For over ten years, the Master of Design programmes in Illustration and Communication Design at The Glasgow School of Art have developed the use of Critical Reflective Methods as an integral component informing students’ studio practice. During this time, I have led my team in developing our approach.

The Critical Reflective Journal course provides opportunities for students to acquire practical skills in developing as reflective practitioners. In discussions with staff and peers, students critically reflect on their practice through presentations, workshops, and peer reviews. The Critical Reflective Journal informs the student’s practice-led research, requiring students to situate their practice within the ethical, social and political context of Communication Design. The course transforms students’ practice, producing graduates who are practitioners, academics, researchers, curators, and activists. This paper presents and evaluates the effectiveness of the approaches employed by the team over this period in developing students as critical reflective practitioners.