DESIGN 102G Design Futures - Course Outlines

Course Prescription

New opportunities are continually emerging in the field of design. This course demonstrates how contemporary design practices have evolved, responded to and influenced change. Students learn how a design approach complements current practice and expands career prospects.

Course Overview

This course demonstrates how and why contemporary design practices continue to evolve, respond to and influence change. Students will learn how to apply a design approach to complement current practice and expand future career prospects regardless of whether engaged in a similar or a very different field of study or practice.

This course has three main themes of exploration, speculation, and application beginning with an introduction to design terms, methods, and technologies used to analyse, create, develop and deploy design into the everyday world of complex social, cultural, temporal, spatial, political and environmental systems.

The first theme is an opportunity to explore past design success and failures to analyse why and how different design trends come and go while others last and continue to influence innovation. Students will gain insight into what motivates designers, what tools they use, how they collaborate with others and work in diverse contexts. This informs the second stage of the course where students will learn how to speculate on the potential conditions, causes and contingencies for future design practices. In particular, how advancing technologies, emerging social interactions and changing global values are tracked and adopted by designers for application in both entrepreneurial and radical ways. Using speculative design methods, students will experiment with developing future scenarios and aspirational career profiles based on current interests, fields of study, predicted trends and potential collaborations.

For the third theme, students will apply analytical and practical methods to design and prototype a solution inspired by the future scenario and profile previously imagined. This will be an opportunity to experiment with concepts not limited to current circumstances and a chance to demonstrate how an understanding of design will extend your career prospects.

Course Requirements

No pre-requisites or restrictions

Learning Outcomes

By the end of this course, students will be able to:

Identify and analyse a selection of critically recognised design solutions using research methods and evaluation techniques introduced (Capability 1, 2, 4 and 5)
Research and propose a design solution in response to a given global challenge for a specific social context (Capability 1, 3 and 6)
Demonstrate a familiarity with design as a socio-technical phenomenon and formulate a position in relation to this (Capability 1, 2, 4, 5 and 6)
Demonstrate familiarity with iteratively developing a design project while documenting a process and its' evolution through successive prototypes (Capability 1 and 3)

Assessments

Assessment Type	Percentage	Classification
Design Reviews	30%	Individual Coursework
Design Proposal and Prototype	50%	Group Coursework
Design Profile	20%	Individual Coursework
3 types	100%

Assessment Type	Learning Outcome Addressed
	1	2	3	4
Design Reviews
Design Proposal and Prototype
Design Profile

A total grade of 50% or higher is required to pass this course.

All assignment submission items requested by the lecturer must be uploaded to Canvas, unless specified on the assignment brief.

Multiple submissions are possible. Students can submit multiple versions of the assignment and all the submitted versions are kept. Marking is based on the latest version submitted before the deadline.

Late assignments are NOT generally accepted. Any work submitted after the due date and without an extension form will be treated as overdue and will automatically be graded D-/0 (zero). In extreme circumstances, the student can apply for an extension. For example, when 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.

Applications for extensions require that students complete a formal application form (available on Canvas). The request is assessed by the Group Services Administrator or Course coordinator and must be supported by written evidence from a doctor or counselor. Extension forms and supporting evidence to be sent to design-admin@auckland.ac.nz. The student must apply no later than five days before the due date of the assignment. In case of an extreme difficulty being experienced closer to the assignment deadline, students can contact the course coordinator directly.

No extensions will be granted for problems such as accidentally erased computer files, which should always be prevented by keeping backup copies. When an extension is granted, students are expected to submit evidence of work in progress on the original assignment due date to demonstrate what has been completed up to that date.

Teaching & Learning Methods

This course will be delivered over 12 weeks in a lecture theatre and design studio.

Each week there will be a 1 hour lecture and a 2 hour design tutorial scheduled to include activities such as Project Workshops, Industry Demonstrations, and Feedback Sessions. Students are expected to attend 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. A thoughtful and active engagement in workshops and feedback sessions will contribute to achieving higher than a passing grade.

Students will collect and present a selection of case studies based on personal interests, emerging technologies and global challenges. These case studies will be presented as a series of online posts that include both individual submissions and feedback on shared submissions from peers in a group. This will encourage an appreciation of common discoveries and diverse views. Students will be learn how to present a plan for selecting, analysing and submitting reviews.

Students will learn the latest design methodologies and techniques to engage in transdisciplinary practice involving emerging technologies to identify and resolve a current global challenge. Students will begin by using speculative design methodologies to imagine and visualise a viable future context . Then students will research and propose a project in the form of a design product, service, strategy or system to be prototyped using a number of mixed methods introduced in workshops. This project will be examined by a panel of experts at the end of semester.

The semester will conclude with a series of Profile Building activities. Using templates and techniques provided in class, students will formulate a future career profile based on newly acquired design attributes, global development goals, emerging technologies and potential collaborations. This will be an opportunity for students to reflect on how design methods can be applied to planning strategically for the future.

Workload Expectations

This course is a standard 15 point course and students are expected to spend 10 hours per week involved in each 15 point course that they are enrolled in.

For this course, each week you can expect 1 hour of lectures, 2 hours of tutorial, 3 hours of reading and thinking about the content and 4 hours of work on assignments and/or test preparation.

Delivery Mode

Campus Experience

Attendance is required at scheduled activities including studios to complete components of the course.

Lectures and other learning activities will be available as recordings for remote students.

The course will include live online events including group discussions and tutorials.

Attendance on campus is required for all the assignment presentations.

Learning Resources

A laptop is highly recommended to bring to lectures and tutorials. This will allow students to individually engage in research, design and development activities.

An A4 sketch pad and drawing materials are essential tools for designers. 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.

Students will develop an online folio to be maintain throughout their course. Students will be guided in class to select appropriate tools and services to host personal folios for reflection and presentation.

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.

Digital 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.

Academic Integrity

The University of Auckland will not tolerate cheating, or assisting others to cheat, and views cheating in coursework 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. This requirement also applies to sources on the internet. A student's assessed work may be reviewed against online source material using computerised detection mechanisms.

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.

In the event of unexpected disruption

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.

Capability 1:	Disciplinary Knowledge and Practice
Capability 2:	Critical Thinking
Capability 3:	Solution Seeking
Capability 4:	Communication and Engagement
Capability 5:	Independence and Integrity
Capability 6:	Social and Environmental Responsibilities

DESIGN 102G : Design Futures

Creative Arts and Industries

2021 Semester One (1213) (15 POINTS)