Curriculum Information

Document Version

QAA Benchmarks

Educational Aim

Learning Outcomes

Course Structure

Level 4 Modules

Level 5 Modules

Teaching and Assessment

Learning and Teaching Methods

Employer Engagement

Visiting Speakers 

We have active contacts with Welsh artists and curators who already engage with students as visiting speakers providing overviews of their practices, delivering one to one tutorials and group workshops. We have active and developing links with the engagement officer at The National Museum & Gallery of Wales who is keen to continue delivering workshops and enabling students to engage with the national collection. We have links with the Cyfarthfa Trust and are in talks to engage students in the castle’s bicentenary and the Contemporary Art Gallery of Wales if successful in its bid for the castle. We have contact with Criw Celf who deliver local workshops and offer opportunities for students to assist artists in delivering workshop. 

Current Links with Industry: 

• Cwm Taf Hospital (Prince Charles Hospital) have agreed to discuss opportunities for placement in April 2024 

• Cyfarthfa Castle / Merthyr Heritage Trust have agreed to work with students for placement opportunities 

• The National Museum of Wales (St. Fagans & Cardiff Museum & Gallery) have agreed to work with students for placement. 

Industry Projects 

Projects already in action that will transfer to the new course include the interpretation project looking at the Welsh national collection of artworks and the Cyfarthfa Bicentenary. We also aim to build contacts with Cwm Taff Morgannwg Hospitals, SE Wales Digital studios / companies, and the Merthyr Heritage Trust to develop industry projects. 

Industry Visits 

Visits will include galleries and museum and affiliated organisation and local hospitals to develop projects. 

Volunteering 

All opportunities and industry located projects developed will be voluntary. There will be further opportunity to volunteer through Crew Celf, the National Museum and Galleries of Wales at all locations, Cyfarthfa Trust and the Merthyr Heritage Trust. Other contacts and links will be sought to widen the scope of projects and volunteering opportunities to further student understanding of the avenues their studies can lead to.  

Fieldwork 

N/A 

Fieldtrips 

Field trips will be local (Cyfarthfa, PCH, Red House, local industry specialist, etc), national (Cardiff Museum and Chapter, G39, BBC Cymru; London museums and galleries) and international (annual European trips, Taith funded international projects such as YMA / IMA in Japan. There will also be opportunities for field trips to smaller galleries where students exhibit their own work in Merthyr Tydfil and Cardiff. As well as field trips to make work such as landscape workshops, visits to the drama department to sketch dance classes and rehearsals, etc. These will be during timetabled sessions with the exception of the overnight stay to London. Students with responsibilities that disallow them to attend overnight trips outside of timetable will be given alternative trips to attend in the locality, for example, Cyfarthfa Castle and Cardiff Museum. 

Work Placements or Internships 

N/A 

Work-based Learning 

Opportunities with the organisations described above enable work-based learning through which students will work closely with organisations outside the college giving them authentic, structured opportunities for learning in a workplace setting. These opportunities will be not paid. 

Sandwich Years 

N/A 

Employer Forums 

N/A 

Other 

N/A 

Means of Assessment

Project Output, Practical Courswork, oral assessment, Visual Journal, Literature/Book/Paper Review, Research Plan, Proposal, Project

Learning Support

Induction 

The first week of study each academic year is an induction week. This will include a face-to-face induction with the course tutor and workshops to familiarise students with the classroom and learning environment and bond with tutor and peers. Additionally, there will be face to face college wide inductions to all facilities which all peer groups are booked onto and attend. Finally, there are online inductions enabling students to further familiarise themselves with the college, their course and department, learning how their course will be delivered and learn all about the support, enrichment opportunities and resources on offer. 

Personal Academic Coach1 

In line with USW procedures, all new students will be given a Personal Academic Coach (PAC) who can help plan personal, academic and professional development. This will be one of the teaching staff on the course. The PAC will support overall progress, rather than focussing on individual assignments or modules, directing students to where they can seek assistance for financial, health or other issues. On being allocated their PAC, students will have an induction at an individual 20-minute meeting, further meetings with the PAC will be given toward the end of Autumn and Spring Terms. These meetings give the student the opportunity to discuss any general issues, academic progress, course engagement and career aspirations. A plan of action to maximise potential can be made and agreed upon.  

Learner Analytics  

Measuring and collecting data about learners and their learning is done with the aim of improving and maximising their potential on the course. Data is collected and assessed through each students’ digital footprints left when they use the college’s virtual learning environment and combined with progress, grades and past academic history. Staff also make use of continuous monitoring and the EBS system to collect and analyse data in order to identify problems before they adversely affect a students’ achievements. 

Data collection is made in line with Jisc using “data about students and their activities to help institutions understand and improve educational processes, and provide better support to learners” and will be used to develop personalised learning paths, adaptive learning, personalised feedback, and intelligent e-tutoring, etc. 

Office hours 

Lecturers have an open office policy and are available when not teaching between hours of 08.30 and 16.30. 

Access to Support 

ALN & ALP at HE level in The College Merthyr Tydfil 

“The College Merthyr Tydfil is committed to providing an environment that promotes equality and inclusion for all students capable of succeeding on their chosen course. We welcome students with additional learning needs and endeavour to make every effort to identify and remove barriers to their learning. We refuse to tolerate discriminatory behaviour based on disability and aim to create equal opportunities for all students enabling them to achieve their very best.” 

To meet this statement TCMT provide Learning Coaches who deliver workshops and provide hints and tips to break down assignments, search for information and meet deadlines.  Learning Coaches can help with use of assistive technology and work as part of a whole setting approach to maximise the potential of all learners. Learning coaches are also available for small group or one-to-one support in these areas.  

Additional Learning Provision (ALP), including: 

• Collaborative working with external agencies to ensure specific needs are met (for example health or social care)  

• Individual Development Plans (IDPs) working with the young person and others that support them.   

• Specialist support, for example additional support for specific learning difficulties (led by some Learning Coaches with Level 7 qualifications as required)   

• Targeted support from a Learning Coach working on identified areas of need, this support can also be overseen by a member of the team with a Level 7 qualification in a particular area where required. 

Students are therefore supported through: 

• Individual Learning Plans and one-page profiles that direct learners, tutors and support workers in how best to enable the learner to learn and achieve results. Information may include, the learner’s learning style and individual preferences, what works for them and what does not. 

• Specialist support staff provide tailored support to ALN students, working closely with tutors to adapt teaching methods, provide extra help with learning tasks, and facilitate access to assistive technology or other resources.  

• Tutors adapt their teaching methods and curriculum delivery to accommodate the varying abilities and learning styles of ALN students as reported in one-page profiles developing, for example, alternative teaching approaches such as the unessay and vlog, providing additional explanations or repetitions of instructions in spoken and written forms, and offering alternative assessments to demonstrate learning. Tutors are open to student suggestions as long as the end result meets learning outcomes and demonstrates knowledge. 

• As HE students, there is the additional support, Disabled Students Allowance (DSA), applied for through Student Finance Wales and The department has a track record of collaboration with external agencies such as educational psychologists, health professionals, and social services, with regular communication and joint planning to help ensure that students' needs are understood and addressed comprehensively. 

• Supporting learners with their mental health and wellbeing is a priority for the college. We aim to empower learners and staff to be aware of issues around their own and others wellbeing and mental health, to put actions in place to address them, and to create an open and inclusive college ethos which includes respect for mental health issues. We will encourage and support learners to take ownership of their wellbeing through providing access to wellbeing courses and self - directed learning resources. 

https://www.merthyr.ac.uk/en/aln/support-at-he-level/  

For students without access an IT device or struggling with a suitable internet platform at home, they can complete the Digital Access Survey and the IT team will be able to provide support such as laptops and internet access.  

Resources 

The College Building is 10 years old this year, but still feels new. The building is described as state of the art built to embrace 21st Century technology and practices. 

The fourth floor was built as the art department, with custom designed teaching rooms, print room, ceramic workshop, photography and life-drawing studio, darkrooms, a gallery, and studio spaces. 

Photography 

We have the equipment and space for digital and analogue photography. Students can book out the studio to create or photograph work. We have a selection of backdrops and a professional lighting rig. 

The studio doubles as a life drawing room with curtained changing room, curtained off doors and windows and lighting suitable to create dramatic distinctions between dark and light. 

Lily O’Connell has specialist skills in studio and darkroom practices. We have facilities for dry-point etching, digital and hand created screen printing, lino, collagraph, and woodblock printing. 

Art 

Fully equipped for all traditional forms of art making. 

Ceramics 

Our ceramic rooms have facilities for hand-building, throwing, firing, glazing, and plaster work. 

Departmental IT 

We have a computer suite with full programme access for all disciplines listed in the proposal, Adobe Suite (Illustrator, PhotoShop, Character Animation), plus Toonboom, Harmony, Digicell, Flipbook, Maya. 

Mac and PC suits, access to macbooks, ipads, drawing tablets, high quality scanners, A4-A0 photographic quality printers, projectors, speakers. 

Studios 

One of our unique selling points is that students get their own 8x4 feet studio space for the whole of the course, using it to make and exhibit work. These spaces generate a sense of ownership for students, and somewhere to retreat. There is a real sense of community and the feel of the artist studio in these teaching rooms. 

Gallery 

Another built in facility within the department is the gallery space, clean white walls, room for plinths and floor standing works and moveable lighting. We use this space for end of year shows, presentations, and visiting artist exhibitions. Students can test out works, and when available, module outcomes can be professionally presented for assessment. Students take ownership of any exhibitions, giving them real-world experience in organising art events and working as a team.  

Aside from the gallery, the corridors have white walls and TV screens to extend the exhibition spaces, allowing for whole department end of year shows, and the display of digital work such as animation, photography, and film. 

Another strong point is staff, technicians, and student teachers giving workshops on subjects they are personally skilled in. This academic year we have been running a series of book binding and zine making workshops for all levels, bringing together younger and older students, to extend knowledge and bond with one another, again generating a cross-level sense of community. 

Other bonding exercises are found in whole departmental trips. We have an annual timetable of regular trips, an initial all levels visit to Bristol’s museum and galleries at the start of the year. 

An overnight level 4 and 5 trip to London to visit the Tate and National Gallery. 

An all levels trip to London in the summer term. 

There have been foreign trips but take up in recent years has been low partially due to post-Covid anxiety and partly due to lack of money. We gauge interest every year and hope to take all level students abroad next academic year. 

Closer to home, we have a track record of working with the Red House Gallery and are timetabled into their annual schedule so that students can exhibit their works as part of Professional Practice. 

Tutorials 

Tutorials can be practical and academic and will be a regular learning practice on the course. They will be delivered in several forms: one to one tutorials with the tutor. These will be done early in a module to ensure the student understands what is expected of them, that they know how to start, and have some initial ideas. A further one to one tutorial will be given later in the module to check progress and ensure the student is meeting all learning requirements. At both tutorials, development and learning plans will be made to help direct the student. 

Peer review tutorials, on a one to one or small group basis, are also an essential learning tool for the course, enabling students to formatively assess one another’s work using the Learning Outcomes and Marking Criteria giving them opportunities to familiarise themselves with the key assessment components of the modules as well as developing their skills in discussion and critique. 

Group tutorial can include whole classes and ask students to present their work to an audience, describe processes and ideas, self-evaluate and answer questions about their work. These tutorials develop the confidence to talk publicly. These tutorials can be in-person, pre-prepared and recorded, or online. 

Template forms adapted for each module and tutorial type will be used to document the events. Group presentations can also be audio/visual recorded.  

Seminars 

Weekly seminars will follow lectures, allowing the class to respond to learning and work on assignments in less formal conditions with the tutor on hand to assist on a one to one or group basis. They will consist of varied learning styles and delivery of information and provide opportunity for students to build understanding collaboratively. 

Formative Assessment 

Formative assessment is ongoing and provided through lectures, seminars, tutorials, one to one support. Each meeting enables the student to develop understanding improve their own performance. Forms of formative assessment might include: low-stake work groups, quizzes, Q&A, recapping, short writing assignments, paired and group discussion, peer reviews, concept (mind) mapping, self-assessment and reflection, feedback forms, exit tickets. All of these will be applied throughout the year at least once, with some of the more in-depth forms before used as regular forms of learning.  

Progress meetings 

Formal progress meetings will occur on a one-to-one basis termly. Summative feedback will also be delivered for all modules on a one-to-one basis after each module. Feedback will be written on templates for each module and the tutor will talk through the areas where students have done well and less well. Where necessary, if tutors feel a student is at risk, they will seek to have more regular progress meetings with them and, if necessary, appoint further assistance depending on the nature of their problem (struggles with learning, mental health issues, etc) 

Research Supervision 

N/A 

Online Resources 

All course materials are available on Teams for every module including brief, resources, research imagery, links, etc. All students have access to Teams and an induction to familiarise themselves with the platform. 

Advice Zone 

Access to learner and wellbeing support both at campus and on-line, include: Career advice and guidance, Mental health and wellbeing, Advice on financial issues, Confidential counselling advice, Study skills support and Learning coach support. These services can be accessed by all students offering a framework of support to develop your study skills, independent learning, motivation and resilience 

Disability  

Our experience working with neuro-divergent students and students with physical disabilities has given us the confidence to work with all learners. 

 The learning environment promotes equality and inclusion for all students maximising the potential for them to succeed on their chosen course. There are facilities and support staff for students with additional learning needs and we make every effort to identify and remove all barriers to learning. We refuse to tolerate discriminatory behaviour based on disability and aim to create equal opportunities for all students enabling them to achieve their very best.  Aside from the staff and technician, students can assess Learning Coaches to help break down assignments, search for information and meet deadlines. They have training in the use of assistive technology and work as part of a whole setting approach to maximise the potential of all learners. Learning coaches are also available for small group or one to one support in these areas.  

We also provide Additional Learning Provision (ALP) and work with outside agencies such as health and social care support workers to ensure specific needs are met. We can develop Individual Development Plans (IDPs) working with the student and others that support them. WE can offer specialist support, for example additional support for specific learning difficulties and offer targeted support with Learning Coaches who are able to work on identified areas of need. 

IT/Library 

IT 

Induction: Digital Access Survey online ensure those students who need to borrow equipment can do so. 

Setting up of IT account, access to log in, Teams, email, etc. 

Overview of college app. 

Introduction to Microsoft Teams. 

Library 

Induction to the library is booked for all students introducing them to books and shelving system as well as the digital recourse collection and wide university resources held by USW.  

IT and Library staff operate an open-door system of support and are available during college hours to assist students when needed. 

Course Exit Points

Progression Route

University of South Wales 

• BA (Hons) Creative and Therapeutic Arts 

• BA (Hons) Animation (2D and Stop Motion) 

• BA (Hons) Computer Animation 

• BA (Hons) Game Art 

• BA (Hons) Illustration 

• BA (Hons) Photography 

Entry Requirements

Admission to the course is typically through the following qualifications:

A level – DD 

A level + Welsh Bach - DE + WB 

UAL – M or High P 

GCSE requirements – 3 GCSEs at grade C including Maths and English Language or equivalent 

Clearing – A level DE; BTEC MP 

Access to HE – Diploma with 45 level 3 credits (all Passes)

Inclusive Curriculum Statement

The University of South Wales operates a policy of inclusive learning, teaching and assessment to ensure that all students have an equal opportunity to fulfil their educational potential. Course teams will have considered ways of designing out any potentially disadvantageous element of courses during the course design process. However some specific needs may remain, details about how to apply to have your needs assessed can be found at: http://unilife.southwales.ac.uk/pages/3040-disability-and-dyslexia-service/

Addendum for Delivery at a Partner Institution

N/A