University of Technology Sydney

87900 Critical Practice: Project

Warning: The information on this page is indicative. The subject outline for a particular session, location and mode of offering is the authoritative source of all information about the subject for that offering. Required texts, recommended texts and references in particular are likely to change. Students will be provided with a subject outline once they enrol in the subject.

Subject handbook information prior to 2024 is available in the Archives.

UTS: Design, Architecture and Building: Design
Credit points: 24 cp
Result type: Grade and marks

Requisite(s): 87008 Critical Practice: Theorisation AND 87933 Critical Practice: Experimentation

Description

In this subject, students extend their self-directed research and experimental design processes from the previous session, leading to the development and presentation of a refined design response. Outcomes may be realised in any media and may take the form of a designed object or process, a portfolio of experiments, an extended piece of critical writing, or a combination of these three.

Students are mentored to undertake critical analysis, synthesis and reflective evaluation as the intellectual basis of their working methodology. Students are required to independently define and address issues relating to appropriate use of technology and production processes, user testing, production scheduling and project management, and the appropriateness of design form to communicative intent. Assessment is undertaken by a panel of academics advised by external practitioner-researchers.

Subject learning objectives (SLOs)

On successful completion of this subject, students should be able to:

1. Effectively communicate the meaning, context and significance of a self-directed design project
2. Develop a topic of inquiry and respond to it through critical practice and scholarly research
3. Develop an original visual language appropriate to the specified project aims and context, through an iterative design process
4. Constructively interpret and respond to feedback
5. Apply highly refined craft skills to the production and documentation of a design artefact or experience
6. Develop an understanding of design contexts (social, cultural, political, design practice) through qualitative and practice-led research

Course intended learning outcomes (CILOs)

This subject also contributes to the following Course Intended Learning Outcomes:

  • Recognise adaptability as a key skill in design practice (A.2)
  • Present critical arguments about how research informs and drives design practice (C.1)
  • Challenge design conventions through scholarly research and investigative practice (I.1)
  • Develop advanced knowledge and skills through self-directed reflective practice (P.2)
  • Independently employ a range of qualitative and practice-led research approaches that are relevant to professional design practice and/or postgraduate study (R.1)

Teaching and learning strategies

This subject consists of weekly collaborative studios, supported by a lecture series and a workshop series.

Studio sessions provide an opportunity to receive critical feedback on your project from the studio leader and your peers, in order to help you manage your self-directed design practice. You will be encouraged to manage your studio feedback using strategies explored in the previous semester, such as user testing scenarios, participatory prototype testing, feedback sprints and soft pitches. During the semester, two formal presentations to a panel of three people – your studio leader, a UTS staff member and an external design professional – will provide further opportunity for critical feedback to help develop your project. Progress will also be documented and shared online via platforms such as Slack or Miro.

Content (topics)

Development of a significant research-led design response, through studio-based self-directed learning.
Dissertation which articulates the theoretical and social context of the design response.
Presentations of iterative stages of the design process to industry professionals and scholars.

Assessment

Assessment task 1: Project Pitch

Intent:

Students each have five minutes to pitch their proposed design response to studio peers, studio leaders and external guests. The presentation should cover:

A) The topic/question/issue that the proposed design responds to, and the contexts that it is situated within. For example: a problem or process within design practice; a social or political issue; a theoretical position or text. What is the project about, how does it relate to the world, who else has produced written or design work in response to this topic, issue or design process?

B) A detailed account of research methods and design processes that will be used to inform and realise the design response. What will the project be, how will you make it? Where have you sourced content, or how have you generated content?

The spoken presentation should be supported by visuals (PDF, Powerpoint, Keynote, etc), including documentation of design experiments and precedents. Any quotations or sourced images must be cited using the APA referencing format.

Students must also submit a one page project pitch, including a detailed timeline that shows how they plan to complete the project within the allocated time.

Objective(s):

This task addresses the following subject learning objectives:

1, 2 and 6

This task also addresses the following course intended learning outcomes that are linked with a code to indicate one of the five CAPRI graduate attribute categories (e.g. C.1, A.3, P.4, etc.):

C.1, I.1 and R.1

Type: Presentation
Groupwork: Individual
Weight: 10%
Criteria linkages:
Criteria Weight (%) SLOs CILOs
Develop a topic of inquiry and propose a critical design response 40 2 I.1
Apply research to situate the design outcome in relevant contexts 30 6 R.1
Effective oral and written communication of project proposal and context 30 1 C.1
SLOs: subject learning objectives
CILOs: course intended learning outcomes

Assessment task 2: Design Response

Intent:

Students present a near-final iteration* of their design response to their studio leader and an external guest. This formal presentation is an opportunity to receive critical feedback on the near-final project, in order to make final revisions and improvements before the final production of folio/exhibition quality work.

Presentation Format

Students will have 10 minutes to present to the panel, followed by 10 minutes for questions and feedback from the panel. Please prepare and practice presentations to keep to the time limit.

Presentations can be in any format (Powerpoint, Keynote, PDF) and a copy of the presentation slides must be submitted before the presentations begin.

*Students will liaise with studio leaders to determine what degree of production is appropriate for this presentation, based on individual projects.

Objective(s):

This task addresses the following subject learning objectives:

1, 3, 4, 5 and 6

This task also addresses the following course intended learning outcomes that are linked with a code to indicate one of the five CAPRI graduate attribute categories (e.g. C.1, A.3, P.4, etc.):

C.1, I.1 and P.2

Type: Design/drawing/plan/sketch
Groupwork: Individual
Weight: 40%
Criteria linkages:
Criteria Weight (%) SLOs CILOs
Constructively interpret feedback and, where relevant, implement into project development 20 4 P.2
Capacity to present a convincing argument for the significance of the design response 20 1 C.1
Original and engaging visual language appropriate to the project's communication aims 25 3 P.2
Demonstrate understanding of the project's context 20 6 I.1
Refined craft skills, as evident in the design response appropriate to the project's communication aims and context 15 5 P.2
SLOs: subject learning objectives
CILOs: course intended learning outcomes

Assessment task 3: Project Documentation

Intent:

Students will document their design response and the research/design process underpinning it, in a way that is widely sharable. This may take the form of a short video/motion graphics piece, a web page, an interactive PDF or a print-based process book/folio. It must include a clear rationale outlining the context of the work as well as the research methods and design processes involved. It may include experiments or writing from any subject in the honours year.

Please see the Critical Documentation Guidelines to help structure this documentation. This documentation should be appropriate for both industry and scholarly audiences.

Objective(s):

This task addresses the following subject learning objectives:

1, 2, 3, 5 and 6

This task also addresses the following course intended learning outcomes that are linked with a code to indicate one of the five CAPRI graduate attribute categories (e.g. C.1, A.3, P.4, etc.):

A.2, C.1, P.2 and R.1

Type: Portfolio
Groupwork: Individual
Weight: 50%
Criteria linkages:
Criteria Weight (%) SLOs CILOs
Demonstrate ways research (theory/methods/processes) has informed your design response 20 6 R.1
Capacity to communicate the context for the project 20 2 A.2
Capacity to convincingly communicate the meaning and significance of the design response 30 3 C.1
Professionalism of communication, including appropriate tone, grammar, spelling, referencing of written and visual citations 10 1 P.2
Refinement of formal and material aspects of the documentation 20 5 P.2
SLOs: subject learning objectives
CILOs: course intended learning outcomes

Minimum requirements

The DAB attendance policy requires students to attend no less than 80% of formal teaching sessions (lectures and tutorials) for each class they are enrolled in to remain eligible for assessment.