DESIGN 101 : Design Theory and Fundamentals

Creative Arts and Industries

2025 Semester One (1253) (15 POINTS)

Course Prescription

Introduces historical and contemporary drivers of design as a maker of socio-cultural meaning. Students will learn fundamental design principles used for communication and sense-making, applied across a variety of mediums and technologies. Students will be introduced to tikanga Māori and to the main ethical, socio-cultural, economic and environmental propellants of design.

Course Overview

Design 101 is a foundational course for all Design and Design Conjoint students. In this course, students will become familiar with the historical drivers of design from different perspectives and time periods. Through critical thinking, students will make sense of the connections between design and the social, environmental, economic, political and technological contexts driving the evolution of design fields. Looking at design through the lenses of diversity, equity and inclusion will also be fundamental for understanding the various approaches to design. As students become familiar with design histories and fields, they will develop a position, and a values-based, Tiriti o Waitangi-informed approach to design in relation to the context of Aotearoa New Zealand.

Course Requirements

No pre-requisites or restrictions

Capabilities Developed in this Course

Capability 1: People and Place
Capability 2: Sustainability
Capability 3: Knowledge and Practice
Capability 4: Critical Thinking
Capability 5: Solution Seeking
Capability 6: Communication
Capability 8: Ethics and Professionalism
Graduate Profile: Bachelor of Design

Learning Outcomes

By the end of this course, students will be able to:
  1. Demonstrate familiarity with a range of design contexts and fields of application for design. (Capability 3.1, 3.2, 4.1, 4.2, 6.2 and 8.3)
  2. Demonstrate familiarity with key historical drivers of the design discourse and the literature and influential ideas associated with that discourse. (Capability 3.1, 3.2, 4.1, 4.2, 5.2, 6.2, 8.1, 8.2 and 8.3)
  3. Demonstrate familiarity with design as a socio-technical phenomenon and begin to develop a position in relation to this. (Capability 1.1, 3.1, 4.1, 4.2, 8.1, 8.2 and 8.3)
  4. Demonstrate familiarity with ethical and sustainable practices in design in relation to local culture and practices, and to the historical antecedents of design. (Capability 1.1, 1.2, 1.3, 2.1, 8.1, 8.3 and 8.4)

Assessments

Assessment Type Percentage Classification
Critical Commentary 10% Individual Coursework
Annotated Bibliography 30% Individual Coursework
Essay - Zine Project (Manifesto, Aesthetic and Material) 30% Group & Individual Coursework
Final Exam 30% Individual Examination
Assessment Type Learning Outcome Addressed
1 2 3 4
Critical Commentary
Annotated Bibliography
Essay - Zine Project (Manifesto, Aesthetic and Material)
Final Exam
The grade of DNS (did not sit) will be used in all cases where a student did not sit an examination. DNS has a grade point value of zero.

The grade of DNC (did not complete) is assigned a grade point value of zero and is used when a student fails to complete the compulsory coursework despite earning over 50%, or when coursework is incomplete and a fail grade would misrepresent their achievement.

Teaching & Learning Methods

This 12-week course is composed of a weekly one-hour lecture and a two-hour studio session encompassing group discussions, design critiques, short exercises among other activities.

A flipped classroom methodology is employed to allow students to engage in deep discussion with tutors and classmates during the studio time while they work with tools and concepts introduced in earlier sessions.

Students are expected to attend lecture & studio sessions every week as each session has been designed to equip students with the necessary skills to complete all assessment activities to receive a passing grade. Any further engagement in workshops and feedback sessions will contribute to achieving higher than a passing grade.

Exam Mode

Exam mode A - Remote online non-invigilated exam on Inspera

Further information about exams can be found at https://www.auckland.ac.nz/en/students/academic-information/exams-and-final-results/about-exams.html

Workload Expectations

This course is a standard 15-point course and students are expected to spend 12.5 hours per week involved in each 15 point course that they are enrolled in.

For this course, you can expect 1 hour of lectures, a 2-hour studio, 2 hours of reading and thinking about the content, and 7.5 hours of work on assignments.

Delivery Mode

Campus Experience

Attendance is required at lecture and studio sessions to complete components of the course. Lectures will be scheduled in advance and announced to students via Canvas. Guest lectures will be recorded and disseminated subject to the guests' approval.

Other learning activities, including studios, will not be available as recordings. The course will require students to participate in online forums involving group discussions and share studio outputs.

The activities for the course are scheduled as a standard weekly timetable.

Learning Resources

Course materials are made available in a learning and collaboration tool called Canvas which also includes reading lists and lecture recordings (where available).

Please remember that the recording of any class on a personal device requires the permission of the instructor.

BYOD - students enrolled in a Bachelor of Design or Design conjoint degree should come to class with their own laptop and software. This is so students will have the core learning tools available in and outside of class. It also means students can increase their independence and have better control of a professional device to stimulate creativity and simplify their design process.

Working with a personal laptop during the Design degree will prepare students for the realities of working as a designer after graduation. The highly recommended, recommended, and minimum specifications for a laptop are listed here:
https://www.auckland.ac.nz/en/creative/current-students/courses/design/courses-design-bring-your-own-device.html 

Sketch pad and drawing materials: It is good practice to be able to quickly record ideas through writing and sketching, as well as collecting and pasting items found that are relevant or inspiring. 

Online folio: Students will continue to develop their online folios and maintain them throughout their course.

Health & Safety

Students are given an overview of health, safety, and wellness policies and procedures during the first week of their first year. Concerns should first be addressed with a Course Director/Coordinator, technician, lecturer, or tutor. Further information and incident report forms are available on the University website.

Students must complete induction training before accessing the Design Lab to ensure safety and competence. Only authorised access is allowed, and students may not permit entry to visitors. Equipment use is restricted to those who have received proper training, and workspaces should be kept clean with tools properly stored and shut down after use. Eating, drinking anything other than bottled water, and inappropriate attire, such as open footwear, are not permitted, and personal protective equipment may be required.

Students have the right to refuse activities they deem unsafe, raising concerns with their Course Director/Coordinator or safety manager.

Student Feedback

At the end of every semester students will be invited to give feedback on the course and teaching through a tool called SET or Qualtrics. The lecturers and course co-ordinators will consider all feedback and respond with summaries and actions.

Your feedback helps teachers to improve the course and its delivery for future students.

Class Representatives in each class can take feedback to the department and faculty staff-student consultative committees.

Lectures will be shorter and more interactive. Miro board templates will be reviewed for ease of use.

Academic Integrity

The University of Auckland will not tolerate cheating, or assisting others to cheat, and views cheating in coursework, tests and examinations as a serious academic offence. The work that a student submits for grading must be the student's own work, reflecting their learning. Where work from other sources is used, it must be properly acknowledged and referenced. A student's assessed work may be reviewed against electronic source material using computerised detection mechanisms. Upon reasonable request, students may be required to provide an electronic version of their work for computerised review.

Generative AI tools, such as ChatGPT and DALL.E 2, may only be used in assessments approved by the Course Director/Course Coordinator. Without permission, students must complete assessments independently, without substantial assistance from AI tools. In approved assessments, students must include a written statement detailing the tools’ use and the prompts applied. Details of this procedure are made available in the Academic Honesty Declaration section of Canvas assessments approved for AI use.

Class Representatives

Class representatives are students tasked with representing student issues to departments, faculties, and the wider university. If you have a complaint about this course, please contact your class rep who will know how to raise it in the right channels. See your departmental noticeboard for contact details for your class reps.

Inclusive Learning

All students are asked to discuss any impairment related requirements privately, face to face and/or in written form with the course coordinator, lecturer or tutor.

Student Disability Services also provides support for students with a wide range of impairments, both visible and invisible, to succeed and excel at the University. For more information and contact details, please visit the Student Disability Services’ website http://disability.auckland.ac.nz

Special Circumstances

If your ability to complete assessed coursework is affected by illness or other personal circumstances outside of your control, contact a member of teaching staff as soon as possible before the assessment is due.

If your personal circumstances significantly affect your performance, or preparation, for an exam or eligible written test, refer to the University’s aegrotat or compassionate consideration page https://www.auckland.ac.nz/en/students/academic-information/exams-and-final-results/during-exams/aegrotat-and-compassionate-consideration.html.

This should be done as soon as possible and no later than seven days after the affected test or exam date.

Where a student faces unavoidable personal circumstances (e.g. illness or a death in the family) that mean the student is unable to submit a component of coursework, they may apply for an extension.  Requests for extensions of time must be submitted and approved using the online Extension of Time Application form available on Canvas:

https://www.forms.auckland.ac.nz/en/student/creative-arts-and-industries/design-programme-extension-of-time-application-form.html

Students should notify the Course Director/Course Coordinator of their situation as soon as practicable, and preferably before any due date. Notifications received after an assessment due date will be accepted, where this is reasonable, within the context of the course. If possible, students are encouraged to seek medical, counselling or other support from the most appropriate sources.

No extensions will be granted for problems such as accidentally erased computer files, which should always be prevented by keeping backup copies.

Learning Continuity

We undertake to maintain the continuity and standard of teaching and learning in all your courses throughout the year. If there are unexpected disruptions, the University has contingency plans to ensure that access to your course continues and your assessment is fair, and not compromised. Some adjustments may need to be made in emergencies. In the event of a disruption, the University and your course coordinators will make every effort to provide you with up to date information via Canvas and the University website.

Student Charter and Responsibilities

The Student Charter assumes and acknowledges that students are active participants in the learning process and that they have responsibilities to the institution and the international community of scholars. The University expects that students will act at all times in a way that demonstrates respect for the rights of other students and staff so that the learning environment is both safe and productive. For further information visit Student Charter https://www.auckland.ac.nz/en/students/forms-policies-and-guidelines/student-policies-and-guidelines/student-charter.html.

Disclaimer

Elements of this outline may be subject to change. The latest information about the course will be available for enrolled students in Canvas.

In this course you may be asked to submit your coursework assessments digitally. The University reserves the right to conduct scheduled tests and examinations for this course online or through the use of computers or other electronic devices. Where tests or examinations are conducted online remote invigilation arrangements may be used. The final decision on the completion mode for a test or examination, and remote invigilation arrangements where applicable, will be advised to students at least 10 days prior to the scheduled date of the assessment, or in the case of an examination when the examination timetable is published.

Published on 31/10/2024 12:03 p.m.