We (the undersigned) oppose the planned halving of the credits allocated to the Critical and Historical Studies (CHS) Independent Research Project (IRP) module that we take as part of our L6 final year work from 2025-6.
- We understand that cuts reducing the CHS IRP module from 30 credits to 15 credits are planned to take effect from next academic year (2025-26) across KSA Art & Design courses: Fashion, Fashion Promotion & Communication, Filmmaking, Fine Art, Fine Art & Art History, Graphic Design, Illustration Animation, Interior Design, Photography, Product & Furniture Design.
- We understand that this reduction is planned to make way for a new 15 credit Future Skills ‘Apply’ module to be delivered by an external company Gradcore.
- This decision was made without consulting students (e.g. via Student Voice Committee) or CHS staff.
As students studying on these courses, we are against this decision because:
- It is not what we signed up for when we applied to come to Kingston. This changes the terms of our agreement with the University.
- It undermines the work we have put into CHS over the course of our degrees so far. This devalues our efforts and impedes on our IRP preparations
- CHS modules have provided critical awareness and help us situate our practice in wider social, cultural, and historical contexts. The cut would hinder our time to develop and learn these crucial skills
- It affects the amount of time and work we can afford to dedicate to developing our IRPs. This would affect the quality of this important self-directed research project
- It undermines our career prospects. The IRP allows us to demonstrate skills in research, independent enquiry, communication, critical thinking, analysis, reasoning, self-motivation, information literacy, etc. needed in our future careers and many workplaces
- It limits our ability to apply for postgraduate degrees. These usually require a substantial research project to be completed in the final year of undergraduate studies.
- It devalues our degrees. For example, the QAA Subject Benchmark Statement for Art and Design (2019), which defines the academic standards expected of a graduate, underlines research as an essential criterion in terms of both subject-specific and general graduate skills. To reduce the weight of self-directed and self-initiated research inquiry in our final year undermines this and makes our degree less significant.
We demand that Kingston University:
- Reinstates the 30 credits to the Level 6 CHS modules.
- Discusses with studio and CHS staff how future skills / employability content can be delivered by subject experts within the existing module structure.
Updates
Reached 100 supporters
March 26, 2025
29 Comments
It’s important to keep CHS as it is the only academic section of our course. We learn so much about studies, artists and more through research we do for essays. It also helps us articulate writing better, which is a good skill for future jobs which may require a certain reading and writing skill level.
The Future skills module has already been a massive disappointment. The university nor the third party company does not know how to implement it.
Please reconsider! Allow your students to complete the degree they signed up for. Gradcore, ‘key life skills’ should surly be an additional module to all degrees courses.
The changes being made have jeopardised my peers, my mentors and my student life despite being promised the ladder had been pulled out from under me and that I would continue my education without interruption. Kingston's senior leadership has failed it's duty as an academic institution, a centre for culture and education and as a hub for diversity.
Students don’t want Apply, I don’t know want Apply. We want to be judged on our creative and academic ability, not on our ability to present ourselves as workers.
N/a
This is ridiculous and an insult to all the fantastic tutors who run CHS.
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We (the undersigned) oppose the planned halving of the credits allocated to the Critical and Historical Studies (CHS) Independent Research Project (IRP) module that we take as part of our L6 final year work from 2025-6.
- We understand that cuts reducing the CHS IRP module from 30 credits to 15 credits are planned to take effect from next academic year (2025-26) across KSA Art & Design courses: Fashion, Fashion Promotion & Communication, Filmmaking, Fine Art, Fine Art & Art History, Graphic Design, Illustration Animation, Interior Design, Photography, Product & Furniture Design.
- We understand that this reduction is planned to make way for a new 15 credit Future Skills ‘Apply’ module to be delivered by an external company Gradcore.
- This decision was made without consulting students (e.g. via Student Voice Committee) or CHS staff.
As students studying on these courses, we are against this decision because:
- It is not what we signed up for when we applied to come to Kingston. This changes the terms of our agreement with the University.
- It undermines the work we have put into CHS over the course of our degrees so far. This devalues our efforts and impedes on our IRP preparations
- CHS modules have provided critical awareness and help us situate our practice in wider social, cultural, and historical contexts. The cut would hinder our time to develop and learn these crucial skills
- It affects the amount of time and work we can afford to dedicate to developing our IRPs. This would affect the quality of this important self-directed research project
- It undermines our career prospects. The IRP allows us to demonstrate skills in research, independent enquiry, communication, critical thinking, analysis, reasoning, self-motivation, information literacy, etc. needed in our future careers and many workplaces
- It limits our ability to apply for postgraduate degrees. These usually require a substantial research project to be completed in the final year of undergraduate studies.
- It devalues our degrees. For example, the QAA Subject Benchmark Statement for Art and Design (2019), which defines the academic standards expected of a graduate, underlines research as an essential criterion in terms of both subject-specific and general graduate skills. To reduce the weight of self-directed and self-initiated research inquiry in our final year undermines this and makes our degree less significant.
We demand that Kingston University:
- Reinstates the 30 credits to the Level 6 CHS modules.
- Discusses with studio and CHS staff how future skills / employability content can be delivered by subject experts within the existing module structure.
Updates
Reached 100 supporters
March 26, 2025
29 Comments
Cutting a key, final year dissertation module in half and pimping the other half out to some vague external company with a name that sounds like a failed tech start-up is an absolutely ludicrous idea. I came to Kingston University to be taught directly by Kingston University staff and lecturers; not by 'Gradcore'. I also came to university to study a degree in Fine Art and Art History. I did not sign up to study a degree in 'being enterprising' or 'having a questioning mindset'. Both of those skills can be developed within the current IRP framework, as can all the other Future Skills. If KU want to continue the Future Skills programme - fine, but it should support the content already being taught rather than replacing it with self-congratulatory pandering nonsense.
It’s important to keep CHS as it is the only academic section of our course. We learn so much about studies, artists and more through research we do for essays. It also helps us articulate writing better, which is a good skill for future jobs which may require a certain reading and writing skill level.
The Future skills module has already been a massive disappointment. The university nor the third party company does not know how to implement it.
Please reconsider! Allow your students to complete the degree they signed up for. Gradcore, ‘key life skills’ should surly be an additional module to all degrees courses.
The changes being made have jeopardised my peers, my mentors and my student life despite being promised the ladder had been pulled out from under me and that I would continue my education without interruption. Kingston's senior leadership has failed it's duty as an academic institution, a centre for culture and education and as a hub for diversity.
Students don’t want Apply, I don’t know want Apply. We want to be judged on our creative and academic ability, not on our ability to present ourselves as workers.
N/a
This is ridiculous and an insult to all the fantastic tutors who run CHS.
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Cutting a key, final year dissertation module in half and pimping the other half out to some vague external company with a name that sounds like a failed tech start-up is an absolutely ludicrous idea. I came to Kingston University to be taught directly by Kingston University staff and lecturers; not by 'Gradcore'. I also came to university to study a degree in Fine Art and Art History. I did not sign up to study a degree in 'being enterprising' or 'having a questioning mindset'. Both of those skills can be developed within the current IRP framework, as can all the other Future Skills. If KU want to continue the Future Skills programme - fine, but it should support the content already being taught rather than replacing it with self-congratulatory pandering nonsense.