DESIGN 243 Design and Assistive Technologies - Course Outlines

Course Prescription

Students will investigate current and past design work that has successfully improved or extended human movement, sensation or mental capacity for a range of individuals and communities using assistive technologies. Students will experiment with a range of physical and digital technologies to design a tangible assistive or rehabilitative device using speculative design methods.

Course Overview

Assistive Technologies are designed to complement and amplify human capabilities. People have a wide range of capabilities that change as we age, and there is a correspondingly wide range of technologies and tools that people use to enable them to live their lives in a society that generally caters for the majority.

Students will learn about human perceptual, cognitive, psychological and physical capabilities and how these can be considered, improved, and extended using custom design methodologies and practices. Students will be encouraged to question their own understanding of what is 'normal', and learn to critically evaluate their work for 'latent bias of design'.

Whilst Assistive Technologies can be described generally as augmenting ordinary human abilities, most often it is about designing technologies to assist people with disabilities to go about their daily lives in complex and oftentimes difficult-for-them environments. Students will be encouraged to think themselves into everyday situations and critically explore how a variety of disabilities would affect how they would carry out tasks in the situation, and what tools could be designed to assist.

The students will have the opportunity to expand upon processes and techniques learned in DES100 and DES101, and apply them to the specific context of assistive technologies. They will further acquire an understanding of human factors research methodologies and experiment with a range of associated technologies. Then, students will apply various methods to evaluate related works and then to propose, iterate, and resolve a final project for presentation and demonstration.

Course Requirements

Prerequisite: DESIGN 100, 101

Learning Outcomes

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

Appreciate important issues in, motivations for, and impacts of the application of design methodologies for assistive technologies. (Capability 1.2, 2.2, 4.2, 5.1 and 6.2)
Understand key characteristics and assessment methods of human perception, cognition, and action. (Capability 1.2, 2.2, 4.1, 4.2, 5.1 and 5.3)
Apply the understanding and methods of human factors in the design process in a collaborative team setting. (Capability 1.1, 2.2, 2.3, 3.2, 3.3, 4.1, 4.2, 5.1, 5.2 and 6.1)
Demonstrate an applied understanding of the topics through the presentation of a series of technical experiments and final project. (Capability 1.1, 3.2, 4.2 and 5.3)

Assessments

Assessment Type	Percentage	Classification
Assignments	60%	Individual Coursework
Project	40%	Group & Individual Coursework
2 types	100%

Assessment Type	Learning Outcome Addressed
	1	2	3	4
Assignments
Project

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. No email submission will be accepted. Assignments must be accompanied by a cover sheet available on Canvas.

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, he/she 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, by a team of instructors experienced with technologies and design processes for human-computer interaction.

Each week there will be a 3 hour design studio scheduled to include activities such as lectures, technology demos and workshops, and hands-on experiments. 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. Any further engagement in workshops and feedback sessions will contribute to achieving higher than a passing grade.

Technical support will be available throughout the semester for regular equipment and devices within the Fab Lab. Course-specific technologies will be conducted in the Digital Prototyping Lab (next to the Fab Lab), and supported by teaching staff of this course.

Workload Expectations

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

For this course, you can expect per week 3 hours of studio contact, 2 hours of hands-on technical experience, 2 hours of preparatory reading and planning for studio and workshops, and 3 hours of work on assignments, skills development, and folio development.

Delivery Mode

Campus Experience

Attendance is expected at scheduled activities including studio sessions to complete components of the course.
Studio sessions will not be available as recordings.
The activities for the course are scheduled as a standard weekly timetable.

Learning Resources

BYOD - All new students enrolled in a Bachelor of Design or Design conjoint degree should come to class with their own laptop. 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 ya 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.

Using their online folios, students will post regular updates to demonstrate participation, understanding and progress in the course.

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.

Other Information

Students will be contacted via their student email addresses. You are welcome to redirect these to a private email, but it is the responsibility of students to check these messages. Please note all communications from Canvas are automatically sent to student's university emails. If a student wishes to contact the course coordinator by email, be sure to send it using the official UoA student email address and include the course code 'DESIGN 243' in the subject field. Without this, the email may be missed.

Students must check Canvas regularly for updated information.

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 243 : Design and Assistive Technologies

Creative Arts and Industries

2021 Semester Two (1215) (15 POINTS)