Learning from images

Research can take different forms. Redent Camilleri, a postgraduate student in the Master in Teaching and Learning (Art) degree at the University of Malta) set out to prove that researchers can ‘theorise’ with images, specifically comics. In his final dissertation, he aimed to show the academic potential of comics as educational tools by mixing a ‘traditional’ approach to academic writing with sections in which he ‘thinks’ in comic format. One of his goals was to show that the production of knowledge is not restricted to written text or academic writing and that a creative piece of work like a musical composition, fiction or series of images all constitute a form of knowledge production and research in their own right. By making use of multi-modal creative research methods, Redent indicated that ‘the medium is the message’. With their combination of visual and textual aspects, comics were presented as sources of a deeper educational engagement and a dynamic form of communication.