Booth, P., Cocchiarella, F., 2015.

Students as Producers: An 'X' Disciplinary Client-Based Approach to Collaborative Art, Design and Media Pedagogy

This article presents the findings of a cross-disciplinary project between BA (Hons) Interior Design, Creative Multimedia and Film and Media Studies at a large Metropolitan University in the North of England. The collaboration was part of Unit X, a faculty-wide credit-bearing initiative to enable better collaboration across art and design courses.

The project explored cross-disciplinary approaches to problem-solving and generating designed outputs using a 'vertical studio' model. The outcomes for the students were to create a number of media/arts/design-based interventions, responding to real clients (festival organisers, local bar and café owners) and real client briefs. The constructivist approach to pedagogy allowed students the opportunity to develop their practice skills within communities of practice to help explore, develop, support and form their creative identities. The aim was to facilitate a supported environment to allow knowledge creation to take place through group tasks, reflection and the challenges of working and negotiating roles as professionals.