Designing filmmaking: shaping first-year curriculum for transition, progression and effective collaboration

Holt, Jenny ORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0002-8701-4530 (2021) Designing filmmaking: shaping first-year curriculum for transition, progression and effective collaboration. Art, Design and Communication in Higher Education, 20 (2). pp. 185-200. ISSN 1474-273X

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Abstract

This article evaluates a transition intervention project aimed at first-year undergraduate filmmaking students in the Manchester School of Art. In response to recently identified shifts in confidence and resilience linked to an increased rate of withdrawal, a Scholarship of Teaching and Learning research project was undertaken to address the issue and develop a transition strategy to promote engagement, confidence and progression. Research into studies of first-year transition and retention, and an analysis of both the pedagogical context of the course and wider ecology of the discipline, informed a remodelling of the autumn term curriculum with a focus on the first six weeks of study. The research revealed key themes of consequence to first-year curriculum design, including the impact of art and design’s ‘pedagogy of ambiguity’ and the significance of belongingness and community to filmmaking students.