Rethinking the boundaries of AI: Study Online

Megan Thompson 
Hello, welcome everybody to today’s session called Rethinking the Boundaries of AI about studying online here at Goldsmiths with our AI programmes. So just for quick introductions, I’m Megan. I work in our marketing department for the online team.  

And I’m joined today by Dr. Basel Barrakat, who is head of Computer Science and AI at Goldsmiths. 

He’s also the programme lead for our AI and Machine Learning programme. And we’re also joined by Dr. Rachel Falconer, Dr. Rachel Falconer, who is the head of Creative Technology and the programme lead for AI and Creative Practice. 

So just some quick housekeeping. Please do type any of your questions into the Q&A. If you see any question that you want to have answered as well, there is an upvote button. So you can press that, which will let us know that that’s a popular one to answer. And we’ll try and get back to you during the session. 

I’ve got a colleague on hand who can reply to you or we’ll save up any questions for Rachel and Basel at the end of the session.  

If we don’t get a chance to get back to you this afternoon, you can also, we’ll get in touch with you over e-mail. 
 

So just looking at the agenda for today, we’re going to run through a couple of quick introductions and think about, why choose Goldsmiths, why this is maybe the right place for you. We’re going to take a look at the overview for both programmes and their key differences, the career opportunities and pathways across both programmes, the online study learning environment and you know some of the benefits of learning online, application process and how to apply and then we’ll do a quick Q&A at the end. 
 
So just to give a bit of background, we have two AI programmes. So Rachel, Basel, I don’t know if you want to just quickly jump in and say anything about the two programmes and what makes them unique. 

 
Basel Barakat  
Sure, yeah. So the first one is AI and machine learning. And for this postgraduate programme, you will be really studying things in quite a lot of depth. And this will give you a good opportunity to convert to this area.  

So even if you don’t have much experience in AI, machine learning, programming, and so on, you will get to start slow and build your skills. Eventually, towards the end, you’ll be actually building machine learning models while having fun. 
And doing some real work examples, Rachel. 

 
Rachel Falconer  
Brilliant, thank you, Basel. So yeah, so the second one is AI and creative practice and you will be exploring and finding out how to use AI as a creative medium. And obviously it’s a very fast growing area and you’ll be as creative practitioners 
really well placed to shape what’s next in the industry.  

You’ll be engaging with AI as both a technical system and a collaborative presence. So all of the work you’ll be doing will be in groups, which is very close to the way in which industry is constructed. And you’ll be examining how human-machine relationships a kind of reshaping the artistic landscape and specifically authorship, cultural production and creative responsibility.  

So you’ll be working at the cutting edge of the creative industries and shaping what’s to come. 

 
Megan Thompson  

Perfect. So I think now just some quick introductions, Basel, over to you. 

 
Basel Barakat    
Thank you, yeah. This is Dr. Basel Barakat. I’m the Head of Computer Science and AI. And my work is a lot about applications of AI, so how to use AI and machine learning and things like time series forecasting or language models and how this can be applied to systems like healthcare.  

I worked in this field for a good number of years and I started a startup in this field which won awards and got funding for projects that work on the energy efficiency in NHS hospitals. And a lot of this work will be really reflected in some of the courses that we’ll be teaching throughout this. 
Thank you. 

 
Rachel Falconer   
Brilliant. Thank you so much. So I’m Rachel Falconer, Dr. Rachel Falconer. I’m Head of Creative Technology here at Goldsmiths. And I guess I specialise in the critical study of computational and network culture within the field of contemporary art practice. 
 

I’m also a curator. I’ve been working in the field for a good number of years as well. And I really have a specialism in the creative, I guess, application of AI and machine learning models within and across the art world and creative industries. 
 

I’m also the co-founder of the Process Iteration Network Research Unit here at Goldsmiths, which has a focus on process and iterative led creative practice. And I’m also an industry consultant and connected to a number of different institutions. 
working with Tate and I’m also the author of the Lumen Prize Liminal Review for the second year running. 
 

Megan Thompson 
So did you both want to just talk about a little bit about what it’s like to study online at Goldsmiths? 

 
Basel Barakat  
Yeah, sure. So these programmes are fully online and a lot of them will give, the idea behind them is built to give you flexibility. So a lot of the material will be pre-recorded for you to read, but also will have some live webinars where you’ll be interacting with the module leads.  

And you can have any questions or anything through discussion forums and so on. And we are one of the biggest universities in online programmes. We’ve been teaching it for many years now. So there is lots of experience will be brought into these programmes and hopefully you’ll find this when you start studying with us. 

 
Rachel Falconer  
Yeah, totally. And it’s really a great place to study because we translate all of our main learning objectives and methods and ways of learning through doing, which is really a core kind of match that we have, particularly within, you know, our subject areas onto the online platform and experience.  

And that means that it will fit really around any of your sort of obligations and, you know, kind of necessities around asynchronous learning. We really are positioned very strongly to be able to be flexible and responsive to your needs. 

 
Megan Thompson  
And so Goldsmiths has a really long history. Is there anything else you wanted to maybe say about that? 

 
Basel Barakat  
Yeah, of course, we’re quite proud of the history of the university. So it’s been running for 120 years as a university, not as any type of educational institute. And now also this is quite new as ranking there. We are growing up and at the moment we are top 10 in London. 
 

And our way of teaching, the way of discussions that take place in Goldsmith is very unique. Creativity is definitely part of it, hands-on, practical, all the fun stuff in a university, but that will obviously come with you in an online programme. So there will be a lot of that coming into your virtual learning environment. 

 
Basel Barakat 
Why study a degree in AI?  

 
Rachel Falconer    

Ohh, that’s a great one. I mean, maybe I can start by just saying, you know, that the, as I mentioned before, it’s a really, you know, kind of growing field and the new programmes that we’re offering deliver the latest learning in the field because every lecturer actually has a, you know, sort of hands on the pulse experience of working within and across the fields of AI.  

And one of the main reasons, I guess, as well to study is that you’re going to gain a fast track into sort of senior roles with essential skills. So looking at what kinds of skill sets will then translate into industry.  

And, you know, if you’re coming in from industry experience, you’ll be able to really radically update and future proof your existing skill set, because we understand that the industry is changing.  

So this is a perfect opportunity for you to kind of upskill from, you know, a career or portfolio career that perhaps, you know, is in need of that kind of refreshing and also that expertise that can then translate into your future career development. 

 
Basel Barakat   

Exactly, exactly. Very good point. Actually, the unique opportunity in these programmes that all of it will be brand new. A lot of the material will be up to date, what’s now in the industry. And since this is a postgraduate degree, you will be really exposed to research and newest things in the field that’s coming that will help you in your progress in your work if you’re working in the industry or if you’re getting into this industry or really know the state and the most up-to-date methods, approaches, ways of running AI models. 
 
Rachel Falconer   
Yeah, for sure. And one of the key sort of, I guess, identifiers of a Goldsmith’s course is that we really explore and actively encourage debate around ethical and social implications of the subject area.  

And obviously, AI is a key sort of case study for this sort of approach towards a more critical and responsible study of the area itself. And that’s something that Goldsmiths does really well and is known for. 

 
Megan Thompson    

So we’ve got a comparison here between the two programmes. Basel, did you want to kick it off first with the AI machine learning programme? 

 
Basel Barakat   
Sure, yeah. Like a lot of the points we just covered in the previous slides go across both programmes.  

But now let’s dig a little bit deeper. So in AI and machine learning, these are very technical programme that will be a lot of it is about programming, solving problems, a little bit of DevOps or machine learning operations.  

And applications of AI such as natural language processing where LLMs come to place or large language models such as ChatGPT and Gemini. Computer vision, how can we make computers understand images from a machine learning point of view. Data engineering, how does the pipeline for data comes, how to build the right data for your model to deploy it and monitor how it does that.  

And obviously the ethics surround all of that. So how to do all of that ethically, legally, to look at it from different perspectives and how to solve that in different methodologies and all of that goes into it. 
 

I think that’s we’ll get more details in a couple of more slides, but yeah, that’s the overview. 

 
Rachel Falconer  
Yeah. That’s great. And yeah, we’re coming at it from slightly different angles, but we both share the same sort of approach to the subject area, which I think is great.  

So for AI and creative practice, I guess this is for creatives who want to, I guess, as I mentioned before, shape and influence the kind of creative application of AI and not just use it as a tool.  

Having said that, you will gain concrete skills in the area. So you’ll be looking at using generative AI as a tool for proficiency, thinking about how to kind of streamline and operationalise your creative process. 
 

You’ll be looking at AI enhanced prototyping. So prototyping is at the core of any kind of creative endeavour. So we’ll be looking at that. Data handling for creative AI is a key and core focus of the programme. And as I mentioned previously, the collaborative aspects of the programme is really unique. 
 

So we’ll be looking at different modes and methods of constructing and scaffolding remote collaborative processes and working together to problem solve and also develop a portfolio that is robust and forward facing and it will culminate in a project, a final project at the end of the programme.  

And as we keep, you know, sort of referencing the ethical and critical awareness around the subject area is really fundamental to both what we teach, but also how it is applied and how it lives in society at large. And that’s something that we 
You know, we breathe through the institution itself at Goldsmiths. 

 
Basel Barakat   
Okay, this is really the depth of the modules that we’re going to take in the AI and machine learning programme. So we’ll start with any of these modules like research methods, where we will be introduced to how AI research works, how does the ethical part of it work, how does hypothesis and how to put a hypothesis, how is it tested, all that goes into your first module, research programming and algorithms. This is where we start with you really slower in the technical side. So you start to learn Python. 
 

All of the programme will be teaching Python in it, but here you’ll be first introduced. You’ll be taking into the theoretical part a little bit in algorithms, how to know if this algorithm is efficient or not, and giving you that kind of hands-on experience in this module.  

The next one is data programming, this is where you start to get to know different types of data and how to programme them, how to get them ready for AI and machine learning.  

So this is quite important from practical point of view. And actually, we’ll speak about this in a couple of slides as well, but the jobs like data engineer or machine learning engineer. This is where the core of these career paths you’ll be studying there in data programming.  

Then artificial intelligence, machine learning and deep learning. These gives you depth of the fundamentals of these concepts, how to understand them, how to 
assess them, think about them and develop. You’ll be doing a lot of this. And eventually you’ll be doing natural language processing and computer vision and machine learning operations.  

This is very practical examples of what you learned before. So in the beginning, you take the programming, then the data, then machine learning and AI. 
 

Then the applications of this, such as natural language processing, computer vision, and machine learning operations. And once you learn all of these modules, hopefully you’ll progress towards your final project, which is four to five credits, so it’s a little bit longer time to do this project and you’ll apply a lot of what you learned here from the programming, from machine learning, from the ethical, you all put it in one place to submit it as your final dissertation. 
 

I think this is a good overview of this programme. 

 
Rachel Falconer  
Brilliant overview. Thank you so much, Basel. So the AI and Creative Practice programme starts off with phase one.  

So you’ll have an introduction to creative AI as a field. You’ll then move into a collaborative prototyping and practice module that really delivers A methodology for working in a collaborative environment, online, offline, within creative technology environments.  

So this is more about creating the right kind of infrastructure for you to be able to really design your working methodology as a group. Then the third module that you’ll be taking in phase one will be more than human creativity. 
 

So looking at how you will start to kind of interact with and form a relationship with the AI and machine learning tools that you’ll be interacting with, which is key. And then the last module in phase one is creative AI intermedial learning systems. 
 

Which again gets a little bit deeper into this idea and methodology around interacting with, yes, sort of intelligent systems that then influence the way in which creative practice is developed.  

Phase 2 is really the portfolio phase. So this is where you’ll be developing your own creative projects. So portfolio one is the AI and archive. So looking at archival practices, thinking about how to document your work and create a sustainable portfolio of work as well. 
 

Portfolio 2 module is professional practice for hybrid creators, so looking at how to create sustainable business models as a creative practitioner in general, but within the AI field specifically. And then portfolio 3 is critical convergence, which is a unique offering of the course, which consists of a symposium, a group symposium that you will design and curate yourselves with external guests invited to feature within the conference.  

And then the last module in phase two is critical reflection, which is where you will reflect on your portfolio delivery and the symposium and think about developing and pivoting into your major projects, which is what phase three consists of entirely, while you’ll be developing and delivering a group project to culminate in a final exhibition. 
 

So that’s an overview of the AI and Creative Practice Programme. 

 
Megan Thompson  
So this is just some quick facts about the programmes. They’re both £16,000 total tuition delivered to over 2 years part time with a total of 180 credits. And there’s both the PG Dip and PG Cert entry and exit pathways. So 
Basel, Rachel, I don’t know if you want to maybe say something a little bit around the PG Dip and Cert opportunities on the programmes and who they might be suitable for. 

 
Basel Barakat  
Sure, yeah. So this is as a postgraduate programme. You can kind of choose which path is the best for you. So you can choose the MSc or full masters. You can choose or choose postgraduate diploma or certificate based on how much you want to get out of the programme. So it depends on the number of credit hours you cannot finish. You can take the right degree for you. 
 

And it will be all, eventually, you will be sharing a lot of the modules with any pathway. So if you’re doing, let’s say, AI, the AI will be with all pathways. So you all take the same information out of it. For AI and machine learning as a programme, 
 

There is 9 modules, the one we just covered, plus a final project, which will give you the opportunity to put everything in one place. 
 

And all of the complete programme for MSC will be 180 credits. I think more information about how many credits for each exit is on the website already. So if you want to check that, please refer to it. 

 
Rachel Falconer 
Yeah. And equally for the AI and creative practice, it consists of eight taught modules and one major project. And yeah, please refer to the website to see which pathway might be suitable for your own style of learning. 

 
Megan Thompson 
And for those of you who are joining or looking to join on the MSc pathways, we also have that summer scholarship, which is available for anyone who’s applying in August. So that’s £3,500 off your total tuition across both of these programmes.  

So do apply before August if you’re interested in taking up this scholarship offer. 
So, Basel, Rachel, did you want to talk a little bit around sort of career opportunities and market demand for AI industries? 

Basel Barakat   
Yeah, of course. I’m sure since you’re attending this session, you’re very much familiar with the AI market. It’s now a well-known fact that the AI is changing the market, whether it’s from programming, software, all of this kind of jobs, even in the creative tech it’s being affected by AI.  

So it’s really important to catch up on this trend and get your skill, the skills needed to really excel in this. So at the moment, I don’t know, there is 11,000 active AI and automation vacancies available in the UK alone. 

 
And almost 70% of them is directly to AI. So that gives you an idea how much the market is really evolving towards AI. And I’m sure if you go now and check, this number would have been increased already. So a lot of opportunities will open from this. 

Plus, it’s not only for the UK, it’s also for global job posting. So if we look in 22 to 23, there’s 80% there with 61% increase in 2024. This just shows you briefly how much increase in this market and how much of an opportunity this is really. Also, the industry is like a creative tech. I think Rachel have more up to date on this, yeah. 

 
Rachel Falconer  
Yeah. I mean, obviously, there’s a huge, huge demand and the industry is changing and it’s really looking at that sort of deficit in talent shortage, which is why, you know, upskilling and finding a way through to respond to market needs is something that Goldsmiths is really well positioned to furnish across both of our programmes.  

Obviously, the creative technology area is booming at the moment across both the art world and the creative industries as at large. So it’s, you know, the programme is designed for an international facing, you know, kind of demand from industry. 

 
Basel Barakat  
Exactly, yeah. And this here on the right, you can see some of the postings and what is the average salary around each job. So machine learning engineer, AI engineer, lead UX designer, product design for generative AI. This is all the base of that. 

 
What you will be studying in these programmes, of course. 

 
Megan Thompson   

Okay, great. So career opportunities specifically in AI and machine learning.  

 
Basel Barakat 
Of course, the biggest recruiters around AI and machine learning will be the tech industry. So Meta, Microsoft, Google, Nvidia, but also the applied side of it, such as NHS, the National Health Services employ quite a lot. 
 

So there isn’t just a single company or a single giant, although there’s quite big giants in the field, but the industry is asking for both the technical and the applied side.  

So you might be working as an AI engineer collecting data for NHS around about a certain disease, or you might work as cloud provider for AI companies in AWS and Amazon or in Google, for instance. 
 

So really the job market has already shifted towards AI and facilitating AI in different fields and also from infrastructure point of view for that. So this is just an example of some of the biggest employers in this field. 

 
Megan Thompson   

And then we’ve got the same for AI and creative practice. 

 
Rachel Falconer 
Yeah, and I’m sure that everybody is very familiar with a lot of these companies, but you’ll be able to sort of enter into a wide range of high growth industries where Creative AI is being deployed both as a tool and a collaborative model.  

So looking at industries, you know, varying from the film and TV, and animation, so you can see Nexus Studios being very prominent within that field. Games and interactive media, obviously a huge industry that is being affected by the AI sort of revolution.  

Advertising and branding, generative AI startups, so the startup 
and creative AI labs are also having a real growth spurt at the moment. Data-driven, creative R&D, AI-assisted music production and composition is a huge focus and also a big strength within the department itself. Sound design and spatial audio, obviously very connected. 
 

And festivals and public exhibitions involving AI. So we work a lot with different institutions and have a lot of active networks such as the South Bank, Kate, Barbican, etc. We’ve got a lot of active partnerships with those kinds of industry partners as well. 
 

And then design studios and creative technologists roles that you can see represented across the branded, you know, kind of logos on the right hand side of the slide as well. So it covers, you know, an expansive creative, you know, kind of field of practice. 

 
Megan Thompson 
So, here at Goldsmiths, it’s really important for us that you’re, you know, developing the skills that will help you advance both personally, professionally, through online learning.  

So, as you’ve heard, both of our programmes really have a strong focus on ensuring you’re gaining those analytical skills and the flexibility and the resilience and the agility that are all really valuable competencies for our graduates and for our students.  

And so, you know, we really believe that through online learning, we’re cultivating digitally fluent leaders who can really motivate and collaborate and communicate effectively across boundaries and across, you know, sort of digital platforms. 
 

And this sort of ties into what you were both just saying. Creative thinking as well is really important for us. We’re not just really preparing students to respond to change, you know, we’re teaching them to shape it as well. And our Goldsmiths graduates, we want to sort of emerge as both problem solvers and socially intelligent leaders as well. That’s really grounded in human understanding. 
 

And this sort of human centred digital approach to teaching is really important to us and meeting those values throughout our teaching. 

 So I don’t know if there was anything else that maybe Basel, Rachel, you wanted to add about these skills and how they tie into the programmes. 

 
Basel Barakat  
Yeah, sure. Like, it’s a very good point that we in these programmes will focus on the critical and analytical thinking. So it’s not, you will be doing a lot of hands-on, but it’s not only hands-on.  

You’ll be doing hands-on and critical parts. So to think of it, of how ethical is this work? Is it the right way to do it from an analytics point of view, is this the most efficient approach? And with a lot of the projects that you’ll be doing, the hands-on and also in the creative world, the presentations, how to critically evaluate 
certain work, this will really ends up building your critical eye and understanding of the area much better than just coding or just doing things by hand without really giving that depth insights into it. 

 
Rachel Falconer 
Yeah, totally. I think that Basel and I both share, you know, an attitude towards our programmes around, it’s not just the how, it’s the why. So why are we, why are we sort of like encouraging a more analytical approach to things once we’ve got the sort of technical competencies? It’s much more about forming a responsible, you know, kind of methodology around, you know, how and why we are deploying these and what the kind of influence, you know, would be as it rolls out into industry. And that’s hopefully what we try and encourage and create a solid foundation through our programmes as well. 

 
Megan Thompson  
So our online classroom has been very specially built to help you develop all of those skills.  

The online learning environment has been built by our goal team to help you study while maintaining balance and commitments in your personal life. So these programmes are both delivered across this platform and it will be where 
all of your interactive learning, assessments and feedback will take place.  

Did you have anything you wanted to add maybe, Basel and Rachel, just around how to make sure that students make the most of their independent online study? I know, Rachel, there’s a lot of group work as well that sort of ties into the Creative Practice programme. 

 
Rachel Falconer  
Yeah. Sure, I mean, yeah, the group work is a fundamental aspect of the programme. And we have working with GOAL and adapted learning team, which is amazing.  

They’ve really been able to scaffold and create a very vibrant environment for 
for group work, which I think is a, you know, a really strong industry facing skill to develop. So really, really pleased with that. 

 
Basel Barakat   
Exactly, yeah, this is very flexible and the material and the exercises as well will be very flexible to fit within this work or this study, which might be with your work or if you’re doing work in the field or in other fields and you want to fit it within your timetable, this is a really good opportunity, but that doesn’t mean it will be like static pages, boring stuff.  

Read this three books and give me your idea about them. It’s actually very interactive and there’s a lot of fun games done online in the programmes itself. So hopefully it will be engaging and personalised the way you see fit for yourself. 

 
Rachel Falconer  
Yeah. 

 
Megan Thompson   
Yeah, definitely designed to be very interactive. So of course, there’s many benefits to online learning and choosing to do a part-time programme. You’ve obviously got a lot more flexibility in terms of where and when you pick up your learning and assessment on that week to week basis. 
 

And we’ve got easy access as well through any browser, any device. And they’re really designed to be very accessible throughout. And we recommend probably about 15 to 20 hours per week to really get the most out of this and really commit to the programme.  

Is there anything you both wanted to add around sort of the online learning and experience and benefits for students and how we can really make sure that they’re getting the most out of it. 

 
Rachel Falconer  
Sure, I mean, I think that self-directed learning is important to think through within, you know, kind of more studio practice-based modules. But I think in general, it’s important to, you know, really celebrate the good work of Goldsmith’s online programmes. 
 

But actually, you know, making the experience a heightened experience rather than anything that is a trade-off between in real life and online. It’s certainly its own unique environment, which I think is really important to emphasise. 

 
Basel Barakat  
Exactly. And the wealth of experience our academics really bring in this programme is amazing. We’ve been running online programmes for many, many years. And I think we have one of the biggest programmes in the world in the School of Computing, the school for these two programmes. So there will be a lot of experience brought to you and with the flexibility you get the best of both sides, I think. 

 
Megan Thompson 
Yeah, definitely. 
 

Yes, so just following on from that, you do have lots of opportunities to connect with faculty and peers through these discussion forums and group work, like Rachel was saying, and sort of going through this eight-week module structure gives you that opportunity to really work at a suitable part-time pace for yourself and manage it around your own life. 
And we’ve also got lots of student support services as well available to you.  

So there’s the online library with lots of extra resources that you might want to take a look at outside of Moodle, which is our online platform. And our module leaders as well, who can help you with, you know, any questions or feedback and are always very responsive. 
 

And then we’ve also got disability and wellbeing support as well. So really, you know, to help you manage your mental health and any additional needs you might have while studying.  

Rachel, Basel, did you have anything you might want to add to that around module leader support or anything else on the programmes? 

 
Basel Barakat  
Sure, yeah. So these programmes, although they’re running online and we have obviously on-campus programmes similar to these, you will get all the resources delivered to you through this online learning environment.  

So you’ll have access to our any research publications that we have subscriptions with just like all the students we have, you will have access to our systems, so the library system, the Microsoft subscription. You will be also able to get our career and disability and well-being services. 

So It will be exactly like we do for the on-campus programmes, and that will give you the opportunity to be flexible and get the best of these services as well. 

 
Rachel Falconer  
Yeah, for sure. And also just to emphasize, you know, most of our module leaders have, you know, expertise and, you know, field work expertise with it, sorry, within the field. So you’ll be able to access that, that sort of professionalism, you know, as part of your learning experience as well. 

 
Megan Thompson   
So we do have slightly different entry criteria across the two courses. So AI and machine learning’s standard entry is bachelor’s degree with a 2.1 or equivalent in a STEM based subject or a 2.2 bachelor’s degree with two years relevant work experience. 
 

Slightly different on AI and creative practice. You can have a BA or a BSc in any subject where you’ve received a 21 or above. However, if you don’t quite meet this entry criteria or you want to discuss it in a little bit more detail, please do contact us and we’ll see if there’s a suitable fit for you based around your individual circumstances.  

We do like to speak to people, you know, on a case by case basis to discuss the entry requirements. 
 

Is there anything you guys wanted to add? 
 

 
Basel Barakat  
Actually, I just want to emphasise the last point you spoke here is, yeah, if you have skills that didn’t come from a certificate, you worked on yourself, you watched videos, you built projects, we do take these into consideration. So do get in touch. These applications comes to actually both of us, me and Rachel, and we check them. 

 
Or check if you have the skills to progress, then obviously this will be an acceptance. So not everything has to be through the normal route. If you have skilled learned from somewhere else, we welcome that as well. 

 
Megan Thompson  
Yeah, it’s always worth getting in touch with a member of the team to see whether you should apply or applying anyway and seeing how we get on. 

 
Basel Barakat 
Okay. 

 
Megan Thompson 
So yes, English language requirements. So if English isn’t your first language, we will require a certificate as the programmes are taught in English. And we accept IELTS certificates with an overall score of 6.5 and no less than 6 in any band. But again, we do sort of consider alternative test certificates and accept exemptions can be made based around individual circumstances.  

So again, best to contact us in the first instance if you have any questions about that or if you want to sort of discuss your options. 
 

So applications are open for August. So if you want to join us starting from the 31st of August, apply now.  

The deadline is the 7th of August. So we’ve got a couple of weeks to sort of speak with you, process your applications and get everything in.  

The process is very straightforward. We just need your degree certificate or a transcript confirming your either predicted or overall grade, a CV or resume and your English language certificate if that’s applicable to your circumstances.  

And then for anyone who is planning on applying through a non-standard route, we may need a personal statement as well. So yeah, contact us in our online admissions team if you have any questions or want to discuss that in a bit more detail. 
 

So I think we’ve got time for a couple of questions. Let me just pull up our Q&A. 
 

So, here we go. Do we need minimum tech equipment to take the programme? Basel, Rachel, do either of you want to answer that? 

 
Basel Barakat 
So for the AI and machine learning, yes, you would need access to a computer and you will need obviously headphones, a speaker and a camera will be needed, especially for the live part of the programme. So that will be ideally, you should have access to these, but if you don’t, also please speak to us because we can check what is the best method for that. Rachel, is it different in your programme? 

 
Rachel Falconer 
No, exactly the same, so thank you for answering for both of us there. 

 
 
Megan Thompson 
Right, so we’ve had a question from Jonathan. So is there any flexibility with studies and workload or assignments? I’ll be balancing a very busy role alongside. 

 
Basel Barakat    
Generally, these programmes, each module is 8 weeks long and the last week is the assessment one. So 7 weeks of study, one week for assessment, depending on the module, the assessment itself will be there.  

So if you have any extenuating circumstances, obviously you can submit a request, tell us that you have maybe a very tough time at work and that will be taken into consideration just like a normal programme of study. Flexibility around also 
holidays, so I think around Christmas period, Easter period, there will be some time off for you to be able to have a break. 
 

But generally, is there anything specific? I don’t know if you have a follow-up on that. 

 
Megan Thompson  
No, nothing, nothing specific on that. 

 
Basel Barakat 
Yeah. 

 
Rachel Falconer 
Okay. 

 
Megan Thompson  
Okay, and then we’ve got a question. So good to meet you all. Does Goldsmiths have good industry links and real world application of content? I’m currently in app development for creative and visual media. So it sounds like maybe one for you, Rachel. 

 
Rachel Falconer   
Yeah, no, sure, absolutely. I mean, I think if you refer back to the slides, that definitely sort of points towards, you know, a lot of our industry contacts. As I mentioned before, all of our module leaders are active in industry and, you know, that’s one of the kind of really great things about Goldsmith is that we’re all active industry practitioners as well as lecturers and we are, you know, very solidly networked throughout the creative industries. 

 
Megan Thompson   44:19 
And we’ve got a question from Shamalia, who has said, what is the level of supervision and mentorship for the final project in the AI and Creative Practice MSC? 

 
Rachel Falconer   
Yeah, so the mentorship and the supervision is really very closely related to the phase three, although when you are doing your first build up towards the symposium and phase two, you have one-to-one supervision and crypts, and that’s the foundation for collaborative practice as well. So 
you will be very closely mentored all the way through to final development. 
much like you would be, you know, on a campus-based course. 

 
Megan Thompson   45:02 
Yeah, great. And I’ve had another follow up question as well. So what’s the expected cohort size and how are groups allocated for group projects? I expect this is particularly interesting for international students who are sort of joining from different time zones and, you know, with group project work, maybe are thinking about being grouped together. 

 
Rachel Falconer   45:20 
And. 
Absolutely. So we’re very flexible and responsive to different working needs. And the ideal group size is a three person to four person group. And we are very aware of different constraints and opportunities of working across time zones. And this is something that is also very reflective of the creative industries as a whole. 
as a lot of organisations are internationally based. So we’re very used to working through these different kind of tensions. So not something to be concerned about. 

 
Megan Thompson   45:57 
Brilliant. And then with regard, I mean, sort of similar question to before, but about contact time for project supervision and dissertation, how does that work online? So a use of meeting over Teams or how is that sort of set up? 

 
Rachel Falconer    
meeting over Teams. And then we also have, you know, we have yet to decide on a platform, but it will be something like a Miro board or some kind of group studio based environment through which you can leave fragments and process pieces. 
and things that will track and trace and document your creative process so that your supervisor will be able to pick up exactly where you left off so that they won’t have to continually, you know, have the refresh of the project’s kind of status. It will be there. Again, that’s very responsive and reflective of industry standards as well. So that’s something that we’re really well set up to deliver. 

 
Basel Barakat   
And actually also for the AI and machine learning, the supervision will be mainly one-to-one basis. So you’ll be working with the supervisor and the supervisor will have a routinely meeting with you. So it’s, I think, to decide between you and the supervisor based on the project idea you’re interested in.  

But I would expect to be every two weeks you’ll be meeting your supervisor for a call, check with the updates, check what need to be done after. And hopefully once you’re done with a project, this will give you a lot of idea how to think. 
 

Even in the project itself, how to think about it critically, the project itself, and where should it go after you finish your masters. If you’re interested in doing a PhD, for instance, or going into the industry in a similar job, that will be your opportunity to work with the supervisor on a one-to-one base. 

 
Megan Thompson   48:01 
Great. And we’ve also had a question from Stephen, specifically Basel, around the AI and machine learning programme. So his background is that he’s got a higher diploma in electronic and communication engineering, 10 years of experience, but he doesn’t have a bachelor’s degree, but he is self-studying Python and artificial intelligence.  

So he’s just interested to know if that would be an application that was considered. I think, as we’ve discussed earlier, the entry requirements can be very flexible around people with lots of professional experience and who are doing their sort of own taught learning. But is there anything that you’d like you’d be able to add that could help him strengthen his application? 

 
Basel Barakat   
Yeah, of course. So if you worked in the tech industry, even if it’s in the engineering side of it, that gives you the understanding of how the tech industry works. You can understand about the intensity of the work itself. So I think that would be definitely considered. Programming is important. 
 

If you manage to get a little bit into the programming, you will get there. The best way, I think, for you for this special case is apply and let’s see your experience, because it depends really on what you worked in the industry. But there will be some cases if the industry doesn’t fit, we will recommend that you start with a certain module. If you pass that module, they can progress with the rest of the programme itself. So there will be some flexibility around that as well. 

 
Megan Thompson   
Yeah, definitely. Yes, Stephen, please do send an e-mail over to our online admissions team and we’d love to talk to you about it and see what we can do about helping you process your application.  

So I’ve had another question around AI and creative practice. So has it been run before? And if so, is there any way to see any examples of what a final project from this course would look like? 
 

So this is a fairly new programme, but Rachel, I don’t know if you’ve got anything maybe relevant from the campus programme? 

 
Rachel Falconer 
Yes, this is a brand new programme, but I would definitely look at the Computational Arts Masters, MA, MFA websites. I think that we can share that with you. And you can have a look at the Instagram, I would say is probably a good a good place to start looking at student projects as well. So we can we can share that with you. Would that be now or would you be able to share that with the with the person that’s asked the question later? 

 
Megan Thompson  
Yeah. 

 
Rachel Falconer 
Yep, brilliant. 

 
Megan Thompson 
Yeah, absolutely. 
 

And then I’ve had a question just around the scholarship. So yes, it does only apply to the MSC version of the programme, not for the PG Cert or PG Dip entry pathways.  

And what else? So still got a few. So I’ve got a question around whether international applicants get support with visa applications if they’re interested in these courses. And if you’re already in the UK for a bachelor’s, can this support, can this course support a visa extension?  

So I’m not sure if this is a question that’s relevant for the whole audience, but I think that’s something that we’ll get our recruitment and admissions team to follow up with you on afterwards. If you don’t mind just popping your name in the chat so we know who it is that sent that in because it’s an anonymous question. 
 

And I think we’ve answered pretty much all the questions. So unless anyone else has anything they’d like to ask, please let us know.  

Oh, here we go. We’ve got, so I just finished the online UOL Goldsmiths Computer Science Bachelor degree on Coursera. Is there a tuition aid for alumni? And is the language proof waived if I already have a degree from Goldsmiths?  

So I would have thought so. What I’ll do is I’ll pass this over to a member of our admissions team who’ll be able to follow up with you after the call, Alexis. 
 

And Basel, I’ve got a question for you. So again, from Stephen, he said, if I complete this MSc in AI and Machine Learning, can I apply for the PhD degree from Goldsmiths by online study? 

 
Basel Barakat 
For applying, definitely yes, but we don’t have an online PhD at the moment. So I think PhD can be done online, but it’s a normal PhD itself. So this masters will definitely get you ready to go for a PhD for that kind of research certificate, it will prepare you. You will be doing a lot of literature review projects, all of that. But the online part becomes between you and your supervisor. So that’s maybe a little bit early to answer that now. 

 
Megan Thompson 
Right. Okay, well, I don’t think we’re getting any more questions coming in, so we can end the session there. But Basel, Rachel, thank you so much for joining today and running through the two programmes. It’s always really great to hear what we’re offering online at Goldsmiths. 

 
Rachel Falconer   53:45 
Thank you so much, everybody. 

 
Megan Thompson   53:48 
All right. Thanks, everyone. Goodbye. Bye.