Course overview
- Study period
- Semester 1, 2025 (24/02/2025 - 21/06/2025)
- Study level
- Undergraduate
- Location
- St Lucia
- Attendance mode
- In Person
- Units
- 2
- Administrative campus
- St Lucia
- Coordinating unit
- Architecture, Design and Planning School
This course introduces design as a discipline including its historical context, the design process, and design methods. Designing aims to improve situations. It typically begins with a problem or challenge. This problem is influenced by various social, economic, cultural, political, and environmental factors. As designers grapple with the problem, they consider different ways to solve it using a variety of methods. The design process is iterative and enhances designers’ capacity for proposing relevant solutions. It involves understanding contextual factors, defining the problem, and determining the means of finding solutions new challenges through imagination and judgment. Through practice and a thorough understanding of history and context, designers, in collaboration with diverse stakeholders, become capable of addressing complex issues and creating positive change.
DSGN1500 introduces the historical context of design, including core principles, theories, and movements. It provides a connection between historical developments and contemporary practice, to support the development of your own design practice. The course begins with foundational aspects of design, including how the discipline is defined and how it relates to other disciplines, designer characteristics and responsibilities, and design process and methods. During the second half of the semester, key themes are explored in relation to history, contemporary design practice, and futures. These include design ethics, design for social justice and innovation, design for sustainability, technology, and the roles of designers.
Through tutorial tasks, students will explore the various trajectories of design history, understand design processes and design methods, and position yourself, as a future designer, in relation to key design issues. Students will also learn practical academic research skills, including effective sourcing, attribution, and critical analysis of research materials to demonstrate an understanding of design practices and the potential impacts (positive and negative) of your design decisions.
Course contact
Course staff
Lecturer
Dr Charlotte Kessler
Timetable
The timetable for this course is available on the UQ Public Timetable.
Aims and outcomes
This course aims to introduce students to a historically and theoretically grounded understanding of what design is.
Learning outcomes
After successfully completing this course you should be able to:
LO1.
Explore and collaboratively discuss the purpose of the analysis of design history to the practice of design.
LO2.
Recognise the critical potential of design and its broader effects.
LO3.
Demonstrate appropriate use of methods to research and analyse complex problems.
LO4.
Develop written and visual communication skills through the investigation and analysis of design history and the process of design.
Assessment
Assessment summary
| Category | Assessment task | Weight | Due date |
|---|---|---|---|
| Portfolio |
Design Workbook: Foundations
|
40% Weekly tasks 14% / Final Submission 26% |
Weekly tasks due Wednesday 5pm (Week 2-7) 26/02/2025 - 9/04/2025 Final Submission due Friday 5pm (Week 7) 7/04/2025
Week 3 weekly submission is now due in Week 4: Wed 19 March |
| Paper/ Report/ Annotation, Participation/ Student contribution, Presentation |
Design Workbook: From Theory to Practice
|
60% Group (20%) Individual (40%) |
Weekly activities due 5pm Wednesday (Week 9-13) 30/04/2025 - 28/05/2025 Student-led discussion due on allocated week: [Digital files due Wednesday 5pm, Presentation in class on Friday)] (Week 9-13) 30/04/2025 - 30/05/2025 Final Submission due 5pm Friday (Week 13) 26/05/2025 |
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
Design Workbook: Foundations
- Hurdle
- Identity Verified
- Mode
- Written
- Category
- Portfolio
- Weight
- 40% Weekly tasks 14% / Final Submission 26%
- Due date
Weekly tasks due Wednesday 5pm (Week 2-7) 26/02/2025 - 9/04/2025
Final Submission due Friday 5pm (Week 7) 7/04/2025
Week 3 weekly submission is now due in Week 4: Wed 19 March
- Learning outcomes
- L01, L02, L04
Task description
Assessment Rationale:
The Design Workbook is a series of pre-class activities, in-tutorial activities, and reflections that you will be asked to complete each week. The activities are based on individual and group tasks and are designed to support your individual learning including your understanding of design history, design process, design methods, and your reflective practice. This assessment is a series of activities that you will be asked to work on and document on your Padlet workbook from week 2 to 7. These include:
- Weekly tasks are due each Wednesday at 5pm, (including in-class work for the previous week and pre-class work for that week) from Week 2 to 7 via Padlet.
- Final Submission (26%) - The weekly tasks are compiled into a final submission work (inclusive of week 7's in-class activities) due on Friday of Week 7 by 5pm via Turnitin on Blackboard.
Complex / authentic assessment using AI and/or MT to support learning: This task has been designed to be challenging, authentic and complex. Whilst students may use AI and/or MT technologies, successful completion of assessment in this course will require students to critically engage in specific contexts and tasks for which artificial intelligence will provide only limited support and guidance. A failure to reference generative AI or MT use may constitute student misconduct under the Student Code of Conduct. To pass this assessment, students will be required to demonstrate detailed comprehension of their written submission independent of AI and MT tools.
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 a grade of 3 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.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.
The maximum extension allowed is 21 days. Extensions are given in multiples of 24 hours.
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.
In the case students do not submit a weekly submission(s), the percentage allocated will be re-distributed towards their final submission.
Late submission
Weekly submissions: 100% Late penalty
Final 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 - An 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.
Design Workbook: From Theory to Practice
- Team or group-based
- Mode
- Oral, Product/ Artefact/ Multimedia
- Category
- Paper/ Report/ Annotation, Participation/ Student contribution, Presentation
- Weight
- 60% Group (20%) Individual (40%)
- Due date
Weekly activities due 5pm Wednesday (Week 9-13) 30/04/2025 - 28/05/2025
Student-led discussion due on allocated week: [Digital files due Wednesday 5pm, Presentation in class on Friday)] (Week 9-13) 30/04/2025 - 30/05/2025
Final Submission due 5pm Friday (Week 13) 26/05/2025
- Learning outcomes
- L01, L02, L03, L04
Task description
Assessment Rationale:
This assessment connects the past, present, and future of design. You will demonstrate your reading and research skills, critical analysis and discussion skills, knowledge of design methods, as well as your ability to write reflectively about your experiences as a designer to date.
Individual component
A series of activities that you will be asked to work on and document on your Padlet workbook from week 9 to 13. These include:
- Weekly tasks (Pre-class reading annotations and critical questions & Weekly in-class design activities and response to lecture question) due each Wednesday (Weeks 9 to 13), by 5pm, via Padlet.
- The weekly tasks are compiled into a final submission work (inclusive of week 13's in-class activities) due Friday of Week 13, by 5pm, via Turnitin on Blackboard.
Group component
- Student-led discussion materials and Peer Review Digital form due the Wednesday before class on Allocated Week, by 5pm via Blackboard
- Presentation in-class during Allocated Week.
If, for whatever reason, you find that your group is not functioning effectively, please contact your Course Coordinator for support.
Group work: Participation is essential for this assignment as students will be required to collaborate as teams for some in-class and assessment activities. Students should advise their teaching team as soon as possible if they experience issues with group work. In addition, help with group work is provided here: https://my.uq.edu.au/information-and-services/student-support/study-skills-and-learning-advice/study-skills-and-learning-advice-overview/group-work
Complex / authentic assessment using AI and/or MT to support learning: This task has been designed to be challenging, authentic and complex. Whilst students may use AI and/or MT technologies, successful completion of assessment in this course will require students to critically engage in specific contexts and tasks for which artificial intelligence will provide only limited support and guidance. A failure to reference generative AI or MT use may constitute student misconduct under the Student Code of Conduct. To pass this assessment, students will be required to demonstrate detailed comprehension of their written submission independent of AI and MT tools.
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.
The maximum extension allowed is 21 days. Extensions are given in multiples of 24 hours.
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.
In the case students do not submit a weekly submission(s), the percentage allocated will be re-distributed towards their final submission.
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
Weekly submissions: 100% Late penalty
Final Submission / Group Work 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 - An 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.
Group Presentation - 100% late penalty applied for group presentation. No Extension permitted.
If one student has an extension then this student will receive the same mark as their other group members (with agreement from at least 50% of the members of the group, and recognition of potential impacts on the other group members). If 50% of group members do not agree, the extension will not be approved.
Course grading
Full criteria for each grade is available in the Assessment Procedure.
| Grade | Cut off Percent | Description |
|---|---|---|
| 1 (Low Fail) | 1 - 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 available for this course.
Additional assessment information
Design is collaborative. All students must actively participate in the timetabled tutorial sessions and are expected to interact and discuss in with staff and their peers. Students who miss more than 3 tutorial activities will fail the assessment with a maximum grade of 3. If you are unable to attend any session, contact teaching staff as soon as possible. Participation is essential for this assignment, as students will be required to collaborate as teams for some in-class activities.
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
Find the required and recommended resources for this course on the UQ Library website.
Additional learning resources information
MATERIALS
Students will need the following materials for use in tutorial sessions:
1 xﾠFine tip black felt pen.
1 x A4 visual diary (blank pages, no lines, 50 pages to be used as your workbook).
Coloured pens/pencils/markers.ﾠ
LAPTOPS
It is highly recommended to make use of personal laptops. Students will be required to complete exercises and/or present their work in studio/tutorials/reviews using computers. The school recommends the use of laptop computers capable of software applications such as Adobe Creative Suite, Revit, ArchiCad, AutoCad, Rhino/Grasshopper, SketchUp or similar. Students must also consider backup storage solutions such as an external hard driveﾠor a cloudﾠservice.
SOFTWARE
Design students will use a wide range of software throughout their education and future career. For this course the School will provide educational licenses for Adobe Creative Cloud, which is available via the UQ Digital Workspace (UQDW).
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 From Week 1 To Week 13 |
Tutorial |
Tutorial Please see Blackboard for information. Learning outcomes: L01, L02, L03, L04 |
Lecture |
Lecture Please see Blackboard for information. Learning outcomes: L01, L02, L03, L04 |
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.