Following on from the Circles of Influence post, I have been reflecting on what comes next and where the ARP has begun to lead. Through conversations with students and responses to my questionnaire, a recurring set of feelings and challenges has emerged around workshop access at CSM. Although the questionnaire did not explicitly ask about workshops, students repeatedly described their experiences using words such as overwhelming, busy, confusing, and unclear. Physical spaces are often crowded, systems feel fragmented, communication is inconsistent, and access to equipment can feel intimidating rather than enabling. For many students – particularly those with additional needs – workshops can feel less like creative opportunities and more like barriers.
CSM is currently planning a significant shift and reorganisation of its workshops over the next five years. Opportunities of this scale are rare and carry real potential for change. This moment allows not only for physical redesign, but also for a deeper rethinking of systems, communication, and inclusion. While the current workshop moves appear to respond effectively to increasing student numbers and spatial pressures, these pressures are unlikely to disappear. Student numbers continue to rise, contact time is decreasing, machinery is increasing, and staffing levels are not. Without deeper structural change, the same challenges risk being reproduced in new buildings.
However there are several areas that could be addressed at a less complex, systemic level.
- Standardisation across workshop systems
Students are often expected to navigate multiple platforms simultaneously — Orb, Microsoft Calendar, Padlet, Moodle — each used differently depending on the need of the workshop. This creates unnecessary cognitive load, particularly for neurodivergent students or those unfamiliar with workshop culture. While workshops have different technical needs, greater communication between technicians or a specialist role could allow for clearer standardisation. This might include consistent use of booking systems, defined roles for platforms, and unified expectations across all workshops.
- Use of (standardised?) video demonstrations
Feedback highlighted a desire for more technical videos across workshops. A shared hosting platform for high-quality demonstrations, perhaps accessible to both current and graduated students, could allow learners to revisit information at their own pace, reduce pressure during in-person sessions, support different learning styles, and improve both confidence and safety.
Crucially, this work raises the importance of designing with students, not just for them. Inclusive research frameworks, such as those outlined in I’m Me: Involving people with learning disabilities and autism in the research process (Reason, Acton and Foulds, 2024) stress the need to move beyond token consultation towards active involvement and shared decision-making. This prompts important questions: how can neurodivergent students be involved in workshop design from the start? How can accessibility be embedded into physical layouts, systems, and communication rather than added later? How can workshops feel safe, navigable, and empowering for everyone?
To take this research forward, the next phase could use focus groups over questionnaires, particularly with students who have additional needs. As a reflection from this porject, questionnaires maybe pose a barrier to some. Focus groups allow for richer, more nuanced discussions and may give more space for experiences that may not fit neatly into predefined survey options. Key steps could be to include:
- Running small, supported focus groups
- Collaborating directly with Disability Services
- Applying inclusive research principles, and feeding insights directly into workshop planning and policy
The upcoming workshop moves at CSM offer a rare chance to do things differently!
References
Reason, M., Acton, K. and Foulds, D. (2024). Working it out together: Lessons and insights into inclusive research in an arts context. British Journal of Learning Disabilities. doi:https://doi.org/10.1111/bld.12609.