Visual project

2025/2026

Content, progress and pedagogy of the module

The module contains the practical experience of applying visual productive skills of visual and digital communications and/or visual culture and/or art education into real life context. The two components are a visual oriented project of minimum 6 weeks and 1-2 elective courses at the host university that support the project. The project is conducted together with a relevant company, organisation, or institution where the student collaborates about a professional task. The purpose is to provide concrete experience with and insight into professional projects. The student provides a visual product and writes a synopsis report (7 pages) that reflects the visual product in context theoretical and methodical.

The project module revolves around an internship or a project and includes methodology, project management and supervision. The project module can form the empirical basis for the master thesis.  

Learning objectives

Knowledge

Through the module, the student must gain knowledge and understanding of:

  • How does methods and theories meet practice especially focusing on planning, conducting and evaluating a visual oriented project for a real-life context of visual and digital communications and/or visual culture and/or art education
  • The phases of the visual design and production process in collaboration with practice
  • The professional competences needed in the field

Skills

The student must through the module acquire skills in:

  • Describe and analyse different professional contexts in relation to developing and proposing a visual oriented project in collaboration with private companies, organisations, institutions and civil society
  • Combine elective course skills with visual design and production issues
  • Evaluate visual oriented projects based on theories about and methods for identifying, analysing, conducting and evaluating projects
  • Communicate scientifically based insights to peers and non-peers
  • Choose, decide, plan, conduct and evaluate in practice related to problems in private companies, organisations, institutions and civil society

Competences

The student must through the module acquire competences for:

  • Initiate, and conduct disciplinary and transdisciplinary collaboration for planning and conducting a visual oriented project in practice
  • Engage in and manage complex and unpredictable working situations and development that requires creative problem solving and unconventional solutions drawing on theory and methods within the field of visual and digital communication and art education
  • Collaborate and communicate with peers and non-peers 
  • Take on a professional responsibility for engaging in professional and transdisciplinary collaboration
  • Reflect critically about the implications of own professional development

Type of instruction

Reference is made to §17.

Exam

Exams

Name of examVisual project
Type of exam
Oral exam based on a project
The examination is a conversation between the student(s) and the examiner based on a synopsis and visual product produced individually or in a group. The written work and visual product will be considered the shared responsibility of the group. Students will be examined and assessed on the basis of all of the submitted material, and one combined grade will be awarded each student for the synopsis, visual product, and the oral performance.
ECTS30
Permitted aids
All written and all electronic aids
AssessmentPassed/Not Passed
Type of gradingInternal examination
Criteria of assessmentThe criteria of assessment are stated in the Examination Policies and Procedures

Additional information

The criteria of assessment are stated in the  Academic Policies and Regulations (Aalto)

Facts about the module

Danish titleVisuel projekt
Module codeKANOVA2372
Module typeCourse
Duration1 semester
SemesterAutumn
MA 3. Semester

Location of lecture: Aalto University Finland or Aalborg University Copenhagen
ECTS30
Language of instructionEnglish
Location of the lectureOther location
Responsible for the module

Organisation

Education ownerMaster of Arts (MA) in Visual Studies and Art Education
Study BoardStudy Board of Art, Health and Technology
DepartmentDepartment of Communication and Psychology
FacultyFaculty of Social Sciences and Humanities