ROBERT GORDON UNIVERSITY
Aberdeen
Faculty of Design and Technology
Gray’s School of Art
BA (Hons) Fine Art
BA (Hons) Design and Craft
Stage 4: 2006-2007
Critical Evaluation
Study Guide
October 2006
CONTENTS
Page Number
Introduction 2
Submission Date 2
What You Have to Do 3
Key Tasks and Tutorial Arrangements:
1. Selecting a Topic & Finalising 3
a Research Question
2. Tutorial Arrangements 3
3. The Critical Evaluation Proforma 4
4. Submission and Marking 5
Completing the Critical Evaluation Proforma 5
Further Information and Advice 8
a) Primary research
b) Time allocated and time management
c) Format for final submission
a. Where to find copies of previous
evaluations
Assessment 10
Appendix I – The Critical Evaluation Proforma 11
Appendix 2– Guide to Academic Presentation 13
Appendix 3- Ethical Considerations. Checklist 18
Introduction
How to use this guide
This guide provides detailed instructions for the completion of your Critical Evaluation. You should therefore read it carefully. It provides general advice on course requirements throughout the semester in addition to essential information on key dates, tutorial arrangements, completion of documentation, planning, final formats for your research project, layout and referencing etc.
Aim of the Critical Evaluation
The aim of the Critical Evaluation is to provide you with the opportunity to undertake extended research study into a topic, which is closely related to your studio practice and professional context. The research will help you contextualise your studio practice and provide you with the critical underpinning required to support your future development as a practitioner.
Learning Outcomes
On completion of your Critical Evaluation you should have achieved the following learning outcomes:
1. Investigate and apply a personal, critical, conceptual and visual language within an analytical framework relevant to self-directed specialist study.
2. Apply appropriate research methods and a personal critical and contextual framework to self-directed specialist study.
3. Select and apply appropriate practical studio and workshop methods to self-directed study at a level approaching professional studio practice and context
4. Propose and produce a clearly articulated research question for a specific context and defend the same using appropriate oral, written or visual presentation.
Submission Date
The deadline for submitting your completed Critical Evaluation is:
2.00pm. Monday, 8 January 2007
______
What You Have To Do
Key Tasks and Tutorial arrangements
The Critical Evaluation is a major piece of work which will be submitted at the end of Semester 1 and formally assessed at the end of Semester 2. To support you in developing and completing your final submission, all students follow a structured programme which commences in Stage 3. The programme is designed to help you select a topic, develop and finalise a research question, plan your research and complete the final work. The main elements of the programme in Stage 4 are outlined below and are followed by further sections which provide advice on key tasks.
1. Selecting a Topic and Finalising a Research Question
In the second semester of Stage 3 you were asked to investigate themes which might form the basis of your Critical Evaluation in Stage 4. Many students will therefore now have identified a topic for research and begun the process of formulating a clear research question as the basis for their study in Stage 4. Do not, however, be over concerned if you have yet to finalise your theme. It is not unusual for students to be undecided at this stage and the aim of the tutorial system is to ensure that students have dedicated support from an assigned tutor whose aim is to ensure that you establish a clear theme and direction.
2. Tutorial Arrangements
A programme of regular tutorial support is established early in Stage 4. In Week 2, you will be assigned a tutor to supervise your Critical Evaluation on the basis of your selected topic. You will meet with your tutor in small study groups, each fortnight from Week 3 and should attend all sessions planned for Semester 1. There will be 5 tutorial sessions in total, to be scheduled in weeks 3, 5, 7, 9 and 11.
Details of the study group to which you have been assigned and the time and location of your first tutorial, will be posted on the Contextual and Critical Studies notice board before the end of week 2.
At the tutorials your progress and any problems or queries you wish to raise, will form the focus of discussions between yourself, your supervisor and your peer group. Broadly the tutorial programme is designed to encourage a structured approach to research, writing and completion, and aims to help you manage your time effectively. The following provides a brief outline of the focus and aims of each tutorial session:
Semester 1 Tutorial Programme
· Week 3
Bring a new draft of your Proforma to this session, having updated it to the best of your ability. If you are clear about your research theme, make sure the Proforma includes details of your initial literature search. If you remain undecided, do your best to outline a broad area of interest for discussion (use your studio proposal) and list some key related texts. Within your Study Group, depending on your progress to date, you will discuss and consider possible approaches, refinements to your theme and the idea of a research question. There will also be an opportunity to review and discuss Stage 4 Assessment Criteria. Read, read, read before your next tutorial.
· Week 5
This tutorial will take place in studio and involves a one-to-one discussion with your tutor. Make sure you bring the developing, or ideally final, draft of your Proforma to this meeting which will aim to further refine and hopefully finalise your research direction. Your research and reading should have progressed considerably by this stage. Continue your research, reading, reading, reading and start to work on your draft structure.
· Week 7
Bring details of your literature search and the outline of a possible draft structure to this session. The literature search should provide details of your bibliography to date, and the draft structure should take the form of a list of possible sections or chapter headings OR should outline any other proposed framework.
· Week 9
For this session, you will prepare a draft of your final work for review by tutors and will discuss this within your Study Groups. The format of the draft should be agreed with your tutor and might include: a potential introduction, justification for your research question and approach, a short synopsis of the proposed contents of each section/ chapter OR a summary outlining your independently conceived approach, a brief summary of your conclusions to date, a list of sources which are proving core to your research etc. The overall aim of this session is to identify any outstanding difficulties and ascertain whether progress is on track.
· Week 11
This is the final session. Please come prepared to report on ongoing progress. This is the final opportunity to deal with any outstanding problems. At this tutorial you will have the opportunity to assess yourself against agreed Stage 4 Assessment Criteria.
It is essential that you attend all scheduled sessions. Due to staff timetables, minimal time is available for additional support. In exceptional cases only, tutorial support outside of scheduled sessions may be agreed with your tutor through their individual booking system. However, we must stress that this will require sound justification. All students are expected to attend the scheduled tutorials and additional time will not normally be allocated to students who do not turn up without a valid reason.
Communication with your tutor in respect of study group times & locations will take place primarily via the Contextual and Critical Studies notice board (next to the photocopier in Gray’s, just before the shop) and via email. Please ensure you exchange email addresses with your tutor.
3. The Critical Evaluation Proforma
A form, titled the Critical Evaluation Proforma (see Appendix 1) has been developed to help you plan your approach to the Critical Evaluation, in a structured, clear and focused manner. The completion and approval of the Proforma will form the focus of your first two tutorials but it is emphasised that you must aim to continue with your research throughout this process. To help you with completion of the Proforma, further advice is provided below. See: Completing the Critical Evaluation Proforma.
The main aims of the Proforma are as follows:
- to help you formulate and finalise a research question which will fully focus and set the parameters of your research
b. to help you establish an appropriate framework and structure to guide
your research and writing
c. to encourage reflection on the relationship between your research and proposed studio practice
d. to ensure a thorough literature search is undertaken and discussed with your supervisor and peer group
Your completed Proforma therefore forms the basis of study for the Critical Evaluation in Semester 1. The Proforma must be fully agreed and approved by your tutor. The timing of this is dependent on individual progress and is at the discretion of your tutor but all Proformas should ideally be signed off by Week 5 or 6.
Once your Proforma is agreed, you should not change the focus of your research proposal - in anything other than a gradual, evolutionary or developmental way - without prior approval from your tutor.
4. Submission and Marking
The final time and date for submission is 2.00pm on Monday, 8 January, 2007. You will be provided with full details of the submission procedure nearer this date.
Please note that you are required to produce TWO copies of the final written text and
supporting material; a master copy to be submitted for assessment and a duplicate to
be retained by your supervisor as back-up. The master copy cannot be returned until
the final Examination Board has adjudicated. Your final mark will be ratified in the
June 2006 Examination Board and issued thereafter.
Further information on the Assessment procedure is provided below. See:
Assessment
Completing the Critical Evaluation Proforma
You should begin work on completion of the Critical Evaluation Proforma (Appendix I) after your initial briefing in week 2. Please bring your first draft to the first scheduled group tutorial in week 3.
The following sections are based on questions in the Proforma and provide guidance on how to complete it. Please read the advice carefully before final completion.
1. Outline your proposed area of study
This will consist of a short summary which will outline the focus of your research project. Examples are as follows:
Example 1:
My aim is to look at the key themes and changes that have taken place in Public Health Awareness advertising. To help me do this I will be looking at the relationship between semiotics and advertising. I also intend to discuss and identify links between my analysis and current Public Health campaigns.
Example 3:
Through this critical evaluation I want to investigate the uses of protective clothing and their adaptation to fashion. I wish to look at the conceptual idea of ‘protection’ and what it says about 21st century society. By exploring protection and what makes a person feel safe, I hope to use my critical evaluation as a tool to help me define an appropriate context for my studio-based work.
2. The Research Question: formulate a question below which will set the parameters of your research? (Note that you can agree a different approach to your study if you wish. See note on creative writing below Examples *)
Most students find it helpful to identify a clear research question which aids focus and defines the parameters of their research. To do this need to ask yourself precisely what it is that you want to know. A question that is too vague or broad will prevent you from limiting your research, while others may be too predictable to permit reasonable scope. Your aim therefore, is to formulate a research question which will allow you to focus your efforts precisely but which will also permit an imaginative and stimulating investigation. Finally, your question must set a task that is achievable and realistic within the period of time allowed.
The following are questions which have underpinned the work of recent students:
Example 1:
What is the effect of new technology on the textiles industry?
Example 2:
What is the contribution of states of anxiety, to the creative practice of painting?
Example 3:
Today’s image making: unconstrained creativity or irresponsible exploitation?
Example 4:
Why was contemporary photography fascinated by the genre of realism in 2003?
Example 5:
What would femininity be if women's consciousness were released?
· * Creative writing
Please note that the idea of a research question is not intended to be restrictive. As indicated above, you can discuss an independently conceived approach with your tutor which is not based on a distinct question. Previous students have successfully produced pieces of creative writing which are completely acceptable as long as they are clearly underpinned by research and critical thinking.
3. Break the final work down into smaller sections, by listing possible chapter headings (or other potential framework – see * Creative writing, above).
It is usually helpful to break your topic down into manageable sections and this will further assist you to structure and focus your research by identifying clear areas of study. Sometimes there are obvious sub-topics within the subject, or alternatively, a more creative approach may be necessary to break down a theoretical theme. One suggestion involves case studies which can help to form the basis of distinct chapters. The examples below represent a combination of approaches (Introduction and Conclusion omitted for reasons of brevity):
Example 1:
Constructing Place. An Investigation into Objects of Craft and Memory
Chapter 1 Sense of Place and Memory
Chapter 2 Objects of Craft and Memory
- Objects as Souvenirs
- The Tactile Response
- Evoking Tradition
Chapter 3 Objects of Craft in Orkney: Past and Present
Example 2: