Taking Art School Online in Response to COVID 19: From Rapid Response to Realising Potential

In response to COVID 19 higher education worldwide underwent a rapid shift, moving learning and teaching to the online environment. This shift in pedagogy and practice fundamentally challenged a number of disciplines and disciplinary norms, none more so than studio-based art and design institutions. As a result, academic staff and those in professional service roles were required to rapidly engage with digital technologies with which they were unfamiliar, adjusting their pedagogic approach and innovating within the online environment. This article presents a small-scale study investigating the impact of this rapid change on a small specialist studio-based higher education institution which prioritises physical making and in person teaching within its educational provision. The study focused on how the shift influenced the perceptions and practices of teaching and professional support staff in their use of learning technologies and what newly adopted approaches to technology enhanced art and design education may likely continue post COVID 19