I have been teaching on the MA Visual Effects course at UAL for the past 2.5 years, following a 15-year career in the industry. After reviewing students’ summative and formative assessments, and reflecting on face-to-face tutorials and classroom interactions, I became increasingly concerned by the lack of STEM-oriented thinking among many students. This was evident in the delivery of final assignments, which often included shallow reflective blogs and low-quality projects. Only a few students demonstrated troubleshooting and analytical mindsets—key STEM-related skills—which enabled them to produce higher-quality work.
Throughout my professional journey, I have had to develop both hard and soft skills in equal measure to progress in a male-dominated field. This experience has led me to consider whether the development of such skills could be a practical strategy for increasing diversity and inclusion in the industry. It appears that many students struggle to reflect on and appreciate the importance of soft skills in their academic and professional development.
After months of reflection—both prior to and during the PG Certificate—I chose this topic for my Action Research project, which began with the development of an Intervention Plan during the Inclusive Practices module. To inform my inquiry, I sought data from online educational and VFX industry sources, which led me to explore government reports and statistics.