1. proposed whole of school
honours
honours working group
(draft, April 2010)
adrian.miles@rmit.edu.au
Friday, 14 May 2010

2. School wide invitation to participate in a planning day
the program structure that follows was one of the main
outcomes of the day — the other was the decision to
have a single, school wide program
from the planning day participants a working group
formed to have the new honours program active from
2012
background
Friday, 14 May 2010

3. what is needed to be the best honours program in
Australia?
what is needed to have an honours program relevant
to every program & discipline in the school?
how do we make sure that we ensure students achieve
the most significant outcomes from an honours year?
what should those outcomes be?
what should honours be, now?
baseline
Friday, 14 May 2010

4. honours should provide pathways to industry & further
research
honours should provide students with industry abilities
honours should innovate in advance of industry
honours must require critical thinking & the application
of ideas to outcomes
honours should equip students with skills for life long,
relevant professional learning
outcomes can include thesis, project, and portfolio
assumptions
Friday, 14 May 2010

5. Honours is an opportunity for excellent Media & Communication
students to extend and deepen their knowledge, skills and practice
through an intensive, research based year of creative inquiry, problem
solving and scholarly application of learning that enables our students to
become leaders and knowledge creators in their field, industry and the
world.
draft guide
Friday, 14 May 2010

6. Communication Histories & Futures
Methods Research Practice
Research Practice
Studio 1a Studio 2a Studio 3a Studio 4a Studio 1b Studio 2b Studio 3b Studio 4b
subjects
Friday, 14 May 2010

7. Communication Histories and Futures
• PBL
• what is knowledge in your discipline?
• what counts as a proposition?
• why?
Methods Research practice
• what is the role of reflective practice in
research?
• how do you become a knowledge producer
in you discipline or community of practice?
Research Practice • how does research require (and produce)
tacit knowledge?
• requires assessable outcomes
• develop research proposition
• 12 credit points
Studio 1 Studio 2 Studio 3 Studio 4 Studio 1 •Studio 2 for compliance with University
required Studio 3 Studio 4
policy
what is research?
Friday, 14 May 2010

8. • interdisciplinary
• is studio (or lab) based
• revolves around specific themes
• themes defined by studio leader
• respond/reflect existing (or emerging) research themes
• must support Communication Histories and Futures
multiplicity of outcomes & practices
• continues across the year
• involves research into the theme
• involves development of relevant research outcomes
• studio leader provides project guidance
Methods
• can include discipline or practice defined cohorts Research practice
• requires assessable outcomes
• is time tabled
• 12 credit points
Research Practice
Studio 1a Studio 2a Studio 3a Studio 4a Studio 1b Studio 2b Studio 3b Studio 4b
what is the studio?
Friday, 14 May 2010

9. Communication Histories and Futures
• working with supervisor & studio
leader
Methods Research Practice
• disciplinary specialisation
• ‘doing’ the research (thesis, project,
exegesis)
• total of 48 credit points (50% of load)
Research Practice • single artefact or portfolio
• tied to Studio theme and cohort
• individual and/or collaborative
• reflects expectation of the quality and
scale of honours outcomes
Studio 1 Studio 2 Studio 3 Studio 4 Studio 1 Studio no scheduled class time
• 2 Studio 3 Studio 4
• work is examined
what happens in research?
Friday, 14 May 2010

10. • nomenclature (one degree or two?)
• how to support staff and students in this
Communication Histories and Futures move to studio (or lab) based and defined
research?
• how to manage the relationship between
supervisor, studio leader, and student?
Methods Research practice
• is Studio + Research Practice actually more
than 48 credit points of research?
• how can Communication Histories and
Research Practice Futures not be the same as any other
communications course here or at any other
university?
• should there be a half day workshop to work
Studio 1 Studio 2 Studio 3 Studio 4 Studio 1
through curriculum, Studio 3 and structural
Studio 2 pedagogy Studio 4
issues?
problems
Friday, 14 May 2010