OUIL 401 Context of Practice - End of module evaluation

Leeds College of Art BA (Hons) ILLUSTRATION	Level	04
OUIL401 Context of Practice	Credits	20
End of Module Self Evaluation

NAME	Josh Atkinson

1.     What skills have you developed through this module and how effectively do you think you have applied them? In terms of development of my skills I am a bit sceptical on what exactly I have developed. I have at times demonstrated the ability to conduct my own research and a self constructed project but for the most part I have struggled a lot with creating my own ideas for what basis my visual work would take. I suppose I developed the skill of independent research in that respect and certainly towards the end of this module I have conducted relevant and appropriate research in order to gain materials which would help develop ideas all be it not very many of them.
2.     What approaches to/methods of research have you developed and how have they informed your practical outcomes? I have not really considered many types of methods of research but I suppose the use of internet has been the main source for me. I think this is because there are not a lot of useful sources to do with my subject of satire and caricatures in the form of books and it is a very common thing instead to find on the internet. I have found particularly towards the end where I had focused on ‘attacking’ Donald Trump that there were many aspects I could research through the internet, as it is a current event and would not be detailed in a book. Searching for caricaturists and taking inspiration from them is something that I would say has been a major factor in informing my practical outcomes. YouTube has also been a major source of my research and inspiration for the outcomes as there are many videos, which are in a way a satirical attack on Donald Trump.
3. What strengths can you identify in your work and how have/will you capitalise on these?
Like I previously stated I can’t really identify an immediate strength as such however through my later development I believe I have developed an ability to demonstrate my own satirical tone of voice just as the people I have taken inspiration from have done. As many political satirists have done they have locked down on a certain target and demonstrated their disliking to them or their policies, so in that respect I suppose I could say that especially for the theme of my project I have developed the ability or shown the strength to be able to get into the mind-set of the caricaturist and understand what there motive is, which may seem obvious but I believe there is a certain credibility to it.
4.     What weaknesses can you identify in your work and how will you address these in the future? Certainly a lack of research and informed ideas. I have constantly felt lost and not knowing what I was meant to be doing throughout this project despite getting guidance from peers and tutors. As much as I don’t like to say it I have shown a weakness of neglecting the work in this module for the work in my other modules which does mean a weakness I can identify is my commitment to the research and with that my lack of own personal development through the informed ways of thinking.
5. Identify five things that you feel will benefit you during next years Context of Practice module? ·       Plan more – Make lists, just basically do whatever I need to become more organised which will mean I shall avoid being stressed in being behind. ·       Take more inspiration through my research – I have often felt that I have not known where to go next because of my lack of research and I recognise that I should embrace the idea of being inspired and influenced by what research you do. ·       Blog more often – this way I shall be constantly reflecting on what I am doing and will move along more in my ‘journey’ of the research. This should also help with motivation and the fact of enjoying what I’m doing. ·       To try and experiment more – This is something I always identify with myself as I usually don’t think about experimenting enough, I should recognise the fact that through doing this different outcomes and ideas can be produced that otherwise would not exist. ·       Do not neglect COP – I have most of the time not been motivated with doing cop because of the other workload however I should instead recognise that it is a vital part in progressing and can actually help inform ideas with the rest of my work.
6.How would you grade yourself on the following areas: (please indicate using an ‘x’)  5= excellent, 4 = very good, 3 = good, 2 = average, 1 = poor
	1	2	3	4	5
Attendance					X
Punctuality					X
Motivation			X
Commitment		X
Quantity of work produced			X
Quality of work produced			X
Contribution to the group			X
The evaluation of your work is an important part of the assessment criteria and represents a percentage of the overall grade. It is essential that you give yourself enough time to complete your written evaluation fully and with appropriate depth and level of self-reflection. If you have any questions relating to the self-evaluation process speak to a member of staff as soon as possible.