Coventry School of Art and Design – Postgraduate Taught
Final Project Plan Template – To be completed by March 5th 2021 (latest 6pm Aula)
| Course Title | Name | September, January or May starter/Full-Time/Part Time |
| Date | 2021 |
In the final semester of your Postgraduate course, you will be asked to conduct a major creative project and supporting research investigation, This, module involves you creating an evidence- based project investigation PLAN for your final collection of work in Semester 3. This task is relevant to all disciplines but the emphasis of student goals and foci for research activity will differ according to specialist focus. Being able to devise a clear and focused investigation/project plan is an important capability for Postgraduate students and will show that your work is well organized, relevant and has value. It will also help you to push some boundaries in your own practice or discipline area and appreciate context and responsibility relevant to your field of practice/specialism.
You will submit this template via Aula on the link in Assignments area (this links to it too). You will edit it to explain own project plan and goals. It will also contain collated screenshots of your exploratory notebook [please delete red introductory text from your proposal – it is just for information].
| Brief Introduction/ Project Overview | Please delete the below notes and replace with your own words. Maximum 200 words – Introduce the investigative theme/question/hypothesis with some supported explanation and evidence in form of a few citations/references to show you have read around the subject and are informed about your research area. Project value, personal interest, relevance and currency should be discussed. The overview may (if appropriate) broadly hint at what you expect the outcome to be, or the possible contribution your work may make, even though it may not be fully clear yet e.g. a new theory or understanding of personal practice, a type of designed output, an innovative management concept. Include images as appropriate (you are visually minded investigators/practitioners and so should bring examples into your planning). We do recognise that projects may evolve and thinking may change throughout your planning and project delivery phases. This proposal sets a position at the time of assessment and will continue to develop beyond the assessment. |
| Managing the investigation/project | Maximum 200 words – Give a brief explanation of how the investigation part of your work and/or project will be managed – What will you do, how and why. It should give a clear set of written goals or objectives. A short description about research methodology (how you are going to do your investigative activities/project) explain the projects approach e.g. qualitative, quantitative, mixed methods, case study, authoethnographic. It should explain how the method has been chosen. You should also indicate what significant research methods you plan to use e.g. semi structured interviews, text analysis, video diary of personal practice, historical analysis, ergonomic evaluation, brand analysis (approx. 200 words). Two good resources to give you an idea about research methodology: For Arts approaches to research – Kara, Helen. Creative Research Methods in the Social Sciences : A Practical Guide. 2015. Print. or For Design approaches to research – Muratovski, Gjoko. Research for Designers: A Guide to Methods and Practice. 2016. Print. |
| Conceptual Framework or Investigation/Project Themes Map | Provide a map, flowchart/network or spider diagram that shows the key themes of your investigation and their relationship to your investigative goals and outcomes/final project activity. e.g. key goals, sub-themes, and outcomes. (You can attach this to the end of the template if you wish. |
| Task List | Provide a clear list of the investigation tasks or other activities you intend to conduct and map them against your key investigative/project goals. You might want to number those tasks so they can be mapped onto your Gantt Chart. This may include background reading tasks, diary generating, project tasks, research tasks, making activities, design activities, visits, tests, write ups, reviews, personal deadlines. |
| Gantt Chart | Provide a time chart showing how over 11 weeks you will manage your investigation/project activity. This should include a written investigation document and your final specialist project. Your tutors will discuss with you what type of activities might be expected. Short video which simply explains what a Gantt Chart is. |
| Resources | Give a very short list/explanation of the resources you might need to do your project. Access to facilities/materials/archives/visits or field activities that might be undertaken. If particular training e.g. in a lab or workshop is required this needs to be factored into your Tasks and Gantt chart. If you have questions about resources then please discuss with specialist tutors. |
| Ethics Application | Please explain (100 words) Please explain any proposed research/project activity risks that might be associated with your project. Please explain the status of your ethics application. E.g. have you made an application, do you have results or amendments to make. If you have any specific issues around Ethics applications, please note them here and talk to your tutor if you are concerned. Please refer to the Ethics Portal for more information Risk Assessment for activities also needs to be considered for some projects. If relevant please highlight risk factors. Ethics Application – made by March 3th. Include your PI proposal number in this box before you submit. Final sign off must be completed by April 30th. Practical research cannot begin until you have approval. |
| Reference List | Please list below any references relating to the above evidence. Please prepare them in APA style using the Date, Author, Title, Location and Publisher format. If in doubt refer to the APA style of referencing |
| Wider Bibliography | Please list below an initial list of reading materials, published materials or artefacts (documentary, physical artefacts etc) relating to your project activities. This will show the range of materials, breadth and depth of your proposed study. Please prepare them in Harvard/APA style using the Date, Author, Title, Location and Publisher format. If in doubt refer to the APA style of referencing guide. |
| Images from your sketchjournal. | Below. Please attach below up to 20 screenshots from your explorative sketchbook or journal. This must show evidence of your research planning, ideas, thoughts and questions as well as notes about resources or research methods. The images must be readable but please take care with resolution and file size. We love to see sketch notes so drawings and images are considered part (but not all) of that thinking process. |
