A short rant and what to do about grades…
Getting people to write about design is often a difficult task, especially in a studio class. It is problematic because often students don’t understand that writing is directly linked to our abilities to communicate. If we cannot communicate our influences, our ideas about our work, our process, and even thought on our profession to our peers, how then can we communicate with clients who don’t speak the same language. It is also difficult because all too often designers think that writing is a separate task from making, which is what a studio is all about supposedly.
I recently read a few passages from a book I saw in an office of a fellow designer. I don’t remember the books name but it included the communication between designers and their clients. It was basically a book of rants about how frustrating clients can be. But the question came to me, is it always our clients fault? is there a way to inform my client about design, my ideas, etc. in a manner in which they would understand. Sure there is, its writing (or really eloquent clear speech).
As a designer/design educator, I constantly write. I write ideas about my work, my decisions while making things (I even write about how I structure a course, after all that too is design). I constantly write about what it is I do. It is a practice I learned in architecture school (and a practice that I think somewhat is both what separates architecture from graphic design, as well as fuels architecture’s constant naval gazing). At some point I realized that all of the architects I found inspiring wrote. They wrote criticism, theory, about their work, about other architects. They wrote. As students we had to write a thesis which majority of it had to have some theoretical grounding applied to architecture, we spent a semester doing this, then the following semester designing it (all the while rewriting the original document). Prior to that we wrote reviews about our work, our peers, responses to articles, etc. All of this occurred in our studio classes.
When I established this blog the hope was to create a second community for students (since Eastern is a commuter school). Forcing the hand of students to write seemed like the easiest way to make it happen. Now as the semester comes to an end and I sit here taking inventory of who made the required amount of posts or comments, I find the numbers quite shocking. Very few people have made enough posts/comments to get the full 10 percent of the grade. Most below 5%, many 0-1%. An easy task, not much required here, and for many this will mean the difference between and A and a B.
I am admittedly an easy grader, so as I start to set up my excel spreadsheet that will give the final grades for everyone, I am shocked that this semester will be one of the semesters when very few people get an A, largely because of this blog. So perhaps this post will get people talking as I pose some questions at this late hour.
Knowing that this is 10% of your grade, why not put the effort in making the posts?
Do grades matter? or what would be better incentive to get people to write? What do I do about grades for the blog assignment?
Do I make another project worth more? and is that fair to those that put in the effort to begin with?
Or do I stick to everyone (you get what you gave)?
Or do I assign an alternate assignment to give people a last minute chance to get that 10%?
PS there is still time to make posts and comments, I won’t be turning in grades until Wednesday of next week.
by Ryan M | 12.12.07 | ART 302, ART 460 | 27 Comments »
I have to agree with the last two post, I’ve never been in a class where a professor hasn’t suggested an artist to look up that has a similar style that im going for on a project. I do feel that we need to stress the importance of AIGA, I tried to find some free time so I could go to the Thursday meetings but this semester my schedule just didn’t allow for free time, seeing that I had 5 classes (four of them were studio) and I work 20-25 hrs a week. I do plan on being more involved next semester.
16 post on one topic…. is this a record for the blog?
I was in two of Ryan’s classes this semester and knowing that this 10 percent really counted for two classes was really the driving force of me keeping up with the blog so muhc. 10 percent of my grade in one class was one thing but having TWO classes…not doing it was not an option. I had to make the effort. I was so busy though, I enlisted a friend to remind me to do 2 blogs a week. We would be chatting and they would say “You haven’t done a blog yet” and then I would discuss stuff with them, they would help come up with ideas. Honestly if it wasn’t for them, I wouldn’t have kept up with it. I would’ve forgotten.
I do think you should keep the 10 percent for the grading. Not just because I kept up with it, but because it was what you outlined in the syllabus. It’s like attendance and what not. Grades for me matter because my chosen profession is teaching. I need to prove to my potential employers that I actually know how to do things. I can’t show them a project I got a C or D on. I have to show A work. A better incentive would maybe do an actual assignmnet for the blog. At the begining of Intermediate you had us reading about Detroit and I found these things kind of interesting, but you barely ever asked us about anything in class and I stopped doing any reading. There wasn’t any point by then, if you had perhaps assigned the reading then required a blog entry about it that would help people who had more trouble coming up with ideas to write about.
I definitely don’t think you should make another project worth more. People put in the effort on the projects they might think are more important, I mean, which project would you actually use? How would you make that decision? It isn’t fair to the people who did put in the effort. I tried really hard to keep up and to not just post random things. I did a few times, yes. But If i posted a video or something I would write about it a little almost an arguement on why it’s on the blog. Not just some random, “hey check this out, this dude, it’s funny”
I think you should get what you give, but since you are letting people hurry and do last minute posts, then that should help the people who really do care about their grades.
Another point I wanted to make real quick is that people said they were discouraged when they did a post and no one commented on it. I have to admit, I was too, but since it was TEN PERCENT of my grade, it didn’t matter if anyone did or not. It is still required. I was sad when no one did anything on mine, but on the same token…I didn’t comment on really hardly anybody’s. It’s a two way street, but still, since it was required it is really no excuse.
I do agree that you should stick to your guns.
However, I hated having to post. I’m sorry that I am not the kind of design student that is always looking for new things that I find interesting. Yes I am unknowingly, but I don’t always think, “Oh I’v gotta post this on the EMU Blog!”.
Also, I think that the lack of communication during class had a lot to do with my lack of posting. During the Revise exhibit, when the blog was our class’s main source of communication, I posted often. But during the rest of the class, I didn’t have an interest.
I’m sorry that I am a let down of a design student.
Alan,
I figured someone would make such a comment about what I posted. As for me not having a clue about what happens in the lab… I spent all my time there in my first 3 design classes and even worked the lab and at any given time there would MAYBE be 2 other people that would show up… So I have have seen what lack of community there is in that aspect. I haven’t heard of some amazing turn around in that area and even in your post you said you and sarah were at the all night lab and only 1 other person showed up. Also, this is the first semester you have met me and I have been out sick for almost all of it. You have no idea to whom or what I have said about ways I think our design program could improve. Just because I don’t run it by you doesn’t mean I haven’t said anything. I don’t think there is anything wrong with feeling like another University is more successful at getting students more interactive and having more useful crits. You can’t expect that EMU is just the best at everything and we should never turn to a school that may handle certain things better and see if we can learn from it and improve it here. Your comment to go back to SAU is exactly the kind of attitude of why I and probably others don’t make comments on this blog because when comments are made there will always be someone that critiques the person instead of the art or comment itself. Someone who trys to be rude or hurtful towards the person. I’m sorry you have a problem with my pessimism and I guess I’m sorry I don’t see the design program here with rose colored glasses. You can enjoy and want to be part of something without believing it has everything perfect. If everyone just acts like its perfect- how will it ever move forward? I do agree that this blog is a step in the right direction but Ryan seemed to want to know why people didn’t post even though it was a big part of our grade. I’m sorry if my comment offended anyone and maybe I shouldn’t have been so honest as to why I don’t think it was successful. I am happy that you are happy with how everything is run and with how many people show up to lab and meetings. I’m sorry that you felt we couldn’t have opposing views without you needing to throw in to go back to SAU. I feel like I could make some hurtful comments back as to why I didn’t return to AIGA meetings or invest the money and get involved but I really don’t want to attack you personally just over hurtful words. I do wish you the best and hope others feel like they can voice their opinion without feeling attacked as well.
this is another reason why i dont like blog’s. people use them to attack one another, because they can’t seem to talk face to face. this makes me stay away. its easy for people to attack or put down someone else on a blog. i dont like it.
Okay
I agree with many people on this. I dont think the blog are bad, but as amy said, if you take a lot of other classes like some of us, we forget about them, even when you, ryan, remind us all the time. i really tried to remember. I agree also with jackie that we should have some kind of direction to what we should write. i was at a loss many times, but i also think posting aiga and jopb info is very helpful, since we are getting close to graduate. i also agree with alan that the community is not as bad as jackie thinks it is and im wondering why she is complaining about emu, if dont like a schools program, i transfer somewhere else. logic, not offending. and i agree with jackie b. that we shouldnt attack anyone, since this is for school. As for ruth- thank you for always commenting on everyones questions! you are always helpful and i and probably others appreciate it, unfortunately most of the time you are the only one including marcus, and it would have really helped to hear feedback from other people. I tried, as i said but it can be frustrating when no ones reads your blog or comments on it. i think giving grades on class participation is more convenient and fun for me, since i can get face-to-face feedback and discuss things right away. but thank you for trying ryan!
>>> In SAU we were told ares to focus on and directions we should pursue and artists that may interest us. It seems like here we aren’t told anything or very little and are just expected to look for ourself and figure out what to search for <<<
???
Ummm… I (and my 2 colleagues) do that.
Daily.
Crits, links to designers, lectures on designer, e-mails, showing my personal design collection of posters, materials, and books from the US and Europe, bringing in outside designers and shows as part of the gallery committee….
All I have to say is some people are talkers and some people are writers. I personally like doing both but I would rather give my feed back to people through talking with them. Like what Andy said, he grades based on class participation and Ryan on a blog. I think depending on the person they could excel or regress depending on which teacher you had because they both have different styles of teaching. But a professor is the professor and it’s up to them to decide how they want t grade the class. I haven’t done much with the blog and I fairly knew it was part of the grade. I’m an adult and can suffer the consequences of not doing my part as asked. I think that Shawn had made some good points in his comment that trying new things to bring students together is trial and error. Many of us have busy lives and others of us have it super easy and a lot of that probably contributes to how much passion people have with blogging.
Jackie A. is correct I was looking for answers as to why people don’t post/comment. She is also correct to some degree about the studio culture at EMU. But this is slowly changing, with faculty in all of the disciplines trying to find ways to build that. Just to name a few of the challenges that we face in doing this:
1. majority of our students work 20+ hours a week.
2. majority of our students commute (several 30+ minutes a day)
3. money-in order to have open studios/labs you need support
I do agree that it is not right to make things personal, but I can understand Alan’s frustration since he has put in a great amount of time and effort into trying to boost membership and involvement in the AIGA. Last year he and AIGA brought designer Danielle Aubert to lecture, who is extremely intelligent and only about 6 students showed up. I can see where he may be frustrated.
Frustration indeed:
In addition to Ms.Aubert, last year, Alan and AIGA also brought in a former EMU student (Mr.Salter) who IS working in designin MI, has a good portfolio, still does personal work, and was being transfered to Cali because of his work. A guy who was an EMU student only 3 years ago, and made the start of a design caeer.
I think Mr.Salter’s lecture had around 12 students. (which is twice as much as Ms.Aubert I guess)
This year…Mr.Jakab spoke on graphic design. We did have a good turn out (about 85% full Halle lecture hall)…but even the design CLASS that was being held AT THAT TIME only about half attended. I would think with all the design students in 201,205,303,346,460 and462, graduate students…plus faculty…plus other non art majors….
that place SHOULD have been packed.
I can understand alan’s and andy’s frustration to my comments because they put in a lot of effort to better the program. I still think being rude on this blog is just reiterating why many people didn’t post anything. I think instead of being defensive and attacking about what has been said, it may have had better impacts to say that you do feel you and other emu faculty/students have been giving students many examples of other artists and showing us what to look for in crits to build our understanding of techniques and have a better eye towards critiquing others and ask if I or others don’t feel its working maybe what ways could that be better emphasized or how do other places approach it that you felt you got more out of it? It’s really hard to suggest any ways of improvement if no one cares to listen and whatever you say will either be blown off with anger or frustration. If there is continually a bad turn out for design events, why not ask students, in a non-offensive manner, why they don’t go to these things and what it would take for them to go? Not every comment or answer has to be taken as a shot at your pride and hard work and not every answers needs to be responded with an offensive attitude. My responses were not meant as a personal attack on all faculty and students of the design department. Ryan wanted to know why people didn’t post. I was honest as to why I didn’t post much and my opinion on problems associated with it. I do apologize for it taken as personal attacks because that was not my intent. From this, it has been apparent that any ideas of improvement or insight to current problems will mostly be met offensively. I’m not sure if your frustration is really towards me for pointing things out or the fact that not many students show up to any of these events. I don’t understand how any of that will change without actually listening to students with an open mind but since Ryan said the community is slowly changing maybe you all have listened to people with an open mind and have made changes and they just haven’t had the time to show the results. I really didn’t intend to insult anyone or belittle everyone’s efforts, I was really just speaking my mind and realize now that I should have worded things in a less abrasive manner… I didn’t know I would step on so many toes…. I really am sorry for all the frustration.
I think making posts for “posts-sake” is what would ruin the idea. Lots of us (myself included) posted some off the wall things just to meet the requirement at times and in other instances, we posted nothing because we didn’t have anything to share. My point is that forcing us to do this might have been the problem. Maybe there are otherways to make us want to contribute. For example, you could have a design theme for a week where we could find information about a subject and discuss it. Also, I like the idea of using this as a tool for feedback and critique on my work more than anything. Maybe there is a way to work this angle more? Also, maybe you could invite other contacts you have made in the art community to join in so that we could interact more that way?