IN-PERSON New Schools of Thought

Abstract

Knowledge Exchange has become a key strategic objective in UK Universities. The goal of a sophisticated and equally beneficial flow and transfer of knowledge been students, academics and industry partners has seen numerous assessed and extra-curricular projects built into programmes and professional development opportunities for undergraduates and postgraduates. However, many of these projects struggle to include students to the degree that they are, and feel like they are, contributing meaningfully to the exchange, in ways that help them develop their personal, creative and academic identities. This is particularly pertinent as many students from previously excluded backgrounds in the UK creative industries often shy away from knowledge exchange projects and enhancement activity with the ingrained belief that these opportunities are ‘not for them’. Falmouth University’s Sound/Image Cinema Lab is a pedagogy, research and practice project that partners with UK and international professional, independent filmmakers to provide students, staff and graduates with unique opportunities in film production that result in increased attainment, career, employability and self-confidence outcomes for those who participate in the project. This paper discusses how the Lab has developed pedagogic partnerships where students of all backgrounds and levels of experience are included in professional production practice to a degree that surpasses casual labour, how this experience has altered industry perception of what students are capable of in a professional setting during their studies – and industry perception of what a university partnership can look like – and how these experiences have shaped individual student, cohort and course identity over the past decade.