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Funding secured to develop AI toolkit for universities teaching Art and Design

Funding for an innovative new research project that will help universities integrate Artificial Intelligence (AI) into their art and design education programmes has recently been secured by the Nottingham School of Art & Design, in partnership with Chelsea College of Arts (University of the Arts London), Liberty Fabrics, and Norwich University of the Arts.

    A Liberty Fabrics pattern is projected onto a model
    Photograph (c) Liberty

    Funding of £10,000 for an innovative new research project that will help universities integrate Artificial Intelligence (AI) into their art and design education programmes has been secured by the Nottingham School of Art & Design at Nottingham Trent University in partnership with Chelsea College of Arts (University of the Arts London), Liberty Fabrics, and Norwich University of the Arts.

    The project is one of 18 to be funded this year by the Quality Assurance Agency for Higher Education (QAA) under its Collaborative Enhancement Projects scheme for 2024. The scheme funds groups of institutions to work together on projects to enhance the quality of the student learning experience, offering outputs that benefit the wider QAA Membership and the HE sector as a whole.

    Involving students and academics from three HE institutions, and working closely with industry partner Liberty Fabrics, the project will investigate how AI tools can be used to help and influence the design process, exploring how this learning can be used to integrate AI into art and design education at HE level.

    Dr Andy Smith,Quality & Standards Manager at QAA commented:

    “QAA are delighted that this CEP has a strong focus in how Generative AI will impact the future of art and design education. With GenAI being such an important consideration for QAA members, this project will support the development of new teaching methodologies for Art and Design.”

    With AI research more often focused on language, the impact of AI in HE art and design education is dramatic and has not yet been fully explored or understood. The design industry is also trying to understand how these new tools can help and influence the design process with AI-generated imagery opening up a multitude of possibilities.

    Generative AI, such as Midjourney and Stable Diffusion, raises many unanswered questions around the potential impact on future job roles, ethical concerns, copyright and ownership, and the creative process itself for designers.

    Natalie Brown, Deputy Dean of the Nottingham School of Art & Design at Nottingham Trent University, said:

    “As AI continues to rapidly evolve, it is vital that universities consider not only how this will affect the way we experience and create art, design and other creative subjects, but how student skills can be honed and future-proofed to rise to this new creative challenge.”

    Liberty is known for its links to art and culture, showcasing new products and championing new designers. The project will involve students and academics from three Institutions, working alongside the iconic Liberty Fabrics design studio to explore the capabilities and limitations of AI within the designer’s toolkit and how it affects the designers’ workflow. This new learning will benefit all participants as they share their experiences of exploring AI in the design process.

    Mary-Ann Bartlett Dunkley, Liberty Fabrics Design Director, commented:

    “Liberty Fabrics is so excited to have been invited to be the industry partner with three esteemed British art schools on this project. As a design studio, we understand the importance of pushing boundaries through artistic innovation. In the footsteps of our visionary founder, Sir Arthur Lasenby Liberty, our ambition is 'not to follow existing fashions but to create new ones'. As we look to a future and embrace the opportunities that come with change and uncertainty, we are thrilled to be able to support the students - the next talents in design - in a way that encourages them to take inspiration from the past in order to better shape the future.”

    A Liberty Fabrics pattern is projected onto a model
    Photograph (c) Liberty

    Through collaboration and co-design, this new project will identify a teaching methodology resulting in the creation of an online toolkit for universities, providing them with the support needed to integrate AI into the teaching and learning of their art and design programmes.

    Caryn Simonson, Programme Director for Design & Material Practices at Chelsea College of Arts, University of the Arts London (UAL) said:

    “Taking the lid off AI and engaging actively and critically with generative AI and Machine Learning will prepare students to be skilful in developing emerging practices. It will empower students to deploy and subvert this evolving 'tool' with its challenges of bias, ethics and security and the creative possibilities it affords for design processes, whilst provoking interesting questions around authorship and machine as collaborator.”

    Kevin Freeman, Director of Fashion and Textiles at Norwich University of the Arts said:

    “As the debate around the use of AI-generated artwork continues to build, it is an important time for Universities to lead in defining how this can be integrated into a student’s repertoire of skills. To be able to offer a framework in which to build confidence, explore ethical considerations and identify authentic applications will provide an excellent foundation for all our creative futures.”

    This new research further strengthens Nottingham School of Art & Design's impressive standing as an HE leader in the field of Art & Design; a reputation that will be further enhanced when Nottingham Trent University’s dedicated new Design & Digital Arts building opens on campus later this spring.

    ‘Using AI in learning and teaching in art and design’ is a Collaborative Enhancement Project supported and funded by QAA Membership. The project is led by Nottingham Trent University in partnership with Chelsea College of Arts (University of the Arts London), Liberty Fabrics, and Norwich University of the Arts. Find out more about Collaborative Enhancement Projects on the QAA website.

    Project partner logos

    • Notes for editors

      About Nottingham Trent University

      Nottingham Trent University (NTU) received the Queen’s Anniversary Prize for Higher and Further Education in 2021 for cultural heritage science research. It is the second time that NTU has been bestowed the honour of receiving a Queen’s Anniversary Prize for its research, the first being in 2015 for leading-edge research on the safety and security of global citizens.

      The Research Excellence Framework (2021) classed 83% of NTU’s research activity as either world-leading or internationally excellent. 86% of NTU’s research impact was assessed to be either world-leading or internationally excellent.

      NTU was awarded The Times and The Sunday Times Modern University of the Year 2023 and ranked University of the Year in the Whatuni Student Choice Awards 2023. It was awarded Outstanding Support for Students 2020 (Times Higher Education Awards), University of the Year 2019 (Guardian University Awards, UK Social Mobility Awards), Modern University of the Year 2018 (Times and Sunday Times Good University Guide) and University of the Year 2017 (Times Higher Education Awards).

      NTU is the 5th largest UK institution by student numbers, with approximately 40,000 students and more than 4,400 staff located across five campuses. It has an international student population of 7,000 and an NTU community representing over 160 countries.

      Since 2000, NTU has invested £570 million in tools, technology, buildings and facilities.

      NTU is in the UK’s top 10 for number of applications and ranked first for accepted offers (2021 UCAS UG acceptance data). It is also among the UK’s top five recruiters of students from disadvantaged backgrounds and was the first UK university to sign the Social Mobility Pledge.

      NTU is ranked 2nd most sustainable university in the world in the 2022 UI Green Metric University World Rankings (out of more than 900 participating universities).

      ntu.ac.uk

      About the Quality Assurance Agency for Higher Education (QAA)

      The Quality Assurance Agency for Higher Education (QAA) is an independent charity working to benefit students and higher education, and one of the world’s experts in quality assurance. QAA works with governments, agencies and institutions globally to benefit UK higher education and its international reputation. QAA's work supports its mission to safeguard standards and improve the quality of UK higher education wherever it is delivered around the world.

      qaa.ac.uk

      About Chelsea College of Arts, University of the Arts London

      Chelsea College of Arts, part of University of the Arts London, is one of London’s most prestigious art and design colleges. It has an international reputation for producing some of the world’s leading artists and designers. Chelsea College of Arts inspires graduates to apply their practice to the social, cultural and political effects of globalisation. It provides students with a stimulating space and supportive atmosphere, so that they can test ideas and break new creative ground. The College is based in a Grade II listed building alongside the River Thames and Tate Britain in Central London. Students are challenged every day to be at the forefront of art practice, to develop new global networks and to drive forward innovative cross-cultural solutions.

      University of the Arts London (UAL) offers an extensive range of courses in art, design, fashion, communication and performing arts. Our graduates go on to work in and shape the creative industries worldwide. UAL is ranked second in the world for Art and Design in the 2023 QS World University Rankings by Subject ®.

      Chelsea | Chelsea (arts.ac.uk)

      About Liberty Fabrics

      Liberty Fabrics is a true design institution and has been at the cutting-edge of design and decorative arts since it was born in 1875. World-renowned for their 50,000-strong print archive, and for the in-house design studio in Soho, London, where new artworks are painted and drawn by hand. The Liberty Fabrics offering reflects the storied heritage and century-spanning passion for art and design; from ornate Art Nouveau layouts and classic 1930s ditsy florals to bold geometrics, landscapes, and offbeat conversationals.

      libertyfabric.com

      About Norwich University of the Arts

      Norwich University of the Arts is a dynamic, modern and creative university offering courses in art, design, fashion, media, and performing arts. With a diverse community of over 3000 students from 40 countries, we unite as a global community in Norwich - the City of Stories - to shape the future of creativity and arts education.

      norwichuni.ac.uk

    Published on 20 March 2024
    • Subject area: Art and design
    • Category: Research; School of Art & Design