PORTFOLIO ADVICE DAY

5 December 2006
Evaluation Report April 2007 Carolyn Bew
Art Design Media Subject Centre The Higher Education Academy University of Brighton

Summary
The purpose of this evaluation is to assess the effectiveness of the delivery of the Portfolio Advice Day, to identify the nature of the support mechanism offered to students and academics, and to generate a list of recommendations to ensure improvement. Research has shown that young people from families with no history of higher education are not necessarily receiving good quality advice on how to put together a portfolio. As the portfolio is used by many institutions as a major deciding factor in the selection process, huge numbers of young people are put at a disadvantage with regard to gaining a place at university, particularly where competition for places is high. The Portfolio Advice Day specifically targeted students on vocational courses in Further Education Colleges, with the aim of offering expert advice to potential higher education students, and going some way towards removing a major barrier to participation. The purpose of the day was not to recruit students directly to participating higher education institutions, although specific advice on particular courses may have resulted in an application. Students and tutors from a wide range of further and higher education institutions, comprising Glasgow School of Art, Kingston University, London College of Communication, London College of Fashion, London Metropolitan University, London South Bank University, Middlesex University, Plymouth College of Art and Design, Ravensbourne College of Design and Communication, Roehampton University, Rose Bruford College, The Arts Institute at Bournemouth, The University of Westminster, the University for the Creative Arts, University College Falmouth, University of Brighton, University of East London, and Wimbledon School of Art, participated in the Portfolio Advice Day held on 5 December 2006. Participants were asked to comment on their experience, and data was compiled through feedback forms and user group interviews. Comments from the drama workshop were also assessed. The findings reveal that the Portfolio Advice Day is a valuable resource that supports learning and enables students to engage in a process that provides advice and guidance in applying for higher education and handling interviews. The resource optimises the quality of independent learning and builds confidence in building a portfolio, enabling the individual students to gain access to relevant information on courses they may be interested in and to expert advice on portfolio presentation and content. The Portfolio Advice Day helps academics to deliver portfolio advice and guidance for higher education entry interviews as part of the curriculum. It also helps bridge gaps in learner knowledge between the world of school or college and that of higher education. In addition, the attending staff offered access to specialist aspects of the subject not included in their current courses. The resulting recommendations were that the Portfolio Advice Day should be maintained and expanded nationally; and that newsletters informing students and staff in schools and further education establishments about interview techniques, new courses and requirements for entry, and advice on portfolio content should be provided in addition to on-line information.

Project Background
The Portfolio Advice Day was designed to assist students from socio-economic and family backgrounds with no history of higher education participation to make the transition from tertiary to higher education. The project was founded by Tessa Read for Arts Aimhigher for London and Jackie McManus for the University of the Arts. It was in part prompted by research indicating that students from some socio-economic groups were experiencing great difficulty in gaining access to higher education, and were disadvantaged within the present application and selection system. Arts Aimhigher for London is part of a national programme to encourage young people from disadvantaged backgrounds, where there is no supporting family history, to aspire to higher education (see http://www.aimhigher.ac.uk for the national programme outline). The Portfolio Advice Day website has been designed to enable academic staff to provide support to students planning on progressing to higher education with interview techniques and portfolio assessment. University of the Arts, Aimhigher, ADM-HEA and Skillset jointly funded the Portfolio Advice Day. A number of specialist staff from a number of higher education institutions, covering a range of subject areas, including photography, graphic design, fine art and textiles, gave advice and guidance throughout the day. Other organisations undertook the website design, construction and visual identity, and CD-ROM design.

Evaluation Aims
The main aim was to evaluate the effectiveness of delivery of a range of outcomes. These were: Enabling students to feel more confident in applying for courses in higher education Supporting academics in delivering advice and guidance as part of the transition from further education to higher education Providing an interactive interview skills drama workshop run by a professional actor Offering expert advice on student finance Allowing tertiary students to meet with students from Universities Providing workshops on how to apply for places through UCAS Providing a portfolio training session for teachers Developing a web-based resource to support academic staff and students Identifying recommendations for future developments

In order to fulfil the aims of the evaluation, the following key themes were identified for investigation: Content of the day Quality of support/information for students Nature of academic support Recommendations for improvement

Methods
The data for the evaluation was obtained from feedback questionnaires, interviews with user groups, and other sources including discussions of the drama workshop. The Portfolio Advice Day took place on 5 December 2006, and was chosen to optimise impact before students applied to higher education courses in the spring term, and to give them time to act on advice given about their portfolios. The data collected was considered adequate to fulfil the objectives of the evaluation. All questionnaires were unsupervised, and carried out at the convenience of the user to ensure that the students experience of the day was their own. Statistical analysis was applied to data obtained from questionnaires from both staff and students. The comments were grouped in terms of questions asked. A summary was created based on this structure Other comments generated during the drama workshop were also taken into account because they added to the insight gained from the experience of this student group, and would inform future recommendations. The key points were noted down during the days events.

Findings
This section will provide summaries of the data collected from each source. Student Feedback Questionnaire In total, 328 students from a total attendance of about 700 completed a feedback form, and were asked to comment on their experience. The following breakdown was compiled: Question 1: Were you considering applying to an art and design course before attending Portfolio Advice Day?

This question was answered by 89.9 percent of questionnaire respondents.

Question 2: Has your option changed as a result of today?

This question was answered by 90.2 percent of questionnaire respondents.

Question 3: Do you now feel more confident about applying to an art and design course?

This question was answered by 88.4 percent of questionnaire respondents.

Question 4: Do you feel you now understand the application process better?

This question was answered by 87.5 percent of questionnaire respondents.

Question 5: Do you feel more confident about being interviewed for an art and design place at University?

This question was answered by 90.9 percent of questionnaire respondents.

Question 6: Do you feel better equipped to produce a portfolio to apply to University?

This question was answered by 90.2 percent of questionnaire respondents.

Question 7: Have you got a better understanding of what art and design subject you want to study?

This question was answered by 92.1 percent of questionnaire respondents.

Question 8: Have you changed your mind about what art and design subject you want to study as a result of attending Portfolio Advice Day?

This question was answered by 88.1 percent of questionnaire respondents.

Question 9: Did Portfolio Advice Day meet your expectations?

This question was answered by 100 percent of questionnaire respondents. For the remaining questions, which were more subjective, representative quotes are taken from the questionnaire responses. Question 10: What is most off-putting about applying to an art and design course? Well, just getting all the things and work together, maybe having to speak about your portfolio to the interviewer, although you have to do it. Selecting your own work I dont know which course, and I feel like there are limited career options. Cant decide which one to choose. I find the Route A, Route B thing all a bit confusing. Impersonal-ness of just having a portfolio to be judged without interview. Explaining ideas about work.

The pressure to create a good portfolio and the fear of not being accepted and only criticised. Interview. You have to produce work for the course you want to apply for, with no experience. I want to do an architecture degree which is seven years, and foundation would make it eight years. The chance I might not get in. Long and ting. The portfolio work feeling nervous about your own work, wanting it to be the best. The dread hang above my head. Question 11: How could the day be improved/were there any sessions missing that you would have found useful? More time speaking to tutors. More about the specific courses. Architecture. Advice on what career paths I could follow by doing art and design. More encouraging people. More examples of student portfolios. Tutors should have more knowledge on their area, like animation or more specifically digital animation.

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Practical help with the portfolio. Less dread. Question 12: Is there anything that you are still concerned about and that you would like further help with? Please say what would be helpful to you. Accommodation more about fees in case I move to another area. Some information sheets explaining the UCAS system. Which course to do. The financial support side of it. Which career pathways I can take with an art and design course. What I can do to make my portfolio better. I put all my works on a CD and there is no computer around, and I am a bit sad. Luckily, I still had some of my works with me. Where I can go to produce work that is outside of college, e.g. life drawing and others.

Tutor Feedback Questionnaire In total, 43 of the 50 staff attending completed a feedback form, and were asked to comment. The following breakdown was compiled, comprising some numerical data where appropriate, combined with typical quotes taken from questionnaire responses, information from informal interviews, and two longer general descriptions of the day from attending tutors. Question 1: Did you receive enough information from your institution about Portfolio Advice Day prior to the event? 11

Of 41 responses to this question, 33 were positive and eight negative. Question 2: Did you have enough time to review the students portfolios? Of 43 responses to this question, all but one were positive. Question 3: Would you be prepared to work at a similar event in the future? All 42 responses to this question were positive. Question 4: How do you think the students benefited from having their portfolios reviewed by University staff? Hopefully, enhancing the frame of reference within which they view their work its too prescriptively course-based make them more critical of their portfolios as an extension of them. Getting direct input of advice from professionals in their area of interest. I think it is good for students to get a different perspective on their work. Sometimes a particular teacher produces a particular house style. The general feedback was positive. It enabled to students to see beyond the given structure of their school. Question 5: Were there any general problems with the portfolios that you think need addressing? Difficult to generalise some schoolkids seemed to spend lots of time on visual research and not enough time doing/making their own work. Too cluttered for presentation, poor choices, lack of development work, some work very research-heavy. A lack of self-motivated work. Some had a lack of clarity random bits of work not developed, with too much written info. Very little individuality. 12

Question 6: How well informed do you think the FE students were about the range of courses available and the application process? Some were well-informed the majority had little or no idea. It varied but not particularly well-informed on the whole. Limited. Many students given bad or no advice on courses or presentation. Not at all. The students seemed to be unaware of the courses available and their differences. Generally unaware of portfolio development some confusion about progression opportunities, especially about foundation art and design and foundation degree. Question 7: What follow-up work do you think would be beneficial to the students? Visits by University staffs to schools and colleges. There could be further rounds of this event with handouts and website. Interview techniques and confidence-building to discuss their work. Perhaps a teachers Portfolio Day/Evening invite teachers to see examplar portfolios. Chase schools and colleges to see if students have used advice appropriately. Maybe to see whether individuals have acted on the advice given. There could be further rounds of this event and a supportive website.

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Question 8: Were the Student Ambassadors useful to the tutors? If not, could you say how you think they might have been more useful to you? It was great to have them around most of all as friendly contemporary faces for the students attending. They were great! Fantastic. Question 9: If you have any further suggestions/comments about Portfolio Advice Day please write them in the space below. A film aimed at folio presentation and advice. A similar session would be good for teachers. Really enjoyed the day! Portfolio Advice Day for tutors? The subject-specific tables worked well for those who knew what they wanted to do. How about a few stations for general portfolio advice.

Additional Interviews The opportunity for further comment revealed that the overall impression of the day was that it was useful, informative, and well organised. It was felt that the Portfolio Advice Day provided a structured environment for students to enhance their existing knowledge of art and design colleges, to acquire necessary information for transition to higher education and, significantly, an opportunity to gain objective portfolio advice and meet current art and design students. In interviews, students emphasised the value of the portfolio presentation advice they received during the day, and the self-confidence they gained from the event as a whole. Ive learned what I should put in my portfolio and how it should look. To add a more personal touch and be creative. Also to experiment more.

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I was undecided whether to study science or art. Today helped a lot. Im more relaxed now about putting my portfolio together with the information I got today. Ive learned that Universities expectations are higher. This is exciting but also Im a little nervous. Its good to have your work out and talk about it. I got good sketchbook advice. Ive learned loads about presentation. We are art and design students but want to do fashion. The tutors told about ways to experiment and that they would need to see more of this. Printing and textile and things like that The tutor told me how to put my portfolio in better order I know what to do now. Its been really good to get different opinions and know better what to put in my portfolio. The staff were asked in informal interviews to describe what impact they believed the portfolio advice day had on the students. It was mainly felt that time spent on assessing the portfolios had benefited the students in that they had a clearer idea of what was required, and gained confidence and encouragement from feedback that had broken down inhibitions and provided a fresh pair of eyes. However, a number of tutors felt that more days along these lines and run earlier in the academic year would enable the students to use their time more effectively because they would obtain relevant information sooner. Tutors also commented that staff from the participating institutions could do with advice on what was required in a portfolio, and that a guide or top twenty tips would be beneficial. The tutors felt that the Portfolio Advice Day Student Ambassadors were vital to the overall success of the day and were a great support in helping to bridge the gap between tutors and prospective students. The Student Ambassadors highlighted the fact that students need interaction with other students already in higher education for both informal information and inspiration. Of concern was the number of students who had been told not to bring their portfolios with them The tutors recommended that Portfolio Advice Day be a regular event, and that FE Staff and school needed to be made aware of current issues and ways in which portfolios could be put together.

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Drama Workshop The drama workshop organised by Interact was also an important source of feedback. Students found the information on practical techniques developed in the workshop extremely useful. The general consensus was that the format was engaging and the vocabulary easy to understand, and they appreciated the lack of academic language which they usually find alienating. A number of students felt that it would be beneficial to have sessions on interview techniques. The students felt that a video could also function as an ongoing learning support tool, because students could return to it for reference as often as they liked.

Two tutors describe the day Luce Choules, graphics lecturer, Kingston University I find myself thinking that if each major town or city promoted an event such as the Portfolio Advice Day, many more students would find it easier and more helpful to discuss aspects of portfolio submission. My 'call for action' on the evaluation sheet for this latest success at the ICA, was imagine if this event was countrywide. For the most part, I felt that I had taken part in a highly constructive day. It was well organised and thoughtfully conceived, with very attentive student helpers delivering bottles of water for our parched throats in addition to acting as stewards. I also met some fantastic people from other institutions, and as I am fairly new to HE teaching I learned a great deal by observing my temporary colleagues between advice sessions. My only slight disappointment was that a small number of students had no portfolio of work with them to discuss, and in the absence of a body of work I could give only abstract advice. At one point during the afternoon session, I saw a nervous young man who introduced himself immediately as someone who didnt want to go straight from school into a university course the route [he] was expected to take. He mentioned that his teacher had suggested he apply anyway, and then defer for a year or two. He felt this was misleading advice and that he would only be a statistic for his schools university application record. He wanted to be employed for a year or two instead, and didnt want to attend an interview knowing that his heart wasnt in it. Although he displayed a promising portfolio of work, I found myself forced to suggest that he apply to University at a later date, with the proviso that he

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might need to attend an evening class to keep his work up to date. He was surprisingly relieved and said it was the first time that he thought that HE study was an option for him. The sadness from my perspective was that he appeared to be a natural learner, with strong ideas, integrity and dedication just the kind of student that one would want to see at interview. The above observations by no means reflect all the days activities, but the experience did prompt me to wonder whether FE tutors might appreciate a seminar or conference event to share information with HE tutors involved in the interview process as part of a mutual exchange programme. In particular the event would discuss the expectations that HE places on school-learners to show accumulated knowledge in building an Art & Design portfolio documenting a history of thinking and influences, presenting concept development, and demonstrating the production of a cohesive body of work.

Lawrence Zeegen, academic project leader, University of Brighton Getting involved in the Portfolio Advice Day at the ICA was a way of dealing directly with some of the issues facing young candidates in art and design who want to embark on study in Higher Education. Reviewing work informally, while offering impartial and practical advice to students who are keen and motivated but often under-prepared and poorly informed, should help make a positive difference in their applications and in the quality of their portfolios. Working alongside colleagues from other well-regarded courses and institutions, rather than competing with them, was invaluable too we all worked together to promote the range of disciplines in art and design and the diversity of approaches to each subject. Much lip-service is paid to widening participation in Higher Education these days, and here was a real opportunity to help make a difference. For me and two of my staff team, it was a challenging yet rewarding day book me again next year!

Discussion
This section will take key themes identified in the summary and discuss the outcome based on the findings. Content of the day Quality of support/information for students Nature of academic support Recommendations for improvement

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The findings reveal that the Portfolio Advice Day was extremely beneficial to the majority of participating students A testimony to the success of the day was that the majority students who responded to the questionnaire felt that they had thy were better equipped to produce a portfolio for university

Content The overall assessment of the level of delivery content of the day was considered to be good Users felt that tutors had offered them relevant, key facts on the subjects they were interested in. A small percentage felt they that the tutors could offer more in depth information and advice on portfolio presentation However, the same individuals now felt confident in conducting further research by themselves A small number of students wanted information on architecture. The Drama workshop was well received. Level of support Student confidence after tutor sessions was high; students felt they had obtained key information on putting together their portfolios and felt that they had a clearer idea of the direction they wanted to go in, that they would follow the recommendations provided by subject specialists, and that they found them useful. The findings suggest that the impact of Portfolio Advice Day on the quality of the portfolios of the participants is significant. The provision of key subject knowledge coupled with strategic guidance has enhanced the confidence of a large proportion of participating students

Nature of academic support Findings suggest that the Portfolio Advice Day offers valuable support to academics in delivering advice. Staff could mix with colleagues from other disciplines and in various situations, and the day engendered valuable feelings of camaraderie among staff that do not often get a chance to discuss such issues with their colleagues, as many of them are part-time. The Day also functions as a reference point for staff to considerer their own role in the interview process. The Portfolio Advice Day was valued as an important research opportunity into student expectation. Both students and academics agreed that the Portfolio Advice Day should be continued as a source of inspiration and information to students on a range of specialist courses, supporting them in portfolio building and in improving interview techniques.

Recommendations for improvement In school and college visits for HE staff

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Sessions on specific areas such as sketchbooks and drawing. Follow-up schools and colleges to see if students have used advice appropriately Include stations offering general advice portfolio development Portfolio advice day for school and college staff Video on folio presentation and handout on basic rules for mounting and layout with check list this would free up the sessions for more specific advice Development of a web based resource to support academic staff and students

Conclusion
The findings suggest that the Portfolio Advice Day is a valuable resource that supports student learning in focusing on the transition from tertiary to higher education. Students had access to a wide range of specialist information on a range of courses available in art and design. The day presented student with a unique opportunity to meet staff and student from higher education in a safe and supportive environment. The findings reveal that the Portfolio Advice Day offers valuable support to academics, and tutors had the unique opportunity to meet and share ideas and advice with colleagues from a range of other higher education institutions Staff identified a number of areas that could be the focus of future portfolio advice days. Recommendations on how this could be taken forward were suggested. The Portfolio Advice Day was received with great enthusiasm from both students and academics; the participants felt that is a vital resource that is an essential part of the academic year. The strongest recommendation was that this was a resource that should be available nationally and should be supported by a website

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