Formative Feedback in Art School: Understanding Experiences, Perceptions, and the Role of Shared Assessment Literacy

This poster was presented at the GSA Learning and Teaching Conference on 10 June 2025. It shares early insights from a student–staff partnership project aimed at developing shared assessment literacy and improving the experience of formative feedback within art and design education. Formative feedback is embedded into the everyday rhythms of art school life — through tutorials, crits, and informal conversations — yet students often struggle to recognise or act on it. Drawing on work by Pitt and Winstone (2023) and insights gathered by student consultant Maisie Wills, the poster explores how feedback is offered, perceived, and valued differently across student and staff perspectives. Themes include the emotional and relational labour of feedback, mismatched expectations, and the often invisible nature of formative dialogue. The poster prompts reflection on whose responsibility feedback is, how feedback literacy might be better embedded into curriculum, and what it means to support students in navigating complex feedback ecologies. Designed to provoke conversation, the work contributes to institutional efforts to build a more inclusive, dialogic, and student-informed culture of assessment

All Tomorrow's Interiors

The All Tomorrow’s Interiors exhibition presents reflections and speculations on how technology is deployed in domestic environments, today and in the future. This practice-based research investigates the potential consequences of emerging and imagined technologies, and asks how technology can be engaged in processes for the design and the representation of the domestic interior. From smart homes to autonomous devices, the exhibition features a diverse range of works that explore how technology can be engaged in processes for the design and representation of the domestic interior. Through speculative and critical design, the exhibition encourages visitors to question the implications of these technologies and to imagine new ways in which they might be integrated into our homes. The exhibition seeks to challenge visitors’ assumptions about the role of technology in the domestic space, to provide a deeper understanding of the ways in which technology shapes our homes and our daily lives, and to think critically about the kind of future we want to build. The exhibition includes work by Year 2 students and staff from the Interior Design department and members of the Image|Imaging|Interior research cluster at The Glasgow School of Art. The All Tomorrow’s Interiors exhibition is part of the Architecture Fringe 2023 programme. A public tour of the exhibition with researcher Dave Loder will take place 12.00 Tuesday 20 Jun

Collective memories of shared space and experience in the creation and inhabitation of virtual studio

Art and design students’ occupation and use of physical studio spaces have decreased and altered during the Covid-19 pandemic, and online learning spaces have become increasingly important. This case study explores the value of collective memories of shared space in the creation and inhabitation of online studio, using recalled narrative and thematic analysis to inform refinement of the virtual studio used during a unique year. Interior Design practice is rooted in collective human interactions within the built environment. We describe the positive effect familiar layout and language have on Interior Design students' ability to engage effectively in online studio activities. Thus, enabling students to feel optimistic about the events they have experienced and highlight the effectiveness of the events. Feedback from students and staff provides insight into the influence of digital proxies for space, and the use of familiar language affects the perception of online studio. We conclude by testing our early findings, describing elements the student body found most supportive and propose how we may further expand this research to provide a basis for designing effective and engaging virtual studio spaces

De-centring the Studio: Walking as a Critical Pedagogic Tool

The studio is the art school’s defining pedagogic space, but what happens when we step outside? This presentation explores how walking, an everyday act, can function as a critical pedagogic tool that repositions dialogue (Orr & Shreeve, 2018), fosters curiosity (Goertz, 2018), and invites embodied reflection (Springgay & Truman, 2018). Drawing on a published case study with Year 3 Interior Design students (Nutter, 2025), I reflect on a structured paired-walking activity shaped by art walking practices (Cardiff, 1999; Biserna, 2022) and musical scores (Neuhaus, 1979). Using Reflexive Thematic Analysis (Braun & Clarke, 2022), I explore how students engaged with movement, informality, and place to encounter ideas differently and the challenges they faced. The findings highlight the pedagogic value of unpredictability, detour, and experiential learning. I argue that learners activated walking as a distinct mode of engagement, prompting reflection on the fixed nature of the studio and how curriculum and learning might be more purposefully entangled, mobile, and relational

Detour from the studio: Novelty and walking as an approach to decenter studio learning.

This small-scale case study explores the effects of paired walking on interior design students. It seeks to understand how outdoor walks away from the studio foster pertinent and contextual discussions, both during the walk and within their ongoing studio activities. I introduced students to a new small-scale practice-based activity of paired walking, the design of which drew inspiration from collaborative learning, art walking practices, and musical walking scores. Utilising Reflexive Thematic Analysis, I conceptualised the students' engagement, management, and recognition of the value of their experiences during the activity and its impact on their project development. The results highlight the entangled multi-modal learning experience of paired walking, revealing the interplay of expectations and experiences of this ‘decentred’ learning environment. The decentering, moving a central narrative to the side to understand alternative perspectives of space and the influence of ‘more knowledgeable others’ away from the studio and the tutor enabled a complex renegotiation between the learner, subject, and context. This research underscores the potential for novelty to engender robust experiential learning experiences. While a ‘decentered’ approach to learning may make the recognition of that learning less accessible due to its unfamiliar and displaced nature, potentially impacting participation participants reported cognitive shifts in their immediate project and their approach to utilising spaces beyond the formal teaching areas as learning tools. These findings encourage us to consider ways to embed novelty and support learners in recognising ‘decentered’ activities as learning moments

Detour from the Studio: Novelty and Walking as an Approach to Decentre Studio Learning

This session builds on a published case study (Detour from the Studio, Nutter, 2025) exploring the potential of paired walking as a pedagogic tool in art and design education. Based on a small-scale study with Year 3 Interior Design students, the project investigates how walking beyond the studio can foster meaningful dialogue, shape project development, and encourage alternative ways of engaging with place. Drawing on collaborative learning theory, art walking practices (Cardiff, 1999; Biserna, 2022), and musical walking scores (Neuhaus, 1979), the study considers how learners navigate and interpret this ‘decentered’ experience. Participants in the session will be guided through a walking video with live narration, encountering the rhythms, dislocations, and conversational texture of the original research. The session reflects on how unfamiliar learning settings influence knowledge construction and participation and how students may struggle to recognise learning beyond conventional studio environments. Attendees will gain practical strategies for integrating novelty and place-awareness into their own teaching while considering how movement, space, and relational dialogue can strengthen engagement, belonging, and critical thinking

(in)exact walk: Tour of GSA Learning Spaces

(in)exact walk: Tour of GSA Learning Spaces is an audio-guided experience created for staff attending a SHED development workshop at the Glasgow School of Art. Guided by the artist-researcher’s voice and layered with student recordings, the work invites participants to explore the Reid Building through a shifting sonic landscape. Participants were encouraged to walk alone, yet collectively, each listener experiencing a unique journey shaped by attention, movement, and the invitation to notice. The recording featured narration and student reflections from inaccessible spaces, responding to questions like “How would you describe this space?” and “What usually happens here?” These responses helped construct a sonic ecology of the building that is both real and imagined, immediate and archival. Influenced by walking pedagogies (Springgay & Truman, 2018; Goertz, 2018) and sound-based art practices like those of Janet Cardiff and Max Neuhaus, the tour invited a slowed, attentive encounter with space. The ambiguity and disorientation were intentional, echoing ideas of detour and dérive, allowing each participant to navigate meaning in their own way. Participants shared their experiences via Mentimeter, creating a collective echo of the (in)exact walk. Responses revealed a strong emotional and reflective impact, with many participants reporting that the experience helped them reconsider their relationship with institutional space. At the same time, the project surfaced important questions around access and invitation, particularly for those with mobility needs. The work remains as a portable artefact and an ongoing enquiry into how listening can support spatial literacy, learning cultures, and inclusive staff development

Sonic Landscapes - Interior Design Creative Practice and Pedagogy for Learning in and Designing for Interior Spaces

In this paper, I introduce approaches for exploring the sonic landscape of interior spaces, critical listening, and creative pedagogies, using Creative Practice to explore and provoke. Inviting learners to respond to the sonic environment of the spaces they are both learning in and designing for, this set of creative practices provides a guided exploration of listening, understanding, and the collective imagining of our sonic landscapes. Our design of interior environments prioritises visual, tactile, and social aspects while often overlooking the sonic experience. Through three practice-based sound works, I aim to open a route to the sounds we encounter. I introduce three of my creative practices: ‘Sonic Welcomes’, which involves exploring the soundscapes of specific buildings; ‘Sonic Circle’, which captures the sounds of the city within a 2km radius around our studio; and the third, which details my recreation of Alvin Lucier's ‘I am Sitting in A Room’ (1970) and its provocation to teaching practice. Building on the concepts put forth in Lacy’s ‘Sonic Rupture’ (2017), Oliveros' Deep Listening (2022) and Alvin Lucier's scores that explore the physical quality of sound, this paper explores the use of existing soundscape to challenge assumptions and invite learners to reevaluate the sounds they encounter. "Sonic Welcomes" involves closely examining the soundscapes of specific buildings, leading to the revelation and consideration of differences when juxtaposed with visual explorations of the same buildings. This paper serves as a reflective account of these three sonic practices, focusing on provoking learners to both listen and capture the soundscapes (Schafer, 1977). As a significant part of the interior's experience but an often under-served area of interior pedagogy, they offer an introduction to incorporating sonic awareness into the interior design curriculum

Collective memories of shared space and experience in the creation and inhabitation of virtual studio.

Art and design students’ occupation and use of physical studio spaces have decreased and altered during the Covid-19 pandemic, and online learning spaces have become increasingly important. This case study explores the value of collective memories of shared space in the creation and inhabitation of online studio, using recalled narrative and thematic analysis to inform refinement of the virtual studio used during a unique year. Interior Design practice is rooted in collective human interactions within the built environment. We describe the positive effect familiar layout and language have on Interior Design students' ability to engage effectively in online studio activities. Thus, enabling students to feel optimistic about the events they have experienced and highlight the effectiveness of the events. Feedback from students and staff provides insight into the influence of digital proxies for space, and the use of familiar language affects the perception of online studio. We conclude by testing our early findings, describing elements the student body found most supportive and propose how we may further expand this research to provide a basis for designing effective and engaging virtual studio spaces

Exploring Feedback Literacies: Early Reflections from a Student Partnership Project

This presentation, delivered as part of the SHED Assessment Special Interest Group (11 June 2025), shared early reflections from a student–staff partnership project exploring feedback literacy in art and design education (Pitt & Winstone, 2023; Carless & Boud, 2018). The work builds on literature positioning feedback, not as a product but as a relational, iterative practice shaped by dialogue, timing, and trust (Orr & Bloxham, 2013; Salines et al., 2022). Drawing on internal inquiry and co-constructed methods, the presentation reflected on how feedback literacy can be developed through collaboration, not only for students but also for staff and institutions. Rather than presenting fixed conclusions, the session acted as a provocation, inviting participants to consider how feedback is enacted, recognised, and valued in their own practice. It also raised questions about student consultants' role in academic development and how partnerships can both illuminate and complicate institutional feedback cultures. The session contributed to national discussions on assessment practice by foregrounding student voice and surfacing local, often overlooked, pedagogic encounters