DE7038 - Research Through Design Practice (Studio)

In the Research-through-Design practice, alongside your Personal Development Plan (PDP), design project, and future proposals, you will engage in a combination of tutorials, seminars, and both directed and independent study. Through tutorial support and studio-based feedback, you will be encouraged to take ownership of your creative development and learning, fostering self-directed practice.

You will receive formative feedback throughout the module, with peer evaluation serving as an essential activity. This will provide you with the opportunity to reflect on feedback before submission.

A supportive Design Futures with Emerging Technologies module (DE7037) will aid your research activities for this self-led module DE7038 to identify knowledge that will inform your Design Proposal and help you ground your study in appropriate research contexts.

Collaboration both within the University and with external communities of practice is a key element of the programme's curriculum design and delivery. This will enable you to apply your design work in the commercial environment and participate in a design competition of your choice. The academic and professional networks you engage with will be guided by your PDP, helping you transition into or return to the workplace with greater impact.

This learning will not only aid you in developing a clear view of your own professional aims and motivation but will also help to contextualise your contribution to business and society and to articulate the value you have to offer. This will form the basis for your study in the optional modules either for MA or MSc pathways.

You will be supported by academic experts in scheduled timetabled sessions and directed study who will facilitate discussion in one-to-one tutorials and group critiques around your chosen subject of inquiry. These formal conversations are opportunities to receive immediate feedback on on-going work and to act on that feedback. You will keep a record of this feedback in order to progress your work to enhance both your skills and intellectual understanding and also to develop your Portfolio and PDP.


You will be involved in reflective practice, which is inherent to the practice of the School of Design, Arts and Creative Industries (DACI). The school has introduced research communities as CoCreate to develop and disseminate research amongst staff and students. Your study will align with available research networks and expert/professor led communities of practice within the school that will provide a topic ‘hub’ for cross-organisational collaboration. You will be supported via topic groups and invited guest lectures from industry and academia, and both will be facilitated by academic experts.

The Masters programme curriculum has been developed to capitalise on the extensive, active and well-defined research emphasis of the School and channel this expertise to support your development in line with your PDP.

Further formal academic support is provided via information posted on E-Learning Portal.

Where appropriate, students may also be directed to engage with Study Skills +, or other resources offered through the University Student Support Services such as Dyslexia Support.

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 (K&U):
1. Synthesise design thinking and research methods within the context of research through design practice.

Intellectual / Professional skills & abilities (IPSA):
2. Develop integrated design processes, combining creative prototyping and research activities.
3. Employ physical and/or digital means/artifacts to explore and communicate ideas.

Personal Values Attributes (PVA) (Global / Cultural awareness, Ethics, Curiosity) (PVA):
4. Develop a portfolio of professional practice capabilities articulating your individual focus and values as a designer.

You will be assessed through the following three elements:

1. A Personal Development Plan (PDP) that outlines the capabilities you wish to develop through the programme. You should also aim to evidence how you have begun to act on your learning plan.
2. A presentation of self-proposed design project ideas for this module.
3. A single Illustrated Report showing evidence of the self-selected design project. This should support the context of your PDP and provide evidence of practice work. A hindsight review of your design project planning, research, design and evaluation processes with reflection on your own approach.

Your overall result of assessments will be graded.

Formative feedback will be given during tutorials when on-going work, drafts and plans will be presented by students for review. This cumulative formative feedback will help you to prepare a portfolio of design work that demonstrates reflection on practice and process.

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Effective design and research are inseparable! Research through Design Practice gives you the opportunity to construct your own Personal Development Plan (PDP), to explore your own design project motivation and direction and to investigate creative and experimental approaches to a specific topic of enquiry. You will build your PDP upon the skills and knowledge gained in this module, this will be supported by a parallel research informed module (DE7037 Design Futures with Emerging Technologies) and by your past knowledge and experience. You will examine and discuss your future aspirations relative to the business and social value you aim to create and upon which your design project proposal will be constructed and evaluated.

The PDP you create during this module (whilst still fluid) will identify your aims and form the basis of your study throughout the programme.