Skip to main content
Unit outline_

IDEA9301: Graduation Studio

Semester 2, 2024 [Normal day] - Camperdown/Darlington, Sydney

This is the culminating studio of the Master of Interaction Design and Electronic Arts that provides students with a capstone experience. The aim of this studio is to draw together and synthesise the learning that has taken place during the whole degree. Students develop a design project based on an industry or community-focused brief. Students will work in small teams or individually to produce a design proposal that addresses contemporary issues, and incorporates innovative applications of digital or emergent technologies. The submitted design work will be high quality, suitable for professional presentation and portfolio.

Unit details and rules

Academic unit Design Lab
Credit points 12
Prerequisites
? 
48 credit points including (12 credit points from IDEA9105 and IDEA9106) and (12 credit points from IDEA9202) and (any 12 credit points of the following units IDEA9103 or IDEA9201 or DESN9001 or DESN9003 or DESN9002 or DESN9004)
Corequisites
? 
None
Prohibitions
? 
None
Assumed knowledge
? 

None

Available to study abroad and exchange students

Yes

Teaching staff

Coordinator Ricardo Sosa Medina, ricardo.sosa@sydney.edu.au
The census date for this unit availability is 2 September 2024
Type Description Weight Due Length
Small continuous assessment group assignment Assessment 1: Work-In-Progress (WIP) Update
Work-In-Progress (WIP) presentation
10% Multiple weeks 2 x 10min
Outcomes assessed: LO1 LO5 LO2
Assignment Assessment 4: Reflective Practice
Reflective practice on design project
20% Multiple weeks 2 presentations
Outcomes assessed: LO2 LO6 LO5
Assignment group assignment Assignment 2: Final Report
A2a: Design Report (20%) A2b: Design Artefact (20%)
40% Week 11
Due date: 16 Oct 2024 at 23:59
Design report and artefact (3000 words)
Outcomes assessed: LO5 LO1 LO3 LO4
Assignment Assignment 3: Individual Portfolio
Web-based portfolio and oral presentation
30% Week 13
Due date: 30 Oct 2024 at 23:59
8 to 10 pages of content
Outcomes assessed: LO4 LO5 LO6
group assignment = group assignment ?

Assessment summary

Assessment 1 is the in-class assessment of your design team’s work-in-progress updates on two nominated occasions throughout semester.

Assessment 2 is your teams professional design report about your project for the client, and also a design artefact about your project that will be displayed at an inhouse exhibition.

Assessment 3 is your digital design portfolio showcasing 3 of your MIDEA projects (including the current project) with a short reflection on the project and your contribution. Includes live oral presentation (week 13)

Assessment 4 is the in-class assessment of your reflective practice discussions on two nominated occasions throughout semester

Assessment criteria

The University awards common result grades, set out in the Coursework Policy 2014 (Schedule 1).

As a general guide, a High distinction indicates work of an exceptional standard, a Distinction a very high standard, a credit a good standard, and a pass an acceptable standard.

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

0 - 49

When you don’t meet the learning outcomes of the unit to a satisfactory standard.

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:

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. Non submission of an assessment will result in an absent fail for the unit

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.

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.

Support for students

The Support for Students Policy 2023 reflects the University’s commitment to supporting students in their academic journey and making the University safe for students. It is important that you read and understand this policy so that you are familiar with the range of support services available to you and understand how to engage with them.

The University uses email as its primary source of communication with students who need support under the Support for Students Policy 2023. Make sure you check your University email regularly and respond to any communications received from the University.

Learning resources and detailed information about weekly assessment and learning activities can be accessed via Canvas. It is essential that you visit your unit of study Canvas site to ensure you are up to date with all of your tasks.

If you are having difficulties completing your studies, or are feeling unsure about your progress, we are here to help. You can access the support services offered by the University at any time:

Support and Services (including health and wellbeing services, financial support and learning support)
Course planning and administration
Meet with an Academic Adviser

WK Topic Learning activity Learning outcomes
Week 01 Introduction to Graduation Studio. Studio cultures. A1 and A2 handouts Lecture (1 hr) LO1
Advanced design practices. Workflows. Teamwork Tutorial (2 hr) LO1 LO2
A2 consultation Studio (3 hr) LO1 LO2 LO3
Week 02 Advanced practices. Initiation. Research-led design Online class (1 hr) LO1 LO2 LO4
Design frameworks. Project roadmap. Deliverables. Outcomes and outputs. Tutorial (2 hr) LO1 LO2 LO4
Initiation: planning & mapping. A2 consultation Studio (3 hr) LO1 LO2 LO3
Week 03 Planning & Estimation. Design Research Online class (1 hr) LO1 LO2 LO3 LO4
Scoping. Research planning Tutorial (2 hr) LO1 LO2 LO3 LO5
Initiation. Design research. A2 consultation Studio (3 hr) LO1 LO2 LO3 LO4
Week 04 Planning tools and techniques Online class (1 hr) LO1 LO2 LO3 LO4
Product epics and user stories Tutorial (2 hr) LO1 LO2 LO3 LO4
Technology, design, context. A2 consultation Studio (3 hr) LO1 LO2 LO3 LO6
Week 05 Problem framing. Assumption testing. Feedback. Teamwork dynamics Lecture (1 hr) LO1 LO2 LO3 LO5
Guidelines, frameworks, techniques & tools Tutorial (2 hr) LO1 LO2 LO3 LO4
Interactive student presentations of WIP. A2 consultation Studio (3 hr) LO1 LO2 LO4 LO5 LO6
Week 06 Concept generation & development. Backlog management Online class (1 hr) LO1 LO2 LO3 LO4
Advanced ideation techniques and practices Tutorial (2 hr) LO1 LO2 LO3 LO4 LO6
A2 consultation Studio (3 hr) LO1 LO2 LO3 LO4 LO6
Week 07 Advanced prototyping Online class (1 hr) LO1 LO2 LO3 LO4 LO6
Prototyping practices, techniques & guidelines Tutorial (2 hr) LO1 LO2 LO3 LO4 LO5
Problem-solution co-evolution. A2 consultation Studio (3 hr) LO1 LO2 LO3 LO4 LO6
Week 08 Feedback, interpretation, pivoting. Ethics & speculation Online class (1 hr) LO1 LO4 LO5 LO6
Feedback and concept development Tutorial (2 hr) LO1 LO4 LO5
Individual reflective practice on design project. Studio (3 hr) LO1 LO5 LO6
Week 09 Developing effective client reports Online class (1 hr) LO4 LO5
Writing practices, criteria, tools. Tutorial (2 hr) LO2 LO4 LO5
A2 consultation Studio (3 hr) LO5 LO6
Week 10 Review & Retrospective. Design reports & design artefacts Online class (1 hr) LO1 LO6
Deliverables Tutorial (2 hr) LO4 LO5
Interactive student presentations of WIP. A2 consultation Studio (3 hr) LO1 LO2 LO3 LO4
Week 11 Portfolios & Design Industry jobs. A3 handout Lecture (1 hr) LO2 LO4 LO5 LO6
Developing effective portfolios Tutorial (2 hr) LO1 LO2 LO3 LO4 LO5
Portfolios. A3 consultation Studio (3 hr) LO2 LO4 LO5 LO6
Week 12 Retrospectives. Presentation skills Online class (1 hr) LO1 LO2 LO3 LO4 LO5 LO6
Presentation skills Tutorial (2 hr) LO1 LO2 LO3 LO4 LO5
Individual reflective practice on design project Studio (3 hr) LO5 LO6
Week 13 Future design careers Lecture (1 hr) LO4 LO6
Final exhibition and presentations Presentation (5 hr) LO1 LO2 LO3 LO4 LO5 LO6

Attendance and class requirements

For assessments:
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.

Please refer to the Resolutions of the University School for additional requirements: 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 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.

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

  • LO1. Formulate, plan and execute an individual/group design project in response to a design brief
  • LO2. Choose appropriate methods as part of a human-centred design process to suit the problem space
  • LO3. Analyse data from multiple sources to understand the problem space and idea, iterate and improve potential design interventions or solutions.
  • LO4. Document and report research-led design work
  • LO5. Deliver evidence-based design presentations that are clear, confident and engaging to an external audience.
  • LO6. Critically analyse and reflect upon self and peer practices to identify and improve personal accountability in relation to the ethics and values of the discipline and profession

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
GQ1 GQ2 GQ3 GQ4 GQ5 GQ6 GQ7 GQ8 GQ9

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

First time as Unit Coordinator, building upon the Semester 1 iteration through consultations with UCs

Additional costs

There might be some additional costs in the course depending on the direction of your design project.

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.