In the name of Research: What’s in a name?

Research is a hot topic at Autodesk. Although we have a dedicated research team in Toronto, many parts of the company are involved in research. My coworker, Lisa Rotzinger, recently shared a paper that she was reading from The Journal of Design, Economic, and Innovation entitled “Communities of Practice in Design Research.” In that paper, the author noted that Ernest Boyer, a former president of the Carnegie Foundation for the Advancement of Teaching, provides some interesting definitions of research in his book Scholarship Reconsidered, Priorities of the Professoriate.

• Basic

  Basic research looks for new knowledge by trying to combine observations into theory.

• Integration

  Integration research looks for patterns within and across disciplines.

• Applied

  Applied research is based on practical project use and is about validation, identifying what is missing.

• Teaching

  Teaching research covers experimentally reflecting upon, examining, improving, and…