Then &amp; Now Arts at Warwick Student Project

Kathryn Woods,Pierre Botcherby

doi:10.31273/eirj.v8i4.797

Abstract

This article overviews the ‘Then & Now: Arts at Warwick’ student-led research and public engagement project that took place at the University of Warwick from January to August 2020. It discusses the methods of student co-creation and student-led research that underpinned the project and provides a detailed description of the pedagogic practices employed. The value and challenges of student co-creation are examined alongside the experience of managing a complex project in the crisis situation of Covid-19. The project’s impact in building learning community and enhancing the student academic experience is evaluated, and critical commentary is provided on some aspects of the project’s design. This article demonstrates the benefits of utilising digital technology for the facilitation of student co-creation in the arenas of research and public engagement, and for the development of learning that enables students to participate in ‘real life’ academic activities and shape the pedagogic approaches that are used in their teaching.

Highlights

& : Arts at Warwick was an experimental student-led research and public engagement project run by the University of Warwick’s Arts Faculty from January to August 2020
The project aimed to trial new approaches and methods of student co-creation, student-led research, and public engagement. It sought to foster a sense of learning community for the Arts Faculty, as well as provide students with the opportunity to undertake interdisciplinary learning and develop new skills through ‘real life’ academic research, exhibition curation, and public engagement activities
The students’ testimonies demonstrate how much they enjoyed participating in the project due to its interdisciplinary and collaborative focus, co-creation, project and problem-based approach, and the opportunity it provided to apply their learning to ‘real life’ research, curation, and public engagement, and for their work to be ‘seen’ by the public

Summary

Introduction

& : Arts at Warwick was an experimental student-led research and public engagement project run by the University of Warwick’s Arts Faculty from January to August 2020. The article demonstrates the value of the & project in creating learning community for students, especially when studying at distance during the COVID-19 pandemic, and how the project’s team of staff and student co-creators managed and evolved the project in this challenging context.

Results

Conclusion