I wanted to dive further into my thoughts on the role of a technician – first bought up by Sams’ paper read at the start of the TPP unit. Sams questions UAL technicians on their conception of their own role, which could be biased by the very common feeling of being jaded, and their feelings that they aren’t recognised for the work they do by the university (Sams 2016). Smith refers to the role of a technician being viewed as “quasi-teaching” (2004), and many other studies place technical teaching in a sort of grey area or with a lack of respect – “this outdated belief stubbornly persists in all but the academy’s most enlightened and progressive areas and continues to be perpetuated through simplistic stereotypes that delineate academics as teachers from the technicians who provide basic skills training and technical support.” (Savage, 2025)
Many technicians do not have much of a distinction in terms of practice and qualifications as their academic counterparts – Sams discovered that 40% of technicians also were active arts practioners outside their roles. Savage points out in 2009 that many technicians also hold teaching qualifications and postgraduate degrees, saying that “technicians are increasingly finding themselves encumbered with the skills, experience and qualifications that enable them to transition into academic roles if they choose” (2018). Why then, are these skills not more formally recognised by the universities these technicians work at?
‘Recognition’ is often the buzzword when it comes to the discussion of technical roles, and I want to define what that means for me. I think it goes beyond individual praise or celebration – afterall no one person in an institution should be here with the goal of getting lauded for their expertise. The student experience should always be the top priority, and this is made up of everyone they meet and everything they do and learn over the course of usually about 3-5 years.
For me I would like to see more recognition of technical teaching and technical skills and the value they add to a student’s practice – I think technical skill acquisition should be much more integrated into the curriculum. Biggs and Tang say “when accepted, technical pedagogies can be valued and more effectively integrated with academic teaching to promote constructively aligned curricula” (2009) and I believe this to be true. Instead of marking students on their skill development but only relying on their self led initiative to bring them to the workshops, if technicians were actively involved in the creation of briefs and course material we would be better able to show how our workshops can help courses reach their learning objectives and get more students through our doors.
A multi skilled student with experience in wood working, animation, book binding, screen printing, laser cutting and creative coding has a much more valuable CV than one who has managed to respond to three years of university briefs without stepping foot into a workshop. Afterall, portfolios are temporary but skills last forever.
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References
Biggs, J. and Tang, C. (2009) Teaching for Quality Learning at University. 3rd edn. Maidenhead: SRHE and Open University Press.
Sams, C. (2016) ‘How do art and design technicians conceive of their role in higher education?’, Spark: UAL Creative Teaching and Learning Journa, 1(2).
Smith, D.N., Adams, J., Mount, D., Reeve, N. and Wilkinson, D. (2004) Highly skilled technicians in higher education: a report to HEFCE. Leeds: Evidence Ltd.
Savage, T. (2018) ‘Creative arts technicians in academia: to transition or not to transition?’ Journal of Art, Design and Communication in Higher Education, 17(2), pp.237–253. Available at: https//doi.org/10.1386/adch.17.2.237_1 (Accessed 17/03/25)
Savage, T. (2019) ‘Challenging HEA Fellowship: why should technicians in creative arts HE be drawn into teaching?’ Journal of Art, Design and Communication in Higher Education, 18(2), pp.201–218. Available at: https://doi.org/10.1386/adch_00007_1 (Accessed 17/03/25)
Savage, T. (2025) ‘Why is it problematic for technicians to say they teach in higher education?’ Journal of Learning Development in Higher Education. Available at: https://journal.aldinhe.ac.uk/index.php/jldhe/article/download/1191/1036/12486 (Accessed 17/03/25)