DSN 790

DSN 790: Research Project/Thesis/Visual Comprehensive

Prerequisite: Graduate standing, MFA – Design Thinking program concentration; DSN 575, DSN 700.

Credit Hours: (1-9)
                      
Development of a graduate project, thesis, or visual comprehensive examination to be arranged with the approval of the student’s thesis supervisor, advisor, and the Assistant Provost of Graduate Affairs. See Graduate College’s requirements for a graduate project or thesis.


Detailed Description of Course

Design-thinking strategies

Problem framing

Empathy

Human-centered design

Research methods

Information gathering

Design analysis

Design synthesis

Convergent thinking

Divergent thinking

Detailed Description of Conduct of Course

Student presentation

Student development of a final project, thesis or completion of a visual comprehensive exam

Self-paced instruction

Goals and Objectives of this Course

Upon completion of the course, the student will be able to conduct informed inquiry/independent research using design thinking.

Design Thinking

The student must:

• Demonstrate the use of design-thinking strategies to address a complex problem;
• Apply, identify, and define relevant aspects of a design problem; and
• Determine the appropriate and necessary information and research findings to understand the problem.

The student may:

• Articulate the ideation phase of evaluating, selecting, and applying information and research findings to design solutions;
• Use the ideation phase of design including generating multiple concepts and or multiple design responses to requirements;
• Show how a solution has been tested through prototyping; and
• Articulate the solution’s constraints including desirability, viability, and feasibility.  

Communication
The student must:

• Communicate techniques and technologies to a range of purposes and audiences through a variety of mediums;
• Express ideas clearly in oral, written, and graphic formats;
• Allow thinking to grow, and trace that growth through the generation of artifacts for review;
• Write a project brief/proposal;
• Process information using convergent/divergent thinking and analysis and synthesis strategies; and
• Understand design issues to define the problem in a manner appropriate to the client’s needs.

Research Methods
The student must:

• Use data-collection techniques;
• Apply human-behavioral and design theories;
• Apply search engine strategies for information gathering;
• Apply the process of identifying and articulating a problem using established coursework and/or literature and analyze data; and
• Include both qualitative and quantitative techniques.

 

Assessment Measures
Thesis, final project, or visual comprehensive exam

Final presentation/defense

Other Course Information

None 

 

Review and Approval

 

February 9, 2017

March 10, 2025