COP Evaluation

Reading through the research project, I know that it is not a true reflection of my potential as I really struggled with identifying a question. I think this is due to the lack of contextual knowledge about design which lead to indecision and a lack of confidence. My research came from a range of sources; internet, essays, books and editorial however I struggled with identifying facts from texts which lead to longwinded points that kept repeating themselves. I have identified this as something that I need to work for COP 3. An interest in the topic of experimentation lead me to topics such as objectivity and subjectivity which was interesting, however I found it hard to apply the approach to an essay where I had to triangulate, as well as come up with a practical outcome. Having struggled with academic writing in the past, I went to Student Support where I had a talk with a tutor. I found this useful, however gaining a lot of different perspectives from peer feedback, tutors and student support was overwhelming at such a late stage in the project which held me back. A positive that I can take away from this is that I was proactive, however I need to plan ahead in order to imbed my feedback more objectively. The topic of authorship was also very hard to research and apply to an essay because the term itself has doubts as to its legitimacy in design, however I made sure that I noted this in my conclusion, 'design as well as authorship is in constant flux'. Looking forward to the COP 3, I aim to make sure that I choose a question that I am passionate and has relevant sources of theory and context. The lack of time management and changing my research question at such a later stage meant I fell behind on all areas of the module which is evident through my submission. The broadness of my research meant I found it hard to find a focus. Researching the topics, I found understanding the texts really challenging which had a detrimental impact of my confidence. I don't want this to happen next year for my dissertation so I intend to nail a topic and a question as early as possible so that I have time to research and gain an in depth understanding to create relevant arguments. Due to poor time management, my practical response was rushed and I discovered more potential for my research project however I didn't have enough time to work this into the current essay draft.