bartlett (built environment)

The Dissertation workshop: Research as a community practice

Fiona A Wilkie Leave a Comment

THE TEAM

Lead: Mara Torres Pinedo

Support students: Amanda Kartikasari, Hemant Kumar, Ismat Juma, Kenneth Franco, Maria Jose Ascenzo

DEPARTMENT

Institute for Global Prosperity

WHAT HAPPENED?

The Dissertation Workshop co-developed with students a collaborative learning community to support and provide a sense of belonging for IGP MSc students during their dissertation period while reflecting on the overall learning process to improve research skills and collaborative learning for future cohorts. This project engages well with the ethos of the Institute for Global Prosperity and its commitment to transdisciplinary approaches to create more prosperous futures for all. Bringing innovation and dialogue spaces to explore models of future teaching practices that improve the belonging and wellbeing of our community can open the door to an authentic transformative education.

 
WHAT ADVICE OR ENCOURAGEMENT WOULD YOU GIVE TO SOMEONE THINKING OF DOING A CHANGEMAKERS PROJECT?
The Changemakers project is just the beginning of a further change in our teaching practice and learning experience in our community, no project idea is too small. Co-designing with students from the beginning improves your opportunities to build something more meaningful and to have more active involvement from them. It´s incredible what you can achieve, innovate and learn by opening dialogue spaces with students. A changemakers project can open the door to explore teaching practices that improve the belonging and well-being of our community and start building an authentic transformative education.

Terrace Club

Fiona A Wilkie Leave a Comment

THE TEAM

Staff lead: Frosso Pimenides
Student leads: Sammy Doublet, Tom Henly, Clive Burgess, Lola Wilson, Thomas Butterworth
DEPARTMENT
Bartlett School of Architecture
WHAT HAPPENED?
The overall aim of the Terrace at 4pm was to challenge the conventional approach of architectural education within the Bartlett. Providing an informal space for all members of the Bartlett community, from facility staff to students to industry professionals, the conversations that took place were inspiring for all that engaged. Guest speakers involved a practicing architect, a staff member involved with book-binding, architecture, origami and other creative fields; and the Faculty Dean. All students who attended these lectures were fully engaged; learning what options were open to them; that architecture is not purely academic, and, crucially, that their futures don’t have to be linear.

WHAT ADVICE OR ENCOURAGEMENT WOULD YOU GIVE TO SOMEONE THINKING OF DOING A CHANGEMAKERS PROJECT?

Changemakers funding can provide the step your idea needs to become a reality. Having the provision of funding direct from UCL means that your ideas gain legitimacy, and you can start to make an impact on your learning community from the outset and for future learners.

Code Camp Rebooted: an interactive training and self-testing environment for first-time

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The team
Staff/Lead: Dr. Jonathan Readers
Students: Peijun Xie, Sangbin Lee, Elika Sinha.
Department
Centre for Advanced Spatial Analysis
What happened?
We tried to deploy a dynamic, engaging remote learning and self-testing environment that empowers students to acquire the fundamentals of programming in Python at their own pace outside of formally timetabled activities. First, we evaluated existing materials via a student-led consultation process; We made a questionnaire to collect students opinions about code camp, and then, based on the questionnaire, we organised 2 workshops to collect students suggestions about Code Camp. Second, our three try to map out the content, examples, forms, videos based on the suggestions we collected. Then, in the next step, we will draft examples, problems, questions, and answers for use in an online platform; We will also try to deliver at least three dynamic online lessons using the selected learning platform. We will then evaluate the impact on incoming student confidence and capabilities in order to undertake iterative improvement on an ongoing basis in the future.
What advice or encouragement would you give to someone thinking of doing a ChangeMakers project?
When you try to generate a project, try to think about how more people can benefit from your project.

REACT: REconceptualising Architectural studio Crits and Teaching practice

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The team
Staff: Maxwell Mutanda, Lecturer in Environmental and Spatial Equity, MAHUE
Lakshmi Priya Rajendran, Lecturer in Environmental and Spatial Equity, MAHUE
Lead Students: Jude Jabali, MAHUE [Chevening Scholar Palestine]
Ajmona Hoxha, MAHUE [Chevening Scholar Albania]
Department
Bartlett School of Architecture
What happened?
REACT is a co-constructive dialogue series to be held within the MA Architecture and Historic Urban Environments (MAHUE) programme at the BSA. The project focuses on one of the most characteristic pedagogic activities in architectural education, the crit. The crit — a hallmark of architectural professional education delivery and the traditional culmination of a design studio — is the place where work is shared, critiqued, reviewed or developed and a foundation for students to develop critical design thinking. However, there is growing and legitimate criticism around how and why crits are undertaken, and the negative impact this is having on students and in particular female or Black, Asian and minority ethnic (BAME) students (de Graft-Johnson, Manley and Greed 2003, CABE 2004). The project is student led and the main output of the project is creating a short film which captures and reflects on the student experiences during the crit session and how it transform the learning and teaching experience in MAHUE
What advice or encouragement would you give to someone thinking of doing a ChangeMakers project?
It is important to make sure the project is well advertised to encourage more involvement from faculty and student members.