Question:
> When I first thought of covering this idea, I wrote in the proposal that the Little Black Dress was the Fashion & Textile equivalent of the bowl of fruit. Admittedly that's down to my own misconceptions of what Fashion & Textiles is and how it's approached. Since then I've come to understand that it actually isn't seen in that way at all. That for a student to want to work with the little black dress idea they would have to be very strong, but it would be enthusiastically encouraged and isn't a taboo area at all. Can you tell me more about that?

Fashion & Textiles Lecturer (FTL):
>> Absolutely! The design of something that is understated is a real challenge and would be great. I think the little black dress is a good example because I think that a student would hopefully get to that level by the end of their third year at degree level. You'd want them to engage in that kind of subtlety because it's about cut and silhouette and the real refinement of a skill and an eye. So it is very sophisticated, to make a difference between one little black dress and another, to keep on doing that season after season is a huge challenge."

"Also I think students steer away from it as it's about educating their eye to appreciate the subtleties and refinement of it. Very often students come in and they think being original is all about being wild and and really outlandish, and that's why they go for Vivian Westwood and Julian Macdonald and almost like costume like clothing with fashion, and you sometimes have to try and steer them away from that."

"If students are pushing and challenges themselves in new ways then more often than not the results are much more engaging, if it tends to be a bit more rough around the edges, which you're more willing to accept than if they're churning out the same kinds of work all the time. If they've taken a plunge and gone down a route that is new to them and jumped into the unknown, I think there's got to be credit given for that, and the assessment criteria does support that. So the final result might be slightly less refined than a student who might have done embroidery or sewing which they may have done since they were seven or eight, but ultimately I think students should continue challenging themselves, especially in the process of how they approach their work. I think some students are quite able to produce work that is quite glossy and slick, but is ultimately style over content. I think tutors are really good at seeing that. Even if they might be seduced by it when they first come on the course, I think tutors are really good at picking their way through that and spotting the weaknesses."

Q:
>You mentioned assessment criteria. You can tell about the relationship between the set criteria and student freedom?

FTL:
>>"I've got mixed feelings about assessment criteria actually. Sometimes they can be dangerous. Of course you need assessment criteria because you need some marker to measure the work against, but I think some students get fixated by the criteria and it can limit their potential and creativity because they're so fixated by ticking boxes they become too self conscious and won't jump into that journey of discovery, and worry too much about what grade they'll be given. With the criteria the difficulty comes when measuring process, as it can get quite subjective and become about the relationship between the tutor and the student. How do you measure that in a written criteria. It's very difficult to come up with a really impartial way of assessing students work. You have to work with assessment criteria in a very detailed way, as if a student came back and queried their grade, you should be able to quite clearly explain against all the markers."

"I think part of what design education is about, is about training and asking students to develop a way of working that can sustain them throughout their working life. Creative people can run dry and can't always pull it out of the bag, that does happen, so it's essential that they have a process that they can rely on when you need to. It's part of professional practice. Design education is about seeing the potential in students, but also getting them to understand and acknowledge the process in what they do. It's almost like a work ethic. Helping them to understand their own work ethic, and more importantly, to value it."

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