Artificial intelligence is one of the most significant creative technologies of our time.
Like most technologies, we do not see it as inherently good or bad. Fire can warm a house or burn one down. Social media can connect people or divide them. AI is no different. Its value lies in how thoughtfully, ethically and creatively it is used.
At Make Happen we are not interested in telling people what they should think about AI. We are far more interested in creating a space where students critically explore its possibilities, limitations and implications through discussion, experimentation and practice.
Our role is not to promote or prohibit AI.
Our role is to help creative practitioners develop sound judgement.
Practice Comes First
The Make Happen approach has always been built around a simple idea:
Do. Therefore know.
We believe people learn creativity by creating, sharing, receiving feedback, reflecting, adapting and creating again. Our programmes place action at the centre of learning because practice changes people in ways that theory alone cannot.
For that reason, our assessment is increasingly centred on evidence of genuine creative practice...
making work
testing ideas in the world
engaging audiences and communities
responding to feedback
reflecting honestly on successes, failures and unexpected discoveries
These are difficult to fabricate because they emerge from sustained engagement with reality rather than simply producing convincing written text. This emphasis is reflected throughout the design of the MA in Creative Practice, where students are expected to demonstrate creative development through practice, experimentation, audience engagement and critical reflection.
Academic Integrity
As a validated programme of Plymouth Marjon University, all students are required to comply with the University's Academic Integrity Procedure.
This includes the University's regulations governing the appropriate and inappropriate use of Artificial Intelligence within assessed work. Students must ensure that any use of AI complies fully with University requirements and that submitted work remains their own, appropriately acknowledged where required. Unauthorised AI-generated content may constitute academic misconduct under the University's Academic Integrity Procedure.
A copy of Plymouth Marjon’s Academic Integrity procedure can be found here: Academic Integrity Procedure
AI as a Creative Tool
We recognise that AI can be an extraordinarily useful creative tool.
Students may choose to use AI to support activities such as:
brainstorming ideas
exploring alternative viewpoints
refining language
organising information
generating prototypes
supporting research
accelerating technical workflows
These uses can enhance creative practice when they remain transparent, ethical and critically evaluated.
However, AI should never replace the thinking, experimentation, judgement, lived experience or creative practice that sit at the heart of becoming a creative practitioner.
Human Creativity Still Matters
The purpose of the MA in Creative Practice is not to produce better AI prompts.
It is to develop people who notice more, question more deeply, create more courageously, collaborate more effectively and contribute more meaningfully to the world.
Technology will continue to evolve.
Our commitment is to help people evolve alongside it... remaining thoughtful, ethical, adaptable and deeply human.
AI can generate words. It cannot live your practice.