DE6013 - Final Major Project - Part II

Learning and teaching strategies on design for Industry encourage you to acquire a flexible and imaginative approach to problem solving through enquiry-based learning. You will become an active participant in your learning, integrating design practice with academic and intellectual skills.

The studio environment (both the physical studio and its virtual equivalent) is integral to this process, encouraging individual intellectual freedom and a creative collaborative community. Hands-on participation and the exploration of theories, concepts and processes enable you to display evidence of creative thinking through the exploration and communication of strategies whilst refining your project brief. This type of experiential activity engages you in self-initiated research, encouraging independent judgement and critical self-awareness.

You are encouraged to advance your visual literacy and explore current issues and debates. Working individually and in peer groups, you learn to be flexible and collaborative, to identify and redefine problems in a creative way and focus on solutions that are both relevant and empathetic. Traditional, new and emerging technologies are used both in the delivery and realisation of outcomes, and you will learn to present your work and ideas to a variety to peers, tutorial staff and external collaborators.

The module will be delivered using a combination of lecture, tutorial and critiques (either on campus or via online platforms). Most of your time will be spent in directed design practice and independent learning.

• Opportunity to collaborate with industry and regional, national and international external partners extend the practical study of the subject area within an industrial context. They are also designed to support student confidence in their ability to handle professional practice within the creative industries
• Students experience a range of teaching, learning and assessment methods and course work is largely project based
• Modules are delivered through a combination of lecture supported group tutorials and studio activity, practical demonstrations, studio teaching, guided and independent learning. Delivery is likely to adopt a ‘blended’ approach using on-campus teaching and activity as well as support via online media (virtual learning environment). Practical skills are delivered through workshop activities
• Additional study skills materials and workshops are available through Skills Plus at http://nuweb2.northumbria.ac.uk/library/skillsplus/topics.html?l3-0.
• Students are expected to maintain a project plan and are encouraged to take responsibility for their own learning
• English language support is provided for international students
• University student services offer specialist support e.g. financial, disability, mental health, international student support etc.
• eLP includes all relevant documentation e.g. module guides, lecture material, reading lists together with discussion boards and notices
• Visiting professionals support relevant and current practice

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:
MK6.3 - Evidence how your project is informed by, and responds to, wider issues such as cultural, aesthetic, technical and commercial contexts.
MK6.4 - Articulate how your ideas are relevant, original and justified in relation to a contemporary design challenge or opportunity.
MK6.5 – Demonstrate an in-depth understanding of the detail and nuance required to give your project credibility and originality.


Intellectual / Professional skills & abilities:
MI6.3 - Show a process of creative experimentation, iteration and on-going evaluation in order to develop and refine your design propositions.
MI6.4 - Select, experiment with and make appropriate use of materials, processes and technologies as relevant to your project.
MI6.5 - Demonstrate a high degree of proficiency and attention to detail in the realisation of design outputs.


Personal Values Attributes (Global / Cultural awareness, Ethics, Curiosity) (PVA):
MP6.3 - Show an awareness of contemporary design practice, your place within the discipline and how your work contributes to your career ambitions.
MP6.4 - Demonstrate how you have applied social and personal values to your work, showing an awareness of the social, environmental and ethical implications of your design choices.
MP6.5 - Show how you have sought and responded to external input including from relevant experts, users or other stakeholders.
MP6.6 – Show maturity in the handling of your project, using resourcefulness, independence and curiosity to drive your project to completion.

Formative feedback received from peer tutors and peers during studio and workshop engagement. External collaboration will inform strategy and direction to project activity.

Formal formative feedback
Formal formative tutorials and Interim sessions will provide feedback and informally record academic progress.

Summative assessment
Summative assessment will be used for grading of the final submissions and will be formally recorded and will be based upon final presentation material. The material is likely to consist of a range of designed outputs or media, including models, prototypes, graphics, videos, animations.

The final presentation materials will account for 70% of the marks available under this module.

You will also submit an illustrated, written report which documents your research planning & execution; your decision-making; and reflection upon your practice and the outcomes. The report should also evidence how you have sought critique and validation as appropriate to your chosen topic and intended audience. The report will be largely visual in nature but supported by written commentary and annotation (4000 words max).

The report will account for 30% of the marks for this module.

DE6012 - Final Major Project - Part I

N/A

This module represents the culmination of your design studies, offering the opportunity to showcase your skills and knowledge through a self-directed design project. The Final Major Project requires you to develop and address a brief around a topic of your own choosing. As such, it enables you to display and deepen your design skills and knowledge, and to evidence this through a project which builds upon your own aptitudes and interests. The project is likely to feature prominently in your portfolio and is likely to be shown to the wider world through graduate exhibitions. The project should significantly enhance your prospects for employment and may be tailored to promote your prospects within a particular career path.

The work undertaken for this module will show how your practical skills and knowledge (including design theory) combine in a project which evidences conceptual rigour developed through a critical and reflective approach to design.