ADVANCED HIGHER ART AND DESIGN

The aims of the Course are to enable learners to:

·         experience an independent, self-directed study of expressive art/art practice or design/design practice

·         develop personal autonomy, creativity, independent thinking and evaluative skills when responding to stimuli and creating their own expressive art or design work

·         develop individual self-expression and creativity through their considered exploration and use of art or design materials, equipment, techniques and/or technology

·         develop the higher-order thinking skills required to analyse, synthesise, and critically respond to and understand the impact of expressive art or design work

·          develop advanced critical thinking skills, reaching substantiated informed judgements when refining and presenting lines of visual enquiry and development

Rationale

Art and Design provides opportunities to develop aesthetic understanding, creativity and visual awareness, knowledge and appreciation. It encourages candidates to use a range of media and technology to understand, appreciate and respond to their world. The course promotes creative thinking, encourages independent thought, initiative, innovation, problem solving and the development of personal opinions.

The Advanced Higher Course is intended to promote greater autonomy and candidates are expected to be highly self-motivated. Practical work commences in June and pupils should use this time to select either Expressive or Design and consider at least two inspirational artists or designers. The choice of theme is crucial to success as this will ultimately provide the impetus and development of the portfolio.

The Advanced Higher Course suits candidates aspiring to a career in the visual arts, yet is also open to enthusiastic pupils wishing to simply gain another qualification. For those applying to fine art or design courses, the Advanced Higher course can provide the basis for portfolio applications. Although not a specific requirement of the Advanced Higher Course, A3 spiral sketchbooks are highly valued and can also supplement applications to FE courses.

Recommended Entry Requirements:  Students are normally expected to have achieved an A or B in Higher Art & Design in S5. Pupils who achieved a C at Higher in S5 might find the work overly challenging for presentation but should not be discouraged from discussing their suitability with their teacher.

COURSE OUTLINE

Portfolio – 100 marks

The Portfolio consists of a Practical folio worth 64 marks, a written study, the Contextual Analysis worth 30 marks and an Evaluation worth 6 marks

Practical Folio

Candidates are required to complete a substantial portfolio in either Design or Expressive for external assessment, worth 64% of the overall grade.  This will develop from personal investigations and experiments inspired by and linked to relevant artists and designers. A high level of visual coherence is required throughout the folio which demonstrates thorough research, development and refinement of ideas and practical skills leading to a final outcome(s).

Contextual Analysis

The critical analysis should complement the practical folio and focus on closely related design work(s) for Design or art work (s) for Expressive.  This study is limited to 2000 words and is worth 30% of the overall grade.

Evaluation

Candidates complete their reflective evaluations using the SQA template. The evaluation is worth 6%

Art and Design: Expressive Portfolio

The aims of the Course are to enable learners to:

·         experience an independent, self-directed study of expressive art and art practice

·         develop personal autonomy, creativity, independent thinking and evaluative skills when responding to stimuli and creating their own expressive art work

·         develop individual self-expression and creativity through their considered exploration and use of art materials, equipment, techniques and/or technology

·         develop the higher-order thinking skills required to analyse, synthesise, and critically respond to and understand the impact of expressive art work

·         develop advanced critical thinking skills, reaching substantiated informed judgements when refining and presenting lines of visual enquiry and development

Art and Design: Design Portfolio

The aims of the Course are to enable learners to:

·          experience an independent, self-directed study of design and design practice

·         develop personal autonomy, creativity, independent thinking and evaluative skills when resolving design problems and responding to design area requirements and constraints

·         develop individual creativity and technical skills through the considered exploration and creative use of design materials, equipment, techniques and/or technology

·         develop higher-order thinking skills by analysing, synthesising and responding to   designers’ work and the external factors which influence the design area 

·         develop advanced critical thinking and design-based problem- solving skills

·          reach substantiated and informed judgements when refining and presenting lines of design enquiry and development

Progression

This course or its units may provide progression to:

·         Further education programmes

·         Higher education programmes

·         Training or employment.

A high level of commitment and very good attendance are a pre-requisite of success in this course.  It is important to remember that personal study, both at home and in school, is an important element of Advanced Higher, and that learners must make every effort to attend extra-curricular after-school support classes.