TGMCDP: Reflective Practice

Module code: TGMCDP

Module provider: Typography; School of Arts and Comm Design

Credits: 100

Level: Postgraduate Masters

When you'll be taught: Semester 1 / 2

Module convenor: Dr Ruth Blacksell, email: r.e.blacksell@reading.ac.uk

Module co-convenor: Mrs Josefina Bravo, email: j.bravo@reading.ac.uk

Pre-requisite module(s):

Co-requisite module(s):

Pre-requisite or Co-requisite module(s):

Module(s) excluded:

Placement information: NA

Academic year: 2024/5

Available to visiting students: No

Talis reading list: No

Last updated: 20 May 2024

Overview

Module aims and purpose

This module introduces students to reflective practice in selected areas of communication design, and enables the development of high levels of competence in the respective areas of design practice. Students work on a series of projects, selected in consultation with teaching staff, to develop good working methodologies and independent learning skills. The module aims to develop thinking in the practice of a range of areas in communication design. It focuses on systematic and thorough approaches to researching and realising practical outputs at a high level of competence, and equips students with the skills to respond to design briefs with an understanding of the context in terms of design discourse, past practice, and technological constraints. In particular, it helps to form an understanding of the demands of professional practice. 

Module learning outcomes

By the end of the module, it is expected that students will be able to: 

1. Analyse, evaluate, and respond to the problem/s posed by a practical brief, showing independent initiative and a willingness to try alternative approaches. 
2. Demonstrate practical working methods appropriate to a specified task and set of resources, including both individual and team working, presentations of design proposals and effective project management. 
3. Show evidence, in practical work, of a sensitivity to the needs of users and readers, with an ability to utilise genre attributes and understand evaluation methods. 
4. Demonstrate craft skills and technical competence in practical work and an understanding of technical issues for production. 
5. Present practical work so that it communicates clearly and effectively, supported by documentary evidence of the development of reflective design thinking. 
6. Draw on broad historical, theoretical and technical perspectives in specified areas of Communication Design. 

Module content

Students work through a range of practical workshops and briefs: some are common across the cohort, and some align with each pathway offered by the Department. The first half of Semester 1 comprises common workshops across the programme cohort. During that period, and in consultation with staff, students select a set of pathway-targeted content to undertake from the second half of Semester 1 and through Semester 2. The module situates practical work within the context of a rapidly evolving technological environment in communication design, and with sensitivity to the patterns of development in the field in different geographic areas. Students are encouraged to develop an awareness of the impact of technology, and changes in social conditions globally, and integrate an awareness of evolving issues of inclusion and diversity in their work. 

Structure

Teaching and learning methods

Teaching takes place in a series of weekly tutorials, demonstrations, and critiques which run throughout both Semesters. Regular and visiting members of staff and invited lecturers or practitioners contribute with workshops or studio sessions on specific topics, to guide students to develop relevant skills. The sessions are informal, and facilitate group discussion of practical work. Feedback is given both on a one-to-one basis and in plenary sessions, such as group critiques. Students are encouraged to be reflective about their own work, both in private through work files, and in public during tutorial meetings and group crits. They are expected to question and defend the choices they and other students make. Students engage in a range of reflective actions (short presentations of their work to the cohort, outlines of decisions and working practices, annotating their work with reflective texts) to explain their design process. In addition to taught elements, students have the opportunity to self-direct during the module and to engage with issues and practicalities of professional design practice.  

Study hours

At least 221 hours of scheduled teaching and learning activities will be delivered in person, with the remaining hours for scheduled and self-scheduled teaching and learning activities delivered either in person or online. You will receive further details about how these hours will be delivered before the start of the module.

Please note the independent study hours above are notional numbers of hours; each student will approach studying in different ways. We would advise you to reflect on your learning and the number of hours you are allocating to these tasks.

Semester 1 The hours in this column may include hours during the Christmas holiday period.

Semester 2 The hours in this column may include hours during the Easter holiday period.

Summer The hours in this column will take place during the summer holidays and may be at the start and/or end of the module.

Assessment

Requirements for a pass

Students need to achieve an overall module mark of 50% to pass this module.

Summative assessment

Penalties for late submission of summative assessment

The Support Centres will apply the following penalties for work submitted late:

Assessments with numerical marks

• where the piece of work is submitted after the original deadline (or any formally agreed extension to the deadline): 10% of the total marks available for that piece of work will be deducted from the mark for each working day (or part thereof) following the deadline up to a total of three working days;
• the mark awarded due to the imposition of the penalty shall not fall below the threshold pass mark, namely 40% in the case of modules at Levels 4-6 (i.e. undergraduate modules for Parts 1-3) and 50% in the case of Level 7 modules offered as part of an Integrated Masters or taught postgraduate degree programme;
• where the piece of work is awarded a mark below the threshold pass mark prior to any penalty being imposed, and is submitted up to three working days after the original deadline (or any formally agreed extension to the deadline), no penalty shall be imposed;
• where the piece of work is submitted more than three working days after the original deadline (or any formally agreed extension to the deadline): a mark of zero will be recorded.

Assessments marked Pass/Fail

• where the piece of work is submitted within three working days of the deadline (or any formally agreed extension of the deadline): no penalty will be applied;
• where the piece of work is submitted more than three working days after the original deadline (or any formally agreed extension of the deadline): a grade of Fail will be awarded.

The University policy statement on penalties for late submission can be found at: https://www.reading.ac.uk/cqsd/-/media/project/functions/cqsd/documents/qap/penaltiesforlatesubmission.pdf

You are strongly advised to ensure that coursework is submitted by the relevant deadline. You should note that it is advisable to submit work in an unfinished state rather than to fail to submit any work.

Formative assessment

Formative assessment is any task or activity which creates feedback (or feedforward) for you about your learning, but which does not contribute towards your overall module mark.

Throughout Semester 1 and Semester 2, students receive studio feedback from teaching staff in weekly studio sessions. Formative non-graded assessments are also included in both Semester 1 and Semester 2. These are designed to provide feedback advice on work-in-progress and feedforward advice ahead of the summative assessment.  

Reassessment

Additional costs