1012 research project

• what would a designer/fabricator need to know in order to develop a design proposal
• what kind of knowledge is crucial to the design/fabrication situation identified
• what kind of knowledge would be helpful in expanding the designer/fabricator’s frame and range of reference

• Recognize the importance of research to the design and fabrication process
• Become familiar with the basic reference guides in the design and construction disciplines
• Learn basic library research methods
• Learn basic observation/documentation methods

• Establish Research Groups
• Review Reference Guides
• Review the Design Brief that outlines the design/fabrication situation to be addressed
• Brainstorm the identify the range of information that may be required
• Review the Research Dossier Template to understand the scope of information required
• Begin consulting basic reference guides
• Begin consulting additional sources
• Meet weekly or fortnightly with the GTA assigned to your group
• Prepare an easy-to-use Research Dossier that can be uploaded to cooldaze
• Prepare a presentation on the Research Dossier to be given in studio
• Prepare a final Research Dossier that responds to comments/suggestions/gaps identified, as necessary

• Group grade (50%): Based on quality of finished project. Will be graded S (Satisfactory) or U (Unsatisfactory). 
• Individual Grade (50%): 25% will be based on your TA’s observation of your effort, participation, and attendance at group meetings. 25% will be based on the evaluations provided by your group members after the project is complete. If an individual member of a group gets an unsatisfactory grade for process (effort, participation, etc.) he/she will get a U for the finished project as well.

• the research dossier your group produces will either meet the standard or it will not. your task is to produce a dossier that is both useful and usable: full of information, well organized, to help a designer proceed with his/her task. the dossier needs to meet this minimum standard. if its simply thrown together haphazardly or at the last minute, or sub-par, it will be deemed unsatisfactory. hence the S or U grade.
• the other half of the grade will be determined by the ta and your group members based on the quality of the process. missing group meetings, not contributing to group research will seriously affect this grade.
• In order to make sure the Research Dossier your group produces for uploading and presentation gets a grade of 'S', make sure:
• you follow the Template given you by your TA.
• the material you collect exhibits the quality and range of your research
• the Dossier is organized for to make it easy to use.