LEEDS BECKETT UNIVERSITY

Course Specification BA (Hons) Design Product

2017-18 (BA3DF)

www.leedsbeckett.ac.uk

Record of Enhancement

No. Detail of modification (Provide a brief description of the modification and where the Course Specification has been updated)

Date Effective (Indicate the academic year of entry and course level(s) to which the modification will apply)

1 IAD5.3/D5.3 History and Contextual Studies 2:

Change to assessment from Course Assignment 100%

3000 words, to Course Assignment (Manifesto) 20%

and Course Assignment (Ilustrated Essay) 80%.

From September 2017 onwards

2 IAD4.3 History and Contextul Studies: Art,

Architecture, Design: Change to Assessment 1 from

Phase Examination (week 15) to Course Assignment

(week 13). Change to Assessment 2 from Course

Assignment 2,500 - 3000 words (week 17) to Course

Assignment 2000 - 2500 words (week 21).

From September 2017 onwards

Faculty of Arts, Environment & Technology School of Art, Architecture & Design Award and programme title: BA (Hons) Design Product Level of qualification: Level 6 Interim awards available:

Award Title Level

CRTHE Design Product 4

DIPHE Design Product 5

BA Design Product 6

Length and status of programme and mode of study

Programme Length (years) Status (FT/PT/SW)

Mode (campus-based / DL or other)

BA (Hons) Design Product 3 years FT Campus-based

BA (Hons) Design Product 6 years PT Campus-based

Course Specification Overview and Aims The course aims to produce graduates with a developed sense of their own creative identity & individuality, able to pursue personal interests and aspirations and through practice to express personal values and approaches to design. While it is possible for students to gravitate toward specialising in the design of particular types of artefact e.g. furniture, product, digital interface the main thrust is to develop

students’ design thinking such that they can apply their skills & processes to a wide range of designed outcomes The course takes this approach to the discipline of design in acknowledgement of:

industry requirements, whereby practitioners are increasingly required to be inter-disciplinary and strategic in their approach

the highly competitive job market whereby graduates need to demonstrate transferable skills and employability both within and beyond what might be considered ‘traditional’ design employment

the increased competition within HE such that the course can offer students a distinctive course experience

applicants seeking an eclectic course either because they consciously wish to work across design disciplines and/ or because they have limited previous experience on which to base decisions regarding specialism and therefore seek a course which enables them to explore and develop more broadly

Nonetheless, the course recognises that students need to graduate with distinctive portfolios and a clear sense of career direction. Consequently students are encouraged to think beyond the traditional design disciplines in terms of what they design and to consider their personal attributes, for example in terms of how they design, why they design and their core values and ethics in design. The course places end users and responsibility at the core of design thinking, focusing on people’s needs within given contexts and addressing relevant social issues. As such most projects avoid pre-determined design outcomes, allowing students to interpret briefs which are couched in terms of context and issues. In this way students are encouraged to consider and generate a broad range of potential responses, to recognise that there a multiple ways of satisfying a brief’s requirements, and to make informed selections of appropriate concepts which concurrently reflect the requirements of the brief, a responsible approach to production and consumption and their own personal interests, values and approaches to creative design. Consequently the course is constructed to enable transition from more didactic, tutor led development of awareness and understanding of discrete skills and processes in Level 4 through to independent, critical and self-initiated study of holistic processes in Level 6. As students progress through the course they are offered increasing levels of choice with regard to assignment briefs in the form of personal interpretation of given assignment briefs (practical and theoretical), options to select particular briefs from a range and opportunities to self-initiate assignments. Similarly, following base level development of core skills and knowledge students have increasing choice as they progress through the course as to what methods, processes, skills and resources they apply within modules as appropriate to the module Learning Outcomes, assignment brief and personal practice

Students are encouraged to locate emerging personal practice and career aspirations in relation to the creative industries through exposure to professional practitioners through visiting lecturers, part time tutors who are themselves practitioners, external client briefs (sometimes known as live briefs), preparation for career progression, development of personal portfolios and other materials and activities related to Personal Professional Practice (PPD).

Course Learning Outcomes

1 On successful completion of the course students demonstrate an ability to select, develop, implement and analyse appropriate primary and secondary research methods in support of creative design processes and critical thinking including research appropriate to diverse and unfamiliar contexts and issues.

2 On successful completion of the course students demonstrate the requisite skills and use of associated media for effective, independent, creative, enterprising and critical design processes appropriate to a global context.

3 On successful completion of the course students demonstrate a range of effective visual, oral and written communication skills, including the use of appropriate digital media technology, through which they are able to appropriately interact with, inform, learn from and persuade a range of audiences and cultures, including those related to professional practice and self-promotion

4 On successful completion of the course students demonstrate skills required for independent and collaborative design project management including the ability to identify requirements for and scheduling of projects within deadlines and to be reflective practitioners such that they can respond to entrepreneurial opportunities, work within available resources and respond to diverse and changing circumstances.

5 On successful completion of the course students demonstrate knowledge and understanding of the critical and contextual dimensions of design such that they can identify and critically debate their own and others’ design practices from a range of different perspectives.

6 On successful completion of the course students demonstrate an ability to articulate a personal professional practice, employability and enterprise including their values and relationship to broader diversifying professional cultural and social contexts.

Course Structure

Course Structure - UG

Level 4

Semester 1 Core (Y)

Semester 2 Core (Y)

D4.2 Design Project 1 - Research

Y D4.4 Design Project 3 – Design for Manufacture

Y

D4.1 Design Project 2 - Modelling

Y D4.5 Design Project 4 – Responsible design

Y

IAD/D4.3 History and Contextual Studies: Art, Architecture, Design

Y D4.6 Design Project 5 – Personal Project

Y

Level 5

.

Semester 1 Core (Y)

Semester 2 Core (Y)

D5.1 Design Project 6 - Professional Skills

Y D5.4 Design Project 8 – Feasibility and Exploration

Y

D5.2 Design Project 7 – External Brief

Y D5.5 Design Project 8 – Realisation

Y

IAD/D5.3 Critical and Contextual Studies

Y

D5.6 Personal and Professional Development

Y

Level 6

.

Semester 1 Core (Y)

Semester 2 Core (Y)

D6.1 External Client Brief 1 - Feasibility

Y D6.4 Self Initiated Brief 1 - Feasibility

Y

D6.2 External Client Brief 2 – Design Exploration

Y

D6.5 Self Initiated Brief 2 – Design Exploration

Y

D6.3 External Client Brief 3 – Design Realisation

Y D6.6 Self Initiated Brief 3 – Design Realisation

Y

In addition to formal contact teaching as part of modules students can expect to benefit from personal tutorials, lecture programmes which may be offered across the course and/ or the School and from extra curricula study trips. It is difficult to quantify these contact sessions but an approximation might be: 5 hours for personal tutoring, 12 hours for a ‘public’ lecture programme and five days of study trip.

Learning and Teaching Learning and Teaching Approaches

The key approaches to learning and teaching, as informed by the University Learning and Teaching Strategy (2011), are that the course is:

constructed around creative design projects with embedded skills and knowledge

student centred

based in studio and workshop environments

The focus on embedded learning within projects means that students’ motivation and engagement is enhanced through the explicit “need to know” with immediate opportunities to apply learning. Projects enable students to learn in a holistic and authentic manner, with continuous formative feedback. The student centred approach to learning and teaching is achieved primarily through the development of self-awareness and by offering a flexible but supported and structured programme. Students are supported in identifying and articulating personal interests and aspirations such that where appropriate they are able to reinterpret briefs to suit personal practice, make informed choices about their learning, be self-directed and independent learners and, ultimately, capable of self- initiating learning experiences. The studio and workshop environments are crucial to learning by being the most appropriate and practical spaces for the types of activities students engage with. Furthermore, they offer benefits to the learning experience by offering a home base (thereby promoting the sense of belonging and of ownership of learning); by enabling fluid and flexible teaching, learning and assessment processes; by enabling peer learning and by replicating realistic professional environments and working practices. Learning and Teaching Activities As the course’s approach to Learning and Teaching is guided and informed by the University Learning and Teaching Strategy 2011, the learning and teaching activities also conform to the same vision document. The majority of all students’ study time is involved in undertaking project work and there is therefore an emphasis on studio tutoring – one to one and small group demonstrations, discussions and critiques of work in progress. Some modules and most project work is further supported by more formal contact sessions including lectures, tutor and student led seminars and student presentations. In common with most art/ design disciplines a significant number of students are dyslexic or have associated learning difficulties and in recognition, interaction commonly involves multiple forms of communication e.g. verbal, written, diagrammatic, visual so as to embrace different learning styles and students are encouraged to audio record sessions as an alternative or to supplement note taking. On request tutors will meet with DSA students and their support workers to discuss and support students’ learning needs. The combination of studio environment and project based learning offers opportunities for delivery of contact sessions to be fluid and flexible, able to monitor progress and respond to students’ needs almost immediately. Furthermore, this flexibility extends to the ability to exploit ad hoc opportunities e.g. contact with external agencies, exhibitions and other related events. Consequently the hours reported in Fields 28 and 29 of the course MATs (Module Approval Templates) are indicative only and may vary from year to year as appropriate to the particular cohort.

All studies are supported by guided independent study, which may include secondary and/ or primary research, experimentation/ exploration and testing/ evaluation as appropriate to module and assignment. Additionally, there may be visits or field trips and professional practitioner input as visiting and part time lecturers. Where students are genuinely unable to participate e.g. illness, lack of personal resources, caring responsibilities, course materials (powerpoints, handouts, recordings of lectures) are made available with opportunities for follow up tutorials. Where only a few students/ staff are able to attend a significant field trip they are asked to create a presentation so as to share their experiences with others. All studies are supported through the course’s virtual learning environment (CAGD) as described in Field 46 below. In adopting these approaches the course believes it complies with the University Learning and Teaching Strategy (2011), in particular the requirements to be: inspiring, creative, enterprising, purposeful, respectful and professional Graduate Attributes (UG only) The course adopts the University approach to graduate attributes organised around the three key themes of Digital Literacy, Being Enterprising and having a Global Outlook. Digital Literacy: The course develops students’ confidence and critical use of both discipline specific and transferable information and digital technologies to enhance academic, personal, and professional development. It does this in an embedded manner whereby skills are introduced, taught, learned, developed and assessed within both the practical project and critical studies modules. In this way the relevance of skills, the need to know, are explicit with immediate opportunities for application in a holistic and authentic context. Specific skills embrace: information literacy, media literacy, representations and communications, networking, study practices and resources, self and portfolio promotion and careers related digital skills. While specific skills, devices and software might be emphasised in particular modules all modules contain some aspect of digital literacy. Being Enterprising: The course is founded on the concept of being enterprising with emphasis on such things as ownership, risk taking, critical thinking and critical action, problem solving, creativity and innovation, challenging archetypes, reflective practice and social enterprise. In addition to thinking entrepreneurially in the context of design development, the spirit of enterprise is evident in the course’s student focused approach and the opportunities for self- directed and self-initiated studies in particular (notably Design Project 5 at Level 4, Design Projects 8 i & ii at Level 5, Self-Initiated Brief 1, 2 & 3 at Level 6) . Enterprise in the professional context is addressed through the external client briefs (Design Project 7 at Level 5, External Client Brief Projects 1, 2 & 3 at Level 6), visiting and part time lecturers ( Personal & Professional Development at Level 5) and the embedded PPD elements of practical project work. A Global Outlook: The course’s approach to curriculum content, delivery and assessment embraces

consideration of diversity and difference which are themselves perceived as valuable stimulants for creativity. As students progress through the course project work increasingly requires them to expand their thinking beyond the familiar and to consider users, environments, issues, cultures and behaviours which may be alien to their own experiences. While valuing and validating students’ personal tacit knowledge they are consistently asked to explore and research scenarios from others’ perspectives and to develop design solutions which meet the requirements of diverse users even within cognate communities. The course ethos of developing responsible designers begets the need to consider global resources (in the broadest sense including human and cultural resources), sustainability and environmental impact. Use of the Virtual Learning Environment Along with all courses in AAD, this course uses CAGD as its VLE. It has a number of valuable features appropriate to and exploited by the course including:

a GUI relevant to art/ design (fit for purpose) as demonstrated by student feedback,

ALT awards and HEIF 5 funding

the ability to handle multimedia information and large file sizes

openness and equality (with built in and optional privacy functions) across the school

including equity between students and staff

ready access to the sites designers, administrators and developers such that it can

continue to grow and improve in response to need and actual usage

The course make use of the following CAGD functionality

repositories and showcases for staff and student work - both on-going and

completed

repositories of the work of others’ with relevance to own practices

communication of course related materials e.g. module hand-outs, lecture

notes and presentations, reading lists, links to sites of interest

presentation and submission of students work for feedback and summative

assessment purposes

formative and summative feedback

recording of tutorial/ seminar notes

reflections

communications/ networking /messaging

course level, year group or custom group announcements

calendar of events and structured time tabling

As such the VLE is in continual use across all modules and beyond the formal curriculum delivery. Use of Blended-Learning While the course embraces a varied approach to curriculum delivery, the course does not deliver blended learning preferring a face to face model of contact.

Assessment Strategy As a consequence of the course being constructed around creative design projects with embedded skills and knowledge (Field 44 – Learning and Teaching Approaches) the most frequent form of assessment is based on project work and inevitably this is the most common ‘Type’ reported in sections 31 and 32 of the course MATs. However, a project assessment itself may require a range of evidence to be submitted to demonstrate that students have met the related learning outcomes and have progressed in the development of their graduate attributes e.g. visual presentations (including posters, digital images, PowerPoint presentations, three dimensional artefacts, exhibitions), verbal presentations and critiques, multimedia presentations, reports. As students progress through the course they take on increasing responsibility for determining the most appropriate means for communicating project processes, outcomes and evidence of meeting learning outcomes. It is through regular tutorial contact that a student project is discussed in relation to the module learning outcomes so that understanding is developed as to how varied individual responses can meet learning outcomes. This formative feedback loop continues throughout a project empowering students to act on the feedback within the project but also build on the continuing feedback from module to module in a progressive manner. This cyclic approach to project work through the levels fosters deep learning in the core aspects of design project work. AAD adopts synoptic assessment as a particularly useful tool to support project based and authentic learning. It enables students to retain focus on the Learning Outcomes for each module while at the same time enabling integration and application of learning from across modules in a manner that reflects the reality of professional practice. It further enables students to revisit and enhance work carried out in earlier modules in light of later project learning. Consequently Learning Outcomes are blended and interdependent such that synoptic assessment is the most appropriate method of assessing the reality of the student learning experience. Outside of project work students evidence learning outcomes through such means as reports, essays, poster presentations, logs, folios. Formative feedback is provided either through the week to week studio contact over work in progress in project based modules and/ or through students submitting draft work (more often in the case of written assignments) for comment. In addition Critical & Contextual Studies, Professional Skills and PPD work receives formative feedback through discussion at tutorials and seminars (clinics).

Feedback on Assessed Coursework In general terms the course’s feedback strategy is to provide continuous feedback (much as promoted by Schon in Educating the Professional Practitioner) rather than to wait for specific assessment points. Students are introduced to and made aware of this approach at induction and through clear time tabling of contact sessions. Students receive continuous verbal formative feedback from peers and tutors on project work through studio activities. At significant presentation points of project work in progress in

synoptically assessed modules this verbal feedback is supplemented by written formative feedback. Wherever practical, formative feedback is provided for draft written work in addition to the on-going discussion in tutorials/ seminars supporting these assignments. Most project work culminates in presentations where verbal summative feedback is provided. Written qualitative and quantitative feedback is provided for all summative assessments and students are encouraged to log their own reflections following summative assessment.

Module Assessment Methods

Assessment Method Mapping – Please enter % weighting for a maximum of two pieces of summative assessment per module. Add additional rows for available option choices and add/delete rows where not needed for PG.

Module Titles Co

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D4.2 Design Project 1 - Research

Y 100%

D4.1 Design Project 2 - Modelling

Y 100%

IAD/D4.3 History and Contextual Studies: Art, Architecture, Design

100%

D4.4 Design Project 3 - Design for manufacture

Y 100%

D4.5 Design Project 4 - Responsible Design

Y 100%

D4.6 Design Project 5 - Personal Project

Y 100%

D5.1 Design Project 6 - Professional Skills

Y 100%

D5.2 Design Project 7 - External Brief

Y 100%

IAD/D5.3 Critical and Contextual Studies

Y 100%

D5.4 Design Project 8 – Feasibility and Exploration

Y 75% 25%

D5.5 Design Project 8 - Realisation

Y 75% 25%

D5.6 Personal and Professional Practice

Y 50% 50%

D6.1 External Client Brief 1 - Feasibility

Y 75% 25%

D6.2 External Client Brief 2 – Design Exploration

Y 75% 25%

D6.3 External Client Brief 3 – Design Realisation

Y 75% 25%

D6.4 Self-Initiated Brief 1 - Feasibility

Y 75% 25%

D6.5 Self-Initiated Brief 2 – Design Exploration

Y 75% 25%

D6.6 Self-Initiated Brief 3 Y 75% 25%

Insert Extended Module Title level 6

Work Related Activity/ Placement

Employability and Professional Context The majority of students graduating the course find jobs and careers within the creative industries. In recent years students have progressed to design positions in a range of organisations including consultancies, manufacturing industry, retail and charities. Some students prefer to work freelance and some set up their own businesses as consultants, others as designer makers. A small number of graduating students decide against being design practitioners, preferring to use their transferable skills to shift sideways into such things as design management, design research, design education (at all levels) and design related journalism. A key Learning Outcome of the course, reflected at each level, is concerned with Personal Professional Development with a gradual progression from awareness of personal interests and inspirations, through increasing independence and responsibility for learning, to a clear articulation of a personal approach to creative practice and career aspirations as evidenced through self-initiated project work, the PPD folio and, most importantly, the portfolio of creative work. Throughout the course students are exposed to authentic, work related tasks through projects which become increasingly holistic, self-managed and complex. In both Level 5 and Level 6 students work on external client briefs (sometimes known as Live Projects) which further add authenticity and expose students to the expectations of professional practice. At Level 4 students end the year with a personal project, within which they are required to express personal interests and aspirations and to begin the process of articulating personal practice. At Level 5 there is a stand-alone module in Semester II with the express intention of establishing expectations for professional practice, raising students’ awareness of job and career opportunities and preparing them to promote both themselves and their work. At

Level 6 students use the final Semester to self-initiate a major body of work, to develop their PPD folio and their professional portfolio of creative work. In addition to the project work PPD teaching and learning activities include such things as CVs, business cards, personal statements, physical and digital promotional materials, job and internship hunting, applications and interviews. Learning is supported by studio exercises, lectures e.g. Business Start Up, Careers and Professional Practitioner talks, and studio support from practitioners. Students are expected to carry out independent study such as collecting and collating inspirations and influences, critically engaging with and reflecting on the work and careers of practitioners, job hunting and job analysis, accessing support materials and following tasks e.g. Futures Workbooks. The CAGD e-portfolio tool provides a range of opportunities for students to enhance employability and professional aspect of their studies. CAGD features an alumni section, which provides graduates with a direct and sustainable connection with their course after they leave the University, including access to their online work. This enables graduates to maintain relationships with their peer group, their tutors, and with students that are currently studying. This School-specific professional network has led to placement and employment opportunities for students, as alumni are able to easily reconnect with the courses, and identify suitable students for placements and potential employment. A key feature of CAGD is the ability to publish an external online portfolio. The contents of this portfolio are curated by students using an intuitive interface, and can be edited at any time. The URL is fixed, and can be emailed to potential employers, or used as a static address for URL masking. Each portfolio can be styled using a range of pre-set templates, designed by students and tutors within the School. More ambitious students can apply their own style sheets to create a unique look. This feature provides all students with their own website, without them having to learn how to be a web designer and developer, or pay for web design services or hosting. The ability to apply CSS also provides a gentle introduction to HTML for those who might need to delve more deeply into this method of self-promotion. Recently published statistics indicate that 75% of BA (Hons) Design Product recent graduates are in graduate level jobs with a further 15% either continuing to study or a combination of study and work. While some graduates are pursuing related careers the main graduate job titles are design draughtsman and web designer. http://www.graduatedestinations .co.uk Examples of recent successful graduates who have gone on to freelance design, furniture making and self employment can be found at the following websites. Paul Johnsons BLOQ design : http://www.bloq.co.uk/ Laura Wellington http://www.laurawellington.co.uk/

Work-Related Activities The course does not contain work based learning modules requiring students to work on

supervised work placements nor does it contain a sandwich year.

However, the practical aspects of the course provide appropriately challenging and

authentic experiences as specified by the University’s Work Related Activities requirement.

Project modules are designed to enable application of learning from previous and

concurrent modules and often contain embedded skills and knowledge learning as an

integrated part of a holistic, thematic project. While individual project modules may

emphasise particular Learning Outcomes, students experience holistic approaches to

learning and doing in a manner that reflects the reality of professional practice.

This authenticity is furthered in specified modules where the theme, or brief, is drawn from

real case studies and/ or engagement with an external agency acting as client. These

engagements provide students with the experience of communicating and negotiating with

a client at all stages of the design process, from agreeing the brief, through design

development to persuasively presenting final outcomes in a professional manner.

Students are encouraged and supported in recognising the work related and employability

aspects of all their studies, ‘live’ projects included, and encouraged to articulate their

experiences and abilities through PPD activities and, ultimately, the professional portfolio

on graduation.

In addition to the core curriculum students are encouraged and informally supported to engage with work experience, internships and voluntary activities outside of scheduled study time. Evidence from such experiences can then be included in the Personal and Professional Development (PPD) aspects of discipline modules such that this extra curricula activity contributes to assessment.

Placement or Work-Related Activity Level:

Holistic project modules are present at all three Levels. External client briefs occur at Levels 5 and 6. Evidence of extra curricula work related activity can occur at any level and be included as part of the developing professional portfolio, and assessed as an element of PPD

Placement or Work-Related Activity Length in Weeks: Students are engaged in practical project modules every week of the course (approximately 84 weeks over all three levels). Clearly some of these activities are more akin to the notion of ‘work related activity’ than others but it is an intention of the course that students are made aware of the relevance and relationship of their educational experience to employability and career aspiration. Students become aware of this interdependency by staff continually affirming the link through PDP work, project tutorials and feedback sessions, professional practice lectures which all take place throughout the course. External client briefs represent three modules (approximately 14 weeks) of Level 6 study.

Type of Placement or Work-Related Activity: Holistic project modules (throughout all three levels of the course) are equivalent to simulations External client briefs are equivalent to live projects. These will include an initial briefing by the client, timely progress critiques with the client, workplace visits which in turn yield networking opportunities and windfall learning and the exposure to the real demands of a client which are usually different in emphasis to those of education. This presents the students with the ‘gap’ that they need to cross between education and employment. The course is keen to offer students real world projects and opportunities but is very aware that they are vulnerable in these situations and client relationships need handling carefully and correctly. Exposing students to the nature of these negotiations and contractual necessities adds to the authenticity of the experiences. All projects are tutored/ supervised with additional input from external clients on live briefs Where projects extend over more than one module these modules are assessed synoptically

Reference Points used in course design and delivery All our courses leading to Leeds Beckett University awards have been designed and approved in accordance with UK and European quality standards. Our courses utilise the Frameworks for Higher Education Qualifications (FHEQ) and relevant subject benchmarks (where these are available) and professional, statutory and regulatory body requirements (for professionally accredited courses). We review our courses annually and periodically, responding to student feedback and a range of information to enhance our courses. Our University is also subject to external review by the Quality Assurance Agency. Our latest report can be found on the QAA website at http://www.qaa.ac.uk/reviews-and-reports We appoint External Examiners to verify that our University sets and maintains standards for awards which adhere to relevant national subject benchmark statements and the FHEQ (UK), ensure standards and student achievements are comparable with other Higher Education Institutions in the UK, with which they are familiar, and ensure that assessments measure achievement of course and module learning outcomes and reach the required standard. External Examiners may also provide feedback on areas of good practice or potential enhancement.