Introduction
As a starting point and in line with my positionality and professional practice as an artist designer, it is natural for me to take a visual arts pedagogic approach and explore and communicate the initial planning for my Reflective Report.
I therefore share my processes and intentions through the form of a drawn diagram as below (Fig.1) and as inspired by Gibbs’ Reflective Cycle (1988).
Fig.1 Gibbs Reflective Cycle: Planning the Reflective Report (Kelly Harrison, 10 July 2025)
Building on the thoughts and approaches from my previous Intervention Outline post, in this report I describe the further design and evolution of my sustainable intervention which will embed intersectional social justice themes into the context of my teaching practice and beyond.
The intervention is now in two parts as per diagrams below (Fig. 2 and Fig. 3):
Fig.2 Part 1 – Drawing for Design: Mapping Diversity (Kelly Harrison, 10 July 2025)
Part 1 – Drawing for Design: Mapping Diversity (Autumn 2025)
Building on my previous Drawing for Design Lab: Community Kitchen (Feb 2025), I will develop and implement this ‘local’ creative workshop for GMD students in the Autumn term.
Note: it is my intention that this activity will form the basis of my Action Research Project and that related documentation of Part 1 will provide live case study content for potential funding applications for Part 2.
Fig.3 Part 2 – UAL: Drawing Club (Kelly Harrison, 10 July 2025)
Part 2 – UAL: Drawing Club (Spring/Summer 2026)
Building on the previous successes of UAL: Drawing Club 2022-24 at LCC (as described in my previous Intervention Outline post), in collaboration with UAL colleague Trudi Esberger I will propose a series of 6 x creative workshops across the 6 x UAL colleges. All planning, confirmation of details, completing funding applications etc will commence at the start of the Autumn term.
Intention
In What’s the Use? On the Uses of Use (2019), Sara Ahmed discusses institutional learning spaces and their inclusive and/or exclusive nature.
Ahmed states:
‘Spaces are not blank; they are shaped by histories of inclusion and exclusion. When you enter a space, you might be asked to adjust to what has already been assembled.’
It is my intention to build inclusive creative spaces, which will have a positive impact and improve overall student experience in lieu of the large, diverse, multi-national student cohorts at LCC and across wider UAL colleges. I am committed to creating a greater sense of community which I describe in further detail below.
Academic practice
As Lecturer in Communication Design on BA(Hons) Graphic and Media Design at LCC, I welcome that by undertaking the PgCert, this in turn is creating the unique opportunity for me to reflect upon and clarify my positionality in this current role at UAL – as per recent positive discussions with my line manager (Summer PRC 2025).
The intervention relates to my academic practice in such that the creative activities link to directly to core aspects of the GMD1 curriculum that I am focussed on including:
- Exploration of combined analogue and digital drawing/image-making processes
- Visual documentation and note-taking
- Observational and abstract mark making
- Mapping and diagrammatic data visualisation
- Sequential imaging and visual narrative development.
Context
The context for both parts 1 and 2 of intervention will be informed and in line with UAL Social Justice/EDI themes and related contextual criteria as below:
- Celebrate diversity and raise inclusivity
- Encourage multi-disciplinary collaboration
- Build physical and conceptual ‘safe’ spaces
- Create shared communities of practice
- Enhance student/staff awareness of UAL EDI directives
Inclusive learning
Through the intervention I will encourage students to address the importance of inclusion and inclusivity within graphic and media design, to ensure their design practice and outputs are accessible and relevant to wider audiences, while fostering a sense of belonging and understanding.
By considering diverse perspectives and a broader contextual understanding thereof, students can create increasingly positive and effective methods of visual communication to avoid exclusion and to thereby promote positive social impacts across UAL and beyond.
Rationale
Shen and Sanders (2023) state:
‘Design students are increasingly adopting multiple identities including that of a thinker, facilitator, activist and observer through engagement and collaboration with others.’
As described in my previous Intervention Outline post, the intervention will be based upon core activities: drawing and mapping diversity – celebrating identity through visual exploration of the nine protected characteristics (Equality Act, 2010).
Looking beyond the essential creative visualising activities of the designer, students will learn to observe and identify the interrelationships between themselves and their wider environments and to record and communicate diverse information with an attitude of openness, empathy, kindness and compassion – and with the notion of ‘adopting multiple identities’ and as responsible designers of the future.
Reflection
On reflection, it was the previous success of UAL: Drawing Club in its’ former iteration, that inspired my thinking when deciding on the direction for my intervention.
As described previously, I care deeply about creativity and community and my intervention is grounded in my practice and experience as an artist designer and educator in graphic media design.
As the intervention design evolves and now being a sum of two parts, I believe the value to local GMD students (Part 1) and wider UAL student communities (Part 2) will be increased.
Added value and relevance will be created as drawing and mapping diversity activities will form the basis of a sustainable series of teaching and learning sessions that:
- Clearly align with inclusive principles
- Celebrate difference
- Embed social justice through process
- Increase participation levels
- Raise visibility of diverse groups
Feedback
To recap, UAL: Drawing Club workshops concluded in summer term 2023 due to changes in mine and my colleagues’ work patterns at LCC/UAL.
Since then and in conversation with numerous peers, colleagues and students I have recieved enquiries as to whether and when UAL: Drawing Club might be revitalised and expanded.
Plus in turn, I have also welcomed positive feedback following my recent workshops including: UAL Earth Week, GMD LAB and PgCert Microteach sessions.
In combination, this positive feedback inspired me to explore further opportunities for both ‘local’ GMD activities aligned closely to my creative and pedagogic practices (Fig. 2) – and continued ‘wider’ UAL workshops linked to the creation of extended UAL communities of practice in the future (Fig.3).
Key decisions
Initial practical planning conversations with my colleague Trudi Esberger have informed key decisions around how to evolve UAL: Drawing Club. Formally based at LCC, TE now works at UAL School of Pre-degree Studies at Lime Grove.
UAL: Drawing Club was originally funded and held at LCC. It is our intention to expand this programme to become a ‘bigger and better’ version of itself, with potential for 6 x creative community building workshops to be held at all 6 x UAL colleges.
Key challenges
Key challenges and initial considerations are; funding, staffing and site logistics. Given the implications of current major structural shifts at UAL in terms of restructuring, staffing and funding – potential applications for future project funding and related activities will need to be approached in a sensitive and timely fashion.
Potential risks
Potential risks as identified are that it may not be possible, for greater reasons beyond my control as mentioned above, that revitalising and expanding UAL: Drawing Club may not be possible.
With the immediate necessity to design an intervention for the IP Unit and consequently implement an intervention as part of my ARP, it was on this basis that I decided to design interventions parts 1 and 2.
Action
Part 1 – Drawing for Design: Mapping Diversity – I propose that this workshop will follow the format of GMD LABS series and will be offered locally to GMD students in Autumn 2025, forming the basis of my ARP.
In discussion with my LM and CL at the end of the summer break, I will plan the workshop accordingly and to fit into GMD timetables. In recent discussion with my LM (summer PRC) and encouraged as per their suggestion, I will be excited to discuss my ideas with GMD YR2 tutors to explore how this workshop might best support aspects of curriculum that they are responsible for.
In the meantime, I will also continue to have discussions and work with my colleague TE to explore future development opportunities going forwards for Part 2 – UAL: Drawing Club.
On a practical level I am currently waiting to hear key announcements with regards to future UAL Teaching and Learning/EDI funding opportunities.
In recent discussion with my PgCert tutor, it was interesting to discuss potential alignment of my intervention activities with UAL’s narrative for a future iteration of the Teaching Excellence Framework in 2026/27.
I aim to maintain an awareness as the TEF roadmap evolves, with a view to exploring possible sustainable opportunities to share my intervention as a potential case study for TEF evidence gathering in the future.
Evaluation
I am excited for the possibilities my intervention might mean for my personal academic practice. In recent discussion with my LM further independent authorship and delivery of co-curricula creative activities and potential iterative development thereof will lead to furthering my skillset in line with a possible future application to senior lecturer plus as above I am interested in a level of involvement with the wider planning and preparation for UAL TEF.
I am keen to embed truly sustainable models within both parts of my intervention and it is my aim to better inform and communicate my accrued academic and professional knowledge and experience via my pedagogic practice.
A potential sustainable, circular model would be to train student facilitators e.g. UAL Arts Temps and/or alumni, to help run workshops going forwards. Exploring opportunities such as an annual UAL: Drawing Club showcase/pop-up exhibition or digital gallery will also be explored as potential outward-facing events to increase uptake and raise inclusivity and visibility.
In conclusion it is my aim that the intervention proposals for my ARP will celebrate and communicate UAL’s inclusive, diverse and distinctive approaches to creative education and its positive impacts on student experience and outcomes.
Thank you for reading.
Reference
Gibbs G. Gibbs’ Reflective Cycle, Learning by Doing: A guide to teaching and learning methods (1988) Oxford: Further Education Unit, Oxford Polytechnic
Ahmed S. What’s the Use? On the uses of use (2019),Duke University Press
Shen Y. and Sanders E. Identity Discovery: Small Learning Interventions as Catalysts for Change in Design Education (2023):
Alderson, A. Is Design Still Serious about Improving Diversity (2025)
UAL: Climate, Racial and Social Justice Principals (2022)
UAL: Integrating Climate, Racial and Social Justice Principles into the Curriculum (2025)
UAL: Social Purpose Implementation Plan (2023)
UAL: Teaching Excellence Framework, Interim Assessment and Roadmap (2025)
UAL: Allan Atlee announced as Interim Pro Vice Chancellor, Education and Students (2025):
What is the Teaching Excellence Framework?
Results of the Teaching Excellence Framework, Times Higher Education (2023)
UAL Equality, Diversity and Inclusion (EDI) at LCC
UAL Funding available for LCC Equality, Diversity and Inclusion initiatives and projects
UAL Teaching and Learning Fund:
LCC Teaching and Learning Innovation Fund:
Identity Mind Map:
Drawing Diversity:
Changed Identity,Tate:
Identity Through Portraiture: The Self, National Portrait Gallery:
Expressing the Individual, National Gallery of Art: