Module manager: Dr Jeanne-Louise Moys
Email: j.l.moys@leeds.ac.uk
Taught: Semester 1 (Sep to Jan) View Timetable
Year running 2026/27
DESN5177M
This module is not approved as an Elective
This module will review current thinking on creative research and explore the integration of research and practice. The module will introduce a range of research principles, skills and methods and discuss the ethical and social considerations for creative research and human-centred design solutions. These approaches form a foundation for the research-led practice students will apply in their specialist projects and projects developed in the specialist optional modules.
This module gives students the opportunity to:
- Develop scholarly skills for working with secondary sources and becoming a critical reader of published research
- Build familiarity with a range of established and emerging research methods that are applied to and integrated within human-centred design and creative practice
- Demonstrate robust skills for visual research
In-class activities build skills for identifying and appraising secondary sources, sampling and analytical approaches to visual analysis. These activities form a foundation for students to systematically and critically engage, through their essay, with secondary sources and visual design examples aligned to the area of professional practice that their specialist project explores.
On successful completion of the module students will have demonstrated the following learning outcomes relevant to the subject:
1. Construct a relevant critical literature review.
2. Evaluate the application of established and emerging research methods to their own integrated research practice
3. Apply justified techniques to conduct visual research.
Skills Learning Outcomes:
On successful completion of the module students will have demonstrated the following skills learning outcomes:
4. Apply critical thinking to plan, conduct and appraise their own visual research
5.Create an integrated visual and written argument for scholarly communication
Details of the syllabus will be provided on the Minerva organisation (or equivalent) for the module.
| Delivery type | Number | Length hours | Student hours |
|---|---|---|---|
| Supervision | 1 | 2 | 2 |
| Lectures | 2 | 2 | 4 |
| seminars | 9 | 1.5 | 13.5 |
| Lecture | 16 | 1 | 16 |
| Private study hours | 264.5 | ||
| Total Contact hours | 35.5 | ||
| Total hours (100hr per 10 credits) | 300 | ||
An academic integrity assignment will provide formative feedback on style and the use of citations in scholarly writing. The outline assignment is both formative and summative, providing students with guidance on their sources and methods in preparation for the full essay. In-class activities provide embedded opportunities to engage with formative feedback.
| Assessment type | Notes | % of formal assessment |
|---|---|---|
| Coursework | Essay outline | 25 |
| Coursework | Essay | 75 |
| Total percentage (Assessment Coursework) | 100 | |
Informal feedback on course work will be provided in taught sessions, and a formal formative feedback point on the essay outline is included.
Check the module area in Minerva for your reading list
Last updated: 30/04/2026
Errors, omissions, failed links etc should be notified to the Catalogue Team