School of Art & Design

Excerpts from the external examiners' report for the year 2016

  • The students have shown an industrious approach to their work and have achieved original and
    independent outcomes.
  • There is a sound understanding of techniques used in all areas of work. These have been
    successfully developed to explore personal development and work with challenging subjects of
    study. 
  • The development of SYLO the college online information system enables information about course
    modules, assignments and the students progress to be accessed. 
  • The Fun Friday initiative adds interest and extends the students experiences
  • The Staff CVs are varied and show a range of experiences that contribute to the development of all
    programmes. The Teaching staff show commitment and enthusiasm and invest a great deal of time to
    support new developments.
  • The presentation of the video and sound work was very strong and explained some creative and
    innovative ideas.
  • The college are developing a new site that will offer more working and exhibition space which will
    benefit the students working practices .
  • There are visiting lecturers and workshop visits that enrich the programmes.
  • The Exam Board arrangements are very thorough and professionally managed
  • The assessment written feedback is extensive and offers a positive reflection of the work to the
    students.
  • The Internal Verification of assessment work reflects the feedback to the student and is a well organised procedure.
  • The meeting with students confirmed the supportive tutorial work and identified the importance of this
    for progressing their personal development and career planning.

Excerpts from the external examiners' reports for 2014

"The quality of output and resources are impressive at this specialist centre."

  • Excellent, well qualified staff with diverse skills
  • Good staff development and mentoring programme
  • Good access to policies and procedures via the new Prague wiki area
  • Good cross fertilisation of staff to assist in keeping learning fresh
  • Visiting artists and ‘Czech Out Art’ seen as positive
  • Good attention to quality improvement, with an open attitude towards observations
  • The uploading of student work is very helpful and will be a positive aspect of sharing information
  • Efforts at reducing plagiarism via Turnitin have had a positive impact
  • Excellent resources are provided, including the extensive Ebrary resource
  • Staff are robust in their approach to assessment
  • Excellent work has been seen in Graphic Design
  • Learners appreciate the teaching tutorials in Interactive Media

Excerpts from the external examiners' reports in 2012/13:

"Areas of good practice identified:

  • Live projects which are selected for quality
  • Visually stimulating physical environment which meets the needs of the students
  • Well qualified staff
  • A very strong approach to the development of visual literacy
  • Excellent pastoral care
  • A thoughtful approach to programme design
  • Good progression pathways from FAD, to HND, to BA
  • Excellent master speaker exposure programme
  • An innovative approach to storing learner work
  • The centre staff are very open to positive criticism and areas for development
  • A very diligent approach to ensuring all procedures and policies are fit for purpose
  • Excellent operational planning
  • Team communication is strong, facilitated by shared offices
  • All assignment briefs and resources available via Moodle
  • Robust admissions procedure"

 

"Staff expertise is excellent and wide ranging, and there is a pool of very well-qualified and experienced staff available."

"Physical resources are visually stimulating and meet the needs of the students. Student face to face feedback with the standards verifier was excellent and very positive. One student stayed behind to identify further strengths that hadn't been discussed, a reliable indicator that students are genuinely content, well supported and positive about their experiences at Prague College."

"It is clear that Prague College's commitment is to their students; they provide excellent access to higher education as well as higher education courses."

"The centre team are committed to excellent practice and 'go the extra mile' to ensure that the students receive the very best experiences that can be afforded to them." 

 

Excerpts from the external examiners' reports in 2010/11:

“The presentation of work for assessment and for the Degree Show was undertaken professionally and it looked superb! This high standard has continued from last year and the work exhibited in a contemporary design gallery which could not be better for Graphic Designers. The students were again involved with a considerable amount of the planning and organisation of the show again, even down to making and presenting the amazing food and cakes for the private view….

…It was also interesting to note that the Research Centre at Prague College is having a positive influence on courses within the College. Research interpreted effectively into a practice based outcome is often quite rare, and especially when it is applied in visual communication projects. A student from this cohort had become interested in one of the Centres research themes of Pattern Theory and Design. She successfully interpreted complex mathematical pattern concepts and ideas in nature, translating these into a well designed, clearly articulated and beautifully illustrated children’s book. The work was bordering on MA level work! It was good also to note that tutors from other subject areas including those involved in research, are able to teach and have some input into the course.”


Excerpts from the external examiners' reports in 2009/10:

“Students were enthusiastic and professional when talking about their work, and evidence of a very good team ethos within this cohort of students and enhanced by the recruitment of students from a number of different countries giving the course a strong international identity…

…The majority of the students that I spoke to were very enterprising with a small number already running their own businesses, others had jobs or were about to apply, some had achieved places on MA courses and one student offered a place in the USA at Rhode Island School of Art.”