module specification

This module aims to enable students to research, plan and develop their final Digital Media Research Project. The module addresses issues about the research tradition in digital media, which might include the design-led research tradition in digital media production. Students will acquire research skills, including research project planning, evaluation of relevant literature, research and project evaluation methodologies, data analysis and, when relevant, planning of the production of digital research-led digital projects and the process of managing research and development in digital media productions.

• To enable students to research into a particular topic or issue within the chosen field of study.
• To enable students to acquire research methods skills, which might include research methods skills applied to a practice-led project.
• To enable students to produce a research project proposal and plan for their research project.
• To consolidate and advance skills and knowledge in the research, execution and presentation of a Digital Media Research Project.

This module aims to enable students to research, plan and develop their Digital Media Research Project.
The module addresses issues about the research tradition in digital media, including the design-led research tradition in digital media production, the process of planning and managing research and the appropriate theoretical, as well as design-led, research methods to investigate Digital Media topics.
The module enables students to develop theoretical and practice-based research skills in the area of interactive media and digital communications.

The module also covers methodology issues and research methods.

The module is delivered via scheduled Digital Media Research Workshops as well as one-to-one dissertation tutorials.

The Digital Media Research Workshop syllabus covers the following:

• The theoretical and practice-based framework for Digital Media research.

• Digital Media-specific research issues, including design-led research traditions.

• Digital Media Research Project structure and requirements.

• Identifying suitable research topics for a Digital Media Research
Project and formulating research questions.

• How to produce a Digital Media Research Project Proposal

• How to research and write a Literature Review and, when applicable, a Product Review.

• Identify and evaluate research methodologies and research methods, as well as evaluation methods for practice-based research projects.

• Selecting and evaluating the appropriate research tools.

• Data gathering and data analysis techniques.

• Production processes for practice-based projects.

• Research ethics and digital media production ethics.

• Presenting the research findings.

• Managing the research and evaluation process.

This module will be delivered via time-tabled workshops, tutorials and online resources.
The scheduled workshops will cover the full cycle of research design and management, including research methods.
Students are also expected to manage their own learning, not only defining their own topic, but also managing their own time and resources in the process of researching, producing and evaluating the Dissertation. They will receive support and guidance from an allocated supervisor and will be required to attend individual and group supervision tutorials. 
Formative activities and related feedback support the teaching and learning strategy throughout the module delivery. Formative feedback will be delivered, depending on the nature of the formative exercise, via a number of channels including: in-class feedback, individual feedback in tutorials and online feedback.
Summative feedback is delivered electronically.

On successful completion of this module post-graduate students will be able to:

LO1 Research, develop and implement the proposal for the Digital Media Research Project.

LO2 Plan, organise and manage the Digital Media Research Project process.

LO3 Critically evaluate relevant literature and, when relevant, best production practice.

LO4 Select and justify chosen methodologies, appreciate research ethics issues.

LO5 Effectively present the research findings and, when relevant, analyse and critically evaluate the production process of practice-based projects and the final outcome.

LO6 Conduct a substantive research project within the field of digital media.

A) A 3,000 words Proposal for the Digital Media Research Project (weighting 20%). The proposal should include: aims and objectives, a review of available literature on the chosen topic, the selected methodology and, where applicable, the technologies and platforms for a practice-based project, a feasibility study.  This part of the assessment will test the students’ ability to evaluate the current debate and research trends on the chosen topic, analyse and investigate the feasibility of the proposed project.
Due in week 14 of the first Semester.

B) Digital Media Dissertation (12,000-15,000 words) or a Digital artefact accompanied by a 6,000-word Evaluation Report (weighting 80%). The topic will be determined by the students in consultation with the tutor. This part of the assessment is designed to test the students’ ability to research, plan and present a digital media research project.

Textbooks:

Core Text:

Benyon, D. (2014) Designing Interactive Systems: A Comprehensive Guide to HCI, UX and Interaction Design, 3rd ed. ed, Pearson: Harlow, England.

Biggam, J. (2015) Succeeding with Your Master’s Dissertation: A Step-by-Step
Handbook, 3rd edition. ed, Open UP Study Skills, Open University Press: Berkshire,
England.

Greenfield, T., Greener, S. (Eds.) (2016) Research Methods for Postgraduates, 3rd edition. ed, John Wiley & Sons: Chichester, UK ; Hoboken, NJ.

Hewson, C., Vogel, C.M., Laurent, D. (2016) Internet Research Methods, 2nd ed. ed, SAGE: Los Angeles ; London.

Preece, J., Rogers, Y., Sharp, H. (2015) Interaction Design: Beyond Human-Computer
Interaction, 4th ed. ed, John Wiley & Sons Ltd: Chichester, West Sussex.

Other Texts:

Block, B.A. (2008) The Visual Story: Creating the Visual Structure of film,TV and Digital Media, 2nd ed. ed, Focal Press/Elsevier: Amsterdam ; Boston.
Booth, A., Papaioannou, D., Sutton, A. (2012) Systematic Approaches to a Successful Literature Review, Sage: Los Angeles, Calif. ; London.
Boyle, G. (2003) Design Project Management, Ashgate: Aldershot.
Brennen, B. (2013) Qualitative Research Methods for Media Studies, Routledge: London.
Bruton, D., Radford, A. (2012) Digital Design: A Critical Introduction, Berg: London.
Carroll, B. (2010) Writing for Digital Media, Routledge: New York, N.Y.
Clazie, I. (2010) Creating Your Digital Design Portfolio: A Practical Guide for Showcasing Your Work Online, RotoVision: Mies, Switzerland.
Davies, M., Hughes, N. (2014) Doing a Successful Research Project: Using Qualitative or Quantitative Methods, 2nd ed. ed, Palgrave Macmillan: Basingstoke.
De Prato, G., Sanz, E., Simon, J.P. (Eds.) (2014) Digital Media Worlds: The New Economy of Media, Palgrave Macmillan: London.
Dewdney, A., Ride, P. (2013) The Digital Media Handbook, 2nd ed. ed, Media practice, Routledge: London.
DiMarco, J. (2010) Digital Design for Print and Web: An Introduction to Theory, Principles, and Techniques, John Wiley & Sons: Hoboken, N.J.
Ess, C. (2014) Digital Media Ethics, 2nd ed. ed, Digital media and society series, Polity Press: Cambridge.
Garner, S.W., Evans, C. (Eds.) (2012) Design and Designing: A Critical Introduction, Berg: London.
Halfpenny, P., Procter, R. (Eds.) (2015) Innovations in Digital Research Methods, SAGE: Los Angeles ; London.
Harrison, D. (Ed.) (2013) Digital Media and Technologies for Virtual Artistic Spaces, Information Science Reference: Hershey, Pa.
Hewson, C., Vogel, C.M., Laurent, D. (2016) Internet Research Methods, 2nd ed. ed, SAGE: Los Angeles ; London.
Leonard, N., Ambrose, G. (2012) Design Research: Investigation for Successful Creative Solutions, Basics graphic design, AVA Academia: Lausanne, Switzerland.

Journals:

Digital creativity. Taylor & Francis.

Journal of Media Practice. Intellect Ltd.

Convergence : the international journal of research into new media technologies. London:Sage.

Media, culture and society. London: Sage.

New media and society. London: Sage.

Television and new media. Thousand Oaks, Calif: Sage.