Current thoughts and up coming dates: Friday 1st

Everyone is busy into their Modules here are some thoughts as we enter week 10 of the 12 week course.
Drafts: draft work is for you to get feedback, make this what you need to develop your work as best you can. This means send work you feel is at its best at this point (not perfect) but there is no point sending something you already know is not what you want to hand-in because of 'y & X'. The feedback you will get will be 'y & X' and you already knew that!!

If you are sending part of something indicate what you are planning to have before and after - it is hard to feedback on something if there is no context for it.

Do not see feedback as trying to get a 'great this is perfect' from the person feeding back. Don't plan to send-a-draft-get-feedback-and-send-and-another-draft-and so on... we can only feedback on one draft. The feedback is to help you not to tell you what to do - its your practice you know best. Its your BA too - take control of it.

Manage your time we have two weeks of university time left this term. Of course you can work through Xmas but in terms of advisor feedback and one-to-ones the term ends in two weeks.
Adesola is available for skye chats over the break but this should be for quick questions.

Submission information extra skye meeting Friday -see below

Transitions: BAPP Arts has moved from Work Based Learning (WBL) to Faculty of Arts and Creative Industries. this is because WBL has been absorbed into the whole of Middlesex University  by moving programmes into the schools. We are making some changes during the transition like re-writing the handbooks. We will also need two student reps. These is a role to help make the programme what you would like and need. If you have been a student rep. before please think about continuing.

If you would like to be a student rep. please email me (Adesola). It involves being open to talk to other students and getting an idea of peoples loves and concerns in their study. You will also be asked to attend a skype (or in person if you are in London at the time) Student Voice meeting each February you are enrolled.

I am also really eager to talk to you and hear about the transition that will be happening. As I am re-writing the handbooks it would be great to get your feedback we will will have a special Admin. meeting on Friday December 1st. This will cover the transition and also any questions about submission of your work in January.

Friday December 1st 11am (tine in London)
or
Friday December 1st 5pm  (time in London)
If you can't do an hour please come for as much time as you can.
Please comment below if you can attend. 

For Module One's about drafts

Module One drafts are being accepted from Monday. Some people have met the Monday draft due date. The draft due date is a guide line for you in terms of organising your time. But don’t worry if you have not yet sent one. This date is reminding you you need to start to think about what you will be handing in. Thisis to do with thinking and working out so you may not know how to approach it yet – great start now so you can work it out. We have a skype session with a Module One focus on Monday 20^th so sign up for that too (look out for the sign-up post on Adesola’s blog at the end of this week). Here are some notes on darfts:

1) You send drafts to your Advisor (Hopal (Helen) or Adesola depending on who you have as your advisor). Send them via email.

Turnit-in is only for the final University submission in January.

2) A draft send for feedback is a tool you use. It is so that you can ask questions about your work so: only send things that you want feedback on!! If it is not finished your feedback is going to be

‘it is not finished’!!!

and you know that already so direct the feedback you want. You could ask:

‘I know this is not yet finished, I intend to add a bit about xxxx, but could you look at and feedback on whether you feel my discussion of my practice is clear and have I used citations correctly? Do you feel I have connected the web 2:0 information to my practice or does it seem unconnected? ‘

3) The tasks in the handbook are suggestions for you to develop ideas about your practice in order to write the essay. If you are bogged down in the tasks then maybe lighten up a bit. They do not all have to be done and they do not all have to be done perfectly! The only thing you are being graded on is the essay.

4) Have a go at the essay and see where you are. Then maybe one of the tasks will make more sense or you might think I’ll do that task again to help we write this bit. Or you might feel you do not need to do any more tasks now you are writing the essay.

5) The blog posts you make are a way for you all to connect with each other. If you are not getting any comments on your blog maybe make some comments on someone else’s post. Advisors will not be posting on your blogs much but we are looking at your blogs to see where you are. If your blog address is not in Unihub yet in the ‘Learning Community’ folder PLEASE SEND your blog address to us straight away.

6) If you have something you really want your advisor to read or feedback on email us directly or add it as a comment on one of our posts if it is about the topic in the post.

7) Make sure drafts have page numbers, your name and student number on them. Please send as a word doc (NOT a pdf). Then Advisors can feedback onto the text is appropriate. Name the file saying what it is and who it is from i.e. Akinleye_1draftreflective essay.doc

8) Get connected - come to skype sessions make comments on other peoples blog posts. 

Module One is about articulating and 'seeing' and describing your professional practice - what your unique practice is. 

The Module is about being able to see your practice as a separate 'thing' from what you were taught as you trained, what you do to make money, what people said it should be - what makes your practice yours - YOU. 

The module is about how what you do, how you connect, how you present yourself and your work , how you appear , how you reflect and network  and how these all shape the unique emerging 'thing' thats your professional practice. Then you write about it and that is what you hand in. That is what you can start to send drafts of now. 

Getting on with getting the first draft done.

Dear All
It is getting to week 9. That is 3/4 through the term. So whatever is happening its started. You need to move from a feeling of starting to a feeling of reflecting - critically reflecting on what has happened this term.

To help you do this you can get feedback from advisors (and each other on the blogs of course).
Please remember Paula and I want drafts in by November 27th at the latest to be able to give feedback to people.

Please remember the following as you work on your hand-in papers:

Module one - send a draft of your critical reflection:
It should be about you and your professional practice NOT something telling us what the module handbook was about !!! You are making a critical reflection of your practice using the lens of connection through reflection, social media and networks. Remember to include the theory in the handbook that means citing the theory in your essay.

Module two - you should be able to clearly bullet point what you are doing and why for your plan. It might be a good idea to bullet point the whole plan (before you write it up) so that you know you are not 'waffling' or 'preaching' but actually planning something with care reflection on the how you will do it and impact it will have on other people involved and your own practice. (I am happy to look at Bullet point outline before drafts if you want feedback on them first).
NB - Module Two's send your filled out ethics form and consent forms for feedback asap also. Well done Ben for getting yours all sorted already :)

Module Three - you should be able to explain your analysis process by now. Also you should have three to four published people /works that are relevant to your inquiry and make comment on the themes or mapping that have emerged during your inquiry. You should not have 'proved' anything or found the solution to anything. In just 12 weeks any solution to something worth the time of your inquiry would not be very deep. After all if you could 'solve' it in 12 weeks during your BA study what were all the professional people in your practice doing all this time?

When you send things for feedback make sure your name is on them!!! Yes, some people just send something called 'Reflective essay'!! Also send questions that you want us to look at.
For example "I have tried to show there are many different points of view about the use of chalk in the studio. Do you think this comes across or does it read more like I just talk about why we should use chalk?"
or
"I have cited Dewey a couple if times but I am not totally sure if I make it clear it is his theory on art as experience that I am referring to particularly".

Don't just send things off for your advisor to edit for you - make sure it is the best you can do and then the feedback will be valuable. If you send something you already know is too long - we will just tell you what you already know... it is too long!!

Be brave and get on with it.

Adesola
xxxx