Although the above quote is specifically addressing the technological aspects of mass media, the same sentiment can be applied to art, media and design practices as a whole.

For lecturers, and especially programme leaders, the challenges are numerous, and none of them are mutually exclusive.

In Higher Education financial pressures cannot, unfortunately, be ignored. With growing demands from all quarters to expand and revise courses 47. , programme leaders are already feeling stretched to the limit and under strain. Unless very well supported, this means that many courses remain under funded resulting in a lack of capacity to deliver the broad spectrum of curriculum that they might like.

Also, students themselves are being pressured more than ever with the top-up fees issue and fear of student debt. This means, quite rightly, that they are now going to be even more selective about the courses they apply for; especially if they are paying for the privilege. Courses must now appeal to a wider audience and cater and support them throughout, which means that existing courses have to become more inclusive and welcoming. Subject tutors will have to be more flexible to work with different types of students, which is a good thing, and to respond to the new various ways of working that they will bring with them.

In many ways, the future challenges of art, media and design education are parallel somewhat in the commercial world. Namely that the galleries, channels, press and popular opinion deem what is good or bad product, and the artist either has to convince them appropriately to gain popular approval, or carry on regardless and prove everyone wrong. To gain popular opinion may be worthy, but it is still safe. If this argument is seen through to the end, maybe art educators actually want their students to have the "carry on regardless" attitude as at least they have the courage of their convictions. (It is now my turn to use a cliché) - the only way to truly learn is to learn by your mistakes and by experience. The "stubborn" student may then go on to produce a very accomplished piece of work, or alternatively, the project may fall flat on its face and the result not work at all. In either eventuality the tutor must be present to either give added support, guidance, other ideas, or and the project failed, to keep the student inspired, enthusiastic and focused.

For the student centred approach, the challenges faced by tutors were outlined on the previous page. Although this is a high romantic idealistic notion of education, it is one that I and many of my colleagues are reluctant to get rid of. We know it is our job to question students, disagree with them, challenge them, and when necessary, even argue with them. (God help-us the day students realise that is their job also.) But I don't mean the relationship between tutor and student should be a battle - I sincerely don't. For students to produce work that we aspire for them, which contains their individual 'voice', 'opinions', 'emotions', 'soul', 'confidence', and even their 'danger', what they need for that type of work is undoubtedly 'passion'. And where there is passion, there is often energy, excitement, conflict, anger, and conviction, which can make for the most powerful art and media work in existence.

I am not advocating that students should be arrogant and blatantly ignore what we tell them, as we are there to help them, but a student who doesn't care about his/her grades is arguably the most dangerous of them all, and sometimes the student with the most 'interesting' and challenging pieces of work in the end of year show. If a student can be confident enough to defend their work and ideas to a tutor, and win, then they are one step closer to convincing future employees, curators, commissioning editors and even funders, to invest in their work. As with all things this negotiation is a tightrope walk, but surely part of the fun is the falling off and trying again.

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What we must not forget as educators, however, is that the majority of our students have been walking a tightrope since the day they started school, and now being in an art, media or design course is the first time they have felt on safe ground. It is no secret that our discipline attracts many people from the fringes of the mainstream. That is an established tradition, (and also another research study.) We cannot, and should not knock away their sense of ambition and enthusiasm, but we need to make sure they will survive the fall if it all went wrong. That is what tutorials are for.