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Academic enhancement resources

These resources have been created by our Academic Enhancement team and a number of collaborators. They aim to support our staff, students, and the wider community in promoting social justice within higher education. We've made sure to include the voices of staff, students, and experts to help inform both teaching practice and policy.

You can use and share these resources with people that might be interested in our work. Share your thoughts on how you’ve used them or how they affected you or your community in our feedback form.

To learn more about these resources or collaborate with us on new projects, get in touch with Gemma at g.riggs@arts.ac.uk.

Some of our videos may not be fully accessible to all users. Contact Gemma if you need alternative formats or have any accessibility concerns.

Case studies and sharing practice

Insights made with UAL staff and students on teaching practice that supports equity and reduces awarding gaps.

  • Photo of university exhibition with 'Capture Curate!' text
    Image: Courtesy of UAL

    Capture / Curate - designing a student process toolkit (PDF 2MB)

    Capture / Curate is a case study by Dr David Preston showing design of a student process toolkit associated with experimental learning for BA (Hons) Graphic Communication Design at Central Saint Martins

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    Image: Courtesy of UAL

    Reducing awarding gaps: BA (Hons) Fine Art Critical Studies (PDF 937KB)

    Read this case study that describes the re-design of assessment practices on BA Fine Art Critical studies at Central Saint Martins

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    Image: Close up, Textiles by Sally Cheung, Show 2, 2017, Textile Design BA (Hons), Central Saint Martins, UAL | John Sturrock

    Video collection: Practice sharing  

    Watch UAL staff share insights into their pedagogic practice and learnings from interventions they have made

  • Darryl Clifton and Siobhan Clay sitting on a sofa in conversation
    Darryl Clifton (Design Programme Director) and Siobhan Clay in conversation

    Reducing awarding gaps – BA Illustration  

    Watch a conversation between Siobhan Clay, Head of Academic Enhancement, and Darryl Clifton, Programme Leader for BA Illustration at Camberwell College of Art

Belonging and compassionate pedagogy

Compassionate pedagogy creates learning dynamics that ensure students feel valued, respected, supported and included in their studies.

Compassionate assessment

These materials were produced from the QAA Collaborative Enhancement Project – a cross university research project that sought to identify approaches to assessment that nurture belonging through meaningful, compassionate interactions and practices.

Assessment for social justice

Learn about our approaches to assessment and our ongoing work in reducing the awarding gap for students.

Frantz Fanon: Decolonising arts pedagogy

Taking inspiration from Frantz Fanon’s seminal book Black Skin, White Masks, these resources bring lived experience to speak pertinently about race and pedagogy.

Decolonising pedagody and curriculum

These resources explore a decolonial approach that allows us to deconstruct existing knowledge, hierarchies and ways of doing and being, in favour of drawing on multiple knowledge systems.

Decolonising the Arts Curriculum Zine series

The Decolonising the Arts Curriculum Zine is one part of a larger initiative by our staff and students. This examines teaching practices through the lens of decolonisation and addresses structural inequalities.

Creative Shift and diversifying industry

Creative Shift deliver a programme of opportunities, working closely with industry partners to enhance students’ experience and professional development. You can find out more about their work here.

Student partnerships and co-creation

These resources have been made in collaboration with UAL students to encourage participatory approaches within the studio as well as interrogating what decoloniality and equity means to them.

Reducing awarding gaps - toolkits

Explore the aspects of teaching and learning that can affect awarding differentials.

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    Image: Courtesy of UAL

    De-biasing strategies (PDF 294KB)

    Learn more on how to remove biases and improve degree attainment for all our students.

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    Image: courtesy of UAL

    Internationalising the curriculum (PDF 489KB)

    Learn more about our reflections and discussions on our curriculum, and how we can internationalise it for our students.

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    Image: Courtesy of UAL

    Creating inclusive briefs (PDF 304KB)

    Read our guidance to review and plan briefs so that we continuously think about potential barriers to learning and achievement and make changes to remove those barriers.

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    Image; Courtesy of UAL

    Re-thinking industry engagement (PDF 216KB)

    A framework to analyse how your guidance of student interaction with industry can affect their academic achievement and employment opportunities.