What is this module about?

The Independent Study programme gives you the opportunity to develop an area of personal interest and to negotiate your own programme of study. The assignment requiresyou to respond to a hypothesis, or theoretical enquiry that was posed in your CDME4001, Practice as Research, module.

In negotiation with your tutors, you are required to identify your own learning objectives and ensure that you are able to produce work in a recognised area within the subject and at a sustained creative and professional level. You will be expected to use an integrated approach to practice, theory and professional skills to produce a body of work to a highly professional standard.

What is the significance of this module?

This module is the culmination of a taught contemporary professional practice module, two digital arts practice modules, an experimental digital media module, an ethical practice module and the practice as research module, during which you should have developed an advanced and professional approach to, and understanding of, digital arts practice. The purpose of this module is for you to gain confidence in pursuing independent digital arts practice at an advanced level. At Masters level, it gives you the experience of independent creative practice whilst receiving critical and personal support.

Indicative programme

As this module uses a mainly tutorial-based method of delivery, there is no weekly timetable. However, there will be some scheduled seminars for which attendance is mandatory. In these seminars, you will present your concepts and also offer feedback to your fellow students on the module. At the beginning of the module run, your module tutor will advise you of the dates on which these seminars occur.

Independent Study presentation dates and venues:

  

WB 137 on 25-06-2012 from 10:15 to 13:15

EE G164 on 23-07-2012 from 10:15 to 13:15

You will discuss and examine, through tutorials and self-directed projects, critical and creative issues that define your own work. You will explore, creatively, critically and experimentally, approaches and processes that will identify you as a distinctly individual practitioner. It is recommended that you arrange a structured timetable of tutorial appointments with your tutor. 

A weekly timetable will be sent by e-mail to each student. 

Intended learning outcomes

On successful completion of this module, you should be able to:

1)   demonstrate independent learning skills through an independent project which exemplifies a synthesis between practice, theory and critical engagement;

2)   independently research, select and critically analyse information appropriate to your learning and identify a personal programme of study;

3)   show evidence of a high level of professional skills in your preparation for, and arrangement of, your final exhibition;

4)  use appropriate media for the project undertaken and place your work into a broad practice context;

5)   show evidence of a clear understanding and management of the relationship between reading, meaning and intention, and produce an articulate written account of your practice concerns;

6)   plan and manage the study effectively, thus achieving the objectives individually negotiated with your tutor.

Attendance

With a view to achieving your full potential in this module, it is recommended that you take full advantage of the tutorials and seminars offered. A minimum of 70% attendance is compulsory and a failure to comply with this might result in a consequent fail grade.

The assignment and hand-in

Type of project:

This is for you to decide, according to your area of specialism. You are advised not to undertake a project in a field in which you have not any preparatory experience. It may be a video production, a piece of animation, a portfolio of creative digital prints, photographs, illustrations, a motion graphics sequence, a website, interactive media, sound – or a combination of some of these. It must involve some elements of digital media. It might be a realistic commercial project in its scope, or it could be a conceptual art piece. 

Communication
It is likely that you will be required to maintain a weekly blog of your learning experience, production and critical reflection. This blog will be visible to your fellow students and also the module tutor: both will thus have the opportunity to offer you guidance and ideas. Your module tutor will advise you of any requirement for a blog. 

The critical statement

This should be a critical discourse of your ideas, and an argument for their validity and foundation in your practical project. You are expected to refer to critical works, cultural issues and also other practitioners in your field. It should not simply be an account of what you did. If you make an assertion, this must be referenced, not simply your unsubstantiated opinion. Your critical statement should also be referenced according to the Harvard system and marks will be deducted for work that is not referenced. You will find a useful guide on this link:

http://www.worc.ac.uk/ils/1383.htm

Collaboration:

You may collaborate with a colleague on your Independent Study, provided that it is clear as to what your area of responsibility and contribution is. This should be stated in the proposal stage, and preferably in CDME4001, Practice as Research.

Scope of project:

The project must have the scope for you to engage with it as a major project over the equivalent of three modules, as 60 credits. It might well be your showpiece to evidence your practice to a prospective employer or client. However, it should be manageable within the time. Your tutor will advise you.

The Independent Study is your 'master piece'. It should incorporate all of the creative, critical and practical skills that you have acquired over your course. Try to be original in your concept. It should be significant as an investigative and creative learning experience. Think of a topic and approach that will be distinguished as memorable, critically incisive, creatively challenging and, of course, on which you will enjoy working. 

Submission

Submission should be to Registry, not to the module tutor. You should receive a receipt for handing in. The submission date is published on the University calendar (see website) and will also be given to you by your tutor.

Submissions that miss the deadline will only receive the minimum pass mark. After five days, non submission will result in an automatic fail and the necessity of retaking the whole module. 

Mitigating circumstances

If you are unable to meet the deadline, and consider that you have a valid reason for this, please advise your module tutor as soon as possible. You will be invited to apply for mitigating circumstances and an extension of the submission date, if you are successful in your application.

Plagiarism
All references must be acknowledged. Assignment work – whether practical or written – that is submitted as the student's own work but which is the work of another, without acknowledgment, will be referred to the Cheating Committee.

Hand in
This is in the week beginning Monday 8th August

Do not hand your assignment CD/DVD to the module tutor on the day of submission. Instead, place your disk in a plastic sleeve with the cover sheet with the bar code (download this from SOLE). Seal it and submit it to the drop in point at Bredon. In this way, you will have proof of hand in. Note that assignments that miss the submission deadline can only score the minimum pass mark. After five days, late submissions will score an automatic fail! You will then have to re-take the entire module. 

Your assignment

A sustained investigation of your hypothesis in the form of a major practical project, supported by a 5,000 word critical statement that defines, analyses and validates the concepts in the practical component.

Your assignment should be supported by preparatory material, in the form of a learning journal. This is not to be submitted but should be reviewed by your module tutor.

Indicative bibliography

Much of this will be dependent upon your chosen area of practice (for example, film, animation, illustration, design, photography, sound and so on), but should you material that demonstrates theoretical contextualisation of your own practice. You may discuss possible sources with you tutor; much of your reading list will have been established in the research module, CDME4001.