ANNUAL COURSE MONITORING LOG
Academic Year
Course
Subject Leader
Issues/Risks:
Summary
2015-16
BA (Hons) Motion Graphics
Steve Bonnett
Description Evidence Action(s)
Lack of dedicated studio space
Lack of workshops after level 1
Lack of technical tutor support
Lack of intercourse interaction
Timetables and student feedback
Timetables and student feedback
Timetables and student feedback
Timetables and student feedback
Continue to request room spaces
Build in more workshops
Build in more training and request more backup time with existing cross course support tutor
Lead Target
Date
SL Start of term 2
2016
SL Start of term 1
2015
SL Start of term 1
2015
Level 2 Cross Course unit will help this, but more briefs across other courses can be developed at other levels
SL Start of term 1
2015
Update 2015-2016
We are making more use of Level 3’s space as a hub, but this doesn’t really solve the problem.
We need more on site spaces for filming of all kinds to make best use of staff support and equipment.
At Level 2 we have started doing this, Level 3 has proved harder because of very poor engagement in term 1 because of Dissertation.
We have started timetabling some sessions as
“technical tutorials” with sessional specialist staff, and encouraged students to work around and towards these.
We will be embedding more use of the new technical tutor into our units.
This is still an issue, however we are encouraging students to for instance commission music and sound, but in terms of embedding this in briefs it is very difficult to coordinate delivery deadlines.
I am considering how we could perhaps do shared one day workshops as an icebreaker. It is hoped that the degree show team will

Lack of tutorials, especially term 3
Demanding course for less able students
Timetables and student feedback
External
Examiner report
Build in more tutorials across all 3 terms. New Major Mods should have solved this problem
Extra training and workshops should help this issue as well as creating briefs with more hand-in points.
SL Start of term 1
2015
SL Start of term 1
2015 comission Motion Graphics for the brand elements.
We are looking at having a more fluid approach to tutorials that are delivered by core staff, to make us potentially available at more times.
We are looking at making more use of the new technical tutor, and have started putting more specific requirements for the brief submission and formative assessment as a start at addressing this

2014-15 EXTERNAL EXAMINER REPORTS
ACTION PLAN
Name of Course: BA (Hons) Motion Graphics
Name of Examiner: Cormac O’Kane
A Areas of concern requiring action identified by EE
Item Proposed actions and delivery method
Timescale
1. There is a large element of freedom of choice in defining the project briefs... while this is liberating for the stronger students, some of the weaker students struggle with the concept and fall behind schedule, resulting in a rushed final submission.
It is possible to offer a choice of set project briefs to those who find it difficult to come up with an idea for a brief.
Start of term
(October 2015) and on-going
Responsibility Evaluation method
CL Student feedback and reduced non submissions
External Examiner Action Plan
2015-2016 Progress updates

We continue to offer suggestions and because of the lack of suitable live and competition briefs that are motion graphics led and of a suitable challenging nature have been more flexible in allowing students to work to
“dead” briefs in certain circumstances but insist they remain rigorous to the brief as originally set.
However, the new validation has if anything made this problem worse for us and I think this needs addressing as a major or minor mod. The increase in the credits for
Dissertation and a slightly later deadline for delivery has meant students have let this interfere more than ever with
2015-2016

2. …in the 3 rd
year modules which have an open brief, the students would benefit from having an agreed brief and project deliverables signed off at a formative feedback stage together with a clear assessment criteria for the project so they are aware of what exactly is required from them and how the final project will be assessed.
The briefs can have more deliverable points, which are graded. The brief itself can be a hand-in point.
Project deliverables can be even more well defined.
Assessment criteria will be more obvious this year, as in the new UAL major modification each criteria are on the feedback form with tick boxes indicating level of achievement.
3. …the students would benefit from group projects.
There remains a tendency to work in isolation, off campus and a group project would allow for peer learning and support while
Start of term
(October 2015) and on-going
In the new UAL major modification, an across course project is built into the curriculum at level 2.
It’s difficult to enforce group working at level 3, as all projects are self initiated.
Start of term
(October 2015) and on-going
CL
CL
External Examiner Action Plan
Student feedback their design work.
Also the new Negotiated
Briefs unit requires two projects to be delivered by the end of term two, and although we encouraged students to start working straight away on at least one of these a large number effectively opted to postpone starting the unit at all until after they had completed dissertation. In the past they clearly had a unit to submit by an earlier deadline which they couldn’t side step.
Where possible we have made the project brief a submission in it’s own right,, to get students considering deliverables when choosing or defining the project and also to make sure there is a significant motion graphic element in all submissions.
Student feedback
This was the first year for us engaging with the Creative
Collaboration unit at Level 2 and it was a valuable experience, that could be built on further.
In Level 1 there were already
2015-2016

allowing the students to specialise in a particular area. The current structure of 3 rd
year being primarily tutorial led results in the students not engaging as a group and a lot of peer support occurring via social media.
Students can be encouraged to work as a group, but nothing is stopping them from doing so. A series of short briefs or workshops could be devised to encourage the group to gel better. Ideally by the 3 rd
year, the cohort should feel that they are
‘group’. Lack of dedicated space doesn’t help this situation.
External Examiner Action Plan a number of workshops in place where students can work collectively and we have almost entirely moved away from individual tutorials at
Level 1 to encourage more group identity.
We are slowly introducing more workshops into Level 2, but could definitely do with more. The nature of Motion
Graphics work makes workshops and group crits problematic. One option we have been trying is having hand-ins followed by a debrief after assessment which has been helpful in promoting discussion of work.
Level 3 now have their own space, which while lacking in facilities has helped encourage students to come in more regularly.
We also encourage other levels to use it when there is space, and no activity going on that they would interfere with. However because we currently share with Digital
Advertising we can’t do this as much as we would like. It does however help cross level and cross course communication.
2015-2016

4. A variety in timescales of the projects could also be appropriate. For example, a
1 day or 1 week project in the middle of a term would mix up the pacing of the term and the other projects.
The timing of deadlines for the final projects could be adjusted so the selfinitiated project occurs before the Major Project.
The timescales and order for each unit is set by the validation and cannot be altered. The term dates and the placing of UAL
Boards define the deadlines for hand-ins.
Additional short projects and workshops could be inserted throughout the year.
Start of term
(October 2015) and on-going
CL Student feedback
At levels 1 &2 we do multiple projects and workshops of different lengths. At level 3 the validation and nature of the discipline makes this hard to implement.
Level 3 students were largely unresponsive when asked for suggestions about what they needed workshops in and were more concerned with a flexible approach to tutorials.
External Examiner Action Plan 2015-2016

5. Through talking to the students, I would have a concern that they are sometimes unsure as to how a particular project grade has been arrived at.
An assessment matrix outlining what is required for an A, B, C etc for each assessment criteria could be a useful addition.
Assessment criteria will be more obvious this year, as in the new UAL major modification each criteria is on the feedback form with tick boxes indicating level of achievement. The grading descriptors have always been on the feedback forms. It may be useful to point all these out at the start of each unit briefing to make students more aware.
Start of term
(October 2015) and on-going
CL
6. While the students are very well supported in terms of
IT support with access to the Adobe package and
Lynda.com providing online tutorial support, the lack of a technical trainer that they can access can cause problems.
Alex Hulse, a technical tutor was allocated to the course last year. He was available twice a week.
Unfortunately these days didn’t always tie in with the days the students were in.
He was available to all 3 levels. He was also available for a personal appointment by email.
Arrange a meeting with each cohort and Alex at the start of the term to ensure familiarisation. Monitor the
Start of term
(October 2015) and then ongoing
CL
External Examiner Action Plan
Student feedback
Student feedback
This should be clearer at
Level 3, but the new holistic marking is difficult to explain to students, particularly at level 2 where they have a few large projects that feel to them like they should have fixed values that they can be told. The validation doesn’t allow this.
At Level 1 it is easier because there may well be 8 or more workshop and project submissions which contribute to an overall grade, that together have a structured learning system, and so clearly can lead to an outcome that is more or less than the parts.
We have a new technical tutor in place now who will work mainly with Motion
Graphics and Animation and we aim to use him for occasional workshops at
Level 2 as well as for individual trouble shooting at all levels.
We have also started, particularly at level 1 naming some sessions as technical tutorials, with a tutor who is specialised in software, and encourage students to take
2015-2016

7. The lack of a dedicated home studio is a hindrance.
The students tend to work on their own, often offcampus. Not having a home studio inhibits peerto-peer learning and support… the students felt having somewhere they could put work on the walls and tables they could work at would make a huge improvement. use of this resource.
At level 3 students are allocated a space on the days they don’t have tutorials. Unfortunately the space may vary from week to week and items cannot be left. No course has a dedicated space where items can be left or where things can be put on walls and retained. Requests have been made for this by most courses, but lack of space generally, continues to be an issue. It’s important to create ‘a group’ ethos by finding other clever and interesting ways of getting students to interact.
On-going CL Student feedback

Progress notes should be added as appropriate and the updated plan submitted to the Board of Studies each term. this into account when developing projects as an opportunity to find out how to achieve their ideas. This however isn’t as workable at
Level 3 where projects have very diverse schedules.
As mentioned above we try and make more creative use of the Level 3 dedicated space for all Levels.
One of my projects which has had to be temporarily shelved while acting as course leader and introducing the new validation was to develop our own online “space” where students can see each others work, both finished and in progress.
The other thing that affects our cohort is lack of “dark and quiet” containable spaces for filming, which leads them to work at home thereby missing out on peer to peer contact, direct practical help from tutors and inefficient use of cameras and lights, and rushed production schedules
– equipment spends more time travelling than being used.
External Examiner Action Plan 2015-2016

B Strengths and good practice
1. The projects challenge the students. This is reflected in the spread of marks. The stronger students are able to cope with the demands of the programme but the weaker students struggle with the disparate elements required in motion graphics design.
2. The work is appropriately assessed. The projects briefs are demanding and present significant challenges for the students. The briefs have clear interim and final deadlines included. As this is a motion graphics course it is appropriate that a motion piece is the main assessable component in the project. The projects require the student to put in the effort appropriate to the final year of an honours degree.
3. There is very clear evidence of commitment in the teaching and delivery of the programme based on the quality of the project briefs and the volume of work generated in response to those briefs by students.
4. I feel the graduate employment statistics as well as the endorsement of the programme by the current students with virtually all of them saying they would recommend this course to family and friends reflect that this is an innovative and dynamic programme and I commend the team for the work they have done.
External Examiner Action Plan 2015-2016

STUDENT LIAISON COMMITTEE – BA (Hons) Motion Graphics Term 2
DATE:
26/01/2016
12:00pm
Room 805A
Attendance
STAFF:
Steven Bonnett
Tim Platt
Sarah Moule
Liz McQuiston
Aileen OKeefe
Attendance STUDENTS:
Hisham Masiah, Dev Joshi, Kayleigh Morris, Charlie Hutchins,
Grace Downing (absent with apologies) Jayden Kimpton (absent)
Response Action Issue
Theory and
Context sound issues
Level Comment
1 One lecturer for contextual studies has a strong accent and it’s hard to understand them. The building and the room location made it doubly hard to hear, and students have issues hearing their lectures in the
Theory and Context unit.
Some lecturers are better at projecting than others; we do our best and are open to suggestion for improvements. Next term we are in the Walker space and I’m sure there are things we can do to specialize our space more for better sound quality.
The more we make a point about these issues the better equipped we are to get a better space the next time we are timetabling room allocations.
BoS referral
Dissertation drop-in support
3 There weren’t enough of the drop in sessions with Student Services hosted throughout the Unit for
Dissertation, and we would like more people to be available for study skills workshops.
Liz: I will tell them about it. We are having Student Services talk about the skills workshop in our classes as they haven’t had space for their own sessions and we are giving it a test run this year where they are giving talks in our spaces. Level 2 please sign on early with student services for Dissertation support as they have a lot of students who want their help and the sooner you sign up the better.
Liz McQuiston to report request to Student
Support for increased drop-in sessions in
Dissertation study skills.
Dissertation
Deadline
3 No one said when the Dissertation deadline was due and we were surprised it happened before
Christmas. Most of us fell behind our other work to concentrate on the Dissertation.
This issue supports the point that
Dissertation is a college wide held unit. You have to take notice of these issues such as checking deadlines especially as your course leaders do not run them.

CLR
Equipment
Limited
Availability
Access to specialized equipment
Sound
Tutorials
You do need to be extra aware of your CS deadlines. Moodle pages are especially helpful to catch up on work and find out your summative deadline dates.
1
2
3
Last term each Level 2 group needed 2 cameras each from the start and there were only 6 available in the CLR at the time.
Our biggest issue is time based we don’t have specific needs there’s always an issue when there’s a project where everyone needs equipment. It would help for the 3 rd years to have the access available especially with final projects.
Sarah Maul: Every course leader is putting in a submission for new equipment and we are open to suggestions. Whatever you think you should have please tell your course leader what you need so we know. We don’t really ring-fence materials in advance but we could put together a motion graphics kit. make 3 of them and it would be segregated for your course use only. E.g. Level 2 and 3 MGR.
2 A student this week couldn’t have access to the high speed cameras for a project, and was told it’s meant to be for film students only.
2 Students need more access to sound tutorials and a more dedicated kit for CLR rental would be a lot better to help us pick the right equipment. We do not have crossover with sound students often for any peer based support this year.
If it’s segregated you can put it in the list next year so we can get you the equipment. All equipment is not universally accessible. If access is limited the course leader will need to authorize it. If you feel they need access, it needs to be communicated in advance to guarantee you’ll get the equipment on time.
Would this be a good idea for a
Rave Short? Some issues may be helped when our new technical tutor starts, and sound is a more difficult area to pick up learning skills. Daniel in the CLR has studied sound so you please ask him questions on what equipment is best to take out and for any
To propose a Rave Short for more sound technical tutorials.

More Industry
Professional
Experience
Level 2
Deadline overlaps assistance with the kit.
Sarah M; If you have any further issues email CLR@RAVE for the attention of Sarah for information from updates to equipment inquiries.
2 Last year in MYP Liz Friedman had industry professionals come in; it would be great to have that more in the second year when we have more work to display and need to start looking for internship contacts and work experience.
The structure of the course has changed and the unit where we bring in industry professionals will now be on in term 3 instead of in the spring term for students in level
1. Rave Lates are becoming more centralized so keep an eye on it for industry professional talks to join and participate in. It is a desirable option and we would like to tie it in with Internships. We’re looking into it.
2 CMI Competition and the
Information Graphics Unit deadlines; We are having issues with both briefs clashing and having to choose between one and the other project. People complained they had too little time to work on both projects from the start of Term 2.
You have to balance it against the fact that you are on a course and if you are up to date on your projects we can engage students more on other projects. CMI Competition has been available since
December 6 th
it was over the
Christmas students did not add to the project, and it is an external competition. We want students to participate, but it’s not bad to juggle work. We can’t make allowances for project work and those project deadlines are set. I don’t think we are pushing that hard for your group. Multi-tasking is something that happens and is an important part of the learning process and a

Behind Project
Work
3 Everyone’s getting on with their work. We are concerned that most students are behind the Negotiated
Briefs as they had to concentrate on Dissertation during Term 1.
We do need to move it forward I would say that everyone needs to catch up at the moment. Briefing on Wednesday week is held for the motion group for 3 rd
year projects.
We have a new tutor who will be working this term on MP and help on the other projects as well. Claire is a motion graphic designer and will be there for 2/3 of the day including giving presentations.
Sound
Equipment
2 The sound room is not working so well the sound boards and the AV equipment is different and all the adjustments have been changed. useful skill to develop.
Please ask for assistance and Jira any issues you have with the sound production area or equipment as soon as possible.
Positive feedback
Dissertation
Preparation
2 We all have no current issues the course is going pretty good so far.
If you do have any issues please bring them to the meeting and we will do something about it.
CMI 2 The CMI Workshops held were really good.
We want to make the CMI project focused about Design and not about research to develop design skills. That’s good to know.
Meeting Adjourned: 13:15pm