MA Advertising and Design

Year 1

(Award available for year: Master of Arts)

Learning outcomes

On completion of the programme, students should have provided evidence of being able to:

1. Assess current and future challenges and opportunities for improving communication between brands, institutions and audiences, by evaluating current issues and trends in business and industrial sectors, technology, culture, environment, and society at large.
2. Formulate objectives, strategies, and interventions in communication campaigns, with consideration for stakeholder and audience's needs.
3. Devise research within the fields of advertising, communication and design, justifying methodological approaches.
4. Design strategic creative solutions for communication campaigns supported by appropriate processes and specialist knowledge.

Skills Learning Outcomes

On completion of the programme, students will have had the opportunity to acquire the following skills and abilities:

1. Communicate ideas effectively in written, visual and other formats to professional standards.
2. Develop vision and purpose, when identifying opportunities and proposing solutions to complex problems.

Assessment

Students will be assessed through a variety of approaches, from oral/visual presentations to portfolios, reflective reports and exams. Those will be tailored to evaluate academic, professional, and digital literacies within contexts that are relevant to the programme and students’ aspirations, also taking in consideration how those literacies inform each other. Some assessments will be based upon collaboration between peers. This collaboration could be in the development of artefacts, proposals and/or various forms of visual and textual communication in response to problem-based issues. 



Throughout the year, it is to be expected that students will find that assessments are progressively more challenging. To support students as they navigate assessment, the programme provides formative as well as summative assessment. Formative assessment gives staff an opportunity to give feedback on personal progress, in good time before a summative deadline. Given the range of assessment types in any one level of study, formative assessment and feedback enables students to reflect upon individual progress and establish which forms of assessment allow students to play to their strengths.  



The nature of assessment will change as the programme progresses:

*Semester 1:  Assessments will focus on understanding and acquisition of new knowledge, academic, digital and professional skills.  

*Semester 2:  Assessments will focus more on establishing how well students understand, analyse and apply this new knowledge and these new skills in relation to real-world, local and global settings.    

*Semester 3: Study will become more self-directed major project often being negotiated and agreed with tutors.  

Main assessment components for design modules will be modelled after authentic professional practices from advertising and design agencies, including the application of briefs from industry and student competitions. Moreover, considering the multi-disciplinary area of advertising and design, assessments’ criteria will be flexible to reflect an inclusive approach that takes in consideration students’ individual set of skills and career choices. Exams and reflective reports will evaluate a grasp of theoretical frameworks and critical thinking in applying those frameworks to their design processes.



Students interested in an academic-focused experience will have the opportunity to work on a dissertation, whilst industry-focused students will be able to work on a final project of their choice. Both will be supported by a research-led approach to design.



Dialogic teaching methods emphasise in-class discussion and support staff / student debate. This approach to teaching and learning enables staff to hear all student voices. In turn, for some modules, this in-class dynamic may facilitate and inform the co-production of assessment tasks. Co-production of assessment tasks means that staff and students work together to devise fair and inclusive assessment; both formative and summative. This allows staff to consider the requirements of a module alongside opportunities to allow students to harness their strengths.   

  

While remaining considerate of module and programme learning outcomes, where relevant and beneficial, we strive to adopt a flexible approach to assessment design. This flexibility allows us to respond to student voice, maintain an agility that allows us to react to global, social and cultural change and respond swiftly to opportunities to devise projects with our industrial partners. We aim for all assessment to be relevant, meaningful and engaging.