TAD5500 · Design research documentation

Overview

This unit requires you to conceptualise your final semester research project in relation to relevant theory and practice. It provides the synthesis between text-based critical analysis and a final studio design outcome. The structure and content of the exegesis accompanying your final submission will be used as a way of examining the theoretical models, investigative methods and contribution that your research makes to the field. This exploration will enable your development of a conceptual framework in studio research and exegesis that identifies the relations between research intention and research method. In doing so, the academic integrity of both types of output will be strengthened. You will be encouraged to use the work produced throughout your Master of Design to develop new conceptual frameworks for your discipline.

Offerings

Assessment

The Handbook does not list a final examination among the assessment items. That is not a guarantee there is none.

100% in-semester assessment

Assessment details may change. Please refer to the assessment information in Moodle closer to the start of the teaching period.

Requisites

Learning outcomes

1. Define and articulate a conceptual framework that underpins your research inquiry, demonstrating alignment between theoretical foundations and studio practice;
2. Apply appropriate research methods to investigate a contemporary design issue, critically analyse the findings, and propose informed applications for design practice;
3. Integrate your research with relevant social, cultural, and environmental contexts to demonstrate how these factors shape and inform contemporary design practices;
4. Collaborate effectively with stakeholders to inform your research and communicate findings clearly to diverse audiences, demonstrating how your work engages with socially, culturally, and environmentally responsible design;
5. Critically analyse, contextualise, and reflect on the social and environmental impacts of design solutions, demonstrating a commitment to ethical and sustainable design practices;
6. Critically reflect on your research process to identify strengths, limitations, and opportunities for further development as a design researcher.

Workload

12 hours per week including 2 contact hours plus 10 hours of independent study.

Student experience, not official rules. Nothing here changes what the Handbook says.