Design-X is a semester-long solution-driven project that aims to advance critical inquiry into a range of local issues using a cross-disciplinary perspective. It is meant for those who have a keen interest in finding and constructing new insights to systemic and social issues (for example using critical, systems and design thinking approaches) and who want to work with faculty members to explore and develop solutions to address community concerns. Students can form project teams of 2 to 4 members to prepare and submit a project proposal. Successful projects will be considered for the service-learning component for graduation.
Credit value: 10 cu; Duration: 12 weeks (July – Nov); Frequency of Contact Time: every fortnight (weeks 1, 3, 5, 7, 9, 11); week 12 – poster presentation
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| Assignment | Description | Weighting |
|---|
| Pre-course Project Proposal | This pre-course component must be completed and submitted before the course commences. Students must attain at least 60 marks before they can commence the course. Only submissions using the Pre-Course Project Proposal Form (Appendix A) will be considered. | 10% |
| Project Proposal and Milestone Requirements | This assignment consists of 2 parts. Section A: Refined proposal write-up (5%) This consists of responding to the gaps raised in the pre-course project proposal. This should lead to some of the following: a more refined research problem, answering to the importance/urgency of the issue, development of original insight into the issue or developing novel solutions, etc. Section B: Milestone requirements are defined by supervisors and can comprise of (25%) - Literature review
- Acquisition of skills identified appropriate for research project (e.g. ethnography, design-thinking, system thinking, quantitative statistics)
- Data collection
- Brain-storming and evaluation
- Prototyping solutions and applications
- Feedback loops and iteration
- Findings and analysis
- Problem-solving and decision-making
| 30% |
| Project Report | Full-length 3500-word research study project report | 40% |
| Project Presentation | This assignment will consist of 2 parts:
- Poster
A poster capturing the key details of the research study (thesis, methodology, findings, analysis, limitations, future plans)
- Project presentation
This is a 10-min oral presentation followed by a Q&A.
| 20% |
To enrol in this course, students must do the following:
- Apply for SCO399 Design-X as an unrestricted SUSS Core elective during the April eCR.
- Form groups (2 – 4 students) to prepare a project proposal using Pre-course Project Proposal Form (Appendix A). The details of this project proposal and rubrics used for assessment are found in Annex A.
- Submit the completed Pre-course Project Proposal Form (Appendix A) to Y3VjX2FkbWluQHN1c3MuZWR1LnNn by 11:55pm on 5 June 2020.
- Annex B comprises a list of useful methodologies/approaches on the 'hows' of conceptualising and carrying out a project. Students should consult these sources to gain a good grasp of what social science research is about.
- Refer to Annex C for a list of potential supervisors and their areas of interest. Students are strongly encouraged to speak with potential supervisors when drafting their project proposal.