I found my experiences with crits as a student to be predominantly negative. Reflecting on my time at university, crits often felt frustrating and seemed to obstruct my progress. Tutors sometimes introduced their own biases into their feedback or failed to offer relevant input due to a lack of openness to new concepts. For example, while I was interested in how architecture could enhance human interaction with entertainment spaces, the tutor I worked with was focused on AI and tried to steer all my queries in that direction.
Although I’m not currently facilitating crits in my teaching role, I thoroughly enjoyed the role-play session I participated in. It provided valuable insights into new methods for incorporating feedback with students and strategies for managing diverse personalities. It also highlighted the importance of giving all students the opportunity to speak. For instance, starting with a general question about their work might help students feel less pressured and more comfortable engaging in the critique. I also considered adopting methods from my positive past crits, such as focusing on ‘where are you now?’, ‘where do you want to go next?’, and ‘what are you going to do next?’. This approach alleviated the immediate pressure of focusing on the end goal of the project and instead emphasised the next steps in research, whether in a library or exhibition space.
During the role-play activity, I took on the role of a diligent student. This experience allowed me to immerse myself in the mindset of a motivated learner—one who has completed their assignments and is excelling in the module. It was both amusing and enlightening to portray a confident and enthusiastic class representative, which was quite different from my own student experiences.
What I found particularly valuable about the session was its focus on making crits work for oneself. In hindsight, I often waited for tutors to tell me what to do or to interpret my work with minimal explanation from me. My lack of confidence led me to expect tutors to steer the conversation, which frequently left me feeling lost.
From a student’s perspective, this role-play experience taught me that preparing specific points to address during a critique can significantly ease the often daunting one-on-one sessions. By organising my thoughts and identifying key discussion areas in advance, I found it easier to navigate the critique process and receive more targeted and useful feedback.
From a teaching perspective, the session prompted me to consider how we design crits to better meet the needs of students at various stages of their work. It made me reflect on whether our current approach effectively supports students and whether we provide adequate opportunities for them to articulate their challenges and goals. This insight encourages me to think more critically about structuring crits in a way that is more responsive to individual student needs.