OpenStudio was created for the Open University course 'T189 Digital Photography: creating and sharing better images', and continues to be used in the current version TG089 run in partnership with the Royal Photographic Society. I will discuss the pedagogy of the course, the role of OpenStudio within it, and how OpenStudio is perceived by students.
OpenStudio and Digital Photography: creating and sharing better images
1. OpenStudio and Digital Photography:
creating and sharing better images
Jon Rosewell
eLearning Community, 18 Sept 2019
2. How do you ‘teach’ photography?
• Visual awareness
• Technical aspects
• Digital darkroom skills
• Practice
• Assessment
2
3. How do you ‘teach’ photography at a distance?
• Visual awareness
• Technical aspects
• Digital darkroom skills
• Practice
• Assessment
3
4. How do you ‘teach’ photography at a distance?
• Visual awareness
– OpenStudio
• Technical aspects
– Web pages
• Digital darkroom skills
– Video tutorials
• Practice
– Taking photos to a brief
• Assessment
– Panel of photos plus written 4
5. Course components
• 10 weeks, 100 hours
• Online: 10 weekly lessons
– Virtual camera and other interactives
– Weekly ‘briefs’
• OpenStudio
• Video tutorials
• Forums with ‘mods’ – who are photographic experts
• Assessment:
– mid-course iCMA
– EMA (60% panel of 10 images, 40% written; personalised feedback on images) 5
6. Past, present, future…
• T189
– 10-pt short course
– Part of Relevant Knowledge Programme
– 2007-2013; 14,650 students
• TG089
– Partnership with Royal Photographic Society
– Non-accredited short course
– 2015-2020; ~2,500 students
• Future ???
– 10-pt microcredential (not a MOOC)
– 2020- ???
6
7. Developing your visual awareness
• Taking photographs
• Looking at your own and others’ images
• Commenting on or critiquing images
• You will learn
– To discuss images knowledgably
– Articulate aspects of visual awareness (composition, colour…)
– Articulate aspects of technical quality (exposure, focus…)
• Develop your own judgement of ‘good’ photographs
7
17. Student expectations
• “The major weakness of the course is that there is no feedback at all
from a professional/experienced photographer about your work until
the final week's photographs. This is far too little and too late.”
• “I felt a little ripped off in the end with this module to be honest. The
lack of direct contact from a tutor left me thinking why on earth was I
paying nearly £200 for a course that I could of got the same
information and probably more feedback for free online.”
18. Good reviews
• An outstanding course. When I started I thought I was quite a good
photographer, but I am now much better. I have a greater understanding of
the technicalities involved in photography and through viewing and
commenting on fellow students' work and receiving their comments I have
developed greater awareness of what makes a good photograph.
• I thoroughly enjoyed the course. I loved looking at the other students work
in Open Studios and feeling I could comment on them. Receiving their
comments was a great help as I found I had overlooked various aspects in
my photos. I found some of the technical parts difficult to grasp and some
Photoshop techniques seemed beyond me at first but other students were
there to help.
19. Social learning: forums
19
Total posts Students
Posts
per student
16C 2512 196 12.8
16J 2921 334 8.7
17C 2304 269 8.6
17J 2376 340 7.0
18C 2238 281 8.0
18J 4647 404 11.5
19C 1825 252 7.2
Total 18823 2076 9.1
TM129 12504 6654 1.9
20. Social learning: beyond the course
• Flickr: T189 past, present & future
– From 2007
– 900 members
– 55,000 photos
– 1100 discussions
• Facebook
• Colour groups and Meetups
20
“I notice that some students from the current presentation
have joined the original TG089 Facebook page – seems to
be turning into a very lively and helpful forum – just what
self-help groups are all about ”
OpenStudio was created for T189 Digital Photography: creating and sharing better images, and continues to be used in the current version TG089. I will discuss the pedagogy of the course, the role of OpenStudio within it, and how OpenStudio is perceived by students.
Traditional approaches:
-- apprenticeship sitting at feet of expert
-- in a studio
Visual awareness – photographic ‘eye, ‘seeing’
Challenge to give quality at distance, online
-- large numbers
-- unpredictable numbers
Traditional approaches:
-- apprenticeship sitting at feet of expert
-- in a studio
Visual awareness – photographic ‘eye, ‘seeing’
Challenge to give quality at distance, online
-- large numbers
-- unpredictable numbers
Technical aspects – exposure, focus, digital storage
-- trad distance teaching but online with high degree of interactivity
Digital darkroom skills – editing images
-- video tutorials
Visual awareness
-- open studio
-- students to see images, to critique images, to learn to articulate visual aspects
Assessment
-- weekly (non-assessed) photo briefs
-- panel of images for judging, plus written which reinforces ability to talk about images
Relevant knowledge model
-- know about technology to use it better
-- practical focus: build/do/produce and have something to show
‘Seeing’, ‘photographic eye’
The website will teach you some of the theory of photography, which you can put into practice in the weekly photo assignments, and the video tutorials will introduce you to the skills of the ‘digital darkroom’. You may be wondering how we can teach you to develop your ‘seeing’ or ‘photographic eye’ – the essence of photographic skill.
In this course, you will develop as a photographer by creating and sharing images. Developing your ‘seeing’ is done by a combination of things: taking photographs (particularly to a brief), looking at your own and other people’s images, and commenting on or ‘critiquing’ images. The weekly photo assignments are the starting point for this: each week you are asked to take some photos on a theme, share them in OpenStudio and comment on others’ images.
Although as a beginner you may feel you don’t know enough to comment on others’ images, we will help you to gain that confidence. As you study the course, you will learn how to discuss images knowledgeably, being able to talk about aspects of visual awareness (such as composition and use of colour) and aspects of technical quality (such as exposure and focus). By sharing your own images, you will also find out what others see in your own work, and receive constructive comment on how you might improve them. By making comments on images, you will develop your own judgement of what makes a ‘good’ photograph. Towards the end of the course, you will be able to listen to an expert assessor judging sets of photos, and have the opportunity to do the same yourself. Developing your abilities in this way will help you to create good images.
Original stand-alone version
Image of the day
Jamie Daniels – OU developer
Groups:
-- small – 10 students
-- dynamic, changed each week
-- formed from those who recently uploaded, so active
Also able to see all images
Reflects Kolb learning cycle
Kolb implies expert feedback
For peer review, act of giving feedback is as important as receiving
Both should engender reflection
High number of posting
Also commenting and liking – but decreasing over time?
Comments decreasing over time – probably students changing
Early presentations only possible via RPS since course not findable at OU
Had a couple of cohorts of very good/keen photographers
Now a little easier, so maybe students have changed?
Do ‘like’ buttons let students skimp on commenting? Should they be removed?
Different activities on OS – by slot/image or by people
Viewing clearly biggest, then commenting
Next are like/other icons
Following and tracking very low – people want to do this but can’t work out how
End of course survey, uses old SEaM questions
Generally positive but
-- dissatisfaction with student support ‘no expert feedback’
-- course met expectations low for same reason
-- assessment low because of timing – have submitted, but not got feedback – always very positive later
OS questions – as used in Elaine’s project
Mainly enjoyed, some students unconvinced about learning
From T189 but could be from current version – nothing changed!
Forums are busy – lots of posting, lots to read ~200 posts per week
TM129 as comparison quieter (but doesn’t include tutor groups; longer course)
Flickr group long-running, had monthly competitions for >10 years
Activity moved now to Facebook
Colour groups – students want to know who are in same group, set up colour threads on forums
Many messages re meeting up, some happen, not quantified