MUO-E0002 - Design Research, Lecture, 21.2.2022-14.4.2022

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Please note! Course description is confirmed for two academic years, which means that in general, e.g. Learning outcomes, assessment methods and key content stays unchanged. However, via course syllabus, it is possible to specify or change the course execution in each realization of the course, such as how the contact sessions are organized, assessment methods weighted or materials used.

LEARNING OUTCOMES

Students who successfully complete this course should be able to:

  • Discuss the implications of epistemological and methodological decisions on research outcomes
  • Explain the relationships between design practice, research-driven exploratory design and academic design research;
  • Select and apply design research methods suitable for a variety of design research tasks

Credits: 4

Schedule: 21.02.2022 - 14.04.2022

Teacher in charge (valid for whole curriculum period):

Teacher in charge (applies in this implementation): Namkyu Chun, Elif Öztekin

Contact information for the course (applies in this implementation):

CEFR level (valid for whole curriculum period):

Language of instruction and studies (applies in this implementation):

Teaching language: English. Languages of study attainment: English

CONTENT, ASSESSMENT AND WORKLOAD

Content

  • valid for whole curriculum period:

    In this course, students learn to understand a range of various relationships between design practice, research-driven exploratory design and academic research. They become familiar with different orientations within design research and gain basic knowledge to independently deepen their competence. Orientations include human-centred design, practice-led design research, design management and leadership-related research, design-driven applied research on materials and production techniques, and design for sustainability. Students also get an introduction to general epistemological and methodological frameworks commonly used in design research. Following this theoretical introduction, students experientially learn using a selection of design research methods relevant to their field of inquiry and masters project.

Assessment Methods and Criteria

  • valid for whole curriculum period:

    Based on the two pathways, assessment is based on different work

     

    For the normal pathway, first-year students,

    -          Attend lectures (10% of assessment), complete a mid-assignment (30%), an independently completed assignment (50%) and self-evaluation (10%),

    For the DIY pathway,

    They complete a written assignment (100% of assessment). The written assignment will require writing a book report based on the study material specified below (15-20 pages), and a reflection on own research referencing the study material and four additional scientific articles to be found by the student.

     

Workload

  • valid for whole curriculum period:

    There are two alternative paths to complete this course. 

    Normal pathway for first-year masters students:

    -          Online and in-class lectures  12 h

    -          In-class tutorials  30 h

    -          Independent study (individual and group work) 50h

    -          Reflection and thinking 10h

    -          Self-evaluation 6 h

     

    DIY pathway for the rest of the masters students:

    -          Written assignment 108 h

DETAILS

Study Material

  • valid for whole curriculum period:

    For normal pathway: online videos and reading materials are provided in MyCourses.

     

    For DIY pathway the mandatory coursebook is:

    Muratovski, G. (2016). Research for Designers. Sage.

    Additional reading materials are provided in MyCourses.

Substitutes for Courses
Prerequisites

FURTHER INFORMATION

Further Information

Rules of Conduct - Students´ Rights and Responsibilities (in force from 1 August 2020)

Aalto University Code of Academic Integrity and Handling Violations Thereof