Welcome to Integrated Foundation Year

Our first opportunity to meet you will be on Monday 15 September at the start of Welcome Week. This is when we will introduce you to our buildings and facilities and you will meet the staff team and other students on your course. It will also be your opportunity to take part in some introductory activities designed so you can get to know each other and remain safe on campus. You will be invited to a session to collect your ID card, and you will also have the opportunity to watch some videos about the services and facilities the University offers.

On this day there will also be a short welcome meeting where you will meet some of the staff that you will be working with over the coming year. You will meet the core team – the Integrated Foundation Year is taught by a range of staff from your course areas, who you will meet in following weeks. Within this meeting we will be able to talk through the Welcome Week course activities and answer any initial questions. We will be seeing you in small groups so that we can get to know you better and so that we can welcome you properly.

At the Welcome Meeting we will give you a task to complete and a checklist of things to engage with over the next two weeks. Do not worry, it is nothing too taxing. We just want to make sure that you get to know about the course and the University as a whole. Activities will be designed so that you can meet each other, get to know the campus and learn about other services that the University offers. It will also be an opportunity to give you details of the course trip on Tuesday the 16th. We will be heading to the Norfolk Coast for the day.

Above all, this week is about having fun and making connections so throughout the week we have a full and exciting timetable of social events and activities you can sign up to in conjunction with our fantastic Students’ Union team

We will talk briefly about the following week, what we call Wayfinding Week. In this week we show you how to access your timetable, email and the virtual learning environment, how to find all the key bits of information that you will need. You will all have a personalised timetable that will clearly indicate which days of the week you will be on campus. (The days you are on campus will vary, depending on your course).

On independent study days you will still be able to access the campus to continue your work as needed. If necessary, we will help you plan your time. In addition to independent study days, Wednesday afternoons are also non-taught time, this is to allow you to attend Student Union clubs, societies and sports events.

Within the first term there are a lot of workshops which will be introducing you to different practical, creative, and conceptual processes. These will introduce you to new ways of working, and new ways of thinking about your work. We will provide all materials and equipment needed for these workshops, but you will need a sketchbook/notebook and pens/pencils, regardless of your discipline. As you progress through the course, and as your work develops, you may need to build upon your own toolkit. The University does have a shop, which prices are subsidised, and you will be able to purchase additional items as your work progresses, and if needed.

In terms of technology, we do have numerous computer labs throughout the campus, but if you are planning to buy any IT equipment then you might take a look at the Universities guidance for IT equipment.

Below, you will see that we have included some suggestions of things you might like to look at before you arrive. Be curious and feed your ideas. We are not asking that you look at everything, although you can if you would like to.

Just browse and choose what you deem most interesting, relevant, or appropriate for you.

We look forward to seeing you in September.

Shaun Camp

Things to watch and read

Watch

How Drawing Helps You Think

Drawing sits at the heart of most disciplines – it is important

Taking Risks in Art and Life

You will hear us talk about risk often; what does it mean to take risks?

The Power of Practice: Lessons From 10 Years of Pushups

Again, you will hear us talk about ‘your practice.’ What does it mean to have a practice? Hint: Do not take this too literally!

What is design … the process

Being creative is to engage in a process. How does one creative process differ from another.

This is How to Overcome Your Fear of Failure.

None of us like to be seen to fail. Nonetheless, to be truly original and to break new ground, or discover new things, you need to be prepared to sometime fail and not be afraid to do so.

The Art of Creativity | Taika Waititi

Filmmaker Taika Waititi shares his thought on what it is to be creative.

Zaha Hadid: Sketching the Future.

How the grandest architectural statements begin as a single mark on paper.

Abstract: The Art of Design

Series of programmes on all aspects of art and design practices, across a range of disciplines.

Read

• Designboom is a daily web magazine covering the fields of design, architecture, and art.
• It’s Nice That is a daily web magazine that serves as a contemporary survey of a broad range of creative disciplines.
• No Film School is a valuable resource for all things filmmaking.
• Skwigley Website that is a complete survey of animated shorts travelling the festival circuit.
• British Journal of Photography is a web magazine that is a contemporary survey of photography.
• Selvedge is a journal of all things textiles.
• Doublefine Documentary is an account of game production process from inception to release.