Course Title: Industrial Design Ecologies: Sustainability, Socio-technical Systems and Change

Part A: Course Overview

Course Title: Industrial Design Ecologies: Sustainability, Socio-technical Systems and Change

Credit Points: 12.00

Terms

Course Code	Campus	Career	School	Learning Mode	Teaching Period(s)
GRAP1042	City Campus	Undergraduate	315H Architecture & Design	Face-to-Face	Sem 2 2007, Sem 2 2008, Sem 2 2009, Sem 2 2010, Sem 2 2011, Sem 1 2012, Sem 2 2012, Sem 1 2013, Sem 2 2013
GRAP1042	City Campus	Undergraduate	320H Architecture & Urban Design	Face-to-Face	Sem 1 2014, Sem 2 2014, Sem 1 2015, Sem 2 2015, Sem 1 2016, Sem 2 2016, Sem 1 2017, Sem 2 2017
GRAP1042	City Campus	Undergraduate	370H Design	Face-to-Face	Sem 2 2018, Sem 1 2019, Sem 2 2019, Sem 1 2022, Sem 2 2022, Sem 1 2023, Sem 2 2023, Sem 1 2024
GRAP2920	Brunswick Campus	Undergraduate	370H Design	Face-to-Face	Sem 1 2020, Sem 2 2020, Sem 1 2021, Sem 2 2021

Course Coordinator: Soumitri Varadarajan

Course Coordinator Phone: Please email

Course Coordinator Email: soumitri.varadarajan@rmit.edu.au

Course Coordinator Location: Please email

Course Coordinator Availability: Please email

Pre-requisite Courses and Assumed Knowledge and Capabilities

None

Course Description

Industrial Design Ecologies asks you to explore various theories and practices of design for sustainability and change-making. A significant proportion of the environmental impacts of a product or service are determined within the design phase. As such Industrial designers must contend with, and adapt their approaches within a global landscape of rapidly depleting natural capital and serious challenges for human systems to sustain themselves. By critically questioning tacit and presumed notions of use, utility, production and consumption, designers, as agents of change, have a unique capacity to affect significant social and behavioural transformation towards reduced degrees of un-sustainability.

Strategies for imparting a greater balance of often competing social, cultural, environmental and economic concerns are an increasing imperative of contemporary design practice demand quite specific methodological knowledge. Industrial Design Ecologies looks to equip you with the knowledge and methods to inform your design processes, and to establish a framework for responsible design decision-making and action. You will learn about; macro-level environmental, cultural and economic concerns; the nature and structure of complex socio-technical systems; patterns of production and consumption; whole-of-systems and product life cycle thinking; design strategies for sustainment, and design thinking for change.

Objectives/Learning Outcomes/Capability Development

In this course you will develop the following program learning outcomes:

Apply analytical, critical, creative and strategic thinking to industrial design problems and research within complex and unfamiliar contexts and concerns.

Articulate complex design ideas to diverse audiences through an advanced and adaptable repertoire of communication strategies and technologies.

Advocate through design practice the improvement of the conditions and well being of people, cultural practices and environments.

Reflect on own learning and the efficacy of design decisions made, adapting to needs and issues as they arise, and continuously seeking improvement.

Demonstrate through practice-based design research an advanced knowledge of the socio-technical, environmental and economic eco-systems of industrial design both locally and globally.

Upon successful completion of this course, you will be able to:

1) Effectively map, research, analyse and communicate theories and their interrelationships confidently through written, design, oral and visual presentations.

2) Appropriately evidence propositions and ideas in response to methods of research and academic conventions.

3) Engage in peer to peer learning and critique processes and be reflectively critical of own work.

4) Locate key ideas in design theory with reference to their historical and methodological origins.

Overview of Learning Activities

You will be actively engaged in learning that involves a range of face to face and online activities such as lectures, tutorials, group and class discussion, group activities and individual research. You will be required to undertake the following learning activities: reading, in field observations, watching films and documentaries, field trips, debates, presentations, academic writing, drawing, peer review and associated design activities. You are encouraged and expected to participate (in an ongoing manner) in tutorial discussions and activities and to present their work and ideas in an open way for appraisal by peers.

Overview of Learning Resources

RMIT will provide you with resources and tools for learning in this course through our online systems.

To effectively participate in coursework, either on or away from campus, you are advised to obtain (as a minimum) the following:

• Drawing Supplies including visual diaries, pens, pencils, markers and ancillary products and consumables.
• Personal Protective Equipment including protective eye-wear, ear plugs, a dust jacket, and closed toe safety shoes
• Prototyping Supplies including a 150mm steel ruler, a high quality craft knife and ancillary products, materials and consumables.
• Design and Documentation Equipment including a personal computer of an appropriate specification, course specific software, a digital camera and a mobile phone.
  
  When on campus you will have access to and will utilise the School of Design workshop facilities, specialist computer labs and software, and 2D and 3D printing facilities.
  
  Course specific resources such as readings, reference lists, access to specialist software, video demonstrations and class notes will be provided online.
  
  There are services available to support your learning through the University Library. The Library provides guides on academic referencing and subject specialist help as well as a range of study support services. For further information, please visit the Library page on the RMIT University website and the myRMIT student portal.

Overview of Assessment

You will be assessed on how well you meet the course learning outcomes and on your development against the program learning outcomes.

Assessment Tasks

Assessment Task 1: Appreciation, 10% CLO2

Assessment Task 2: Design Research, 30% CLO1, CLO3, CLO4

Assessment Task 3: Critical Writing, 30%, CLO1, CLO3, CLO4

Assessment Task 4: Project Report, 30%, CLO1, CLO2, CLO3, CLO4

Feedback will be given on all assessment tasks.

If you have a long term medical condition and/or disability it may be possible to negotiate to vary aspects of the learning or assessment methods.

You can contact the program coordinator or Equitable Learning Services if you would like to find out more. Your course assessment conforms to RMIT assessment principles, regulations, policies, procedures and instructions.