Abstract

This conference contribution addresses the effective use of groupwork for assessment and feedback of practice related skill building activities for interview and portfolio preparation. While focusing on final year BA (Hons) Architecture students, the lessons aims to be transferrable to any design related discipline where the personal presentation of a portfolio is considered essential for entry to the job market.Assessment of this component typically consists of staff and invited architectural professionals on ‘mock interview’ panels over several days to individual speak with and assess students on the portfolio and their demeanour. While beneficial to individuals, this is time consuming for staff and has little opportunity for the class to share in broader lessons.This study uses ten small groups of five students, with a practice mentor. Each group will interview and be interviewed by another group to gain experience on both sides. The practice mentor and module staff will have an overview and monitor the groups. All groups will then share experiences at the end of a single three-hour session.The study aims to evaluate if this small group approach is engaging as a method of teaching and learning, and its effectiveness for peer assessment and feedback. The pecha kucha will document preparatory lectures, examples of student work, the interview sessions and the feedback.