Craig Burston

Biography

A design academic of twenty years, visiting practitioner, fractional, year leader, course leader. I have taught at a number of institutions, mixed economy, university and independent colleges at FE/BA/MA levels. I have undertaken a number of successful validations and re-validations and undertaken consultancy and supervisory work as part of other institutions revalidation and subject realignment exercises.

With a practical interest in the relationship between and impact of research through practice upon teaching and learning, my own work focuses upon areas including but not limited to; memory and auto-ethnographic writing as design tool, collaborative practice, the visual communication and 'image making and meaning', and applied semiotics and symbology. A further area of practical and philosophical interest is the interplay between discarded and emergent technologies.

In progress: "What Is Your Fire?" an auto-ethnographic practical student and academic facing research exploration of early childhood formative visual memory and its impact upon the careers of art and design academics and creative industries practitioners.

Notable previous projects include: Edit2.0/ "What Does Green Really Mean?", a multiple platform exploration of societies memories of and understanding of the broad environmental notion of "green" politics and related issues.

I have spoken at teaching and learning and industry conferences and seminars on subjects ranging from research in practice, memory and object based learning, student centred learning approaches, curriculum development, technology and graphic communication, student attainment with higher education with regard to widening participation, prior learning, social inclusion attainment and progression.

Further interests lie in authenticity, originality, intellectual ownership as well as hyper-reality, Hauntology and nostalgia.

I have undertaken the role of External Examiner at a number of UK HE insitutions for twenty years, and worked as an advisory voice on a number of HE and PG courses as well as being involved directly on a number of revalidation exercises and course writing activities.