I think a good place to start is with familiarising myself with the aims of this unit.

There are three level 3 units of which this Practice and Research unit is the first. This unit, “aims to synthesise your creative practice and research interests across a self-directed body of work and critical thinking assignment.”  The course literature is a bit widespread and doesn’t feel very concise or even easy to find but these practical concerns aside, Practice and Research aims are to, “scope out, develop and receive tutor feedback on a body of practice and research, including a proposal to take these forward.” The work done in this unit provides support to scope and to test different approaches which will be continued in the next unit, 3.2 Audiences and Contexts.

Crucially practice and research cannot be separated as one informs the other. “It provides room to build on your learning, test new ideas, and to identify areas of interest you may want to develop throughout stage 3. Through your enquires you will be encouraged to deepen your awareness of your discipline and its subject boundaries, and to develop highly relevant practical, technical, and communication skills to articulate your ideas and outcomes.”

Specific aims of this unit are as follows:

A1        To encourage a creative and critical conversation between ideas, practices, and your subject.

A2        To provide a framework to identify, explore, and articulate areas of interest and emerging practice.

A3        To encourage a research methodology through practical and theoretical study.

A4        To provide a flexible and supportive structure to develop self-directed projects.

Learning outcomes for this units are as follows:

LO1    Examine your emerging practice through a considered body of self-directed work. (A1) (A4)

LO2    Apply relevant research methods and subject knowledge to test, inform, and develop your work. (A2) (A3)

LO3    Present informed connections between your research and practice interests. (A1)

LO4    Articulate your creative ideas and critical thinking using suitable communication methods. (A2)