Course coordinator
Mr Dean Johnson
Course overview
- Study period
- Semester 1, 2026 (23/02/2026 - 20/06/2026)
- 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 addresses the important role of design in the making of public infrastructure. Emphasis is on developing innovative opportunities for design to effect outcomes in relating people with public infrastructure projects. Learning is undertaken in a collaborative studio setting focused on advancing leadership and team building skills relevant to engaging multi-disciplinary working groups and community stakeholders involved in the delivery of public infrastructure.
This course is last offered Semester 1 2027. Students should see Academic Advisor for advice. Please email adp@uq.edu.au for all enquiries.
Co-design is a collaborative approach that brings together diverse stakeholders, integrating professional expertise with lived experience to address complex challenges. This third-year studio course explores co-design methodologies for social innovation, equipping students with the skills to develop inclusive, stakeholder-driven design solutions in a multidisciplinary context.
In this course, you will create, implement, and evaluate co-design tools tailored to specific audiences, enhancing collaborative problem-solving and ideation. will gain hands-on experience in facilitating co-design workshops, applying participatory methods, and using empathy-driven techniques to integrate multiple perspectives into the design process.
You will develop project management skills and build confidence in leading co-design initiatives while refining your ability to develop and communicate design solutions to a professional standard.
Course requirements
Prerequisites
You'll need to complete the following courses before enrolling in this one:
6 DSGN units at level 1 and 2 DSGN units at level 2
Incompatible
You can't enrol in this course if you've already completed the following:
DSGN3002
Restrictions
Enrolment restricted to BDes program and students taking a Design minor only. Study abroad students must seek Head of School's permission to enrol.
Course contact
Course staff
Lecturer
Mr Dean Johnson
Tutor
Ms Kemiso Matlho
Ms Sophie Griffiths
Timetable
The timetable for this course is available on the UQ Public Timetable.
Aims and outcomes
This course aims to develop project management skills of a large-scale design project requiring the engagement of multi-disciplinary working groups and community stakeholders.
Learning outcomes
After successfully completing this course you should be able to:
LO1.
Ability to coordinate and manage a design project involving several stakeholders
LO2.
Understand how to develop and facilitate design workshops in a professional manner
LO3.
Demonstrate ability to appropriately utilise design methodologies to co-design recommendations and outcomes
LO4.
Exhibit advanced collaboration skills and meaningful participation in planning and development of decision making
Assessment
Assessment summary
| Category | Assessment task | Weight | Due date |
|---|---|---|---|
| Product/ Design |
Assessment 1: Co-design Toolkit
|
40% Individual |
1/04/2026 5:00 pm |
| Practical/ Demonstration, Project |
Assessment 2: Co-Design Facilitation
|
35% Group |
Workshop design submission due 5pm 22/04/2026 Workshops conducted Weeks 9 and 11, in-class 30/04/2026 - 14/05/2026 Conversation Trackers due 5pm 27/05/2026 Presentations in class 28/05/2026 Digital submission due 5pm 28/05/2026 |
| Notebook/ Logbook, Reflection |
Assessment 3: Personal Reflective Diary
|
25% Individual |
28/05/2026 12:00 pm |
Assessment details
Assessment 1: Co-design Toolkit
- Identity Verified
- Mode
- Product/ Artefact/ Multimedia, Written
- Category
- Product/ Design
- Weight
- 40% Individual
- Due date
1/04/2026 5:00 pm
- Learning outcomes
- L02, L03
Task description
Assessment Rationale
Assessment 1 requires students to individually design a bespoke co design toolkit for a clearly defined audience, grounded in research and a deep understanding of participant needs, constraints, and context. The toolkit must articulate clear design rationale and include novel facilitation tools or adaptations that demonstrate thoughtful, ethical, and audience appropriate co design practice.
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. 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 14 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.
Late submission
The late penalty for this assessment item will be calculated as follows:
1st hour block - initial 1 hour grace period no penalty
2nd hour to 8th hour block - 10% of the maximum possible mark allocated for the assessment item (or 1 grade) will be deducted per hour up to a maximum of 70%
Any submissions received after eight 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.
Each one-hour block is recorded from the time the submission is due.
The stated late penalty applies. This is to allow the presentation to proceed as scheduled and is consistent with professional and industry expectations. This has been approved by the Associate Dean (Academic).
Assessment 2: Co-Design Facilitation
- Identity Verified
- Team or group-based
- In-person
- Mode
- Activity/ Performance, Product/ Artefact/ Multimedia
- Category
- Practical/ Demonstration, Project
- Weight
- 35% Group
- Due date
Workshop design submission due 5pm 22/04/2026
Workshops conducted Weeks 9 and 11, in-class 30/04/2026 - 14/05/2026
Conversation Trackers due 5pm 27/05/2026
Presentations in class 28/05/2026
Digital submission due 5pm 28/05/2026
- Other conditions
- Peer assessed.
- Learning outcomes
- L01, L02, L03, L04
Task description
Assessment Rationale
Assessment 2 focuses on the collaborative design, facilitation, and capture of a real world Co-design workshop. Working in teams, students plan and deliver a structured ideation and prototyping experience, including workshop flow, roles, activities, and intended outcomes, and then document both the tangible outputs and the participant experience. The assessment emphasises facilitation quality, design rationale, ethical engagement, and the ability to synthesise and communicate Co-design outcomes with clarity and care.
The workshops will be conducted in-person during class time.The conversation trackers are submitted via Blackboard the day before class.
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 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.
Discretionary extensions are not available for this task.
The maximum extension allowed is 14 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.
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 and the student will be required to undertake alternative assessment. 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.
Workshops and Final Presentation
No Discretionary Extension will be available for the presentation or associated component of this assessment (e.g. Presentation Slides submitted the day before).
Extensions for oral groupwork are typically not available as this impacts on all members of the team. If one student has an extension, then this student will receive the same mark as their other group members.
Critique panels cannot be reconvened for the presentation component of assessment when an extension has been approved. Students with granted extensions (or pending extension applications) are able to attend but are not permitted to participate in the design review.
Late submission
The late penalty for this assessment item will be calculated as follows:
Blackboard submissions:
1st hour block - initial 1 hour grace period no penalty.
2nd hour to 8th hour block - 10% of the maximum possible mark allocated for the assessment item (or 1 grade) will be deducted per hour up to a maximum of 70%
Any submissions received after eight 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.
The stated late penalty applies. This is to allow the presentation to proceed as scheduled and is consistent with professional and industry expectations. This has been approved by the Associate Dean (Academic).
Workshops and Final Presentation:
100% Late Penalty. No grace period.
Consistent with industry practice around presentations to clients/industry partners, no late submissions will be accepted, and a 100% late penalty applies. This has been approved by the Associate Dean (Academic).
Assessment 3: Personal Reflective Diary
- Identity Verified
- In-person
- Mode
- Product/ Artefact/ Multimedia, Written
- Category
- Notebook/ Logbook, Reflection
- Weight
- 25% Individual
- Due date
28/05/2026 12:00 pm
- Learning outcomes
- L02, L03, L04
Task description
Assessment Rationale
In this assessment students will create a highly visual diary that documents their individual learning journey across the co-design course (week 1 until week 13). The diary will capture personal observations, key moments from facilitation, what they observed and how they responded, how they supported trust and participation, and how they would improve the process if they were to run it again. Students are encouraged to use expressive, multimodal formats including photographs, illustrations, annotated screenshots, collages, mapping exercises and handwritten notes. This diary is not a record of group work but a personal visual narrative that shows how each student engaged with the process, what they observed, how their facilitation practice evolved, and what meaning they made from the co-design experience.
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. 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 14 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.
Late submission
The late penalty for this assessment item will be calculated as follows:
1st hour block - initial 1 hour grace period no penalty.
2nd hour to 8th hour block - 10% of the maximum possible mark allocated for the assessment item (or 1 grade) will be deducted per hour up to a maximum of 70%
Any submissions received after eight 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.
The stated late penalty applies. This is to allow the presentation to proceed as scheduled and is consistent with professional and industry expectations. This has been approved by the Associate Dean (Academic).
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 (IVA) - Design Courses
Design courses require the cumulative integration of critical reflection and feedback on original creative ideas in an iterative process of project work developed over time in the studio context. To meet assessment validity and integrity obligations in Design courses, students must regularly present and discuss their work with staff over the course of scheduled studio learning activities including lectures, structured studio activities, workshops, individual and group consultations, presentations and critiques. Students are expected to participate in at least 80% of scheduled studio activities in which the progress of their work is intended to be monitored and reviewed. If participation in such activities falls below 80% students may be requested to submit process work (such as drawings, models and design exegesis). If a student is not able to provide evidence of authorship to the satisfaction of the course coordinator, or if their participation falls below 50%, a maximum grade of 3 will be awarded.
Supplementary assessment
Supplementary assessment is not available for this course.
Supplementary assessment will not be offered in Architectural Design courses to any student with a failing grade of 3 or less. Due to the need for the cumulative integration of critical reflection and feedback on original creative ideas in an iterative process of project work development over time.
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.
Additional learning resources information
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 drive or a cloud service.
Students will also need an A3 Visual Diary for the submission of Assessment 3.
Additional costs
| Item | Description |
|---|---|
A3 Visual Diary |
Required for Assessment 3 submission |
Printing of Workshop tools |
Required for facilitating workshops |
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 |
Studio |
Studio 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
- AI for Assessment Guide
- Recording of Teaching Policy and Procedure
Learn more about UQ policies on my.UQ and the Policy and Procedure Library.