24 University Centre Colchester at Colchester Institute reviews

Every effort is made to relate studies to your future plans. I wish to pursue Fine Art and my tutors are very positive steering my research towards practitioners that will best reflect my chosen path yet at the same time give a diverse and practical range of technical skills that can be utilized in many other fields within photography.

I have a range of tutors who are all very knowledgeable and have a selection of specialties. There is never a problem getting time with a tutor for clarification, advice or inspiration. I work part time and fortunately I can be fairly flexible with my hours, it might have been a problem if this was not the case but clear timetables are given for the year so study planning is fairly straight forward.

The university has all the necessary facilities including black & white and colour darkrooms and developing, a number of studios with all the expected lighting and background options, several well equipped computer suites (with PC's and Mac's available) as well as a good selection of camera equipment should it be required.

Really exceptional support from all departments within the uni'. Your tutors obviously get to know you quite well and take a keen interest in helping you progress as far as you want to go. Every effort is made when you start to identify any needs you may have and offer relevant assistance. Should difficult circumstances arise they have you covered and they will do everything they can to help. It will likely happen and they take it all in their stride.

Within the college education i have received first class tutoring towards the subject. All of the work within classes has been tailored to help guide the students towards their own particularly interests within the field as well as imparting valuable technical information and theory work. I myself had work recognised within one of my modules and was invited to take part in an outside exhibition of work, this was of course fully supported by the tutors within my course and enabled me to gain new admirers and valuable new contacts for myself as an artist and the work i produced. I have received constant support for all my ideas and the tutoring has helped guide and support my own learning. helping me to continually grown and improve.

The course is taught with a certain level of freedom that allows me to explore and discover my own interests and ideas. Lessons are always enjoyable and within a comfortable and friendly environment with encouragement given towards creativity and hard work. Most importantly i have never felt restricted or ignored.

30

The university has excellent facilities with plenty of places to eat swell as multiple in college clubs and groups to get involved with. There is always a friendly atmosphere and staff are always available to help out. There is also incredibly good facilities available towards courses, the photography department alone as multiple dark rooms and printing facilities aswell as good studio space.

The staff are always happy to make themselves available to discuss problems, both academic and personal. They always help to try and guide your own creativity and ideas as opposed to imparting themselves upon your work. Open access sessions are also regularly available with staff always happy and willing to guide sessions in a new area of interest

in the second year of our degree course, we are given the opportunity to work with small businesses and helping them to promote themselves by taking images for their websites or business cards, whatever they chose.

i like most how our course can be very independent at times, such as with the sketchbook work and processing and developing film. however what i dislike about the course is our lectures, this is because not all of them are relevant to photography so we will be sitting in a lecture which isn't relevant.

13

i think our college facilities are very good and very useful, this is because i always seem to have everything i want if needed and also the right amount as i have never had to call off a shoot or wait around until something got returned, so therefore i feel like the supply of facilities is good.

i feel like the support i receive from tutors is extremely helpful, this is because if ever i need help with anything or don't understand something they will always be able to reassure me and put me back on track.

We work with businesses for certain modules to help build on our skills for after the course ends. We also do a lot of work for our portfolios to help us build a good portfolio for when we leave the course. We have a lot of photographers come in to talk with us about photography as a career and what to expect/plan for.

I like how we can take each module in our own direction and work a lot on our own interests. Lots of the modules are easy to personalise which therefore makes it easy for everyone to have their own interests built on during the course. Something i don't like the lectures on this course as some don't link to photography but they are still good for broadening knowledge.

13

Very good. we have lots of good facilities including a good library, mac suite, studio, lighting, darkrooms, developing/processing machines for film. I think the facilities are excellent and you can almost always gain access to them.

The course is very hands on and you have a lot of contact with tutors, almost like school in this sense, i would never of thought i would have had this much support and contact with tutors on a degree but i think because of the small group numbers it means we have much more personal teaching which is great and is so helpful when stuck. i think it makes me do way more work than if i was without this teaching.

They teach us a range of skill that can helps in the future, however i feel as though more direction into work places would be helpful, i am hoping this will be something in which we are given direction in the the end of my 2nd nd going into my 3rd year

the things in which we are expected to do outside of uni need more direction i feel, for example time in lessons to do sketchbooks. Also the lectures don't always link to photography there they are sometimes pointless and i feel like the time could be spent doing more helpful things

13

what they have is good however they need more of the stuff thats popular as you cannot always get your hand on it. printers don't always work meaning its hard to get your sketchbook done if you don't have a printer at home

in lessons we have good feedback on our work, however i feel like its not always constructive and makes me feel like my work isn't always about what i want it to be

Very helpful in preparing to work with clients and building a portfolio of work. Also to create out own websites and present ourselves as Photographers.

I like that we are able to explore our own styles and get to choose which medium within photography to stick with- not being swayed to a certain style. Sometimes it is difficult to get studio space as there are many art students booking it at the same times.

12.5

Very good, although wish there was more space for Photography students

Tutors and feedback has been very useful

Since being on the course I have had opportunities given to me for paid work through the university tutors, have exhibited my work in a local gallery and have worked with institute staff on events that has led to my work being published in a local newspaper. The tutors in the photography department strongly support students in gaining work experience and assist with making contacts in students desired fields.

What I like most is the support and time we get with our tutors. We have a lot of 1:1 time with our tutors which helps in the development of ideas.

12

The photography department has two black and white darkrooms as well as a colour darkroom. There are two large studio spaces with numerous coloured back drops and lighting equipment available to all students. The department has a wide range of loanable camera equipment which is so useful as a student because you don’t have to buy all your equipment before starting the course.

I can not fault the staff at the university. I have always felt fully supported and happy as a student.

There are modules in the third year which are focused on career progression and setting students up with the right skills and approach when looking for relevant employment. The tutors have a number of contacts and guest speakers who offer individual perspectives and journeys within the industry. The course content is very relevant and up to date with the industry.

The independent nature of study suited me well personally. Tutors have always been available at all times for support and tutorials. The lectures are relevant and help to build a wider understanding of art and design in a wider context which helped greatly with the development of ideas within the graphic design briefs.

Excellent. The print room especially is a fantastic workshop with regular open access. The technicians are helpful and supportive.

The tutors are supportive and accessible. One to one tutorial time is excellent. Feedback was always detailed and constructive. Every piece of written feedback was then discussed in a tutorial with further explanation and support.

Part of the course is a Personal Development Module, which is aimed towards your future and encouraging you to research courses, jobs and possible contacts for employment. There are also opportunities for exhibitions throughout the course duration.

The level of freedom and support from the staff and technicians is often amazing, though there are times when plans/course material is poorly thought through. If you are very independent in your learning style its a brilliant course, though if you prefer regular guidance it may be a challenge to adjust. There is a tendency for staff to avoid explaining how they want things done, most people tend to struggle with understanding layouts for research/sketchbooks. And feedback from staff can be very vague.

7

Lunchrooms-busy, somewhat expensive Seating areas-lacking, though good in summer with a nice amount of green space. Sculpture/ceramics-BRILLIANT!!! Photography-Really happy with the facilities. Mac suits- usually very good Library-good, with access to computers and essex library. Printmaking- poor, staff are unfriendly/unhelpful Wood and metal workshops-Very good, staff are very helpful and willing to teach you Studio Space- completely depends on what you want to do and how you communicate your needs, often the space is good, though for larger work you may need to discuss your needs with staff and follow it up Wheelchair access-good, very considerate of additional needs R.E. space.

It depends on your needs, I've had to take a fair amount of time off during my two years(3/4 months so far) and staff have gone above and beyond to help me achieve my best. The counselling services are good for more common mental health issues (anxiety, depression, stress) though if you have other conditions it's more beneficial to look outside of the campus for support. Tutor feedback can be vague, though most are happy to arrange a 1-2-1 with you in order to discuss how to progress and make the most out of your time.