Overview

This unit should be completed in conjunction with Industry Placement or Industry Projects. It introduces students to case study research as an approach to examining actions and situations in design practice. In completing an individual research project, students analyse the practices, processes, and cultural and organisational aspects of a design workplace. The unit creates a context in which design students can examine aspects of their future work and career.

Requisites

Prerequisites
DCO30011 Industry Workshops

AND

250 credit points in BH-DESCMN2 Bachelor of Design (Communication Design) (Honours)

Corequisites
DDD30039 Industry Projects Internship

OR

DES30061 Industry Placement 1

Teaching periods
Location
Start and end dates
Last self-enrolment date
Census date
Last withdraw without fail date
Results released date
Semester 2
Location
Hawthorn
Start and end dates
04-August-2025
02-November-2025
Last self-enrolment date
17-August-2025
Census date
31-August-2025
Last withdraw without fail date
19-September-2025
Results released date
09-December-2025

Learning outcomes

Students who successfully complete this unit will be able to:

  • Identify, analyse and evaluate relevant academic texts in relation to a research topic
  • Identify and apply relevant research approaches and methods to create an original case study
  • Draw conclusions based on a clear chain of evidence spanning primary and secondary research data
  • Communicate research findings in a concise and compelling manner, including through visual methods

Teaching methods

Hawthorn

Type Hours per week Number of weeks Total (number of hours)
On-campus
Studio		6.00 12 weeks 72
Online
Directed Online Learning and Independent Learning		6.00 10 weeks 60
Unspecified Activities
Independent Learning		11.00 12 weeks 132
On-campus
Studio		3.00 12 weeks 36
TOTAL300

Assessment

Type Task Weighting ULO's
Case ReportIndividual 50% 1,2,3,4 
Literature ReviewIndividual 20% 1,3,4 
QuizzesIndividual 30% 2 

Content

  • Original research into an aspect of the culture, environment, practices and processes of the design workplace
  • Case study as a form of empirical social research, its benefits and challenges
  • Literature review
  • Research design for case study method
  • Qualitative interview research
  • Qualitative observation research, including participant observation
  • Visual research methods for data collection and analysis
  • Techniques for analysing qualitative data

Study resources

Reading materials

A list of reading materials and/or required textbooks will be available in the Unit Outline on Canvas.