 I am writing a paper for this conference coming up in November 2025
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My project aims to improve students' meeting module learning outcomes through the quality of their submissions, particularly concerning illustration research methods.
I initially explored the potential benefits of play in Higher Education, and gamification and later as my project developed looked at the benefits of working with students to co-create resources in the form of reference cards. The reference cards were intended to be used as a teaching resource in both group and individual tutorial settings to elicit discussion, encourage reflections, and communicate their understanding of illustration research methods they use in their work and evidence this appropriately within their submitted work. 
'If educators understand how to apply gamification to a gamified pedagogy, students may become more engaged, motivated, and better learners.' (Han, 2015) Illustration Research Methods
Here below I outline why Research Methods can often be difficult to articulate and how students often misunderstand what constitutes appropriate research methods in illustration. Within Illustration selecting appropriate research methods can prove particularly challenging for students, as research methods are highly individual and can be wide-ranging. In 2021 I attended a conference that specifically addressed research methods in this field. The conference ‘Research Methods in Education and Illustration: Models, Methods, Paradigms', was the 11th Illustration Research Symposium and took place in February 2021. It coincided with a book ‘Illustration Research Methods that addressed the continual shifting of the illustration industry and how educators have to adapt 'to foster this ambition in such a way that can translate and have application within an increasingly precarious professional environment' (Fauchon & Gannon, 2018) Research methods in illustration can be wholly different for each project which is one of the key reasons illustration students often lack confidence about what constitutes ‘good’ research for their projects.
'With discipline-specific critical discourse in its infancy, the methods used by illustrators have never been formally framed in academic language. The absence of a common framework leaves little precedence in guiding discussions of how illustration methods might function and perform.’ (Gannon & Fauchon, 2021) We as lecturers often discuss with students our research methods for projects and they often ask to look at previous cohorts’ sketchbooks to see how they have researched their projects. The benefit of a resource that shares previous cohort work can be beneficial. Indeed, for the Academic and Professional Practice module for this PgCert, it was helpful to read through previous students' e-folio submissions.
'Within illustration, the term ‘research’ is used to describe many forms of investigative and interpretative practices. These methods can initially appear disparate or unrelated, for example, the following can all be described as forms of research: internet searches, reading, annotating, conducting fieldwork, creative experimenting, testing materials, interviewing, discussing ideas and so forth. This can leave the process of research elusive and encourage the common misconception of research being separate from the overall creative project. This is not so. Research is ingrained within the creative process.' (Gannon & Fauchon, 2021) The elusiveness in research methods' appropriateness for students’ projects can make students lack confidence about whether the way they are working is meeting Learning Objectives. Referring to Sketchbooks can often be hard to decipher as Fauchon and Gannon state:
'While there are so often recurring themes and ways of working within an illustration practice, the illustrator’s methodology is often tailored and performed ad hoc to suit individual projects. Methods are always context-specific and must be relevant to the task at hand. Familiar approaches may be tweaked or combined to create inventive multi-methods in direct response to the circumstances and situations the illustrator finds themself in.' (Gannon & Fauchon, 2021) After further research into games themed around the field of illustration, I discovered ‘Go Freelance!’ an illustrated playable board game designed by Todd Klein, and illustrated by Shawn Mcmanus about ‘making it’ as a professional freelance artist/illustrator. The game focuses on three categories: Skill, Fame and Income. Although not specifically designed to be used in Higher Education setting, this game is a good example created by illustrators that would appeal to illustration students, and they each offer educational elements related to the illustration industry and involve very simple game mechanics that imparts useful information, facts, industry terms as you progress through the game.
Art historian and assistant Professor of Illustration at Rhode Island School of Design Jaleen Grove created ‘The Illustration Game’ which was originally published in Communication Arts magazine (2019) as an artwork that critically evaluates and satirises the illustration industry from 1959-2019. Grove was one of the editors of ‘History of Illustration’ the first significant book on the topic of illustration providing an expansive global overview of illustration practices. I contacted her to ask if she knew of any other games related to illustration, but she wasn’t aware of others specifically focused on illustration.  BIBLIOGRAPHY related to Illustration Research Methods, Gamification, Qualitative Research
- Patton, Ryan M., Games That Art Educators Play: Games in the Historical and Cultural Context of Art Education, Studies in Art Education , SPRING 2014, Vol. 55, No. 3, pp. 241- 252 Laurie E. Hicks, Infinite and Finite Games: Play and Visual Culture, Studies in Art Education, Summer, 2004, Vol. 45, No. 4, pp. 285-297 Barrett, E. (2007) Experiential Learning in Practice as Research: Context, Method, Knowledge, Journal of Visual Art Practice, Vol 6, No 2, pp. 115-124, Intellect, Bristol, UK Candy L, Theory and Practice in Creative Practitioner Research, Unpublished paper based on Keynote Talk to DESIRE2011 conference Eindhoven NL Amy Burge, Maria Grade Godinho, Miesbeth Knottenbelt & Daphne Loads (2016) ‘ … But we are academics!’ a reflection on using arts-based research activities with university colleagues, Teaching in Higher Education, 21:6, 730-737, Method Meets Art Artistic Research Methodology The Creative Role of Research Visualising Research
from Visualising Research/ chapter 4 Crossing the terrain: establishing appropriate research methodologies, p110-133
To co-create a playable card game with students that focuses on creative research methods. The basic idea behind this game/resource is to encourage conversations around research methods within illustration. Below is an example card which relates to research in narrative and sequential illustration and depicts a source text within sequential illustration module. A discussion with my mentor (Jackie Batey) led to the idea of the game being co-created by students. Students will be tasked with writing and illustrating their own card based on an authentic method they employ in their own research for the module- to be included in an ever expanding game. Duplicate cards are okay. The game could be played in tutorials. Any cards they create can be discussed and evaluated in tutorials, and edited/rewritten to suit. The students are depicting an actual scenario they actively take part in as part of their research.   I am looking at research with a focus in research methods in illustration. "This thesis represents a practice-led enquiry into contemporary illustration from a UK perspective. This thesis argues for illustration to be recognised as an inductive practice-led research process, within both education and developing criticism. The methods and methodological discussion to support this are derived from the practical aspect of the enquiry."  During week 2 of RIT we looked at how impact across the University is measured. We discussed REF/TEF/KEF which I knew very little about so I accessed the REF 2021 impact case studies, in particular 32 - Art and Design: History, Practice and Theory, and the impact of of Dr. Jacey Batey' s research at University of Portsmouth. CONTEMPORARY CREATIVE PRACTICE RESEARCH: SECURING THE FUTURE FOR ‘ART-ZINES’ " Dr Jackie Batey’s internationally recognized art-illustration practice-based research has influenced the development of independently-published artists’ books and ‘art-zines’ as distinctive creative forms, shaped institutional approaches to their acquisition and preservation and widened accessibility to these ephemeral forms of creative practice. Batey’s renowned creative practice research consists of an extensive 20-year corpus of independently-published artists’ books and art-zines. Her construction of a field-defining digital research and dissemination platform for art-zines (181,189 website/blog visits) has increased participation and visibility of non-academic artists. Batey’s research led directly to curatorial engagement with world-leading institutions and significantly influenced the scope of permanent collections of 89 national and international museums, archives and art institutions, forming an important new historical record and resource." Read the case study below:  Stats for the University of Portsmouth/ Illustration:
This is an important text related to research in art and design subjects by Christopher Frayling. Cited in Illustration Research Methods. 
"Dr. Jackie Batey is a practice-based researcher who creates artists' books and zines under the brand Damp Flat Books. Her serial zine Future Fantasteek! (ISSN 2399-3022) visually explores anxiety through satirical social commentary. She created the University's Zineopolis art-zine collection and has transitioned from illustrator to academic practitioner-researcher via a practice-based PhD. Batey has sought to extend the academic rigor in the field of illustration by showing how this practice can have its own agency. Her research methods include drawing and creating visual narratives to engage in social issues." I asked Jackey if she would be my mentor for the Research Informed Teaching module for my teaching innovation.  "Launched in 2006 and last revised in 2011, the Professional Standards Framework for teaching and supporting learning in higher education (PSF) has global recognition for raising the profile of teaching and learning in higher education. The PSF’s contribution to reward and recognition is unsurpassed, being used by individuals, institutions and national bodies. Fully revised and streamlined, the PSF 2023 emphasises effectiveness and impact, inclusion and context, as fundamental aspects of practice."  ''There is an increasing recognition of the need for students across many disciplines to acquire competence in research methods and statistics. This is often referred to as statistical literacy, defined by Gal (2005, p. 70) as “the ability to interpret, critically evaluate, and communicate about statistical information and messages”. Nikiforidou, Lekka, and Pange (2010, p. 798) also acknowledged the importance of statistical literacy as requiring consideration of the “the synergy of content, pedagogy and technology”.
1.1. Difficulties and misconceptions However, acquiring methodological and statistical expertise poses significant challenges for many students (Tishkovskaya & Lancaster, 2010). The material is challenging because it is highly abstract and requires the consideration of inter-related logical reasoning, critical thinking, data analysis and interpretation and evaluation skills. Students perceive statistics as difficult and boring and this leads to anxiety and a lack of self-efficacy. Castro Sotos, Vanhoof, Van den Noortgate, and Onghena’s (2007) systematic review of students’ statistical misconceptions found that students have many misconceptions surrounding statistical constructs such as sampling distributions, hypothesis testing and confidence intervals." www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S0360131514000141 RIT pre-reading Dialogue Journal of Learning and Teaching 2016/17
Some relevant notes/quotes: “The purpose of RIT is to help students learn through encountering research methods and content” “Community of scholarship” (Brown 2009)
Teachers research interests ‘distorted the curriculum towards their research (Jenkins, 1998) “To be an effective RIT practitioner, academics should consider how to negotiate the links between research and teaching, finding ways to integrate the two, thereby strengthening students’ understanding of research” “In practice, RIT strongly depends on academics’ pedagogic understanding and their willingness to provide intellectual space for students to co-create and solve research questions and problems” “Research and inquiry is not just for those who choose to pursue an academic career. It is central to professional life in the twenty-first century” (Brew 2007) How to encourage students: Students must: -Develop the ability to investigate -Develop the ability to make sound judgements on sound evidence Rational decisions Understand what and why “RIT entails a conceptual shift fro viewing learning as knowledge reproduction to seeing it as knowledge construction” “Pedagogy of the air” (Barnett 2007, p1) “When students learn as researchers, they are given the opportunities to explore how knowledge is produced, distributed and used through research (Healey, 2014) “The Artist’s Book Ideation Cards deck was designed as an aid to the book artist, to jump start a new project or inform one in progress. There are two decks in the set: Category Cards containing approximately eight cards in each of the seven categories (text, image, structure, paper, layout, technique and color) and 54 Adjective Cards of which three are ‘wild cards.’ Choosing a card randomly from each of the seven categories and five cards from the adjectives offers an unexpected recipe for a project. Barb Tetenbaum developed the original set of artist’s book ideation cards for use in her teaching practice.This version was further developed and designed in collaboration with Julie Chen''. MEASUREMENTS: 108 cards, colour illustrations, 64 x 89 mm, in box 139 x 97 x 24 mm There might be some elements here I can develop into the book arts game that I'd like to design as a resource to support students becoming familiar with relevant artist book terminology, tools, materials and resources. 
Here below is a video detailing a prototype board game designed by Rebecca Brady & Ryan Brady for their Research Project / PgCert at UoP. The game is designed to ease in new students into the terminology, structure and user interface used in AVID that runs parallel with the editing workflow they teach students. An excellent original idea employing gamification in H.E. setting.
Here are the UDL guidelines downloaded from UDL website which will be useful for my research-informed teaching. |
Author: Lee ShearmanA blog of reflections for PgCert, relevant research, literature to support my e-folio and beyond Archives
September 2025
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