The data was collected through the method of a 1:1 transect walk/dérive, and the data way harvested through the medium of a MS Teams Call Recording (Video and Audio).
(See ethics documentation for a definition of psychogeography, the dérive and transect walks.)
The participants (2) and I spoke into my mobile device which recorded the video and sound feed straight into the UAL could storage system. Each transect walk/derive took 30-40 minutes.
I used the auto-transcribe function provided by MS Teams and then a LLM system to turn my transcript into a “smoother” legible transcript text.
I used stills from the video feed in my presentation to illustrate some of the talking points.
To protect my participants I removed the sound file and acellerated the video into a 1minute GIF. This enabled me to give my audience an insight into the data collection without revealing any personal or sensitive information.
Reflection on the data collection method:
I am very satisfied with the methodology and methods that developed and employed in my research, which presents a novel perspective on the potential applications of ethnography in art and design.
This approach effectively integrates my background in ethnographic anthropology, contributing in new and original ways to both academic scholarship and educational pedagogies. I firmly believe in the necessity of comprehensively understanding the educational environments we engage with before initiating any projects aimed at decolonisation or addressing injustices within the classroom.
Only having a thorough grasps of the sites in which we seek to perform education will create the possibility for any subsequent attempts in fostering justice and inclusivity in educational settings.
My study, therefore, focuses on conducting a comprehensive intellectual, affective, and emotional analysis of the contexts in which we teach.
Additionally, my research extends to examining the specific course in which I am now occupying a leadership position. My degree (Computational Arts) has been identified as a priority for investment by the university.
This report aims to transcend academic theory as it pertains to this unit and instead also offer practical insights for the ongoing refinement, design, and investment in the pedagogical framework of my department.
Moreover, the incorporation of artificial intelligence in my research methodology (through transcription and some experimentation of AI supported data-coding of mine) has been extremely fruitful for me as a teaching academic.
While this side-experiment of mine extends beyond the immediate scope of this ARP Research Project unit, contemplating AI assisted research has provided substantial insights and food for thought.
It has opened avenues for contemplating how tools like machine transcription and large language models might revolutionise qualitative research methodologies. (Againg, going beyond the scope of this research intervention).
However, this additional aspect of my research, which I plan to elaborate upon in the future components of this course (MA -provided I get a place on the course), highlights an emerging area in research that promises to significantly influence qualitative research methods.
I am immensely grateful and excited to have had the the opportunity to explore this from the dual perspectives of both a student and an instructor.