Course coordinator
Dr Dan Luo
Course overview
- Study period
- Semester 2, 2025 (23/06/2025 - 23/08/2025)
- Study level
- Undergraduate
- Location
- St Lucia
- Attendance mode
- In Person
- Units
- 2
- Administrative campus
- St Lucia
- Coordinating unit
- Architecture, Design and Planning School
This elective course develops architectural field research skills in relation to historic and/or contemporary Australian or International built environments. Students investigate tangible physical, and intangible economic, environmental and cultural characteristics and processes through examination, application, evaluation and synthesis. Skills in observation, documentation and interpretation of built environments are developed as a foundation for design. This course typically involves a condensed teaching period and group field trip.
Architecture Field Experience ARCH3341 is an intensive, research-led course built around a month-long field trip across three major Chinese cities—Chongqing, Xi’an, and Tianjin—during June and July 2025. The course investigates the evolving role of cultural heritage in the digital age, focusing on how historical urban environments are being reshaped through the influence of social media, intelligent technologies, and shifting patterns of public engagement.
In the first part of the course, students will travel through the culturally rich cities of Xi’an and Chongqing. Through site visits, urban observation, and spatial analysis, students will explore the spatial forms, public programs, and identity strategies of selected heritage precincts. Emphasis will be placed on the social, cultural, and technological forces that shape contemporary interactions with historic environments, particularly how emerging digital platforms, content creators, and urban branding efforts influence both public perception and place-making strategies.
The second part of the course will be conducted at Tianjin University—one of China’s top three architecture schools—where students will collaborate with Tianjin students in an immersive design studio. Supported by local academics and industry professionals, student teams will synthesize insights from their earlier site studies and work on a selected urban heritage site in Tianjin. The studio will focus on experimental design strategies that fuse physical environments with digital layers to create responsive, interactive, and experiential public heritage spaces for the internet age.
Through a combination of pre-departure research, on-site fieldwork, group discussions, and design-based inquiry, students will critically examine how technology and cultural identity intersect in the reimagination of historic urban fabric in China.
Course requirements
Prerequisites
You'll need to complete the following courses before enrolling in this one:
Completion of 16 units in program of study
Restrictions
Maximum enrolment of 16 students and permission from Head of School required.
Course contact
Course staff
Lecturer
Dr Silvia Micheli
Dr Paul Matthew
Timetable
The timetable for this course is available on the UQ Public Timetable.
Additional timetable information
This course is taught intensively between 23rd June and 23rd July
Aims and outcomes
This course aims to develop students' ability to explore contemporary built environment issues through the conduct of architectural field research.
Learning outcomes
After successfully completing this course you should be able to:
LO1.
Conduct a critical examination of a given historic and/or contemporary built environment issue.
LO2.
Design and apply an appropriate field research strategy.
LO3.
Evaluate primary and secondary field research evidence.
LO4.
Independently and/or collaboratively prepare a research synthesis project.
Assessment
Assessment summary
| Category | Assessment task | Weight | Due date |
|---|---|---|---|
| Creative Production/ Exhibition, Portfolio | Social Media Journal | 15% Individual |
1/08/2025 4:00 pm |
| Paper/ Report/ Annotation, Portfolio |
Field Experience Analytical Report
|
50% Individual |
8/08/2025 4:00 pm |
| Portfolio |
Site Strategy Proposal
|
35% Group |
15/08/2025 4:00 pm |
A hurdle is an assessment requirement that must be satisfied in order to receive a specific grade for the course. Check the assessment details for more information about hurdle requirements.
Assessment details
Social Media Journal
- Mode
- Written
- Category
- Creative Production/ Exhibition, Portfolio
- Weight
- 15% Individual
- Due date
1/08/2025 4:00 pm
- Learning outcomes
- L01, L02
Task description
Assessment Rationale
Daily Tasks: 1% each day for completion of the daily task for the first 10 days on the trip. (Pass/Fail)
Peer assessment: 5% peer assessment on the quality of social media
Individual submission on Blackboard
The field experience will start with the study of key urban structures to build shared understandings of the ways the city operates and public spaces interact with people, catalysed by social media. Active exchange with course coordinators, peers, local partners, and other participants is required. You will be involved in group discussions, engaging in critical thinking, and share your observations and questions with your colleagues. Discussions based on readings/materials will also be the basis for assessment. Critical design questions, observations, and analytical sketches will be part of this assessment.
Daily tasks for the first 10 days include:
- Attend planned group activities
- 9 x Instagram photos daily (x 10 days) in an urban context, with a record of the place & time when the photo is taken.
- 2 x TikTok-style videos (one for Xi’an and one for Chongqing)
Assessment task to be completed without use of AI or MT: This assessment task evaluates student’s abilities, skills and knowledge without the aid of Artificial Intelligence (AI) or Machine Translation (MT). Students are advised that the use of AI technologies to develop responses is strictly prohibited and may constitute student misconduct under the Student Code of Conduct.
Submission guidelines
The School of Architecture, Design and Planning uses Blackboard and Turnitin for assessment submission. Turnitin is accessed through the course Blackboard site. Turnitin also checks for plagiarism or instances where the original work of others is not appropriately acknowledged. Uploaded files must contain readable text and not be rasterised. Students are advised to commence assignment uploads with sufficient amount of time (consider possible technical problems with computers, internet speed, etc). After successfully submitting an assignment through Turnitin, a ‘Submission Complete!’ screen will be displayed. It is the student’s responsibility to check assignment preview and confirm successful submission. If the ‘Submission Complete!’ screen isn’t displayed, the student should regard the submission as unsuccessful. Students should download a copy of the digital receipt as proof they have submitted the assignment. Students who are experiencing upload issues must advise the Course Coordinator immediately by email and should include screenshots and a copy of the assessment for submission. To meet professional accreditation, public engagement and quality assurance obligations, digital copies of all course assessment items must be submitted in addition to any hard copy submission requirements specified in individual Course / Studio Outlines. Any physical models should be photographed and a minimum of two photographs describing the complete and full model must be included in the digital submission.
Deferral or extension
You may be able to apply for an extension.
This assessment has a 14 day extension only.
If a student wishes to apply for an extension, they must apply online on or before the assignment due date. When possible, it is suggested that requests are submitted 2 business days prior to the submission due date for the assignment to allow processing time. Students with outstanding applications for extensions are advised to submit their assessment by the original due date, irrespective of whether the work is complete, so that what has been done can be graded
Late submission
The late penalty for this assessment item will be calculated as follows:
First 1-hour block - initial 1 hour grace period no penalty.
Second 1-hour block - A penalty of 10% of the maximum possible mark allocated for the assessment item will be deducted
Third 1-hour block - An additional penalty of 10% of the maximum possible mark allocated for the assessment item will be deducted. (adding up to a total penalty of 20% of the maximum possible mark)
Any submissions received after three hours will not receive any marks unless an extension has been approved. Each one-hour block is recorded from the time the submission is due.
Field Experience Analytical Report
- Hurdle
- Identity Verified
- Mode
- Product/ Artefact/ Multimedia
- Category
- Paper/ Report/ Annotation, Portfolio
- Weight
- 50% Individual
- Due date
8/08/2025 4:00 pm
- Learning outcomes
- L01, L02, L03
Task description
Assessment Rationale
You will choose a quality of urban space to observe consistently during the field trips in Xi’an and Chongqing. You are to undertake on-field research on the spatial quality, activation, use, design features (accessories), functions, and urban connection of your target quality in relation to context and activities.
Part - Visit. Students will visit the urban site and gather impressions and information, following a consistent and systematic process.
Part 2 - Documenting human behaviours in the urban space via social media, user profiles (personas), functional, spatial, and movement diagrams, and maps of connections between the observed social media interactions and their context.
Part 3 - Analysis. Based on the documentation of the field experience and analysing the collected social media content, you will write a 10-page report (images and illustrations included), supported by small diagrams to exemplify how the space is organised and used for social media related activities and interactions, and if there is a consistent spatial pattern that activate the interactions across different contexts.
Assessment task to be completed without use of AI or MT: This assessment task evaluates student’s abilities, skills and knowledge without the aid of Artificial Intelligence (AI) or Machine Translation (MT). Students are advised that the use of AI technologies to develop responses is strictly prohibited and may constitute student misconduct under the Student Code of Conduct.
Hurdle requirements
A hurdle is an assessment requirement that must be satisfied to receive a specific grade in the course. This assessment item is designated as a Hurdle in this course. This means a minimum achievement of 50% (a grade of 4) is required for this assessment item in order to pass the course. Meeting the hurdle requirement for a course does not guarantee a passing grade for the course and in order to pass this course, students also need to achieve a minimum grade of 4 overall. Students are expected to participate in daily activities and develop their report via daily interactions and feedback sessions with the teaching team in the workshops.Submission guidelines
The School of Architecture, Design and Planning uses Blackboard and Turnitin for assessment submission. Turnitin is accessed through the course Blackboard site. Turnitin also checks for plagiarism or instances where the original work of others is not appropriately acknowledged. Uploaded files must contain readable text and not be rasterised. Students are advised to commence assignment uploads with sufficient amount of time (consider possible technical problems with computers, internet speed, etc). After successfully submitting an assignment through Turnitin, a ‘Submission Complete!’ screen will be displayed. It is the student’s responsibility to check assignment preview and confirm successful submission. If the ‘Submission Complete!’ screen isn’t displayed, the student should regard the submission as unsuccessful. Students should download a copy of the digital receipt as proof they have submitted the assignment. Students who are experiencing upload issues must advise the Course Coordinator immediately by email and should include screenshots and a copy of the assessment for submission. To meet professional accreditation, public engagement and quality assurance obligations, digital copies of all course assessment items must be submitted in addition to any hard copy submission requirements specified in individual Course / Studio Outlines. Any physical models should be photographed and a minimum of two photographs describing the complete and full model must be included in the digital submission.
Deferral or extension
You may be able to apply for an extension.
This assessment has a 14 day extension only.
If a student wishes to apply for an extension, they must apply online on or before the assignment due date. When possible, it is suggested that requests are submitted 2 business days prior to the submission due date for the assignment to allow processing time. Students with outstanding applications for extensions are advised to submit their assessment by the original due date, irrespective of whether the work is complete, so that what has been done can be graded.
Late submission
The late penalty for this assessment item will be calculated as follows:
First 1-hour block - initial 1 hour grace period no penalty.
Second 1-hour block - A penalty of 10% of the maximum possible mark allocated for the assessment item will be deducted
Third 1-hour block - An additional penalty of 10% of the maximum possible mark allocated for the assessment item will be deducted. (adding up to a total penalty of 20% of the maximum possible mark)
Any submissions received after three hours will not receive any marks unless an extension has been approved. Each one-hour block is recorded from the time the submission is due.
Site Strategy Proposal
- Team or group-based
- Mode
- Product/ Artefact/ Multimedia
- Category
- Portfolio
- Weight
- 35% Group
- Due date
15/08/2025 4:00 pm
- Learning outcomes
- L01, L02, L03, L04
Task description
Assessment Rationale
In the second phase of the field trip, students will collaborate in a group of approximately four students, including peers from Tianjin University, to develop transformation strategies for a selected historical site. Building on your prior site analysis and observations, your group will propose contextually sensitive interventions that respond to the site’s cultural, spatial, and social characteristics.
Each student is expected to contribute a minimum of 7 pages to the group report. The report should include a combination of sketches, diagrams, photo montages, and written statements that clearly articulate the proposed strategies and their systematic application to the site. The development of this report will be supported through daily workshops with teaching staff, providing opportunities for ongoing feedback and refinement.
Assessment task to be completed without use of AI or MT: This assessment task evaluates student’s abilities, skills and knowledge without the aid of Artificial Intelligence (AI) or Machine Translation (MT). Students are advised that the use of AI technologies to develop responses is strictly prohibited and may constitute student misconduct under the Student Code of Conduct.
Submission guidelines
The School of Architecture, Design and Planning uses Blackboard and Turnitin for assessment submission. Turnitin is accessed through the course Blackboard site. Turnitin also checks for plagiarism or instances where the original work of others is not appropriately acknowledged. Uploaded files must contain readable text and not be rasterised. Students are advised to commence assignment uploads with sufficient amount of time (consider possible technical problems with computers, internet speed, etc). After successfully submitting an assignment through Turnitin, a ‘Submission Complete!’ screen will be displayed. It is the student’s responsibility to check assignment preview and confirm successful submission. If the ‘Submission Complete!’ screen isn’t displayed, the student should regard the submission as unsuccessful. Students should download a copy of the digital receipt as proof they have submitted the assignment. Students who are experiencing upload issues must advise the Course Coordinator immediately by email and should include screenshots and a copy of the assessment for submission. To meet professional accreditation, public engagement and quality assurance obligations, digital copies of all course assessment items must be submitted in addition to any hard copy submission requirements specified in individual Course / Studio Outlines. Any physical models should be photographed and a minimum of two photographs describing the complete and full model must be included in the digital submission.
Deferral or extension
You may be able to apply for an extension.
This assessment has a 14 day extension only.
If a student wishes to apply for an extension, they must apply online on or before the assignment due date. When possible, it is suggested that requests are submitted 2 business days prior to the submission due date for the assignment to allow processing time. Students with outstanding applications for extensions are advised to submit their assessment by the original due date, irrespective of whether the work is complete, so that what has been done can be graded.
Group requests must fill out the group member acknowledgement form: https://my.uq.edu.au/files/35533/extension-to-group-assessment.pdf with at least 50% in agreeance.
Late submission
The late penalty for this assessment item will be calculated as follows:
First 1-hour block - initial 1 hour grace period no penalty.
Second 1-hour block - A penalty of 10% of the maximum possible mark allocated for the assessment item will be deducted
Third 1-hour block - An additional penalty of 10% of the maximum possible mark allocated for the assessment item will be deducted. (adding up to a total penalty of 20% of the maximum possible mark)
Any submissions received after three hours will not receive any marks unless an extension has been approved. Each one-hour block is recorded from the time the submission is due.
Course grading
Full criteria for each grade is available in the Assessment Procedure.
| Grade | Cut off Percent | Description |
|---|---|---|
| 1 (Low Fail) | 0 - 24 |
Absence of evidence of achievement of course learning outcomes. |
| 2 (Fail) | 25 - 44 |
Minimal evidence of achievement of course learning outcomes. |
| 3 (Marginal Fail) | 45 - 49 |
Demonstrated evidence of developing achievement of course learning outcomes |
| 4 (Pass) | 50 - 64 |
Demonstrated evidence of functional achievement of course learning outcomes. |
| 5 (Credit) | 65 - 74 |
Demonstrated evidence of proficient achievement of course learning outcomes. |
| 6 (Distinction) | 75 - 84 |
Demonstrated evidence of advanced achievement of course learning outcomes. |
| 7 (High Distinction) | 85 - 100 |
Demonstrated evidence of exceptional achievement of course learning outcomes. |
Additional course grading information
Identity verified assessment with a hurdle (IVAH)
To meet assessment validity and integrity obligations, this course includes at least one piece of individual Identity Verified Assessment with a Hurdle (IVAH) that is unambiguously completed by that student, and in which a minimum level of achievement is reached. IVAH assessment item(s) contribute at least 30% towards the final grade. Examples of IVAH items include any activity in which a student’s individual performance is directly monitored, such as performances, fieldwork, oral assessment (including design critiques), design studio project work and invigilated exams. In order to pass this course students must achieve a minimum grade for the IVAH designated assessment item(s) as stated in the Assessment Task Description in the ECP.
Supplementary assessment
Supplementary assessment is not available for some items in this course.
Learning resources
You'll need the following resources to successfully complete the course. We've indicated below if you need a personal copy of the reading materials or your own item.
Library resources
Library resources are available on the UQ Library website.
Learning activities
The learning activities for this course are outlined below. Learn more about the learning outcomes that apply to this course.
Filter activity type by
Please select
| Learning period | Activity type | Topic |
|---|---|---|
Multiple weeks |
Fieldwork |
Field Experience in Xi'An and Chongqing Group visit to urban sites; individual and group research; learning from the built environment. Learning outcomes: L01, L02, L03 |
Workshop |
Field Experience workshop in Tianjin Workshop to collaboratively propose a synthesised proposal applying the research finding to a selected local context. Learning outcomes: L01, L02, L03, L04 |
|
Workshop |
Pre-departure Workshop 1 Pre-departure lectures, content delivery and trip preparation. Learning outcomes: L02 |
Policies and procedures
University policies and procedures apply to all aspects of student life. As a UQ student, you must comply with University-wide and program-specific requirements, including the:
- Student Code of Conduct Policy
- Student Integrity and Misconduct Policy and Procedure
- Assessment Procedure
- Examinations Procedure
- Reasonable Adjustments for Students Policy and Procedure
Learn more about UQ policies on my.UQ and the Policy and Procedure Library.