describe activities undertaken during the placement and evaluate their learning,
including what they view as highlights and any negative aspects. For example, a graphic
arts student in 2008 described the highlights of her placement with a multidisciplinary
design studio established by LJMU graduates: "I believe the main highlight of my placement
has been the fact that from all the designs mine was the one to be accepted by the client; I
have been asked to extend my placement duration; and my teamwork and self presentation
skills have been described by the host as excellent". The aspect described as negative was
a wish that the placement had been long enough "for me to work on and develop even
more projects I started".

Looking Out Case Study: Reflective practice and work-based learning 4

The employer completes Placement Report 3, giving their views regarding skills
demonstrated by the placement student. The report is structured in a tick-box format,
although there is additional space for comment. This becomes the foundation of a dialogue
between module leader and employer, recorded in Student Placement Report 4. Feedback
forms 3 and 4 were designed after consultation with a group of employers, and are aimed
at eliciting optimum employer feedback. This is done by using the language of the learning
outcomes but taking the minimum amount of employer time. The terminology has proved
effective, enabling the module leader to discuss placement student performance with a
range of different hosts. Placement hosts are directly and indirectly involved in art and
design and from commercial, voluntary, public and private organisations. They range in size
from national and multinational organisations to artists and designers operating as sole
traders.

Liverpool-based design consultancy Nonconform, founded by LJMU graduates, has for many
years, provided students with placements. Director Kevin Jones, who himself took this
module as a student and gained employment with Nonconform on graduation, states that
“about 60% of our team are LJMU graduates. I highly recommend work placements as they
give a real insight into the industry.” Nonconform feel that they gain from these students’
contemporary and varied input. The students provide Nonconform with innovative ideas for
products and avenues of development, and on some occasions new and valued staff
members.

The findings of the Creative Graduates Creative Futures4 survey show that almost half of
the respondents working were self-employed, working freelance, or working in a micro-
business (with 10 or fewer employees). While the majority of LJMU students finding
placements with commercial organisations do so with micro-businesses, a small number do
gain placements with major organisations. An example here is a Graphic Arts student
working for a major British fashion organisation. The employer’s feedback to the student
described him as having "maintained an excellent attitude and level of professionalism
throughout his placement". The student described the highlights as "working in a real life
design environment. Seeing how the application of graphics works; in what ways, media,
reasons. Seeing and being at a press day, being part of its construction. Being set a brief
and being allowed to just get on with it and to be trusted to do the right thing on my own".
The employer described the student to the module leader as having "a good grasp of the
brand; had a good knowledge of technical skills; his time management was fine and he got
on with what was asked of him. It was a pleasure to have him".

The student, seeing these employer/tutor views, can use them to reflect on further work-
based learning in addition to career planning and job applications. The three-way

4
Ball, L. Pollard, E. Stanley, N. (2010). Creative Graduates: Creative Futures, Creative
Graduates Creative Futures Higher Education Partnership and the Institute for Employment
Studies, London.

Looking Out Case Study: Reflective practice and work-based learning 5

conversation between student, teacher and employer informs a discussion between student
and teacher and is recorded in Student Placement Report 5. This reflects in detail on the
student's learning by evaluating their experience. In turn, the insights gleaned from this
process enable them to form an action plan for their final year and beyond. The placement
forms reflect the input of the student, tutor and employer to the work-based learning
experience and its assessment. The first two placement forms provide an opportunity for a
succinct focus on the elements which need to be expanded upon, using the diary material,
for the report which clearly sets out the evidence that the module learning outcomes have
been achieved.

The diary is intended to be the written equivalent of a student’s sketchbook. While it should
contain dates for meetings and deadlines its primary function is to present a comprehensive
picture, however anecdotal and impressionistic, of the full range of activities and
experiences which have the potential to generate learning. Just as a sketchbook contains
the range of ideas and research from which the student can synthesise material for their
‘finished’ work, the diary as ‘verbal sketchbook’ provides evidence of achievement that can
be applied to the learning outcomes on the work-based learning module. As module leader,
and therefore main tutor on this module, I use the sketchbook analogy to rationalise the
need and the method for recording this information. I explain at the introductory session
that it is the evidence of learning from the placement which is assessed, not the placement
itself. The entrepreneurial skills required in placement seeking, such as self-marketing and
promotion, using the targeted CV as a tool, both as a ‘script’ and when ‘cold calling’
potential placement hosts, are discussed with the students.

The contact list requires the student to note the names, job titles, and roles performed of
all personnel they encounter during the placement. While this will begin with workplace
colleagues, it can extend into clients, suppliers and employer contacts. This helps the
student to cite these contacts within the workplace context. It also aids reflection on this
context and helps understanding of the workplace structure, in addition to providing
potentially helpful future contacts.

The report is the synthesis, accomplished through reflection, of the module learning
outcomes. It also comprises an analysis of the individual work-based learning activity that
is documented in detail in the diary, thereby providing clearly set out evidence of the
achievement of the module learning outcomes. The student decides the format of the
report. Clarity, organisation and effective communication are the key criteria. Therefore,
the student must reflect on their learning, as noted comprehensively in the diary, in order
to be able to extrapolate and identify the work-based learning.

The portfolio is the collection of evidence which the student submits to ‘prove’ learning. The
students need to reflect on the material they have collected, along with pre-existing
information on the employer and/or material relating to projects they have been engaged

Looking Out Case Study: Reflective practice and work-based learning 6

with. They are required to determine the appropriateness of this material as evidence of
meeting learning outcomes. Careful reflection is needed in the selection of portfolio material
for it to work to best effect. Reflective practice underpins preparation of all the
documentation completed by the student. It is a requirement to reflect upon the placement
learning, noted in as comprehensive detail as possible, which enables production of the
report. This reflection is facilitated by their completion of Student Placement Forms 1 and 2.

Level 3 (final year)

Work-based learning is a Level 2 (second year) option module created to accommodate as
wide a range of short placements as possible (approximately ten working days maximum).
While the module is based in Level 2, increasingly students are choosing to document and
evaluate placements carried out of their own volition in the summer break between Levels 2
and 3. They can then negotiate with their Level 3 tutor on the inclusion of this work-based
learning in their assessable work for the first semester of Level 3. For Level 3 Graphic Arts
students, a placement report can constitute their submission for the 24-credit Graphic Arts
Research Project5, while the optional Fashion Design Level 3 Work Placement module is a
12-credit module. Level 3 Fashion students are required to submit a learning agreement.
Graphic Arts students are required to submit a project proposal. Fashion Design students
submit a sketchbook/diary, report and evaluation, while Graphic Arts students submit
supporting materials and an evaluation of their project. The author of this case study has
led the level 3 Fashion Work Placement module in recent years and taught on the level 3
Graphic Arts Research Project module. Negotiating skills and the reflective practice required
to consider process and progress are at the heart of this work.

At the time of writing, Liverpool School of Art and Design is making work-based learning
part of two wider cross-school Level 2 optional modules: Learning by Collaboration 1 and 2.
These will be assessed by the submission of an e-learning journal optimising the school’s
experience of the reflective practice central to the work-based learning modules which are
the focus of this case study.

References
Lowy, A. (2001), ‘Reflective Practice and Work-based Learning: a case study from Liverpool
School of Art and Design’. JMU Learning and Teaching Press. Vol.1 (2), pp12-13 [online]
Available from: http://www.ljmu.ac.uk/lid/ltweb/ldu_09/apr2001.pdf.
Lowy, A. (2003), ‘Work-based Learning: a case study from Liverpool School of Art and
Design’. Centre for Recording Achievement Case Studies in Higher Education. Available
from:
www.recordingachievement.org/case_studies/cs_detail.asp?sid=83.

5
Degree students normally complete modules worth 120 credits in total. The second year
optional work-based module is worth 12 credits, or 10% of the total study in that year. The
final year 24-credit Graphic Arts Research module is worth 20% of the total credits in that
year.

Looking Out Case Study: Reflective practice and work-based learning 7

Lowy, A. (2005), ‘A Case Study of A Work-based Learning Module’ Writing PAD: Writing
Purposefully in Art and Design', HEFCE funded project for the Development of Teaching and
Learning (FDTL) in H.E. Phase 4, Goldsmiths College, London. www.writing-
pad.ac.uk/index.php?path=photos/20_Resources/05_Case%20Studies/&keyword=Process
%20of%20learning%20through%20journals.

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