DESIGN RESEARCH DISSERTATION [ TASK 3 ]
08.07.26 - 19.07.26 / Week 12 - Week 13
Bachelor of Design (Hons) in Creative Media / DESIGN RESEARCH DISSERTATION / Taylor's University
Task 3
OUTLINE
Instruction
Feedback
- WEEK 12
- WEEK 13
- WEEK 14
- WEEK 12
- WEEK 13
- WEEK 14
Reflection
INSTRUCTION
Module Information Booklet (MIB) of Design Research Dissertation
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Final Task 3: FINAL DISSERTATION & TURNITIN Submission
FEEDBACK
WEEK 12
Specific Feedback:
- You should review the recorded session uploaded to Teams if you were unable to attend the final assignment briefing or did not fully understand the requirements. Make sure that you clearly understand all submission requirements before completing the assignment.
- You should add your name, Kim Abin, to the cover. There is no need to include your student ID or other detailed information. Your name only needs to be placed appropriately to identify you as the author.
- Although the publication is designed in horizontal A4 format, some pages appear vertical or visually inconsistent in proportion. You should check the actual document size and ensure that all pages consistently follow the same horizontal A4 format.
- Reviewing each page individually in Canva makes it difficult to evaluate the relationship between the left and right pages. You should check the final e-publication in a two-page spread view, similar to an open book. Make sure that each page is correctly positioned on the left or right and that both pages work together as a coherent spread.
- Some pages are divided into two colour sections, making a single page appear like a full A2 spread. You should revise the colour division and layout so that the boundary of each page is visually clear.
- Illustrations and graphic elements taken from Canva should not be used without further modification. You should adjust their colours and forms to match your research topic and overall design direction. Your own design input should be clearly visible rather than relying too heavily on Canva templates or library assets.
- Any use of Canva AI or other generative AI features must be clearly stated in the AI declaration. You should explain which elements were created with the support of digital tools and which parts were modified or designed independently.
- Some pages still require further refinement in alignment and composition. You should review the alignment across the entire publication and adjust the balance and placement of elements, particularly on pages that do not clearly appear to follow the horizontal format.
- Since the cover typography is currently set entirely in lowercase, you should experiment with capitalising the first letters of important terms such as Cultural Identity and Stereotype. This change is not compulsory, but you should duplicate the cover page and compare both versions before deciding.
- You should not place the Copyright Page immediately after the cover. Instead, add several introductory pages to make the publication resemble a professionally designed book. These may include a blank page, a simplified title page, a monochrome version of the cover, or a page containing the author and publisher information. The Copyright Page may also include the logo, barcode, ISBN-style information, designer details, and image credits.
- You should refine the alignment of the Copyright Page and consider changing Taylor’s University logo to a single colour so that it matches the overall visual direction.
- The use of seven films and the adaptation of their different cultural backgrounds into the design are effective. The publication already conveys cultural elements relevant to the research topic, and the inclusion of references and image credits is appropriate.
General Feedback on Task 2 and 3:
- Students who missed the final assignment briefing or are unclear about the requirements should review the recorded Teams session and confirm all assignment and submission requirements before submitting.
- The e-publication should resemble a professionally designed publication rather than a simple PDF. Consider adding introductory pages—such as a blank page, simplified title page, monochrome cover, or publication details—before the Acknowledgement or Copyright Page. The student’s name must also appear clearly on the cover as the author.
- When designing spreads, ensure that typography remains readable across the central fold. Adjust kerning and positioning carefully, applying publication design principles that also consider potential print production.
- Avoid using the same white background and page structure throughout. Create visual rhythm through varied colours, spacing, columns, images, text wrapping, lines, and tabs while maintaining balance and consistency. Charts and graphs should also use colours that match the publication’s overall palette rather than default chart colours.
- Assignment 2 must be submitted before midnight on the relevant Sunday. Some Friday tutorial students have an individual Assignment 3 extension until 19 July; submissions made within the personalised Google Classroom deadline will not be penalised even if Turnitin marks them as late. The Friday group’s practice window will reopen later for final file checking before submission.
General Feedback on Task 4:
- Develop a concise, standalone journal article from your dissertation. Do not simply copy, paste, or shorten the original text.
- Focus on one specific research objective, question, theme, or finding. Revise the title, methodology, findings, and discussion so they consistently reflect this narrower scope.
- Maintain critical academic writing by comparing relevant literature and using it to support a clear research argument.
- Follow the provided author manuscript template, including its word count, fonts, and formatting requirements. Consult your supervisor or tutorial lecturer to confirm your article’s focus.
- Submit through your usual class platform. Task 4 is compulsory, worth 30%, and targeted for Week 14; any extension to Week 15 depends on the lecturer’s approval
WEEK 13
Specific Feedback:
- The dissertation explores a relevant and socially significant topic. The selected case studies are appropriate, and there is generally good alignment between the research questions, methodology, and findings. The use of multiple analytical methods also strengthens the credibility of the research.
- The Problem Statement and research gap should be strengthened with more supporting literature. The dissertation should explain why cultural representation remains an unresolved issue and clarify the study’s intended contribution.
- Include a simple conceptual framework showing the relationship between cultural identity, visual representation, stereotypes, audience perception, and character design outcomes.
- The Literature Review should critically compare and synthesise previous studies instead of describing each source separately.
- The Methodology requires stronger justification for the selection of the seven films, the participant criteria, the representativeness of the 21 survey respondents, and the limitations of using audience perception as supporting evidence.
- Chapter 4 should provide deeper interpretation rather than only reporting observations. Explain why certain representations were viewed positively or negatively, why Coco and Moana were received more favourably, why Peter Pan and Pocahontas continue to attract criticism, and how the findings contribute to current character design practice.
- Chapter 5 should connect the findings more clearly with the Literature Review, particularly the concepts of Orientalism, minority representation, visual stereotypes, audience perception, and cultural transmission through media.
- Review the dissertation presentation, including chapter-based figure numbering, the List of Figures, the Table of Contents, corresponding page numbers, Roman numerals for preliminary pages, and Arabic numbering beginning from Chapter 1.
- Review all in-text citations and references according to APA 7th edition, particularly online sources, film references, citation consistency, and the completeness of publication details.
- The recommended mark was 20/30. Further analytical depth, literature integration, methodological justification, formatting consistency, and scholarly writing would strengthen the Final Dissertation
General Feedback on Task 3:
- Students should revise their Final Dissertation by applying all feedback received on the draft. This may include refining the title and, where necessary, restructuring the research questions and objectives.
- The Final Dissertation must meet the requirements concerning AI-generated writing and the Similarity Index. Draft marks may change if AI or similarity-related issues are identified in the final submission.
- Students should demonstrate a strong understanding of their research by identifying its strengths, weaknesses, and limitations. The limitations should be discussed clearly and may be connected to possible gaps or directions for future research.
- Students should not aim only for the minimum passing mark. They should submit the best possible version of the Final Dissertation by Sunday.
- By Sunday, the e-portfolio should contain three completed assignment submissions, including Task 3. Students should also update the Weekly Progression Sheet and ensure that the e-portfolio link is accessible and directs viewers to the correct module page.
- The completed Weekly Progression Sheet should later be converted into a PDF and submitted through Google Classroom. Students who have not completed the TES module evaluation should also do so.
General Feedback on Task 4:
- Students who missed the briefing or remain unclear about the requirements should review the recorded Teams session and carefully check the article template, marking rubric, and submission instructions.
- Task 4 should not be a simple summary or a direct copy-and-paste of the dissertation. Students should select a specific research objective, research question, method, or finding and rewrite the content as a focused academic article.
- The selected focus must be supported by the research methods, instruments, data, and evidence from the original study. Students may focus on one research objective or combine closely related questions where appropriate.
- The article title, introduction, problem statement, methodology, findings, discussion, and conclusion should be rewritten to match the selected focus. The article should be presented as an independent study rather than repeatedly referring to the dissertation.
- Only evidence, findings, figures, tables, references, and appendices that are directly relevant to the selected focus should be included. The methodology should be concise, while the Findings and Discussion section should interpret the results rather than simply repeat them.
- Students must follow the provided KREATE article template and use the designated typefaces and formatting. The article should remain below 3,000 words, with approximately 2,500 words recommended.
- Research objectives should be realistic and appropriate for an undergraduate study. Verbs such as identify, explore, and understand may be more achievable than higher-level terms such as examine.
- Task 4 carries 30% of the module marks and includes a hurdle requirement. Students must take the assignment seriously and refer to the marking rubric when preparing the article.
- A draft must be uploaded to Google Drive under Folder 4 for the article publication assignment by Wednesday at the latest. Any extension to Week 15 will depend on the student’s progress and is not guaranteed.
WEEK 14
Specific Feedback:
- Complete the remaining weeks in the weekly progression sheet, include reflections, and ensure that the e-portfolio link is accessible. The existing progress and reflections were generally well documented.
- The wrong or incomplete version of Assignment 3 appears to have been submitted. Upload the correct revised final dissertation PDF to Google Classroom instead of submitting a Google Drive link.
- Expand and reorganise Chapter 1 using the DRM proposal. It should clearly include the introduction, research background, significance of the study, problem statement supported by citations, research gap, research objectives, research questions, and conceptual framework.
- The content from the DRM proposal may be improved and developed further, but the research objectives, research questions, problem statement, and conceptual framework should not be removed.
- Separate the research objectives clearly and ensure that they correspond with the research questions and actual findings. Conducting visual analysis describes the method rather than necessarily being a research objective.
- Revise objectives according to what the study realistically achieved. Providing formal guidelines and recommendations may be too ambitious for a 14-week undergraduate study, while exploring or understanding the issue is more appropriate.
- Clearly identify which dissertation objective and findings support the Task 4 article title, Beyond Visual Decoration. The article should focus on one selected objective and remain consistent with the findings.
- Place the official Taylor’s University email address before the personal Gmail address in the article.
- The appendix example in the template is only for visuals that require a full page. Smaller images may be grouped on one page, while full questionnaires or large analysis tables may use an entire page. Organise them clearly as separate appendices.
General Feedback:
- Task 4 should develop one focused objective, question, theme, or finding from the dissertation into an independent journal article. It must not copy the entire dissertation, introduce an unrelated topic, or repeat the dissertation title.
- The discussion and article title should be based on the strongest relevant findings from the completed research. Evidence may come from both primary and secondary research.
- Google Drive should be used for work in progress, while completed assignments and the required Turnitin report must be submitted through Google Classroom. The Friday group’s latest Task 4 deadline is Wednesday before midnight.
- The weekly progression sheet must include specific feedback, general feedback, reflections, and an accessible e-portfolio link. Students who miss class should review the recording and document the general feedback.
- Task 4 must follow the KREATE template and its 16-page limit, including references and appendices. Multiple small visuals may be placed together, while only visuals requiring more space need a full appendix page.
- The AI declaration must be included as the final page after the references and appendices, explaining which AI tools were used, how they were used, and how they supported the work
REFLECTION
Experience
I had several assignments to complete during the same period, including the Final Dissertation due on Sunday and another assignment that needed to be prepared by the following Wednesday. Therefore, I had to revise the dissertation within a limited amount of time.
Correcting the APA formatting and searching for missing image sources took longer than expected. After resolving these issues, I revised the dissertation based on Dr Hayati’s feedback, particularly the analytical depth of Chapter 4 and the connection between Chapter 5 and the Literature Review.
During the revision, I discovered that I had omitted some writing prepared separately from the final version of my Task 1 draft. I also found that several image sources had been recorded incorrectly, meaning that I could no longer locate the original images and had to replace them.
Observations
I realised that I had misunderstood Chapter 4 as a section for presenting research results rather than analysing and interpreting them. The feedback helped me understand that the chapter needed to explain the meaning of the findings and why certain representations were viewed positively or negatively.
I also observed that poor document and source management created additional work during the final revision. Saving writing in separate locations resulted in missing content, while incomplete image records made it difficult to verify the original sources. Working under a tight deadline made these problems more stressful and time-consuming.
Findings
Task 3 taught me that a Final Dissertation requires more than correcting the writing and formatting. Strong academic work should critically interpret the findings, connect them with previous literature, and explain their contribution to the research topic.
For future projects, I should keep all writing in one organised master document, record complete image and reference information as soon as each source is used, and use a final checklist before submission. I should also begin revising earlier so that I have enough time to check the content, analysis, references, figures, and formatting carefully.
QUICK LINKS
Projects
- DESIGN RESEARCH DISSERTATION TASK 1
- DESIGN RESEARCH DISSERTATION TASK 2
- DESIGN RESEARCH DISSERTATION TASK 4
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