Hadlow Research 2016-17

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Contents Page

An evaluation of handheld thermal imaging cameras as novel tools for detecting nest box occupancy of hazel dormice Muscardinus avellanarius and edible dormice Glis glis ……………………………………………………………………………………….. p.4

Design Volunteers – Developing Citizen Designers………………………………… p.10

Curating Professional Development: A small scale exploratory investigation into whether the use of Mahara e-portfolios in a land-based college can support an effective transition to transformative reflective practice in the Lifelong Learning Sector (LLLS)……………………………………………………………………….…………… p. 26

Sustainability for Future Fashion and Textile Design……………………………….. p.37

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An evaluation of handheld thermal imaging cameras as novel tools for detecting nest box occupancy of hazel dormice Muscardinus avellanarius and edible dormice Glis glis Pamela A. Worrall¹, Will P. Hughes¹ and Roger C. Trout² ¹Hadlow College, Tonbridge, Kent TN11 0AL UK; ²Rabbitwise-Plus Introduction

Infrared thermography is a non-invasive method of measuring heat radiation from objects and displaying an image of the spatial distribution of thermal energy, rather than of visible light (Havens and Sharp, 2016). There are numerous biological applications of thermography, including for thermoregulation studies of animals (McCafferty, 2007), as a diagnostic tool for infectious diseases and injuries (Cilulko, et al, 2013) and the detection and monitoring of wild animals in their habitats, dens or roosts (Cilulko, et al, 2013; Havens and Sharp, 2016). Cryogenically-cooled thermal imaging detectors were first used to monitor, census and survey animals in the wild in the late 1960s (Havens and Sharp, 2016). The past decade has seen the deployment of relatively low-cost uncooled infra-red cameras which are non-invasive, lightweight and easy to use to collect field data of the location and abundance of a range of wild animal species, in particular for counting bats in maternity roosts and emerging from roosts after dark, and observing their foraging behaviours (Hristov, et al,2008). Recent technological developments now include a range of plug-in thermal cameras available for attachment to Android and iOS mobile phone devices costing about £200 (Fig.1).

Thermal cameras have proved to be a useful remote-sensing tool for the accurate location of ground-dwelling woodcock and brown hares and for detecting occupancy of nests and den sites such as tree cavities and burrows (Havens and Sharp, 2016). Unpublished data from a study carried out on Bardsey Island in 2016 using a FLIR T460 camera (Fig.1) showed that infrared thermography was capable of detecting Manx Shearwater burrow entrances containing individual chicks during the peak of the breeding season (Worrall, 2016a).

Hazel dormouse Muscardinus avellanarius nest boxes are monitored routinely by licenced volunteers as part of the long term National Dormouse Monitoring Programme (White, 2012). A minimum of 50 nest boxes located at a woodland site are checked for the presence of dormice, by visually checking inside and then removing the box if evidence of animals or nests are found, in order to record biometric measurements (body mass (g), sex, life stage and level of torpidity) of the animals. A similar procedure is used in a long term study for monitoring edible dormice Glis glis in Hockeridge Woods in Hertfordshire (Morris and Morris, 2010; Trout, et al, 2015).

Aims of this study

The primary aim of this study is to determine whether the “thermal signature” of non-torpid hazel and edible dormice resident inside wooden nest boxes is detectable using handheld thermal imaging cameras, thus saving the volunteer time in checking inside the box. An

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additional aim is to use the heat signature of the box as a predictor of numbers of animals present.

Figure 1: FLIR T460, FLIR BCAM and FLIR ONE iPhone thermal cameras. Method

Handheld FLIR thermal imaging cameras used for this study include the T460, BCAM and FLIR ONE iPhone attachment (Fig.1). In October 2015, 213 hazel dormouse boxes at 4 woodland sites in Kent were visited during the monitoring period and a thermal image of each dormouse box was taken from a distance of 80-100cm using a BCAM camera before the stuffer was inserted. Based on the image, a prediction was made about potential box occupancy by dormice and the box was then removed from the tree for routine monitoring. The surface temperature of each box was subsequently noted using the position of the cross-hair placed in the centre of any obvious hotspot (Fig.2). In September 2016, the same method was used to obtain thermal images of 70 edible dormouse boxes in Hockeridge Wood, Hertfordshire, using the FLIR ONE iPhone thermal camera attachment. Images were taken from a distance of 80-100cm in front of the tree and 100cm beneath the boxes, which were attached to the tree at a height of 250-300cm. Boxes were then removed and the number of dormouse occupants recorded, along with mass (g) measurements for each individual.

Fig. 2: Empty hazel dormouse box One hazel dormouse, 19g Four hazel dormice, total of 65g

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Results

Hazel dormouse box occupancy thermal imaging study

Of the 213 boxes monitored, 33 (15.5%) were occupied with dormice. 3 sites had 11.6%, 20.4% and 24.4% box occupancy by small mammals including 2 wood mice and 1 yellow-necked mouse. The 4th site had no dormice. Across all 4 sites monitored in 2015, the thermal imaging technique was successfully used to predict occupancy with a range of 92.5 to 100% confidence. However, in one case, the prediction of the box being empty proved to be wrong as the box contained a torpid dormouse which had no detectable thermal signature (Fig. 3).

Fig.3: Thermal image and normal image of a torpid dormouse (Worrall, 2015, Browne, 2016)

Edible dormouse box thermal signature, number of dormice and body mass correlations

The FLIR ONE iPhone thermal camera demonstrated that thermal signatures of edible dormouse boxes were easily obtained (Fig. 4), making the prediction of occupancy straightforward to make.

0 Dormice (DM) 12.6°C 2 DM, 14.7°C, 320g 9 DM, 18.1°C, 685g 11 DM, 19.6°C, 760g Fig. 4: Thermal signatures of edible dormouse boxes (Worrall, 2016b) Based on an analysis of 70 boxes monitored, the thermal signature (°C) recorded for each box showed a positive correlation with the number of edible dormice inside the box, with a Pearsons correlation r value of 0.677 (Fig.5). There was a strong positive correlation between the thermal signature of the box and the combined mass (g) of the dormice inside the box, with a Pearsons correlation r value of 0.917 (Fig. 6).

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Fig.5: A scatter plot of numbers of edible dormice inside the box and the corresponding thermal signature (°C). Data collected on 18th September 2016.

Fig 6: A scatter plot of the total mass (g) of edible dormice inside the box and the corresponding thermal signature (ºC). Data collected on 18th September 2016. Discussion and Conclusions The thermal imaging cameras used in this study were all shown to be equally as good as an experienced volunteer dormouse monitor in predicting the presence of small mammals inside the boxes, and usually better. Of the 213 hazel dormouse boxes monitored in 2015, thermal cameras were able to predict occupancy in 33 boxes with 92.5 to 100% accuracy. The FLIR ONE mobile phone camera is a relatively cheap and non-invasive method of determining occupancy of both edible and hazel dormouse nest boxes and provides an early warning to the volunteer monitoring the boxes, enabling the box entrance to be stuffed and removed from the tree without opening the lid, so reducing the chances of escapees. The BCAM camera failed to pick up a heat signature of a torpid hazel dormouse

r=0.677

r=0.917

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inside the box, or of wood mice Apodemus sylvaticus if inside a loosely structured nest of leaves, or a single dormouse inside a tightly woven nest in the centre of the box. It did detect larger yellow-necked mice Apodemus flavicollis. A positive correlation (r = 0.677) was shown between the thermal signature of the (edible) dormouse box and the number of animals inside and a strong positive correlation (r = 0.917) between the thermal signature and the total body mass (g) of animals inside the box. Considerable interest in this technique has been expressed by several mammalogists and volunteer dormouse monitors, due to the ability of the FLIR ONE thermal camera to give an accurate early warning of nest box occupancy and an indication of numbers of animals inside the box. Further work could investigate the anecdotal observation that boxes made of solid wood or 12mm ply were more likely to be occupied by hazel dormice than thinner plywood boxes. The thicker wood presumably offers greater insulation to the animals.

Limitations A limitation of using the thermal imaging technique for detecting presence of small animals inside dormouse boxes is the difficulty in detecting a torpid dormouse, as the body surface temperature was close to that of the surrounding environment (Havens and Sharp, 2016). Another limitation is the inability to accurately identify the species using just the thermal signature. This study demonstrates the value of applying thermal imaging technology as an additional tool for monitoring small mammal populations, offering a non-invasive and reliable method for detecting animal presence when monitoring boxes.

References Browne, C. (2017) Figure 3: Torpid dormouse image. Kent Mammal Group.

Cilulko, J., Janiszewski, P., Bogdaszewski, M. and Szczygielska, E. (2013) Infrared thermal imaging in studies of wild animals. European Journal of Wildlife Research, 59, 17-23.

Havens, K.J. and Sharp, E.J. (2016) Thermal imaging techniques to survey and monitor animals in the wild. A methodology. London: Elsevier.

Hristov, N.I., Betke, M. and Kunz, T.H. (2008) Applications of thermal infrared imaging for research in aeroecology. Integrative and Comparative Biology, 48, 50-59.

McCafferty, D.J. (2007) The value of infrared thermography for research on mammals: previous applications and future directions. Mammal Review, 37, 207-223.

Morris, P.A. and Morris, M.J. (2010) A 13 year population study of the edible dormouse Glis glis in Britain. Acta Theriologica, 55, 279-288.

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Trout, R.C., Brooks, S. and Morris, P. (2015) Nest box usage by old edible dormice (Glis glis) in breeding and non-breeding years. Folia Zoologica, 64, 320.

White, I. (2012) The National Dormouse Monitoring Programme in Britain. Peckiana, 8, 103-107.

Worrall, P. (2015) Figure 3: Thermal image of a hazel dormouse.

Worrall, P. (2016a) Unpublished thermal images of Manx Shearwater burrows on Bardsey Island.

Worrall, P. (2016b) Figure 4: Thermal images of edible dormouse boxes.

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Design Volunteers – Developing Citizen Designers By Sancha de Burca West Kent College Context The Design Volunteers Project idea germinated in 2015 as a cross between two inspirations. The first was a talk at the Hadlow H.E. conference, in which a description was given of providing substantial work experience opportunities for students in the tomato greenhouses. The second was a visit to the Tonbridge art and design show by a staff member from a well-known local charity, who was impressed by the graphic design on display and wanted to recruit some undergraduate designers to update the organisation’s existing design work. After consultation with team members about an idea to set up work experience for graphic design students, I solicited charities and not-for-profit organisations who might have benefited from having on-tap a gratis freelance student designer. The pilot project charities were all small local organisations who may not have had the resources to employ a professional paid designer. These were paired with second year students from the University of Kent’s HND in Graphic Design, which runs at the Tonbridge campus of West Kent College. The pilot project in 2015-16 had many strengths and successes but also needed development to make it a better learning experience. We embarked on the second year of Design Volunteers in September 2016 and the project year closed in May 2017, but not without already having started on the 2017-18 version. It is the 2016-17 run of the project that I discuss in this paper. Aims There were two specific aims to the Design Volunteers Project. In identifying a gap in the community for gratis designers for medium to small scale local charities or non-profit organisations, it was hoped that a) a rich work experience opportunity could be provided for the students that would promote their self-efficacy as professionals and b) that the students would develop personal and professional social responsibility and motivation to work for the greater good. The project is an opportunity to help the community at large by providing the expertise of the students to these organisations and, by doing this, to bring an understanding to the students that working for the community at large, as opposed to aspiring to work for large corporations, can be rewarding, as well as being the direction of Design for Good in which their future professional domain is turning.

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BACKGROUND

The changing domain of graphic design In dealing with the aim of developing social responsibility, not only is this arguably desirable amongst all undergraduates (Quinlan, 2014) but for design students this issue holds particular relevance: design itself has played a large and unhelpful part in today's crises in ecology, politics and society. Nearly fifty years ago, pioneer sustainable designer, Victor Papanek, made his famous quote about the “phoney” aspect of advertising design “in persuading people to buy things they don’t need, with money they don’t have, in order to impress others who don’t care.” (Papanek, 1971). Not only advertising, political and other hidden persuasion and behavioural economics (Garvey, 2016), but also unnecessary packaging and its resultant landfill problems, have steered us to an unsustainable economy and lifestyle. Viveka Turnbull Hocking (2010) suggests that we have “actively designed our consumer culture of more obsolescence and addiction to the trivial”. Deyan Sudjic (2016), director of London’s Design Museum, writes that “we live in an age of anxiety and complexity. We can see that design and designs may have played a part in creating some of these anxieties”. He however believes that design is “a means of offering solutions as well as of amplifying potential problems”. The museum’s annual Designs of the Year exhibition (2016-17) and the content of the professional body, Design and Art Direction’s (D&AD) Festival (2017), also suggest that Papanek’s warnings are now fully powering leaders of the design profession to look to a more sustainable and socially responsible future, in an ethos termed Design for Good. Turnbull Hocking also believes that, “as an activity, design also has something to offer in terms of answering questions about what kind of future we want. The power of design is a creative way of thinking and doing - what it creates is possibilities for the future: for change, for different functions, aesthetics and lifestyles, and, ultimately for facilitating different cultures of living” (Turnbull Hocking, 2010). As Papanek said, “design see the world as it should be” (1971). There are calls for design to be used specifically to help with what are termed “wicked problems”; societal problems that are ill-structured, have many facets, multiple stakeholders “shift shape and are never solved” (Knight, 2007). Global examples include climate change, poverty and inequality, women’s education and terrorism, but wicked problems also arise locally in issues such as healthy-eating and the availability of food, health care, women’s opportunities, crime and homelessness. As Alistair Fuad-Luke (2009, p 142) says, “Participation in design, as a means to effect deep, transformative, socio-political change, seems essential. This suggests a significant new direction for design to seize.” And it is this direction that must be taught to undergraduate graphic designers. Graphic design can be helpful on several fronts. Stephen R. Shepherd suggests that visualisation is one of graphic design’s strengths in helping to ameliorate wicked problems. The affordances of this visualisation in perception-change and enabling new ways of seeing, alongside better communication methods to engage and help others, are useful

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and important (Sheppard, 2012, p7). Sheppard states three principles of visualisation for problem mitigation. These are: make it local, make it visual and make it connected to viewers’ lives (Sheppard, 2012, p43, pp68-69). Sheppard’s advice also links to the key principles stated by Ezio Manzini (2015) and by design anthropologists and practitioners such as Anastassakis and Szaniecki (2016), Fuad-Luke (2009), Pilloten (2010), Kolster (2017) and Vranakis (2017), who state the importance of a range of graphic design forms of communicative intervention as awareness-raisers and conversation-starters. Manzini echoes Sheppard’s desire to make interventions that are local and that are visual or materially embodied, but also adds the necessity to make interventions public and globally replicable. These principles are achieved in the Design Volunteers Project with its associated student-led blog that details our interventions and actions. While there are also further new roles for designers, as leaders of community design and other initiatives, Design Volunteers - set within its wider design curriculum - acts as a modest entry into the real, lived world of socially responsible design. Graduate attributes and social responsibility In exploring graduate attributes amongst undergraduate graphic designers there are several issues to take into consideration. 1. Who are we teaching for? It is hard to ignore “the seismic and paradigm shifts of the past decade in technology, in our environment and local cultures, in world economics and global politics that have profoundly affected and challenged both traditional design education and professional design practice” (Resnick, 2016, p12) and herein lies the first gap or challenge to pedagogy. Resnick wonders how we might encourage design students to become citizen designers “when design education programs continue to train their students as passive arbitrators of commercial and client based messages”. Yet at the edges, the design industry is already calling for education in Design for Good and activism to fine tune the ethical frameworks of would-be designers’ (Fuad-Luke, 2009; Kolster, 2017; Vranakis, 2017). 2. Are we teaching the necessary skills? Secondly, Higher Education design tutors will need to coach citizen designers because “designers have both a social and moral responsibility to use their visual language training to address societal issues either within or in addition to their professional design practice” (Resnick, 2016, p12). However, there is no agreement as to which specific skills should be fostered in students to meet this need, and while systematic, anticipatory and critical thinking abilities have been found to be necessary for future-oriented students (Rieckmann, 2011), others propose the fundamental skills of creativity as a Constructivist foundation (Csikszentmihalyi, 2015; Efland, 2009; John-Steiner,1997). I also believe that open, reflexive creativity skills will serve as sound scaffolding here and these are taught in

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the year prior to the Design Volunteers Project. Yet, a further investment in best practices to develop social responsibility and moral motivation is also required. Peter Knight of The Open University refers to these abilities as “wicked competencies” and stresses the difficulty assessors face in “measuring” them while often labouring under a “false consciousness” that the assessment strategies they apply are adequate to test for competencies that - like wicked problems - change shape and direction across contexts. Knight calls for radical redesign of award programmes to enable opportunities for these wicked competencies to be developed through multidisciplinary and holistic problem solving, in such situations as work experience, Capstone projects and work simulations (Knight, 2007). To these might be added service learning and explicitly embedded exploration and application of ethics (Boss, 1994; Quinlan, 2011). As noted by Quinlan (2011; 2014) these graduate attributes or wicked competencies are richest when seen by undergraduates as being closely tied to their professional practice rather than as additional transferable skills. While the learning opportunities mentioned above are already integrated into my teaching programme it will not be possible at present to overhaul the entire programme per se, resulting in the need for ongoing interventions and redesigns on a module scale. The Design Volunteers Project is one such single-module, service work intervention. Meanwhile, other considerations, activities and evaluations carried out by students on all modules can help view an already extant programme holistically, ‘through the lens’ of social responsibility, without overloading a curriculum with ‘worthiness’ or tedious repetition. Moreover, service learning, by providing real, not mimicked, experiences and awareness, has been found to be an absolutely necessary criterion for enabling students to move up the stages of Kohlberg’s moral reasoning. Discussions and hypothetical moral dilemmas alone have been shown not to impact on learning as well as actual lived experiences (Boss, 1994; Colby, 2002). Intervention Process The HND in Graphic Design (University of Kent) does not include a specific work experience module or learning outcomes. However, it is felt that for the reasons given in this paper that opportunities to experience real world working situations are necessary. Though delivered as a kind of enhancement to the main programme, work experience is considered by the staff team as fundamental and these opportunities are embedded as deeply into the programme as possible. The project recruited charities by publishing articles in the local press about the pilot project and inviting organisations in need to apply for a freelance design volunteer. As a result, there was already a slightly different character to the second year of a project because organisations with specific needs were applying, rather than being persuaded to ‘take a chance’ as happened in the pilot year. Guidelines and risk assessments were

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distributed to the charities and the students, and the majority met each other at a large informal meeting on the Tonbridge campus. However, some students had already been matched with their charity prior to this in order to meet the time-sensitive design needs of particular charities. Matching students to charities was a careful process in which students’ personal needs and differentiation aspects were considered, as well as their design skills. For example, some of the charities dealt with potentially distressing subject matter, such as (in the pilot year) terminally ill children, and this needed careful consideration in cases where students may have had recent bereavements or other such issues. Students were able to confidentially voice the kinds of organisational content they would or would not hypothetically feel comfortable dealing with and all pairing off was done by negotiation. I was able in this way to provide the entire cohort of twelve second year HND students with an equality of opportunity, including those with specific learning needs. The project ran, with students working as independently as possible, from September to the end of April or start of May. Staff mediated any issues, of which there were two about quantity of work, and these were quickly and amicably resolved. It should be noted at this point that because of the difference in the type and amount of design work requested by the organisations, that the students were not graded for the course module on practical work, but instead they wrote a report on their professional practice and the design methodology they had employed. It was these written pieces, alongside blogged evaluations that were assessed for a module grade. Charity and not-for-profit organisations involved included ones dealing with mental health, skills for life, young children (two), young cancer patients, empowerment of women and girls (two), local cultural organisations (two), overseas education, the elderly and a neighbourhood community. Students created a range of design pieces including full brands or rebrands, websites, or print pieces such as posters, leaflets, promotional postcards, invitations, press releases, and in two cases students made or were the subject of films. Some students also voluntarily participated in charity events, although the obligation was only for design work. One student (Student B) travelled to Africa on behalf of his charity to participate in their hands-on volunteering week, helping to build school rooms and making them a promotional film. Method Throughout the project many ad-hoc and some more formal discussions were held with the students and, on occasion, staff helped students to evaluate and reflect on their design work. This provided material for observation and to form developmental interventions. At the end of the project in May 2017, students and organisations were surveyed about their thoughts on the project and their ideas for its future development. The student survey specifically asked them to reflect on how much they felt their professionalism had developed and in what ways they themselves could have enabled this further. Students

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were also questioned about their attitudes to social responsibility, asking them how they had developed in this and how they felt they had explored this area by undertaking charity work in the community. The students were also asked if they wished to continue working as a freelance designer for the same charity next year even though they would not be part of the project and were asked to give a reason for why they have said yes or no. This question helped provide logistical information for the development of the project, but it also acted as a test of students’ development of social responsibility in terms of their motivation to act. Alternatively, perhaps this question might determine their opportunistic abilities to secure a good networking spot, but there is no reason to suppose the two motives cannot form a symbiotic relationship. Students were also asked how they felt the organisers could improve the project delivery. Finally, students were asked to provide advice for next year's cohort and to provide a quote for promotional purposes, which by its nature is likely to be skewed favourably. The charity and not-for-profit organisations were asked similar logistical questions about wishing to continue in the project or to remain with the same volunteer or not. Organisations were also asked to provide a summary of how useful they found the project and to comment on the skills and attitudes of their freelance design volunteer. They were also invited to add any other comments they felt necessary for useful. Other methods of gaining data about the project occurred in the students’ written reports about their design work, which was delivered and assessed under their Methodology module and which concentrated on their professional execution of a design process. Students also completed three sets of evaluations - as they do on every project - which reflect on their visual communication, professional practice and ‘good design?’ (their ethical and sustainable design; Design for Good). As students were self-reporting, there was the potential to skew the answers in the direction that they believed the programme staff wished them to go; in other words, they may have assumed an appearance of a developing professional and socially responsible design student without any sincerity. To lessen this effect, further measurements of moral and professional motivation were delivered through the Moral Concerns Test, which uses a six-point Likert scale to assess emotional reactions to an imaginary moral dilemma, such as finding and keeping the full purse of an old lady. Also, a bespoke version of Arnold’s (1993) Importance of Moral Values Test was applied, in which participants rate twelve statements of moral and professional values by placing them within four concentric circles, of which the innermost circle represents most importance to the participant. Carefully designed statements can only be placed three per any one circle, which forces participants to grade the value they place on the statements in a comparative manner, lessening the chance of rating ‘most socially desirable’ traits most highly. At the time this paper went to press, only the year-long observations, as well as the student survey were available. However, results of the other measurements mentioned above can be found on the programme’s student led Citizen Designers blog at https://citizendesigners.wordpress.com.

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Findings Improving professionalism Students all, except one, reported that they felt their professionalism had improved particularly because the project, involving real-world “live” briefs, helped build confidence as they grappled with the designs and working processes. As Student A remarked: “it helped to build confidence in a professional environment, such as large meetings, and gave me more skills, in networking and putting myself forward as a designer rather than a university student”. Student G felt that he had “incredibly gained my confidence” because the work experience had “really made me aware of how to work over certain obstacles in different environments”. Student H reported that “Sometimes when we’re set projects from college, it’s hard to understand context and interpret a brief when it’s simply handed to you on paper”. He added that in his design volunteering “understanding the client’s problem and displaying your interpretation of the brief set in a clear and functional way, was key in order to provide an effective solution. For example, I was tasked to create brand identity by designing a logo that would fit in with the surrounding area, whilst also conveying care to the residents.” Many of the students agreed that their professionalism had been improved because of the “unpredictability” (Student C) of the work, working processes and the necessity of problem solving on the hoof. Communication between client and student, one of the big issues in the Design Volunteer pilot project, was seen to have been improved overall and was seen to have increased in student’s evaluations of their own self-efficacy, especially by those who acknowledged their own proactive relationship-building with a busy client. Student D overtly linked the growth of this skill to the simultaneous growth in her confidence. In terms of building client relationships - which is an essential skill for a designer and one that is hard to replicate in the classroom - all the students involved in the Design Volunteers found that working with real people was challenging but eventually rewarding, or at least, that it provided a learning curve. While one student (E) did not specifically acknowledged the growth in his professionalism, and rather saw his client as “a little less professional” than other clients he had worked with, he did admit that the charity work was “a new challenge for me to undertake and a new way of working to adapt to, which can only benefit my design professionalism”. Student F also saw this experience as different to others where she had had clients because she was now the sole designer with full responsibility for the designs. While she did not have the smoothest-running experience, she did say that “I feel that this assignment helped us face up to the reality of working in this environment and helped me to face up to the realities …of working with clients and different personalities”. Student I concurred, commenting, “As a designer, the ongoing two-way relationship with a client was a huge help in understanding exactly what I was designing in relation to the subject matter,

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the approach, and the target audience. Paradoxically, although it is much harder than working on your own, in the end it makes it much easier to produce a successful result”. In terms of professional satisfaction many of the survey results were very positive, with Student I, for example reporting that, “the best thrill of all, though, was the delight of everyone on the client side in the work produced and seeing the website go live. This is genuine work I can point at with pride, in addition to my university portfolio” and Student A wrote: “I had a great overall experience designing for a brilliant cause and it helped me not only to develop my professional practice, but also to meet some amazing people in not only my industry but also [in] other brilliant industries. In my opinion [it has been] a lot more valuable than any other projects I have completed and everyone should have this experience throughout their university or college course”. Others commented that they found it a beneficial experience. Student B, who travelled to Africa to undertake extra volunteering, said he “loved it” and that the project gave him “an experience in the area I want to be in, which is designing while travelling”. The project was deemed, “a truly great way to let young aspiring students gain experience for those annoying companies who ask for fresh graduated people with years of experience!!” (Student G). Others felt that even when some of their experience had been frustrating that this was in the end a good learning curve and, for example, Student F described how it gave her “a clearer view of what to expect in a real-life situation and as a result I developed a thicker skin, learnt to take things less personally and developed a more impartial viewpoint for developing artwork for the professional environment”

Perceptions of work value as measure of professionalism As a measure of their professionalism in practice, students were asked to describe in what ways they felt they did or did not treat the work as importantly as their regular university briefs. In the pilot year of Design Volunteers, it was noted that some of the students did not seem to recognise that the work they were undertaking was real world work that mattered and had consequences, but rather they saw it as an add-on to a small module. While it is understandable that fee-paying students would prioritise their university work, it was seen as a negative aspect of the pilot year that a few of the participants could not empathise with the needs of the client in order to treat this work with at least equal importance to the within-class university projects. These had been mostly inexperienced design students with no previous clients and it was deemed that this reflected a lack of understanding of necessary design skills and especially of notions of professionalism. Consequently, this year emphasis was placed on the teaching of professional practice in approaching the work, while more real client briefs and workshops were included in the general curriculum to enable the drawing upon an understanding of the client relationship as a crucial capability of work-ready designers. Some students still reported a feeling that because the work was undertaken on a gratis basis that either they or the client (as they perceived it) did not take it as seriously as if it had been paid work (students E and F). While taking the work seriously, some others, however, reported issues, such as the clients being too “laid back” or not responding to

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contact frequently enough, which was perceived as “unprofessional” and caused frustration (Student D and H). Student L felt that as he had a very small amount of work to do that he did not feel he had moved forward and that his experience was too similar to that of class work. Yet others felt overloaded with the quantity of work or when clients contacted them too much and at awkward times, such as Christmas Eve (Students A, I and J). However, Student H took a pragmatic approach, as did some others: “I think that’s just the nature of [small] charities as they work for no profit, so it seems more casual”. Student E, who has had work experience in a design company, was surprised that his client knew so little about design itself. Student B said that he did not take it as seriously as other paid work he had at the same time and that for him this was influenced by not liking the style of the design that he was asked to produce. This had been a sticking point in the pilot project but not many students this year found it that disappointing, having been forewarned by the advice from the previous cohort of volunteer designers. On the other hand, most students commented that they had taken the work as seriously or more seriously than the university work, simply because they knew that it was work in the real world that had deadlines and consequences. Student A (who had an extremely large amount of work from her charity client) said that while she found it difficult to balance the briefs for her client and for university, she nevertheless “took the charity work as more important than my university work as there was a lot of scope for new ventures and clients”. She did not regret the struggle to balance the workload as her “professionalism and networking” earned her many contacts, including landing her a paid part-time job as an in-house designer and online marketer for an award-winning Kent blogger. Through her charity work, Student A also had an opportunity to do work experience in a local graphic design company and so her potential contact-making for her future career was extremely rich. Student D reported that she knew the work for her charity brief was live and “would be used in their practice”, acknowledging the professional realm of the client as well as her own. She was highly aware that the work would be seen in the public domain and that her design reputation would be at stake. Student G, who also was aware of the networking and reputation-building possibilities of the charity work, reported that he took it “a little more importantly” than his university work. He was also aware of his reputation being at stake and commented that if he made work for his charity that “was rubbish it would give them and myself a bad vibe”. It might be hypothesised that the students, who were fully engaged with their charity work on both professional working and/or social responsibility terms, could see the benefits of the opportunity to develop graduate attributes or wicked competencies of problem solving, openness, adaptability and pro-active communication as part of their professional design practice. Those who felt that they took the work less seriously than their university work may have regarded these capabilities as less important add-ons (Quinlan, 2011) failing to appreciate the necessity of these in their professional practice, or to have been less able to assimilate their experiences with this in mind. This might be because they were less mature in their initial approach to their charity clients or because they were less ready for almost entirely independent design work and that therefore greater scaffolding should be

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applied in future years. Alternatively, others may have relished a new scenario in which to work and to re-establish their self-efficacy. Student G, for example, received unprompted glowing reports and CV references from his charity clients who wished to do a press release and photo shoot to celebrate his professional efforts.

Attitudes to social responsibility While additional data relating to the development of social responsibility and the stages of moral reasoning (Kohlberg, 1969; Rest, 1994) was still being collated and analysed at the time this paper went to press, it is nevertheless felt to be important in gaining a greater understanding of this aspect of the project results. The details below are based on the end of project round-up survey. This does, however, back-up findings from observations and discussions carried out in class over the academic year. It is acknowledged at this stage, that self-reporting in a non-anonymous questionnaire may be skewed favourably towards gains in social responsibility motivation because the students will be aware that that is an aim of the project (though it does not feature in any graded assessment of the project, which instead deals with professional practice and design process methods). It is also acknowledged that an individual can have an understanding of moral reasoning without necessarily putting this into socially responsible action (Colby, 2002). It might be suggested that those carrying out [potential] action by being willing to continue to work gratis for their charity next year, when there is no obligation to do so, are acting either on moral conscience, or understanding of the professional, networking benefits of this, or a mixture of both. The first finding is that many of the students did not distinguish in their survey answers between social responsibility in the sense of building a community, of helping others, of being aware of differentiation or diversity, and the idea of it as applying sustainable ‘eco-friendly’ logistics to their practical projects. A few of the students answered the question, In what ways do you feel that you have developed your understanding of socially responsible design or of working to help a community, or not? by discussing the fact that as they did not make many design items they didn't really have a chance to consider this, suggesting that they were focusing on sustainable design practices rather than community aspects. A further question, In what ways could you describe your design for the charities or not profits as helping you to explore socially responsible design? was often run into one answer with the previous question, or was ignored. This suggests that either further work is needed next year to highlight this issue and to help students reflect on this aspect of their charity work, or that this question is best dealt with outside of the survey by other methods [and is currently being explored thus]. However, the majority of students did respond to these two questions in a positive manner. Student A, for example, (who was very immersed in her charity work experience and met many other stakeholders and audience members) described herself as developing an awareness of donating her time and skills to a group effort and how this donation “can create something on a much larger scale than I initially thought”. She added: “I felt as if I was doing something that really made a difference and it also made me aware of how much a few days of your time can mean to someone else. I also like the

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feeling of creating something true and honest rather than having something that was made to warp someone's views of something or change the perspective of something”. Student B answered the question about exploring socially responsible design by saying he had never considered doing gratis work for a charity before this project, “so it opened my eyes into how I can help the community and how to be a more socially responsible designer”. As much graphic design is about commercialism and making money, Student B felt that “helping out a non-profit charity for free is a really nice way to use your time”. Student C, who was also fully engaged with her charity, attending many of their events, reported that she felt happy to be a socially responsible designer and to “reach out by volunteering my time”. She also added that she was happy that her charity used sustainable inks and papers, which is a sustainable approach taught to the design students, but not as widespread in the real world as it could be. Student E described his understanding of socially responsible design as having been greatly improved. “In the back of my mind,” he said, “it was always a nice thought to think the work, however limited, would potentially be of benefit to a charity that worked with a community and for a cause very close to my heart. I always took the community associated with the charity into consideration with my design”. Student H, in answering the question about whether he had treated the charity work with as much importance as his university work, expressed the opinion that while it was difficult to juggle everything (he had also been selected by programme project clients to take part in two other live work experience opportunities) that he nevertheless felt that the Design Volunteers Project “has aided my development of my graphic design skills. One key point I’ve picked up on is showing empathy and compassion, whilst also remaining patient and not rushing the work”. He also commented that, “I think as I’m slightly older now, I appreciate the social responsibility I have as a citizen and a graphic designer. The project has pushed me to work with the community, creating brand recognition for the charity to raise awareness and encourage the local people to unite”. He also suggested that he reworked some frustrating aspects of working for a small charity into reminding himself that it was his “social responsibility as a designer” to put up with it and this “will be in my mind moving forward”. The organisation for which student F carried out work, was not perceived by her as having as much “need” as other charities and she expressed a wish that she had worked with other small sector charity groups. Nevertheless, she was able to generalise that she felt “that the act of doing charitable work for free is a socially responsible and ethical practice, but [I] feel that when clients are not paying a fee they may become complacent and for my future practice I may work for a reduced fee instead.”

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Ethics - payment or gratis? It should be noted at this point that in our programme pedagogy around ethical design issues we do not necessarily encourage all charity work on a pro bono basis, but that the Design Volunteers Project has filled a gap by providing usually very small scale charities with a designer that they would not otherwise be able to afford. Requesting payment from a charity, or not, forms part of a wider ethical discussion that does not seek to draw general conclusions but is left to the individual to contextualise and assess. Professional working designers who carry out work for no fee, in effect, lessen the hours in which they can earn a living. However, Design for Good can still be funded through grants, company benevolent funds or sponsorship. While we encourage undergraduates to consider the wider community and to work for them at every available opportunity, we do not teach that this should necessarily be unpaid. The Design Volunteers opportunity of seven or eight month’s freelance work for a charity will hopefully help consolidate each individual’s assessment of this situation. At the end of the project, each student is asked if they would like to carry on working with their charity in the following year, while they are completing their BA top up. There is no obligation to do so. Many of the students responded that they would like to do so, but that they would take it upon themselves to set stricter parameters for the giving of their skills and expertise, especially when the client contacted the student very frequently or at inappropriate times, asked for large quantities of work or a lot of design revisions because of changing logistical reasons (rather than revisions to improve student work). Several students agreed that they would work for their charity again, but only on a paid basis. Those who deemed their experience very beneficial both to themselves and to the community, were happy to continue on a gratis basis and hoped to build an ongoing relationship they could take with them upon graduation.

Conclusions Looking at the surveys in conjunction with year-long observations suggests that professionalism had increased amongst the student cohort and that most were overtly aware of this and their individual reasons for it. Students’ own perceptions of their self-efficacy of professionalism had certainly increased in all cases except one. In some cases, these gains in self-efficacy were despite the overall client experience having been occasionally frustrating. Observations of students becoming more relaxed in their client relationships across the academic year are borne out by the survey results and that by the end of the year students had managed to take charge of communications and to regard pauses and hiatus as part of dealing with a small charity. In their advice to the future cohort, many of the students included this as perhaps the most useful information to bear in mind and this may be an area to continue to scaffold in terms of expectations and people-management. However, the relevance of the work experience is to drive this relationship home in a way that discussions alone can never do.

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The vast majority of the group treated their live work experience as equally important or even more important than the university work. This was because they were aware of the demands and consequences of real work, on which others depended and of helping the wider community. Sometimes, this was also motivated by the idea of preserving the student’s own design reputation or of developing networking opportunities. Although one student reported finding much of the experience anxiety-provoking, all of the other students surveyed agreed that their participation in Design Volunteers had been a useful experience from which they had learnt a wide range of capabilities, from handling client relationships through to practical techniques of design. All felt that their confidence had risen, though a few felt that their experience had ended too soon or had petered out. In terms of understanding the gains made by the cohort in social responsibility and their working towards seeing themselves as Designers for Good, the survey still needs to be reviewed in tandem with the tests to measure moral motivation and reasoning. It was noted that students struggled to understand the survey questions about social responsibility in terms of interpretations of community work rather than being simply about sustainable design thinking, such as eco-friendly inks and paper within practical design pieces. Students seemed, understandably, fixated on the specifics of the design pieces they had created, without seeing a bigger, socially aware picture, though many did report positive feelings about helping the community. Those whose experiences were of a more immersed nature seemed to make the most gains on both a personal and a socially responsible front. Therefore, one action point in this area will be to help students to appreciate the differences, and indeed the overlaps, between these definitions. This may help ease them into new expectations of what it means to be a Designer for Good in a wider sense. It may also be necessary to provide more immersive, on-the-ground service work. Perhaps enabling the students to get their hands dirty doing extra voluntary work may be required, as simply designing, often remotely, while helpful and indeed necessary for the running of the charity, may not be providing a robust enough experience to move participants up the moral motivation scale (Boss, 1994; Colby, 2002). I view the research reported above as a starting point in an ongoing and much larger research venture exploring how to develop best pedagogic practices to develop citizen designers for an uncertain and unknowable future.

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Curating Professional Development: A small scale exploratory investigation into whether the use of Mahara e-portfolios in a land-based college can support an effective transition to transformative reflective practice in the Lifelong Learning Sector (LLLS).

Louise M Carr

Hadlow College

Abstract

All teachers/lecturers in the Lifelong Learning Sector (LLLS) are required to undertake continuous professional development in both their subject specialism and for teaching, learning and assessment. These need to be recorded in relation to, and more frequently aligned specifically to, the Professional Standards for Teachers and Trainers in Education and Training – England. As part of a small scale, local exploratory investigation into how teachers/lecturers in a land-based college could be supported in the curation and development of their reflective practice they were introduced to an open source e-portfolio platform - Mahara. Surveys, workshops and conversations were held to try and identify possible barriers to developing both the content and skills to bring about effective reflective practice and the use of digital content curation typifying 21st century skills.

Introduction

This small scale investigation set out to explore the ways in which teachers/lecturers at different stages of their teacher training and post initial teacher training engage with reflective practice and if this could be made more effect by introducing them to the use of the e-portfolio platform Mahara as a means of curation. It set out to define the various elements applied to continual professional development (CPD) : reflection, curation and e-portfolios, as they sit in relation to each other as a means of making meaning of and ultimately transforming practice in the Lifelong Learning Sector (LLLS). Curation is a process which not only requires the use of existing artefacts or pieces of evidence to be selected, organized and presented using professional or expert knowledge, (English Oxford Living Dictionaries, 2017), but should also engage the curator in higher levels of reflective practice. This process can lead to a greater sense of the professional self (Munday et al, 2017). The state of professional self or identity as a teacher/lecturer might be implicit for some experienced staff but is a ‘highly valued working condition’ (Wilkins et al, 2011), for those who are new to teaching/lecturing. This view is also identified by Tur et al (2016), who note that first year teacher trainees ‘…ideas of identity reflect a highly emotional and committed stance’. It could therefore, be argued that the processes and support for engaging with curated reflective practice need to take these factors into account and may require specific and differentiated support.

Methodological approach

The research methodology was set in the interpretivist paradigm and took an exploratory approach to the particular situation in one setting; resembling aspects of a case study. Information was gathered through unstructured data using feedback, conversations,

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questionnaires and surveys. Some data will be graphically represented to support the presentation.

Reflective Practice

Reflective practice is widely accepted as central to the development of all teachers and lecturers. The Professional Standards for Teachers and Trainers in Education and Training – England (Education and Training Foundation, 2014) are underpinned by a requirement for teachers/lecturers in the Lifelong Learning Sector (LLLS) to demonstrate their reflective practice as part of their commitment to develop:

• Professional values and attributes • Professional knowledge and understanding (including in a subject or vocational

area) • Professional skills

(The Education and Training Foundation, 2014)

As such, they also form the reflective framework for initial teacher training, professional formation towards Qualified Teacher Learning Skills (QTLS), and ‘provide a national reference point’ (Education and Training Foundation, 2014) for continuous professional development (CPD) for individuals and for organisations. There is currently a growing interest amongst land-based colleges to include the Professional Standards (ETF, 2014) in appraisal documentation and observation paperwork.

E-portfolios

The term e-portfolio is a widely used but was defined by jisc (2008) as: a component of a larger system such as a VLE e.g. Blackboard Portfolio system; a standalone commercial produce such as PebblePad; an open source product e.g. Mahara or

“…a set of software tools which have the functionality to support the production of an e-portfolio as a means of drawing together and integrating materials from different sources.” (jisc, 2008)

E-portfolios have been recognised for more than a decade as a highly effective tool for the drawing together of information representing professional practice, (Landis et al, 2015). They are now widely used by medical schools and teacher training organisations in Higher Education to evidence reflective practice, industrial experience and professional identities. Indeed, the role of 21st century digital learning and curation technologies need to become part of the teacher/lecturer pedagogy in order to support the learning preferences of current and future learners (Jones & Laverenz, 2017).

Curation

The process of drawing together followed by the organisation or curation of artefacts can be seen in the stages of reflective practice taxonomy. Bloom’s revised taxonomy (Anderson & Krathwohl, 2001) is often used to underpin reflective practice and has been

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further defined by Jenny Moon (1999, 2004) to include 5-steps of reflection that draw on the early work of Dewey (1910) which defines reflection as needing to be ‘active’ and ‘persistent’ (p6).

By first identifying how these taxonomies aligned it then became possible to structure the investigation and provide a graduated framework to measure the use and effectiveness of the reflective practice on CPD undertaken and e-portfolio tools as a means of curating the whole. This is also echoed by Blair (2011) who also draws on Bloom (1956) and the revised taxonomy of Anderson and Krathwohl (2001), to suggest a systematic and scaffolded approach to supporting reflection.

Bloom’s revised taxonomy (Anderson & Krathwohl 2001)

Moon’s 5 steps of reflection (1999)

Alignment to reflective practice for CPD contextually adapted and undertaken individually or collaboratively

Curation in a Mahara e-portfolio

Recall noticing Write an annual list of CPD events (individual)

Log events using the CPD plug-in

Summarise Making sense Writing notes during or after the CPD event (individual) Match to Professional Standards (PS)

The above plus: Journal entries Text plus a photo scanned files, tweet, pdfs. Collectively known as artefacts

Demonstrate Making meaning

Use the ‘take-away’ activity (individual)

The above realised into a teaching & learning event Record visual, audio, text - feedback

Differentiate Working with meaning

Adapt the ‘take-away’ by creating/modifying an activity – measure impact to PS (collaborative)

The above but as part of a team sharing artefacts via a group area, e.g. using the activity between levels of learners and comparing results

Interpret and evaluate

Transformative learning

Active reflective practice with change (Collaborative) ‘Develop critically informed knowledge’ PS

Turn the above into a supported experiment and curate evidence in journals, CPD, multimedia artefacts Share with others for embedded feedback/forum/links to web 2.0 & secret urls

Revise Transformative disruptive learning

Fully enter into a reflective cycle collaborative/share accept challenge and disruptive nature

Creation of a professional portfolio which is current, and exploits a full range of 21st Century skills

Table 1: The alignment of taxonomies, reflective practice and Professional Standards (2014) as curated through Mahara e-portfolios.

E-portfolio curation fits a constructivist learning model (Landis et al, 2015) and in order to make progress to the higher order reflective practice skills the activities would need to be actively facilitated and scaffolded (Blair, 2011).

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Linking investigations

The investigation set out to build on a small pilot study from 2015/16 of two cohorts of teachers/lecturers who were either starting or nearing completion of their first year of in-service training for The Diploma in Education and Training. It continued into 2016/17 and followed the progress of the first cohort through their final year leading to qualification.

Both groups were introduced to Mahara in 2015/16 and a collection of templates was shared with the more established cohort (1) to record and develop their practice against the Professional Standards (ETF, 2014). In a survey which followed these activities both cohorts of trainees were asked to identify aspects that they found challenging about reflective practice.

Both year 1 cohorts found that time was the greatest challenge to completing reflective practice although almost all of cohort 1 indicated this compared to fewer than half of those who had just enrolled into cohort 2. At the end of year 2, 50% of the 1st cohort still found this to be the case. This finding is supported by evidence from a recent New Zealand study which noted that teacher work-loads may be an inhibiting factor in sustaining and developing reflective activities (Benade, 2015). The newer group also found the process of reflection more challenging than those who had almost completed their first year of training. The large majority of both groups found that the current process of text based files and lists did not help to understand the construct of knowledge. Reactions to using Mahara were less positive overall. Their comments suggested that some found Mahara confusing and the process to learn and use it was time consuming especially as they were already required to keep a Progress Log (word processed document) as part of their qualification. Despite some very good exemplars of using the Professional Standard templates in year 1, little or no use has been made of them since. Trainees from the year 2 cohort (1) 2016/17 however, commented in interviews that the Professional Standards had become part of a natural underpinning of all activities, as they are such an integrated part of their teacher training programme.

Following the end of year 2 the 1st cohort were asked again if they would like to maintain some kind of progress log /e-portfolio to help support their development and reflective practice and 75% of the group gave a positive response with 50% choosing Mahara e-portfolio with the proviso that sufficient time and support were provided.

Investigation design

Due to the very small numbers from the 1st cohort moving into year 2 a further two groups were identified and the scope widened to include newly qualified and experienced teaching staff. The groups were drawn from 2 faculty areas where the use of Mahara was established as a method of reflective practice and assessment for their learners, thus for some there was an element of skill and familiarity. All attendees were invited through their Heads of Faculty and team leaders to a workshop with the explicit intention of developing reflection and recording CPD using Mahara e-porfolios via the institution VLE link. Prior to attending the session they were all asked to complete a short on-line questionnaire via Survey Monkey®. The session provided an introduction to using the CPD and Resume plug-in functions, which were unfamiliar to everyone. All participants were shown a

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selection of teacher/lecturer e-portfolios as examples drawn from different e-portfolio types. References were also made to the Professional Standards (ETF, 2014).

It was evident from the questionnaires and particularly in the session that there was a need to differentiate support for Mahara skills, and content curation and reflection. Everyone was shown how to share pages with friends and use the secret urls. Some also needed an introduction to creating a page and adding their photographs and video. The session ran for 2.5 hours and concluded with everyone being shown the session Mahara group area with embedded notes and a link to a padlet wall with an invitation to leave feedback.

Group attending workshop Not qualified

Newly Qualified (1yr)

Qualified

Group 1 December 2016 attending workshop

3 1 2

Group 2 December 2016 attending workshop

4 2 8

Table 2: Identification of groups by qualification status

Findings

These findings come from the questionnaire placed on Survey Monkey® and sent to the two groups that took part in the workshops in December, 2016. (The respondents to the questionnaire answered all of the survey questions except for Q8, relating to 21st century practices, which was skipped by 4.) The feedback padlet wall introduced at the end of the workshops and a questionnaire given to in-service teaching cohorts in their first year of an initial teaching qualification are also included. This questionnaire was adapted and repeated with year 2 cohort (1) 2016/17 group at the end of their training. The results and conversations with the year 2 cohort (1) 2016/17 are also included with these findings.

The Survey Monkey® questions were designed to explore how unqualified, newly qualified and qualified curriculum staff considered and recorded their CPD. Before they could match or consider any reflective practice to the Professional Standards (ETF, 2014) it was important to identify if and then how their current recording was taking place. From this starting point the workshop activities would attempt to support closer alignment to the Professional Standards (ETF, 2014) and higher order reflective practices through the medium of the Mahara e-portfolio platform (as described in table 1).

The sample identified that the majority were aware of their requirement to see themselves as dual professionals (Professional Standards, 2014) and approached their CPD sustainably (as defined in the question). However, from a mix of both unqualified, newly qualified and qualified staff none answered that they considered both teaching and vocational CPD as being sustainable and clearly shown through reflection and planning. The survey also showed that 62% were actively studying for a professional qualification which would have a reflective element and which could be aligned to aspects of the Professional Standards (ETF, 2014).

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Question 1 helped to give a representation of the skills for undertaking reflective practice as reinterpreted through the taxonomy for reflective skills based on Bloom’s taxonomy for cognition (1956) revised by Anderson and Krathwhol (2001) and Moon’s hierarchy of reflection (1999). There is an increase from 7.5% who consider their vocational CPD mainly sustainable to 30.7% who viewed their teaching CPD as mainly sustainable suggesting that teaching CPD is viewed or undertaken differently compared to vocational CPD. This created an interesting contrast as an observation on the day suggested that it was the subject specialist activities that had the richest digitally available data.

(Sustainable was defined in the question as the respondent could ‘…continue to develop [the activity] over a period of time and to the same intensity’.) (Carr, 2016)

Figure 1: Question 1 identified how respondents viewed their CPD as part of a reflective approach to professional practice.

Question 3 examined the theme of showcasing dual professionalism by asking about their organization and recording methods. The results divided into two categories: 69% recorded all CPD but it was not particularly organized and the remaining 31% only kept text based records that were digitally organized. Question 4 also revealed that 100% of the respondents also kept paper-based records, which was the way they shared this information with line managers, other institutions or employers. No one used a range of media enabling digital or web-based collaboration or direct sharing. The 2016/17 cohort in year 2 also echoed this with everyone identifying that they wished to keep a hard-copy or physical resource as well as holding digital records. None at this time were in a digital format that fits the jisc (2008) criteria for an e-portfolio.

Figure 2: Question 3 identified approaches to showcasing dual professional status.

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Questions 5 and 8 addressed the concept of e-portfolios (in any format, as previously described by jisc,2008), as a way to record and develop reflective practice demonstrating the kind of digital literacy and agility that are considered 21st century skills.

Figure 3: Question 5 showed how current recording methods do not represent the expectations for digital literacy in the 21st century.

Figure 4: Question 8 showed the majority did not consider their reflective practices demonstrated 21st century skills.

Of the 13 respondents to the survey, 3 had considered using Mahara for CPD whilst the vast majority (10) had not. The year 2 cohort 2016/17 were 75% positive about an e-portfolio being the best way to provide evidence of their developing practice through reflective insight and comment. One commented that:

“the availability of e-portfolios demonstrates that keeping electronic evidence is the best way as it can be accessible and reliable”

This reflects the model of reflection in the LLLS suggested by Blair (2011) which states that trainees need a model that is ‘transferable, logical, balanced easy to recall and easy to use.’

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Figure 5: Responses before the workshop event.

Attendees at the workshops were invited to leave feedback on the Padlet™ wall embedded into each Mahara group forum.

Respondents were asked if using an e-portfolio had changed their opinions on recording and reflecting on their personal development.

The smaller group (6) had mixed responses. The positive feedback included:

• Would be a useful tool to keep all staff development in one place (but would need to be implemented college wide)

• Learned new ways to use Mahara for recording and sharing • It has changed my thoughts about the level of detail I include in my CPD

However, they also had reservations, which included:

• A recognition of the value of digital records but preferred to maintain (their CPD) in a hand written form

• Using Mahara for CPD is totally confusing • It does not have all the functionality that I would like to link to files and external

resources for CPD These comments have some resonance with the anecdotal evidence from Birmingham City University where it is suggested that up to 75% of midwifery students see Mahara as a ‘tick box’ exercise. (Ganfield, 2016).

The second and larger group (14) were generally more positive with comments including:

• I will have a go at recording my CPD like this – it is a much better system than using paper

• This is a platform that we could use as a team • The session enabled me to reflect more deeply on my CPD • A beneficial method to record CPD • A quick and easy way to log CPD • A greater opportunity to reflect on activities • Provide greater structure to the process

0

50

100

Yes No

HaveyouconsideredusingMaharaforyourownprofessional

development?

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The main concerns were around the topics of:

• Portability - if they were to leave the institution • Privacy settings Concerns were also raised in a recent blog from the University of Sussex around the portability of portfolios beyond university, (Coombs, 2017).

In summary, the results show similar findings to a recent small scale study on evolving pedagogy where Burns & Buza, (2016) identified that

‘…the portfolios of their trainee teachers suggested that their thinking was more oriented to area of skills and competencies rather than on the dimensions of mission”. (Burns & Buza (2016)

As a result of this investigation it would appear that there is confusion over the number of ways a dual professional can record, apply and eventually create content in a small window of time and with little awareness of the 21st century landscape for digital curation. There is no suggestion in the responses that the recorded reflective practice is ever collaborative. The results also indicate that whilst there is a clear commitment to undertaking CPD and a general awareness of the Professional Standards (20014), they also point to low to medium order skills in reflective practices which were also matched by low to medium 21st century digital literacy for professional reflective practice.

Limitations of the investigation

To maintain anonymity questionnaires were not split between workshop groups, which meant that no correlation could be made between the pre and post comments and there is a discrepancy between the numbers completing the survey and those attending both workshops.

Whilst generalizability was neither the aim or supported by the methodology, parallels can be drawn with other research suggesting that the barriers to development of higher order reflective practice and use of Mahara are also recognised in other situations.

Conclusion

Teachers/lecturers recognise the need to undertake and record their CPD. The level to which they are able to maintain the impact of the CPD through effective reflection would appear to be less sustained. The Professional Standards (2014) are well understood particularly by teacher trainees and newly qualified teachers/lecturers however; previous methods of recording against the templates on Mahara have not been widely adopted.

An individual’s relationship with their reflective practice, undertaken individually or collaboratively, is very personal and potentially emotional as it can be viewed as part of their professional identify. As such it ‘…should not be one that is constrained by context or access to resources.’ (Blair, 2011) It is apparent that to support the effective development of reflective practice more collaborative activities need to be facilitated and training to support the use of the portfolio tools to create diverse content and the presentation of CPD activities in ways that encourage higher order reflective practices need to be provided.

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Meanwhile whilst most people agree that 21st century skills are desirable and CPD based reflective practice is very important to developing as a dual professional, there is a considerable reluctance to adopt the use of 21st century curation skills.

References

Anderson L. W., Krathwohl D. R. & Bloom B.S. (2001) A Taxonomy for Learning, Teaching and Assessing: a revision of Bloom’s taxonomy of educational objectives, Longman, London Benade, L. (2015) 'Teachers’ Critical Reflective Practice in the Context of Twenty-first Century Learning' Open Review of Educational Research [Online] 2, (1) 42 - 54. Available at Http://dx.doi.org/10.1080/23265507.2014.998159 [Accessed 21/05/2017] Blair, E. (2011) 'Balanced reflection as a means of practitioner development in the post-compulsory education and training sector' Research in Post-Compulsory Education [Online] 16, (2) 249-261. Available at Http://dx.doi.org/10.1080/13596748.2011.576575 [Accessed 08/09/2016] Burns, E., & Buza, K. (2016) 'Portfolio as a Tool for Teachers' Reflective Thinking and Professional Identity Development'. Evolving Pedagogy - Greetings from Finland 1, 1-11. Available at Http://verkkolehdet.jamk.fi/ev-peda/2016/11/27/portfolio-as-a-tool-for-teachers-reflective-thinking-and-professional-identity-development/ [Accessed 13/02/2017] Carr L. M. (2016) Continuous Professional Development Survey 2016 [Online] Surveymonkey.com Available at https://www.surveymonkey.co.uk/r/7PHGQSF [Accessed 10/01/2017] Coombs, A. (2017) Portfolios, assessment and Mahara, Technology Enhanced Learning. [Blog] 28/02/2017. Available at http://Http://blogs.sussex.ac.uk/tel/2017/02/28/portfolios-assessment-mahara/ [Accessed 28/02/2017]. Dewey, J. (1910) How We Think [Online]. Boston USA: D. C. Heath & Co.. Available at http://Www.gutenberg.org/files/37423/37423-h/37423-h.htm [Accessed 21/05/2017]. Education and Training Foundation (2014) Professional Standards for Teachers and Trainers in Education and Training - England. London: Education and Training Foundation. English Oxford Living Dictionaries (2017) English Oxford Living Dictionaries [Online] Available at http://Https://en.oxforddictionaries.com [Accessed 20/05/2017] Ganfield, S. (2016) MaharaHuiUK 2016, MaharaHui UK 2016. [Blog] 06/12/2016. Available at http://Https://blogs.kent.ac.uk/learn-tech/2016/12/06/maharahuiuk2016/ [Accessed 18/05/2017].

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Jisc (2008) Guide to E-portfolios [Online] Available at http://Http://www,jisc.ac.uk/guides/e-portfolios [Accessed 19/05/2017] http://www.tandfonline.com/doi/full/10.1080/23265507.2014.998159 [Accessed 21/05/2017] Jones, B., & Leverenz, C. (2017) 'Building Personal Brands with Digital Storytelling ePortfolios'. International Journal of ePortfolio 7, (1) 67-69. Available at http://Http://www.theijep.com [Accessed 21/05/2017] Landis, C.M.., Scott, S. B.., & Kahn, S.. (2015) 'Examining the Role of Reflection in ePortfolios: A Case Study'. International Journal of ePortfolio 5, (2) 107-121. Available at http://Http://www.theijep.com [Accessed 03/02/2017] Leeds Beckett University (2017) Models for structuring reflection [Online] Available at Http://skillsforlearning.leedsbeckett.ac.uk/preview/content/models/06.shtml [Accessed 21/05/2017] Munday, J., Rowley, J., & Polly, P. (2017) 'The Use of Visual Images in Building Professional Self Identities'. International Journal of ePortfolio 7, (1) 53-65. Available at http://Http://www.theijep.com [Accessed 21/05/2017] Moon, J. (1999) Reflection in learning and professional development: Theory and Practice. London: Kogan Page Ltd. Tur, G., Challinor, J., & Marin, V. I. (2016) 'Digital Artefacts for Reflection on Identity in Teacher Education'. Reflecting Education 10, (1) 4-25. Available at http://Http://reflectingedcuation.net [Accessed 31/01/2017] Wilkins C., Mohamed C. & Smith J. (New teachers co-constructing professional identity) [pdf] European Conference on Educational Research, Berlin: Leicester University. Available at Http://www2/le.ac.uk/departments/education/documents/chris-wilkins-staff-page/New%20teachers%@)co-constructing%20professional%20identity%20ECER%202011.pdf [Accessed 21/05/2017].

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Sustainability for Future Fashion and Textile Design

Susan D’souza

West Kent College

Abstract

A review and summary of current and emerging trends in sustainable fashion and textile practice from attendance at a two day conference on ‘Textile Design and the Circular Economy’ at Tate Britain and Chelsea College of Arts. The conference was funded by ‘Mistra Future Fashion,’ a Swedish research programme. Mistra have worked closely with the Textile Future Research Centre (TFRC) and researchers with Textile Environment Design (TED) at University of the Arts London who hosted the conference.

Following a review of the findings there will be an exploration of how some of this information be applied to practical teaching and embedded into current modules and curriculum for the 2017 Foundation Degree in Fashion and Textiles students at West Kent College. The final section of the paper analyses the results of student interaction and work produced from initial projects delivered this year and finishes with conclusions about how to progress and build on this area of practice in future years within the course.

Introduction / Context

Globally the fashion and textile industry is creating a huge strain on the environment and it’s finite resources, the mass consumption, throw away and fast fashion driven by High Street retailers and consumer demand for ‘the new’ are creating a mountain of waste. At the same time valuable resources including oil, water and land required to grow cotton and other fibres are being wasted on transitory products with no thought for what happens at the end of their life. Textile re-cycling lags behind other material re-cycling without a clear strategy in most countries on how to manage this growing issue for the future.

The subject also forms a personal area of concern and enquiry as a Programme Leader sending graduates into the field of fashion and textile design. The importance of ensuring students are given the wider picture and able to evaluate and make decisions about their personal ethical stance in relation to sustainability, resources and the environment is paramount.

In 2010, a Swedish funding call by Mistra asked ‘How can sustainable design processes be created and embedded within companies and gain the participation of consumers?’

The aim of the programme was to create a more joined up way of looking at the sourcing, designing, making, de-commissioning and re-cycling of textiles. The approach in earlier research and the fashion and textile industry as whole has been small-scale projects and piecemeal response. A conclusion that a more holistic and industry wide focus was one of the main aims of the conference. Researchers at TED (University of the Arts London), have been working on a range of projects to create what they termed a ‘Circular’ approach to design. “TED believed that textile and fashion designers needed to be trained to think and create with a full framework of sustainable design concepts. They should be able to combine complex techniques together with new materials, processes and produce designs

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to improve the use and disposal potential of the product.” (Dr Kate Goldsworthy & Prof Rebecca Earley, Circular Transitions Conference Programme Handbook, 2016)

As a tool to evaluate design thinking for sustainable aims in companies and education they developed ‘The Ten’ a set of design strategies for thinking about, talking about and mapping sustainable issues. They also introduced an online resource in the form of the ‘Textile Toolbox’ highlighting prototypes as part of a touring exhibition to demonstrate a more socially focused approach to designing and making that could be introduced as detailed in the conference handbook introduction through ‘workshops, facilitation and hands on making’.

On-going research recognised that merely producing sustainable products as designers was not enough to create change and three main areas of focus were created. Design to change ‘Material Systems’, design to change ‘Social Models’ and design to change ‘The Self and Mind-sets’. The conference went on to invite speakers to talk in these three areas aiming to bring together solutions from designers, retailers, manufacturers, re-cycling plants, marketers and Educators to come up with solutions and proposals for discussion.

The conference was entitled ‘Circular Transitions: Textile Design and the Circular Economy’.

Aims and Scope of this Paper

• To Disseminate information from the 2017 Circular Transitions conference to be shared with colleagues and students

• Ensure the Fashion and Textile Degree at West Kent College is in line with developments at the forefront of current practice in sustainable fashion and textiles

• Create teaching materials and project briefs that enable sustainability to be developed and delivered as part of modules of study during 2017

• Benefit student experience by raising awareness and knowledge of sustainability, develop specialist skills and extend student’s awareness of ethical and social responsibility as designers

• Analyse the results of projects and draw conclusions on how to extend the area of sustainability as a specialism of the course

Summary and Review of Key Areas of Emerging Practice in Sustainability in Fashion and Textiles, as Highlighted at the Conference.

The conference was organised under the three main areas already mentioned which have been used to summarise information and current developments highlighted at the conference and critically reflect on findings.

Materials

An introduction by keynote speaker Sigrid Barnekow from MISTRA fashion Future Project underlined the central simple message that informed much of what followed; the idea of seeing textile ‘waste’ as a resource not as waste.

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Earley and Goldsworthy, Chairs of the Conference from UAL, went on to talk about the contradiction of the growth in the development of synthetics that are designed to last a lifetime yet used in throwaway garments. “Products are fleeting only materials can last” (J.Chapman, 2016). They proposed two areas of design focus “Material longevity, product longevity”.

Cyndi Rhoades from fashion Re-cycling organisation ‘Worn Again’ backed this up with the following figures highlighting the enormity of the issue. “Polyester and cotton both of which are unsustainable at current rates of production equate to 70% of total world fibres in production. 55 million tonnes were produced in 2016 and this is expected to rise to 90 million by 2020. It is estimated that of the total produced in the last few years approximately 50 million tonnes goes to landfill with only 20% being re-cycled”.

As Cyndi Rhoades says, “Why haven’t we found effective ways to re-cycle textiles?” The answer seems to be in part that many modern garments are multi-fibre content and re-cycling is currently unable to separate them out. Developing technology to separate and chemically re-cycle mixed poly/cotton fabrics is a solution that Worn Again are working on with the textile industry. This technology would enable fabrics to be re-formed and chemically separated as re-useable fibre with Polyester turned into PET chips and cotton into cellulose fibre. The project would need funding by retailers and Governments to succeed and the organisation is raising awareness and garnering support for the future of this technology. Additional benefits highlighted included; delivery of a long term consistent supply of textile material, creation of a more stable price with less fluctuation together with environmental and economic savings.

A final speaker under the heading of Materials Dr. Rosie Hornbuckle from UAL highlighted the importance of the role of designers in the process to develop solutions and suggested “Designers of the future need to be more responsive, dynamic, fluid and adaptable”. The project ‘Trash 2 Cash’ “involves designing high value re-cycled products from zero value textile waste”. The project highlights how designers can input into sustainability for the future through workshops and exhibitions. These are a summary of some of the ways designers can be effective according to Hornbuckle:-

1. Through experiential knowledge of materials, playing with them and appraising what they can do.

2. Collaboration with others including scientists and manufacturers 3. Communication about material sourcing and use through consultancy, talks,

workshops, writing on the subject 4. By employing sustainable design tools and methods.

Models

The second phase of discussion highlighted examples of organisations that have developed successful models to tackle sustainability. One of these, ‘RSA: The Great Recovery’ is a design and sustainability studio that has been running for 20 years. Director Sophie Thomas sees herself as an agitator and used this quote to highlight her

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central theme; “Waste really is a design flaw”. Her talk went on to discuss the way we are increasing consumption so dramatically, surrounding ourselves with ‘stuff’ that is seen increasingly as disposable.

The two key features discussed were Technological and psychological obsolescence and disposability as a concept being marketed to us. The problem she set out in summary is that we have a finite planet with finite resources at the same time as a growing population and consumer demand from growing middle classes.

The model of her agency incorporates the following ways of thinking. Designers need to broaden their approach and design in; longevity, service, manufacture and recovery. Products are being designed with too many elements and materials and are not being designed for re-use or re-cycling. There needs to be greater knowledge and collaboration with partners such as waste management providers to really understand that end of the cycle and source new materials to design with.

The model she presented highlights a range of considerations and collaborations to broaden design approaches and thinking.

Jennifer Whitty from Massey University NZ discussed a sustainability project entitled ‘The Space Between’ relating to ways an educator and not for profit organization collaborated to use design lead practice to create social change. She stated, “One third of clothing is never sold and is incinerated” going on to add “consumer culture increased by 37% between 2001-2005 and globally 80 million pieces of clothing were ‘thrown out’. These are quite shocking statistics and question whether consumers are just unaware or think that fast fashion is acceptable. Her model is based on “Solution orientated design, focusing on social and other problems in society”. The project she undertook with students at Massey University involved creating up-cycled clothing from unwanted uniforms. It used the services of a local not for profit manufacturer that worked with groups to increase employment opportunities for those with learning and physical difficulties”.

Her conclusion was that the title of the project ‘The Third Space’ refers to the space between the overlapping cycles of Education, research and enterprise and stated the aims being “To change consumer behavior and to de-couple profit and capitalism from the use of waste resources”.

The final statement links to the way that increasingly garments given to charity shops are sold on through middle men who make profit from the sales.

“In the UK, relatively little -around one-fifth - of the second-hand clothing collected is re-sold domestically; most of it is shipped overseas to be sold on a global commodities market before being resold to local traders…..there are some concerns that the influx of cheap, second hand clothing, particularly in Africa, has undermined indigenous textiles industries with the result clothing collected in the West under the guise of ‘charitable donations’ could create more poverty.” (Fletcher, K. Sustainable Fashion and Textiles p.119).

The final ‘model’ presented was by Dr. Jen Baillie from Glasgow School of Art who is an exponent of ‘slow fashion’ and has set up as part of a PHD research project under

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Professor Rebecca Early ‘Future Maker Spaces’. The project has involved briefing local makers to cultivate networks and collaborate with local suppliers to source materials to create archetype design ideas that can be re-produced to create businesses with the scope to up-scale even though they are using re-cycled or ‘waste’ material. Often the issue with such design is finding more of the same material or securing stable pricing and availability when it is needed. The model also builds in this concept of an ‘archetype’ design that can be subtly altered or changed to create individuality as part of the process of sustainability.

Mindsets

The final heading for the keynote speakers focused on how to change consumer behavior which is perhaps the biggest challenge facing the industry if sustainability is to grow, or become more embedded in our relationship with fashion and textile products.

The conference speakers highlighted some aspects such as lost thriftiness and lost skills from the ‘Make do and Mend’ era that can be supported on a small-scale level through workshops and community groups.

A commercial enterprise in the form of a Swedish brand ‘Filippa K’ who are leading the way successfully was presented. Their founder Elin Larsson described how their philosophy was to create a brand that had at its core ‘Reduce, repair, reuse and re-cycle’ whilst creating clothing that was modern, desirable and aspirational. The way that every detailed aspect of their business was questioned and adding sustainability at every stage of the process was inspiring. Some of their initiatives included:

- Using high quality materials from sustainable and local sources - Designing and creating garments built to last - Examining all packaging and labeling with suppliers to ensure

re-cyclability - Offering a repair service - Offering a return and part exchange voucher service when customers felt the

garment no longer had a life - Creating a Filippa K second hand store to up-cycle and re-sell garments at end of

life - Displaying and giving customers wash, mend and care posters - Building communication with customers through website and newsletters updating

on new initiatives - A lease system for customers to have the option on high price items like suits to pay

one fifth of the price and lease the item for four days after which the company take back and clean the item.

Although there are many designers and companies out there working in a sustainable way such as People Tree, Patagonia, Eileen Fisher and initiatives by High street retailers H&M and Zara to some extent, Filippa K are exceptional in the rigor of their approach. They have also combined product skills with communication and service to develop long lasting relationships with their customers.

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Application of These Ideas through Practical Project Work, Embedded Within Modules of Study.

Many of the ideas presented, whilst exciting for the industry such as the re-cycling of multi fibre fabrics to form filaments that can be chemically extruded or formed into PET chips, are not easily applicable in a studio teaching situation. However some of the PET chips and beads are compatible with 3D printing which the college has recently invested in. More research is needed in this are but the possibility of future projects where components like zips and buttons are made from 100% re-cycled materials allowing completely re-cycled garments is an area to be explored by students and staff.

On reflection following the conference the ideas that seemed of most value in our course environment where firstly broadening design approaches through education, awareness and principles relating to sustainable practice and secondly focusing on the idea that ‘waste is a resource’.

Having discussed with colleagues from other Universities represented at the conference best approaches to project and module delivery I received some advice from Programme Leaders of a Degree course in Berlin who specialise in this area. They felt strongly that having a one off module in Sustainability lead to students feeling that once completed they had ‘done sustainability’. The suggestion was that an approach of embedding it in the course as a way of thinking and working was a more holistic way to foster change in thinking and design approaches.

With this in mind and aiming to create impact on both first and second year students within the academic year a project for both year groups was introduced which would aim to embed new ways of thinking, designing and making. The conference findings were also be relayed through follow up lectures to raise awareness and understanding of current and emerging developments in the industry.

At first when questioned about sustainability students had a woolly perception of what it meant and some confused it with terms like ‘Fair-trade’. Most understood it linked to the environment but again where unclear how their actions impacted on it as a subject or the wider context.

The year one project developed as a result of the conference findings was written in collaboration with industry link Zoe Holborough who runs a small design and make brand producing high end sarongs and resort wear. Having worked also as a stylist Zoe had good knowledge of current trends and direction in terms of starting inspiration and was able to help research images and designers and collections with a sustainable practice focus, to inspire the students. The project was entitled ‘Source and Re-source’ (see appendix 1).

The brief asked students to design using inspiration from some aspect of the earth’s natural re-sources for concept, colour, pattern and texture. This involved researching some of the wider issues around climate change, dwindling resources and other issues. Students were then asked to research the market of sustainable fashion and textiles reviewing examples they found inspiring from amongst the brands and designers practicing this way. The ‘TED’s 10 Sustainable Design Strategies’ were used as a tool to

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discuss approaches to sustainability and make the bridge between looking at the work of others and applying it to own practice. Designers were asked to consider these ‘10’ and select one or two approaches that could be used; for example zero waste pattern cutting, design for re-cycling /up-cycling’. A core part of the project was that the outfit designed needed to include a top made completely from re-cycled garments. Workshops on zero waste pattern cutting and textiles for sustainability were also delivered as part of the project.

Second year students were briefed on an International competition brief set by ‘The Society of Designers and Colourists (SDC)’. This was selected because it had been written with the title ‘Design for a Circular Economy ‘ and linked directly to the themes covered within the conference at a level that required greater critical analysis and research suitable for this level of student. Although students were given a choice of this or another competition they were all asked to create research work linked to this brief and show how these principles had been considered in their final work.

Results of Student Project Work from 2016-17

First year students are currently in the process of completing their practical garment and fashion work in response to the brief for submission at the end of May 2017. The process of working with re-cycled garments brought a range of challenges including limitations in terms of size of pieces to work with, lack of knowledge about composition of fabric in some cases making printing or dyeing results variable and trying to consider the sustainability of every detail from fastenings to textile processing.

The advantages have been that students have fed back that ‘the project has been ‘inspiring and enjoyable’ they have also said that they would consider using re-cycled or found materials in future projects and consider more carefully the source of materials they are buying. It has also changed their attitudes to shopping in charity shops and for second hand materials that many were averse to at the start of the project.

Second year students were given a choice of project and only 2 out of 11 took up the sustainable project option. When asked why this was many said that the brief was hard and challenging and provided less visual inspiration than the alternative brief on offer. The two students that did design for the brief did however become very seriously involved and have carried on a sustainable theme into their final project of the year I will give examples of their project responses as case studies:

Case study 1.

This student employed slow fashion principles and created a hand woven piece using hand dyed wool yarns, which became an integral part of her garment. The project also focused on zero waste pattern cutting principles to create a finished piece with no fabric off-cuts. Buttons were also hand made using a traditional Dorset button making technique and one section of the garment was detachable to allow for changes to the piece or multi-function use for longevity. This student continued on to extend and develop these practices in her second project of the year and plans to focus her BA Collection on sustainable principles.

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Case Study 2.

In this case, the student considered sourcing of materials very carefully and researched local suppliers of natural luxury materials that might have off-cuts she could work with. The company collaborated with were a Romney Marsh sheep farm that spin and weave high quality woollen cloth from their own fleeces. The student obtained pieces which she hand dyed and cut to create a jacket. The lining was created by re-using the lining from a second hand garment and choosing to digitally printing a pattern on to it. Digital printing requires no water and is more sustainable as a practice than screen-printing.

Due to timing of the hand in deadlines of projects a full survey of student views on completion of the projects has not been conducted but this will be carried out to provide data to measure the impact on student learning.

Conclusions and Future Plans

In conclusion the findings of the research presented at the conference confirm that the fashion and textile industry will have to change many aspects of its practice in the coming years. The key issues to manage include the dwindling supply of resources such as oil for synthetics, and vast quantities of water used in textile production. Management of waste textiles created from the culture of throwaway fashion and mass consumerism is not being well managed at present however there are a number of emerging initiatives under development. In the meantime the role of new designers is crucial in terms of developing solutions to tackle the issues faced. Education plays a key role in developing awareness and setting briefs that encourage practice of these ideas particularly at degree level. The idea that some graduates might finish a degree level course in fashion and textiles and not know what sustainability is in the context of their industry is no longer acceptable.

Initial pilot projects this year at West Kent College are small in scope but have shown promising results and have extended creativity, problem solving, research, social context and other skills relevant to graduates. Building on this to ensure all years of the course have a core focus on sustainability embedded within projects will be a goal for future cohorts. Other aims will be to develop further college links with suppliers that have high-end waste materials that can be re-used. In addition the course will create a gallery of sustainable practice work to showcase and promote this aspect as a feature of specialism to prospective students.

Finally, focus on this could provide potential for further research by students and staff to increase knowledge and awareness of something that will be crucial to designers going into the future fashion and textile industry. Whether on a small scale or through large retailers the case studies illustrated at the conference demonstrated that they can make a difference and build a culture of change for the future.

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