Making an essay: Inclusive learning, a new assessment for visual learners

Abstract

This article reassesses the traditional requirement of a written dissertation for the awarding of an Honours degree classification within UK art schools, in the light of the academic principle of student inclusivity. It proposes an alternative, what is here termed a visual dissertation, equally rigorous as the written form, but structured as a visually driven argument, in which images take the lead, supported by text, an arrangement more suited to dyslexic students and students with a predominantly visual/wholist cognitive style. This article reviews several strategies for structuring such a presentation, and is illustrated with case studies of students from the Faculty of Art and Design at Swansea Metropolitan University. It is followed by a review of the case studies and re-evaluation of the hypothesis that underpins this research.