Part A: Course Overview
Course Title: Design for Sustainable Systems and Innovation
Credit Points: 12.00
Terms
Course Code |
Campus |
Career |
School |
Learning Mode |
Teaching Period(s) |
ARCH3361 |
City Campus |
Undergraduate |
370H Design |
Face-to-Face |
Sem 1 2025 |
Course Coordinator: Olivier Cotsaftis
Course Coordinator Phone: Please email
Course Coordinator Email: olivier.cotsaftis@rmit.edu.au
Course Coordinator Location: chool of Design, RMIT University, City Campus
Course Coordinator Availability: Please email
Pre-requisite Courses and Assumed Knowledge and Capabilities
None.
Course Description
The most effective impact towards sustainability can be attained on a systems level. This course focuses on design in the context of social-environmental-technological systems. You will explore approaches to how design can mobilise and support systemic changes, from products and services to governance. Through theory and practice, you will develop an understanding of systems thinking approaches to sustainability for design.
This course is a component of majors and minors offered by the BH104P25 Bachelor of Industrial Design (Honours) program.
Objectives/Learning Outcomes/Capability Development
Program Learning Outcomes
This course contributes to the following BH104P25 Bachelor of Industrial Design (Honours) program learning outcomes:
PLO1: Apply analytical, critical, creative, and strategic thinking to industrial design problems and research across complex, place-based, and cultural contexts.
PLO3: Articulate complex design ideas with respect for diverse audiences using an adaptable range of technologies, techniques, and modes of representation.
PLO5: Demonstrate and champion an awareness of design's impact upon people, place, and culture, through ethically grounded practice.
PLO8: Demonstrate and continue to develop a working knowledge of the diverse, technological, environmental, and cultural systems that industrial design practice contributes to.
If you are taking this course as an option course or as part of a minor, this course will complement the learning outcomes you are developing in your program.
Course Learning Outcomes
Upon successful completion of this course you will be able to:
1) Demonstrate an understanding of systems of different scales through various design approaches.
2) Contextualize design challenges and opportunities within social-environmental-technological systems.
3) Use practical approaches and tools to explore transformation of systems and possible futures (such as scenario development).
4) Engage in informed discussion and critique, and justify views and opinions articulately and respectfully.
Overview of Learning Activities
In this face-to-face course, you will be actively engaged in learning that involves a range of activities including: lectures, discussions and critiques, analysis of theoretical content, reading, and practical exercises performed in groups and individually. You will be challenged to develop your analytical and creative abilities.
Overview of Learning Resources
RMIT will provide you with resources and tools for learning in this course through our online systems.
There are services and resources 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 RMIT student website.
A Library Subject Guide for the discipline this course is aligned to can be found here: https://rmit.libguides.com/design-industrial
Overview of Assessment
You will be assessed on how well you meet the course learning outcomes.
Major/Minor course
Please note that this course is not numerically graded. That means you will receive either a Pass Grade (PX) or a Fail Grade (NN) on completion.
The assessment task percentage weightings give you an indication of the volume and significance of the work required relative to the whole course experience.
For assessment tasks due for submission during the relevant semester teaching period, if you receive a Fail Grade on work submitted you will have one week to address the specific feedback and resubmit for reassessment. For assessment tasks due after the conclusion of classes this option is not available.
To successfully complete this course, you need to have passed all assessment tasks.
Courses with a PX grade structure are automatically excised from the calculation of your Grade Point Average (GPA) and are not included in the calculation of Weighted Academic Mark (WAM) for embedded Bachelor Honours programs.
This approach to grading and assessment is aimed at ensuring each course is inclusive of student diversity and prior learning and capabilities can be developed as is appropriate to your discipline and interests.
Assessment Tasks
Task 1: AI assisted literature review
Weighting 15%
This assessment task supports CLO 4
Task 2: Micro Scale Systems Mapping and Intervention
Weighting 30%
CLO1, CLO2 , CLO3
Task 3: Macro Scale Systems Mapping and Intervention (Group)
Weighting 40%
This assessment task supports CLO 1, CLO2, CLO 3
Task 4: Report
Weighting 15%
This assessment task supports CLO 1, CLO 2, CLO 4
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.