University of Technology Sydney

41152 Summer Studio C

Warning: The information on this page is indicative. The subject outline for a particular session, location and mode of offering is the authoritative source of all information about the subject for that offering. Required texts, recommended texts and references in particular are likely to change. Students will be provided with a subject outline once they enrol in the subject.

Subject handbook information prior to 2024 is available in the Archives.

UTS: Engineering
Credit points: 6 cp

Subject level:

Undergraduate and Postgraduate

Result type: Grade, no marks

Requisite(s): 24 credit points of completed study in spk(s): C01000-C01999 OR 24 credit points of completed study in spk(s): C09000-C09999

Requisite elaboration/waiver:

To be eligible to enrol in this subject, students must have completed a minimum of 24 credit points in their course. Some studios may have requisites. Please check with the studio leader as soon as possible.

Description

Summer studios are designed to be high energy, high collaboration, project-based subjects where students can engage in real-world design challenges. The studios enable students to demonstrate achievement of professional skills by working on real-world projects. Facilitated by a mixture of summer studio facilitators, academic experts, industry and community partners, students work in teams to define problems, and identify, develop, and implement solutions.

Using a design-thinking framework and systems thinking, students regularly engage in pitching and critiquing work among peers. Assessment is pass/fail and requires students to demonstrate their achievement of each of the subject learning objectives using a collection of artefacts and reflections that meet the pass performance criteria.

Subject learning objectives (SLOs)

Upon successful completion of this subject students should be able to:

1. Engage with stakeholders to identify a problem or scope a defined problem. (B.1)
2. Apply design and systems thinking to respond to a defined or newly identified problem. (C.1)
3. Apply technical skills to develop, model and/or evaluate designs. (D.1)
4. Demonstrate effective collaboration and communication skills. (E.1)
5. Conduct critical self, peer, and group review and performance evaluation. (F.1)

Course intended learning outcomes (CILOs)

This subject also contributes specifically to the development of the following Course Intended Learning Outcomes (CILOs):

  • Socially Responsible: FEIT graduates identify, engage, interpret and analyse stakeholder needs and cultural perspectives, establish priorities and goals, and identify constraints, uncertainties and risks (social, ethical, cultural, legislative, environmental, economics etc.) to define the system requirements. (B.1)
  • Design Oriented: FEIT graduates apply problem solving, design and decision-making methodologies to develop components, systems and processes to meet specified requirements. (C.1)
  • Technically Proficient: FEIT graduates apply abstraction, mathematics and discipline fundamentals, software, tools and techniques to evaluate, implement and operate systems. (D.1)
  • Collaborative and Communicative: FEIT graduates work as an effective member or leader of diverse teams, communicating effectively and operating within cross-disciplinary and cross-cultural contexts in the workplace. (E.1)
  • Reflective: FEIT graduates critically self-review their performance to improve themselves, their teams, and the broader community and society. (F.1)

Teaching and learning strategies

The subject runs in a studio format where students work collaboratively on real world challenges and projects under guidance from industry, community and academic experts. Summer Studio challenges and projects will be offered across areas of expertise including leading edge research, entrepreneurship and innovation, and humanitarian engineering.

Students will engage in design thinking from the outset, in a group context.

All groups will participate in weekly sprints where work targets are set and delivered. The sprints include end-of-week reviews, scheduled times where the whole group comes together to critique progress and to plan the next week’s sprint. Expert facilitators and student peers will be present during each sprint to guide progress and to provide constructive feedback on each group’s progress to inform improved performance towards the next sprint. These reviews must be documented in each student's design portfolio.

In these groups, students will actively and continuously conduct critical self, peer and group review and performance evaluation. The purpose of these reviews is continuous improvement at personal and group level. Each facilitator will specify ways in which individuals and groups engage in review and evaluation of their own and their group’s progress.

Verbal communication and collaboration between students and facilitators is an essential part of any real world design challenge or project development, particularly during the sprints each week.

Progress, artefacts and reflections on each sprint are to be documented in an individual design portfolio of student choice; this will most likely be an ePortfolio. Outside the scheduled class times, students will continue to work on their projects with each other, accessing the classroom and other facilities as needed. (The classrooms have been booked for 3 days per week: Mon, Wed, Thu).

Students should commit to working three 7-hour days each week for 6 weeks, preferably with their group member, on-campus, in order to meet all the Subject Learning Objectives to the Performance Standards to pass the subject.

Content (topics)

Summer Studio challenges and projects will vary. Details will be provided on UTSOnline. All students will participate in design thinking during their first day of the subject.

Assessment

Assessment task 1: Design Portfolio (4 submissions)

Intent:

For students to demonstrate their achievement of each of the Subject Learning Objectives using a collection of artefacts together with reflections that meet the pass performance criteria.
Objective(s):

This assessment task addresses the following subject learning objectives (SLOs):

1, 2, 3, 4 and 5

This assessment task contributes to the development of the following Course Intended Learning Outcomes (CILOs):

B.1, C.1, D.1, E.1 and F.1

Type: Portfolio
Groupwork: Individual
Weight: 100%
Criteria:

Performance standard to Pass

The Design Portfolio must include sufficient evidence to demonstrate development and (final) achievement of the SLOs. The Design Portfolio must be a professional presentation, with no or few errors (e.g. spelling, grammar, formatting, accessibility). It must be complete and comprehensive. Collaboration is required in Studio learning, working in isolation from your class and/or team is working against the intention of this subject.

  • Submission 1 must contain:

    • An introduction with photo and statement of motivation to take the studio subject and objectives in taking the subject.

    • Your learning contract: what do you intend to achieve through the project, including learning goals and tasks to be completed. What will be your contribution to the group effort? What will you learn in that process? What will you produce? You may revise this in subsequent submissions.

  • Submissions 1 through 4 of the Design Portfolio must contain:

    • Curated artefacts (at least 2 per submission) that illustrate your engagement and development at each sprint and across the subject’s five Subject Learning Objectives.

    • Reflective statements that clearly articulate and demonstrate engagement with all studio teaching and learning activities (including evaluation and/or incorporation of expert, facilitator, and peer feedback, and provision of thoughtful, informed feedback to peers, including systematic group progress review each week).

    • A revised version of your learning contract, as your intended learning objectives are modified by the development of your concepts in the studio.

  • By the final Submission (number 4), the Design Portfolio must contain:

    • A conclusion articulating how your learning journey has enabled you to meet or redefine your objectives, described in your learning contract.

    • A final reflective statement that synthesises your learning journey. Each subject learning objective should be addressed in the final reflective statement, indicating the ways in which your learning contract was achieved.

    • Reflectively curated, relevant artefacts that form a coherent and cumulative substantiation of claims of achievement of the subject’s five Subject Learning Objectives.