41201 Designing Sustainable Engineering Projects
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Subject handbook information prior to 2025 is available in the Archives.
Credit points: 6 cp
Result type: Grade and marks
Requisite(s): (60 credit points of completed study in inBachelor's Degree owned by FEIT OR 60 credit points of completed study in Bachelor's Honours Embedded Degree owned by FEIT OR 60 credit points of completed study in Bachelor's Combined Degree owned by FEIT OR 60 credit points of completed study in Bachelor's Combined Honours Degree owned by FEIT OR 60 credit points of completed study in Bachelor's Combined Degree co-owned by FEIT OR 60 credit points of completed study in Bachelor's Combined Honours Degree co-owned by FEIT) AND (41200 Engineering Project Appraisal OR 48230 Introduction to Engineering Projects)) OR ((21214 Business and Social Impact OR 22208 Accounting, Business and Society)
These requisites may not apply to students in certain courses. See access conditions.
Description
In this subject, students build on their foundational understanding of design developed in Introduction to Engineering Projects to work through a complete design cycle from initial problem identification all the way to proposing design solutions to a client. Students learn and apply systems thinking approaches in the design process in this subject.
The subject has a key focus on sustainability. Industry-relevant knowledge and capabilities are presented and practised through sustainability tools, techniques, frameworks and reporting mechanisms in the context of a group design project. Sustainability is considered not only from an environmental viewpoint, but through other complementary perspectives such as economic and social dimensions. A project theme is provided by the subject coordinator (e.g., food security, energy security, transport etc.). Students are assessed by sustainability measurements used in industry.
This subject foreshadows the ongoing development of teamwork capabilities and application of sustainability principles in the subject Collaboration in Complex Projects.
Subject learning objectives (SLOs)
Upon successful completion of this subject students should be able to:
| 1. | Identify social, environmental, and economic needs and constraints for a project using sustainability frameworks, methods and tools. (B.1) |
|---|---|
| 2. | Apply systems thinking approaches to design solutions in complex projects. (C.1) |
| 3. | Apply relational teamwork skills to successfully complete a group project. (E.1) |
| 4. | Reflect on experiences to inform lifelong learning. (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)
- 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)
Contribution to the development of graduate attributes
Engineers Australia Stage 1 Competencies
This subject contributes to the development of the following Engineers Australia Stage 1 Competencies:
- 1.5. Knowledge of engineering design practice and contextual factors impacting the engineering discipline.
- 1.6. Understanding of the scope, principles, norms, accountabilities and bounds of sustainable engineering practice in the specific discipline.
- 2.3. Application of systematic engineering synthesis and design processes.
- 3.5. Orderly management of self, and professional conduct.
- 3.6. Effective team membership and team leadership.
Teaching and learning strategies
Students engage in a group project with a focus on sustainability. They will learn how to take a systems thinking approach to understanding how sustainable solutions for complex problems can be developed. In successive iterations, students will rotate through looking at the project through different aspects of sustainability, each iteration building on the work of their peers, incorporating peer and teacher feedback at each stage.
Students will be given a project context to research from various angles individually, and will then share and build on each other’s work to develop an understanding of the context and their collaboration skills. Students will use this research as a basis for selecting sustainability approaches, frameworks and tools that can best be used to develop a solution. As a group, they will design and propose a solution that incorporates consideration of different factors of sustainability, including financial considerations, and will engage with report frameworks to help present their solution.
By this stage in their degrees, students have completed several teamwork and design projects. In addition to their work on their design project, in this subject, students learn about reflection and apply these skills to reflect on their learning thus far about engineering projects, and identify what other skills they would like to develop. They will have opportunities to further reflect on their professional development in the Professional Practice Program.
Content (topics)
The subject covers the following topics:
- Systems thinking
- Problem definition and analysis
- Business rationale and financial considerations of sustainable development
- Choice of sustainability approaches including frameworks, methods and tools – fit for purpose
- Sustainability lifecycle
- Whole system design
- Environmental, economic and social implications – including competencies and other such resources
- Local reporting requirements, mandatory vs optional frameworks
Assessment
Assessment task 1: Research report
| Intent: | To demonstrate an understanding of the underlying concepts of sustainability as they apply to a specific context. |
|---|---|
| Objective(s): | This assessment task addresses the following subject learning objectives (SLOs): 1 and 3 This assessment task contributes to the development of the following Course Intended Learning Outcomes (CILOs): B.1 and E.1 |
| Type: | Report |
| Groupwork: | Individual |
| Weight: | 20% |
| Length: | 1000 words |
Assessment task 2: Interim Report and Presentation
| Intent: | To present an interim report detailing project progress and application of sustainability and systems thinking, in order to receive feedback to inform the final project design. |
|---|---|
| Objective(s): | This assessment task addresses the following subject learning objectives (SLOs): 1, 2 and 3 This assessment task contributes to the development of the following Course Intended Learning Outcomes (CILOs): B.1, C.1 and E.1 |
| Type: | Presentation |
| Groupwork: | Group, group and individually assessed |
| Weight: | 25% |
| Length: | 2000 word written brief and 5 Minute presentations |
Assessment task 3: Final report
| Intent: | Apply professional written and verbal communication skills to present research findings and recommendations that meet client needs. |
|---|---|
| Objective(s): | This assessment task addresses the following subject learning objectives (SLOs): 1, 2 and 3 This assessment task contributes to the development of the following Course Intended Learning Outcomes (CILOs): B.1, C.1 and E.1 |
| Type: | Report |
| Groupwork: | Group, group and individually assessed |
| Weight: | 40% |
| Length: | 3000 words |
Assessment task 4: Portfolio
| Intent: | To demonstrate reflection of learning to date, and plan for future development toward being a professional engineer |
|---|---|
| Objective(s): | This assessment task addresses the following subject learning objectives (SLOs): 4 This assessment task contributes to the development of the following Course Intended Learning Outcomes (CILOs): F.1 |
| Type: | Portfolio |
| Groupwork: | Individual |
| Weight: | 15% |
| Length: | 1000 words |
Minimum requirements
In order to pass the subject, a student must achieve an overall mark of 50% or more.
Recommended texts
Biswas, W. K., & John, M. (2022). Engineering for Sustainable Development: Theory and Practice. Wiley. ISBN: 978-1-119-72098-0.
Matthews, S., Hendrickson, C., & Matthews, D. (2018). Life Cycle Assessment: Quantitative approaches for decisions that matter. Open Book.
Larson, E. W., & Gray, C. F. (2021). Project Management: The Managerial Process (8th ed.). McGraw Hill.