Mixed research methodologies were applied using both quantative and qualitative approaches:
- online student surveys
- focus groups with students, academic staff and industry representatives
- member checking with industry reprsentatives
- research interviews with industry reprsentatives
- analysis of surveys and focus group transcriptions
Focus groups were also used to add an additional layer to the student data by engaging industry representatives to cross check and inform perceived challenges of the chosen industries. The data collected at the focus groups was audio recorded, transcribed and added to the data collected via the online surveys. This independent professional perspective which was collected via focus groups and video interviews created a bridge feeding back into the student and learning context. Student perspectives, staff and industry perspectives were combined in the suite of resources built. Interview questions were designed which also provided a template which can be applied by students in science and medicine to investigate the industry in which they hope to enter. Analysis of the impact on creative practice, learning processes and student learning outcomes was gathered through:
- Online surveys analysed as baseline data then compared to industry experiences (focus groups and member checking)
- Online surveys analysed then transformed into animated encounters (suites of animated resources developed for teaching purposes)
- Online surveys and focus group data analysed and turned into interview focus and questions for industry encounters (videos available through course content)
Member Checking
The project articulates a scaffolded process for dialogic engagement of students, academics and established industry professionals using a self-regulated learning trajectory. The project has a three-phase structure to address the development of Professional Identity early in students’ careers. Dilemmas of practice with significance for each profession was collected using an online survey and tested with a small selection of stakeholders in focus groups.
Focus groups revealed that industry experienced dilemmas of practice differently. This member checking process highlighted that industry professionals believed that the professionalism of tutors, skills attainment and group critique/ communication were the three most important dilemmas of practice (identified by students) for professionals as opposed to intellectual property.
The disjunction between novice experiences of (IP) and established professionals indicates that (IP)may not be something that academics or established professionals feel they need to discuss, yet the results of Phase One work reveal the necessity of actively planning visible resources in this area. Ambiguity in the learning process can be used as a thought-provoking irritant to encourage students to move on in their understanding, particularly as in creative fields to promote experimentation and multiplicity of approaches