Abstract

The [light/box] experiment embodies the University of Lincoln’s ethos of ‘student as producer’ (Neary 2012). It is part of a more extensive piece of action research which reconsiders assessment in response to student diversity, an increase in numbers of international students and the need to support transition from high school to HE in order to improve engagement, attainment and retention (Carter 2014). The [light/box] project facilitates a cross-programme collaboration where students work as partners, enabling the sharing of student knowledge and offering an experience outside of the traditional curriculum remit of each course. This paper comments on the project’s premise, organisation, results and research data. In its 3rd year, the [light/box] brings together 1st year BArch(Hons) Architecture and BA(Hons) Contemporary Lens Media (CLM) students in a one day workshop, during which they build, light and photograph a physical scale model of a historic interior design. In this process of active learning students cement classroom subject specific knowledge in a dynamic, interactive manner mimicking real-life professional situations: the CLM students have their first experience of a ‘client’, with specific requirements, to which they have to respond using diverse, newly acquired knowledge; the architecture students need to respond in their design of the scale models to the particular requirements of photography shoots and relinquish control over how their work is ‘seen’ (interpreted). Also, for the architecture students learning to take good photographs of perishable models is one of the essential study skills necessary in studio; grasping its basics in 1st year helps not only with the transition to second year but also equips them for life in practice.
Such collaborations improve students’ confidence in their own domains, while triggering the awareness of belonging to a creative community, within the University and beyond. One important aspect of the on-going action research is strengthening the transferable skill-set acquired during such events which can be traced in subsequent studio work.
This paper reports on the results of such collaborations, which are pedagogically and palpably more than the sum of the parts. This formula of interdisciplinary events can be applied to other domains: the [light/box] experiment has inspired a similar, very successful project between the Journalism and Performing Arts courses within the University of Lincoln.