XD5011 - Personal Research Project 2

The module will use a range of blended teaching and learning activities: studio-based workshops, studio practice, and independent study (supported with online materials). Teaching in this module will be centred around developing your skills as a reflexive designer, particularly around social concerns, and embedding skills you learnt in other modules into your practice.

The module tutor will outline the topic at the start of this module: this could include a challenge taken from a suitable competition brief e.g. RSA, Creative Conscience Awards). Following this, they will guide your individual design process through lectures, seminars, collaborative reading of academic literature, and workshops to experiment with new methods and the application of methods you have learnt previously. You will also learn to provide and receive feedback, and develop skills to implement this to improve your designs. At the start of the module, your tutor will provide you with clear guidance and may even provide specific activities to do in class. As the module progresses, you will be expected to become more independent in your enquiry and will be expected to work independently during supervised studio time. During this time, the tutor will be available to comment on your work and provide feedback and guidance, but the kind of guidance you will need should be driven by you, independently.

The module tutors will all play a role in guiding you through this module. You will be guided by tutors with relevant expertise in design, reflexive practice, and design-led research investigations. By giving and receiving peer feedback in the module, you will also be supported by other students on the programme, and will provide support to others. Studio feedback from your tutors will be given throughout all workshops, as well as at any interim presentation as and when these are necessary. You will also be given the opportunity to have feedback on your research and development in small group or individual sessions with the tutors.

At the half-way point of the module, you will be asked to present your work so far, where you will receive feedback from your tutor and colleagues. You will then learn to integrate this feedback into your work.

Further academic support is provided via e-learning tools, such as additional reading, short videos, wikis, or discussion groups. Additional contact with tutors will also be available during specified office hours, by arrangement. Additional support is provided through thee English for Specific Academic Purposes (ESAP) module, where English is not your first language.

All modules at Northumbria include a range of reading materials that students are expected to engage with. The reading list for this module can be found at: http://readinglists.northumbria.ac.uk
(Reading List service online guide for academic staff this containing contact details for the Reading List team – http://library.northumbria.ac.uk/readinglists)

Knowledge & Understanding:
• LO 1 Use critical discourse to analyse or question contemporary design issues or projects. K&U 1
• LO 2 Show understanding and analysis of equality, diversity and inclusion issues related to design discourse or practice. K&U 2

Intellectual / Professional skills & abilities:
• LO 3 Demonstrating creative thinking through analysis and experimentation throughout the design process. IPSA2
• LO 4 Show self-knowledge and reflection by discussing personal development in relation to design principles and related debates. IPSA4

Personal Values Attributes (Global / Cultural awareness, Ethics, Curiosity) (PVA):
• LO5 Take an experimental approach when challenged to conceive fresh or innovative ideas. PVA1

You will be assessed formatively, using verbal feedback during timetabled sessions at key stages of the design development process.

You will be summatively assessed at the end of the module through the submission of a:

• A Research Pictorial (70%) : A visually rich annotated document which communicates your approach, response(s), outcomes and insights of the design challenge.
MLOs 1, 2, 3, 4

• Presentation (10%) An in-progress presentation of your research investigation
MLOs 1, 2

• A Written Reflection (20%): a document which reflects on your learning and feedback and the development of your own design identity.
MLOs 4

At this summative stage you will receive initial verbal feedback during your presentation, followed up with additional written feedback on your design process book and final submission.

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In this module you will use design methods and approaches to explore a complex social issue (eg. Inequalities, marginalisation, poverty). You will work alongside colleagues to explore these issues through visual, digital, and material design practices to really understand these topics deeply. At the start of the module, your tutor will guide you through collaborative activities to get you started. As the module progresses, you will be supported to work more independently, focusing on a specific area within the issue that is of interest to you. By the end of the module, you will have developed your design skills and understanding of socially-engaged design practice.