We have students like that though. You always get them. They come from a BTEC course with triple distinctions, have a reasonable portfolio... and they're useless.
You're making the assumption that everyone is equal, and a course.. any course, even great ones, can make everyone into a great photographer. This is not the case, and if you think about it... you'll realise why. There's always going to be students who never turn up for lectures, think they know it all because they have xxxx likes on Flickr... argue with you, blow off hot air etc. They sit there arsing about with their phones when you're demonstrating something important... on their phone in lectures... never bring work to crit sessions... they bump along the bottom blaming the college for their poor grades because we don't know what we're taking about... scrape a third, or even a 2:2 if they turn in a good dissertation. Ultimately.. don't worry about it. There's always people like that on every course.. more so now than ever when all university managers see is walking pound signs. Higher education in general is turning into a bit of a farce at the minute, as managers and principals and chancellors find ways to get more students in, while seeming to be as ethical in recruiting as ever. I can assure you it's all b****x though... higher education is starting to turn into a joke. I'm not sure how long I can ethically stand it. I'd rather teach enthusiastic hobbyists to be honest. At least they have passion about it. Me and my colleagues fend off as much of that as we can, and I know many other friends at other Unis do too... but for how long we can continue doing that is anyone's guess. We're getting tired
The problem starts earlier though. It's A level and BTEC courses that cause the problem. Someone said further up that their daughter gets taught nothing at A level.... that resonates with me actually. Like I said further up.... we get students who have a triple Distinction BTEC, or maybe a DDM, they have an OK portfolio (for that level), seem enthusiastic... so we take them. Why wouldn't we? Yet come September when we start teaching, it quickly becomes apparent that something is deeply wrong..... They can't use a camera manually. They have no understanding of apertures, shutter speeds and the reciprocal relationship between the two. They never read about photography... don't seem interested in it... they'll spend all day on Flickr, but can't name a single photographer that inspires them! And given a 8 week project... shoot absolutely nothing until the last week and hand in some available light lit piece of crap that anyone could have shot. HOW??? How can you get a DDD in a BTEC Photography course and be so crap? A level students are as bad, if not worse. We've found... by the time THAT kind of student gets here, there's not much we can do. They've been fooled into thinking they can achieve success without knowledge or hard work by whoever taught them.... I use the word "taught" loosely here. They'll fight you all the way. Tell them they need to meter accurately, and they'll sneer and carry on chimping. When you grade their work lower because their RAW files aren't correctly exposed, they moan and try to tell you you're out of date.. no one works like that... we just correct it in Lightroom. Seriously... I mean. What can you do? They pay on average, £8k a year to come along and argue with you. If it were down to me, I'd boot their arses out of the door... but we're not allowed to do that any more, as we're booting £8k out of the door - which doesn't sit well with me. Something is going very, very wrong with further education in this country and it effects everything further up the chain. Probably because they spend as much time having to do maths and English. Did you know that? Most FE courses such as Edexcel/BTEC... students spend hours and hours every week doing maths and English. I mean... they have GCSE grades.. good ones sometimes... and they spend countless hours doing Maths and English when they signed up for Photography. Isn't that what Schools are for?? LOL
Culture change: Students now see themselves as customers, and it's your job to make them into photographers.. and they don't have to do anything... so if they fail, it's your fault
They are NOT the majority though. They're increasing... but the majority are pretty good, as they want it.. and they're hungry for it.
We DO teach all manner of technical stuff, yes.. why wouldn't we? We have a saying - "We can show you something, but we can't understand it for you". That sums up H.E. We'll not hold your hand. We demonstrate... you go practice. Those that do, learn.. those that leave the sessions and go home to go back to bed... won't. Who's fault is that? Do we have a duty to hold the rest back because we have to repeat something for those that couldn't be arsed? No. They'll probably fail. Not my problem (although increasingly, management would like it to be). These are the ones that probably say "We never got taught anything"... well.. they were in bed probably, that's why.
So yeah... they get taught it. I'll be out and about with 1st years this Tuesday with portable packs and studio lighting to introduce location lighting to them. It will be fun. Those that are enthusiastic will have another skill set in their arsenal if they carry on practising what was demonstrated to them. Those that stand at the back arsing about with their phones won't. (shrug). Darwinism in action if you ask me. In fact.... if it's cold.. those students will probably just not show up at all.
They get 6 hours of technical teaching and demonstration each and every week in year one. They're only on time table for 11... they also get 2 days in each week off time table that is intended for them to come in, use the studios and shoot. They are in for 3 days, but it's a full time course... 5 days per week. If they choose not to practice what we teach... that's their problem. So that should give you an idea of how much tech input there is. It's a fairly even split between academic and vocational... with a slight bias to the tech side in year 1. The degree course was written with the expectation that applicants already have a fair amount of knowledge though. Degrees are not, and have never been, for beginners. This is why these FE students that can't use cameras are causing such a headache.
They also get a chance to meet, chat with, and show work to some big names too... so they get network opportunities regularly if their man enough to rise to the challenge. They also get a chance to get crit from them too. Funny thing is though... all the gobby ones referred to above, suddenly become shrinking violets when big names come in. They're at the back... on their phones. They just want a degree... the photography is incidental to them.
What they don't realise is that no one in industry gives a toss about your degree. I can remember being a squeaky clean, new shiny graduate heading off to London. Got my first foot in the door at Holborn studios, and was amazed they never once asked to see my degree
They did ask what Uni I went to though interestingly enough... which is something graduates still get asked apparently.. especially in editorial, fashion and advertising, and especially in London. Those who know... will also know which Unis turn out people who are actually capable. So a degree in itself is worth nothing. If you take the opportunities afforded you while at uni though... you'll grow as a person, and as a visual artist... and that shows in your book.. and that's all that matters. You judge a photographer by looking at their work, and talking to them about that work. It's not what they know... it's what they can do. There's also the baptism of fire which is assisting
That separates the wheat from the chaff too. You can't blag your way in, as sooner or later someone will say, "enough talk... get your work out", or, "Shut it, and go and do x, y and z for me", and it's at that point when the blaggers are shown for what they really are.
There are good students and bad students.
There are good courses, and there are crap courses.
Caveat Emptor.
Websites like Unistats is useless as a guide too. If you are seriously interested, either for yourself, or for your children... go along... have a look.. talk to the staff... talk to the students. If it's a good course, you'll be able to as they'll have nothing to hide. Phone first of course... we're busy... but any institution with nothing to hide would be more than happy to arrange it. Then if you don't Ike what you see.. walk away. After all... that's what you do when you go shopping for anything else.. why would this be any different?
