The pedagogy of creative photography in higher education; A case of the department of communication design, KNUST

This thesis was for the identification and exploration of the learning and teaching of creative photography in higher education; a study of Kwame Nkrumah University of Science and Technology. With the use of performance indicator to measure the competencies of students based on the interactions the researcher had with students, it was assumed that students cannot fit the 21st-century competencies in the real world after the study of creative photography as a course. The objectives of the study was firstly; to identify and examine prevailing pedagogical approaches to the learning and teaching of photography in higher education, specifically in the Department of Communication Design, KNUST. Secondly, to discuss the implications of identified pedagogical gaps and explore alternative approaches to the learning and teaching of photography in higher education, KNUST. This study explored the existing pedagogical approaches for the learning and teaching of creative photography. To know if the instructors are using problem-based learning or project-based learning approaches in the learning and teaching of creative photography in the Department of Communication Design. And also, to recommend some alternative approaches for the study of creative photography in the department, to enable students to build their creative photography skill and competencies for the real world. The researcher adopted the Kirkpatrick’s four-level training evaluation model, as a theoretical framework for the learning and teaching of creative photographic skill. Photography conceptual framework by Poulton (2013) was also used to showcase the end product of going through creative photography training. In the conceptual framework, there is the photographer, the photograph, the audience and the world as a whole. Case study and descriptive research under qualitative research design were employed, to examine students and instructors on the pedagogical approaches for the learning and teaching of creative photography. Purposive and cluster sampling techniques were adopted; sampling 13 respondents, 5 first-year students, 5 second-year students and 3 photography lecturers, all in the Department of Communication Design, KNUST. The researcher employed open-ended questionnaire and structured interview as the instruments of the study. The data analysis revealed that even though instructors are using both problem and project-based learning approaches to teach creative photography but, firstly there are no adequate tools and materials for effective studio sections. Secondly, there is the lack of darkroom in the Department of Communication Design. Thirdly, the class size is over 60 students in a class, which affects the creative photography learning outcome in a negative way. In conclusion, it was realized that the learning outcomes are affected negatively in the acquisition of photography as a skill. That affects the competencies of learners from the field of academia after school, for the 21st-century real world competences. The researcher made some recommendations and some of these are; the Department of Communication Design, KNUST should provide students with a well-furnished creative photography studio, where there would be the provision of enough tools and materials to foster the learning and teaching of creative photography. Also making good use of the photography studio during practical sections.

Source: KNUST