Introduction
As part of the recent development assignment led by Nick Welman, our team - comprising Anke Eyck, Aljoscha Reuther, Frank Roosen, Amer Jaganjac, and Pim Willems - has been diligently working on the redevelopment of S2 with the goal of merging CB and DB. The project has reached a stage where we're eager to share our progress and findings. Should any colleagues have questions or need further clarification on any aspect of the project, we encourage them to reach out. We're committed to ensuring a smooth transition and are here to assist with any inquiries related to the work done.
Learning Outcomes
We approached this by inspecting the current learning outcomes, as well as the new learning outcomes for the third semester. Our aim was to make the smooth transition between the new semester two learning outcomes and the existing semester three learning outcomes.
The new learning outcomes for second semester are:
- You orient in the relevant tech, media and design landscape and create interactive media products that you have tested with users and stakeholders.
Read more - You explore front-end development languages, you write code and document in a version control environment.
Read more - You explore and use professional design tools and you iteratively design visual works.
Read more - Professional standard: You apply professional practice, both individually and in teams, in the areas of project organisation, communication with stakeholders, exploratory research, and reporting.
- Personal leadership: You take the initiative in asking for, and reflecting on, feedback. You identify your own core values as the basis for your study career and professional development.
Development portfolio
In this chapter we describe what is the perceived format and requirements for the portfolio by students. In the second semester, students are expected to design and develop a new portfolio in form of a hosted website in which students organize their work in easily readable and accessible way: website content filtered by learning outcomes. As we are focusing on the process of each student, the website content needs to show students’ design and development process, reflections and other relevant items that are NOT used as a showcase of work, but a preview of their process showing where students have started, how they have grown professionally and technically, in context of the learning outcomes, during their semester and where they have found themselves in this process in the end of the semester. In other wording, students are delivering a combination of professional growth portfolio and assessment portfolio.
Feedback & Assessment
In the context of second semester, we imagine the feedback as a continuous holistic process. That takes place for all student on almost a daily base. Besides that, every student receives official formative feedback at least three times per before the final assessment. To incorporate the quick feedback as well an assessment is organized in such a way that teachers have scheduled time each week for feedback sessions and meeting with students (see formative steps).
Grading for the portfolio reviews takes place per learning outcome. There will be 3 ‘hand-in’ assignments on Canvas; one for each review. These assignments will have a Rubrics table added where every LO can be graded according to the ‘Development-oriented feedback scale’. The on-site meeting with the student will be used for questions and oral explanation of the written feedback. The assessors will copy/paste the feedback from their own notes (in Excel/Notion) 1-on-1 in Canvas per LO. If the student writes own notes of the feedback, the assessors will open a FeedPulse checkpoint where the student can write the feedback. The assessors will give a smiley rating right away.
The portfolio reviews will be rolling in this semester. This means that every week there will be time for assessor duos to conduct reviews of a different set of students, much like Anke Eyck has organised this in M2DB. Students will receive feedback from different duos if possible.
Every assessor duo should complement each other in skills/LOs.
The portfolio reviews will be conducted by the Coach role.
Quick formative feedback (on demand)
As the teacher, when a student approaches you to discuss their work, provide constructive feedback and feedforward on their performance. Student logs the feedback into FeedPulse after the conversation. Based on their progress throughout the semester, decide to reward them with a smiley right away(!). The smiley should reflect their progression: a sad face for below expectations, a neutral face for progressing as expected, and a happy face for exceeding expectations. 😞😐😊
Official formative feedback / Portfolio review (3x)
Student submits portfolio in Canvas before deadline set by PLOU. Each portfolio review has its own 'hand-in assignment' with Rubrics attached to it. These rubrics contain the Developmental-scale grading per LO. Teacher duo invites student for assessment; it is always an on-site meeting. Teachers indicate grading per LO (based on scale) in Canvas. Teacher puts feedback and feedforward per LO in the Rubric comment box per LO.
Summative assessment (1x)
Student delivers final portfolio version and teachers grade the deliverable with U/S/G/O and publish their commentary in Canvas. If it is a U, students are offered a personal talk.
A student who has a status of Proficient or higher for all learning outcomes receives at least Satisfactory (S) as a final assessment.
Educational Planning
Students attend every week a combination of: project-based work, technical workshops, feedback sessions or individual activities.
The general planning of this semester:
PT: Professional task
PT1: Branding, prototypes, illustration, research (CMD)
PT2: Interface design, usability, UX, prototyping, research (CMD)
PT3: Prototyping, development, testing
PP: PID/Projectplan, whatever the students needs and wants
Week 1: Introduction or special week
Week 6, 10, 14: Portfolio review (weeks may be off by 1-2, reviews are rolling through the semester)
Different ways of working:
Schedule
The schedule is a mix of workshops and lectures with sufficient time for students to work on their group- and individual projects. Because the assessments take place in a rolling matter, the pink blocks might change based on the scheduling of the assessor duo.
Roles
The different roles described here will be ‘talent-based’. With these roles we hope that every Media Design colleague will be put in their strength. “Coaches can coach, teachers can teach”.
Inzet / Scheduling for roles
Role and hours per class
| Role | # Teachers | Hours | Total |
|---|---|---|---|
| Assessment/Coach | 3 | 140 + 14 | 462 |
| Teacher | 3 | 70 + 7 | 231 |
Semester wide role
| Role | # Teachers | Hours | Total |
|---|---|---|---|
| LO Owner | 4 | 10 | 40 |
Language dependancy
The new form of semester will be conducted primarily in the English language. Our academic staff will use English throughout the course duration if needed. Recognizing the diversity of our student body and their varying language proficiencies, provisions will be made for students who express a preference or need to participate in Dutch-speaking project groups. Such custom arrangements will be made in collaboration with the project tutor and PLOU, where efforts will be made to assemble a group of Dutch-speaking students. Workshops will predominantly be conducted in English. However, if all attending students and teachers are proficient in Dutch and there is mutual agreement to use the Dutch language, then the workshop will be facilitated in Dutch.
The S2 semester in Tilburg will be conducted in Dutch in it's entirety.
Room Management
To facilitate cross-semester space (room) management for media students, the intention is to create a centralized, versatile, and accessible environment to promote collaborative learning. The optimal solution involves designating a connected OIL area, preferably on the ground floor of Building R10, to house media students from semesters 1, 2, and 3. This location is strategic due to its proximity to the media labs, which are essential for the hands-on aspect of the curriculum.
The coordinators from each semester would collaborate to ensure the effective use of this shared space. The core objective is to establish a hub where media students across different stages of their education can congregate, exchange ideas, and work on their projects – as community.
Furthermore, there is a desire to infuse the spaces with media design atmosphere, reflecting the creative essence of the students' work. This would involve a moderate degree of customization to adapt the OILs to the unique needs of the activities and workshops conducted within.
To meet the fundamental requirements, the space must be equipped with a seating for every student during scheduled school times. Additionally, it should feature an area designated for flexible use, equipped with tables and seats available on a first-come, first-served basis, catering to students needing to work outside of the official timetable.
Our final ambition is to create an environment that not only supports the educational objectives but also enhances the overall experience of the students by providing a stimulating and resourceful setting for learning, creativity, and innovation.