DESN9203: Semester 1, 2021

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Units DESN9203 Semester 1 2021 [Normal day]

Unit outline_

DESN9203: Design Research Project

Semester 1, 2021 [Normal day] - Camperdown/Darlington, Sydney

Overview

In this unit students will work on an individual research project exploring key components of design innovation or strategic design from a theoretical or practical perspective. The focus of the project should align to the student's specialisation and be related to an area of interest. Students will produce an illustrated research report (between 7, 500 and 10, 000 words) exploring aspects of design innovation or strategic design in depth, to develop advanced knowledge, understanding and skills and begin to build an area of speciality for the student. This unit of work can be taken alone for students wishing to build their knowledge and skills of design research, or in conjunction with DESN9204 Design Dissertation for students who wish to pursue postgraduate research study upon the completion of the Master of Design.

Unit details and rules

Academic unit	Design Lab
Credit points	12
Prerequisites ?	IDEA9106 and 18 credit points from (DESN9003 and DESN9100) or (DESN9004 and DESN9200)
Corequisites ?	None
Prohibitions ?	None
Assumed knowledge ?	DESN9001 or DESN9002
Available to study abroad and exchange students	No

Teaching staff

Coordinator	Erez Nusem, erez.nusem@sydney.edu.au

Type	Description	Weight	Due	Length
Assignment	Final report A written report formatted for publication within a journal	60%	STUVAC	3000-7000 words (varies)
Outcomes assessed:
Assignment	Research proposal and presentation A research proposal and presentation describing your topic, scope and plan.	20%	Week 05	2000 words
Outcomes assessed:
Presentation	Final presentation An overview of the research project, methods, analysis and findings	20%	Week 13	10-20 minutes
Outcomes assessed:

Assessment summary

Research proposal and presentation: a research proposal and presentation describing your topic, scope and plan.
Final presentation: an overview of the research project, methods, analysis and findings.
Final report: a written report formatted for publication within a journal.

Assessment criteria

Result name	Mark Range	Description
High Distinction	85-100	Work of outstanding quality, demonstrating mastery of the learning outcomes assessed. The work shows significant innovation, experimentation, critical analysis, synthesis, insight, creativity, and/or exceptional skill.
Distinction	75-84	Work of excellent quality, demonstrating a sound grasp of the learning outcomes assessed. The work shows innovation, experimentation, critical analysis, synthesis, insight, creativity, and/or superior skill.
Credit	65-74	Work of good quality, demonstrating more than satisfactory achievement of the learning outcomes assessed, or work of excellent quality for a majority of the learning outcomes assessed.
Pass	50-64	Work demonstrating satisfactory achievement of the learning outcomes assessed.
Fail	1-49	Work that does not demonstrate satisfactory achievement of one or more of the learning outcomes assessed.

For more information see guide to grades.

Late submission

In accordance with University policy, these penalties apply when written work is submitted after 11:59pm on the due date:

Deduction of 5% of the maximum mark for each calendar day after the due date.
After ten calendar days late, a mark of zero will be awarded.

This unit has an exception to the standard University policy or supplementary information has been provided by the unit coordinator. This information is displayed below:

5% penalty per day late for assignments. Failure to present oral assignments will result in a mark of 0%.

Academic integrity

The Current Student website provides information on academic integrity and the resources available to all students. The University expects students and staff to act ethically and honestly and will treat all allegations of academic integrity breaches seriously.

We use similarity detection software to detect potential instances of plagiarism or other forms of academic integrity breach. If such matches indicate evidence of plagiarism or other forms of academic integrity breaches, your teacher is required to report your work for further investigation.

Use of generative artificial intelligence (AI) and automated writing tools

You may only use generative AI and automated writing tools in assessment tasks if you are permitted to by your unit coordinator. If you do use these tools, you must acknowledge this in your work, either in a footnote or an acknowledgement section. The assessment instructions or unit outline will give guidance of the types of tools that are permitted and how the tools should be used.

Your final submitted work must be your own, original work. You must acknowledge any use of generative AI tools that have been used in the assessment, and any material that forms part of your submission must be appropriately referenced. For guidance on how to acknowledge the use of AI, please refer to the AI in Education Canvas site.

The unapproved use of these tools or unacknowledged use will be considered a breach of the Academic Integrity Policy and penalties may apply.

Studiosity is permitted unless otherwise indicated by the unit coordinator. The use of this service must be acknowledged in your submission as detailed on the Learning Hub’s Canvas page.

Outside assessment tasks, generative AI tools may be used to support your learning. The AI in Education Canvas site contains a number of productive ways that students are using AI to improve their learning.

Learning support

Simple extensions

If you encounter a problem submitting your work on time, you may be able to apply for an extension of five calendar days through a simple extension.  The application process will be different depending on the type of assessment and extensions cannot be granted for some assessment types like exams.

Special consideration

If exceptional circumstances mean you can’t complete an assessment, you need consideration for a longer period of time, or if you have essential commitments which impact your performance in an assessment, you may be eligible for special consideration or special arrangements.

Special consideration applications will not be affected by a simple extension application.

Using AI responsibly

Co-created with students, AI in Education includes lots of helpful examples of how students use generative AI tools to support their learning. It explains how generative AI works, the different tools available and how to use them responsibly and productively.

Weekly schedule

WK	Topic	Learning activity
Week 01	Introduction to unit of study; What is research. Literature search (by librarian JohnPaul Cenzato). Discussion of student research topics.	Lecture (3 hr)
Week 02	Design research, Research design and methods. Paper critique discussion.	Lecture and tutorial (3 hr)
Week 04	Human ethics in research.	Lecture (3 hr)
Week 05	Research proposal presentation.	Presentation (3 hr)
Week 07	Qualitative research and data analysis.	Lecture and tutorial (3 hr)
Week 09	Writing up your research for publication.	Lecture (3 hr)
Week 11	Anatomy of an abstract.	Lecture and tutorial (3 hr)
Week 13	Final presentation.	Presentation (3 hr)

Attendance and class requirements

Please refer to the Resolutions of the University School: http://sydney.edu.au/handbooks/architecture/rules/faculty_resolutions.shtml

Study commitment

Typically, there is a minimum expectation of 1.5-2 hours of student effort per week per credit point for units of study offered over a full semester. For a 12 credit point unit, this equates to roughly 240-300 hours of student effort in total.

Learning outcomes

Learning outcomes are what students know, understand and are able to do on completion of a unit of study. They are aligned with the University's graduate qualities and are assessed as part of the curriculum.

Outcomes
Graduate qualities

At the completion of this unit, you should be able to:

LO1. Plan, scope and manage an independent research-based project
LO2. Critically engage with published scholarship and trusted sources of data to identify gaps and contributions in knowledge
LO3. Select and apply appropriate research methods to answer research questions
LO4. Communicate persuasively through diverse forms of media the value and validity of design research proposals, findings and solutions to specialist and non-specialist audiences
LO5. Able to work independently, with an ability to make independent judgements, reflect, self-evaluate and self-improve, and incorporate the feedback of others

Graduate qualities

The graduate qualities are the qualities and skills that all University of Sydney graduates must demonstrate on successful completion of an award course. As a future Sydney graduate, the set of qualities have been designed to equip you for the contemporary world.

GQ1	Depth of disciplinary expertise Deep disciplinary expertise is the ability to integrate and rigorously apply knowledge, understanding and skills of a recognised discipline defined by scholarly activity, as well as familiarity with evolving practice of the discipline.
GQ2	Critical thinking and problem solving Critical thinking and problem solving are the questioning of ideas, evidence and assumptions in order to propose and evaluate hypotheses or alternative arguments before formulating a conclusion or a solution to an identified problem.
GQ3	Oral and written communication Effective communication, in both oral and written form, is the clear exchange of meaning in a manner that is appropriate to audience and context.
GQ4	Information and digital literacy Information and digital literacy is the ability to locate, interpret, evaluate, manage, adapt, integrate, create and convey information using appropriate resources, tools and strategies.
GQ5	Inventiveness Generating novel ideas and solutions.
GQ6	Cultural competence Cultural Competence is the ability to actively, ethically, respectfully, and successfully engage across and between cultures. In the Australian context, this includes and celebrates Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander cultures, knowledge systems, and a mature understanding of contemporary issues.
GQ7	Interdisciplinary effectiveness Interdisciplinary effectiveness is the integration and synthesis of multiple viewpoints and practices, working effectively across disciplinary boundaries.
GQ8	Integrated professional, ethical, and personal identity An integrated professional, ethical and personal identity is understanding the interaction between one’s personal and professional selves in an ethical context.
GQ9	Influence Engaging others in a process, idea or vision.

Outcome map

Learning outcomes	Graduate qualities
Learning outcomes

Responding to student feedback

This section outlines changes made to this unit following staff and student reviews.

This is the first time this unit has been offered.

Disclaimer

The University reserves the right to amend units of study or no longer offer certain units, including where there are low enrolment numbers.

To help you understand common terms that we use at the University, we offer an online glossary.

Current students

Overview

Overview

Unit details and rules

Teaching staff

Assessment

Assessment

Assessment summary

Assessment criteria

Late submission

Academic integrity

Learning support

Learning support

Simple extensions

Special consideration

Using AI responsibly

Weekly schedule

Weekly schedule

Attendance and class requirements

Study commitment

Learning outcomes

Learning outcomes

Graduate qualities

Outcome map

Responding to student feedback

Responding to student feedback

Disclaimer

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