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Overview

Course Prescription

Students will investigate design interventions that have successfully employed assistive strategies to improve or extend human movement, sensation or mental capacity for a range of individuals and communities. Students will experiment with a range of technologies, experiences and services to design an assistive or rehabilitative intervention that reduces inequalities amongst individuals.

Course Overview

As a designer, you have a great responsibility. The consequences of your design decisions could unintentionally exclude large sectors of the population.  To mitigate that, you need to become aware of the wide diversity of human capabilities, to be able to think critically about the consequences of your designs, and to gain experience solving problems for a wide range of people using appropriate methods. Further, it is important to understand how emerging technologies can allow humans to augment their physical and cognitive abilities in ways that have not previously been possible.

To be able to design assistive technologies, you have to first understand the human physiological and psychological systems, what this means for your designs, and how to design in a way that moves towards universal design. In order to be inventive in creating assistive technologies, we will investigate relevant emerging technologies such as Machine Learning and Mixed Reality and explore methodologies such as calm technology and participatory design. The assignments and project will encourage you to think critically about human capabilities; and you will get to design, prototype and present an assistive technology.

This course will challenge you to see the world through other people's eyes, and make you more aware of the abilities and limitations of yourself and the people you are designing for.

Workload Expectations

This course is a standard 15 point course and students are expected to spend 12.5 hours per week involved in each 15 point course that they are enrolled in.

For this course, each week you can expect 1 to 2 hours of lectures, 1 hour of tutorial, 4 hours of reading and thinking about the content and 5.5 to 6.5 hours of work on assignments and/or project.

Course Prerequisites, Corequisites and Restrictions

Prerequisite
Corequisite

Locations and Semesters Offered

LocationSemester
City

Teaching and Learning

Campus Experience

Attendance is required at scheduled activities including studios to complete components of the course.
Lectures will be available as recordings. Other learning activities including tutorials may not be available as recordings.
The course may include live online events including group discussions and tutorials.

Teaching and Learning Methods

The course will be a combination of learning modules, project and assignment work, and workshops and will be delivered over 12 weeks in a design studio.  Each week there will be a 3 hour lecture + tutorial + project work combination that will vary depending on the specific module being taught.  Classes may include guest lecturers, debates, peer-reviews and feedback sessions.

Students are expected to attend every week as each session has been designed to equip students with the necessary skills to complete all assessment activities to receive a passing grade. A thoughtful and active engagement in group work and feedback sessions will contribute to achieving higher than a passing grade.

Learning Resources

Taught courses use a learning and collaboration tool called Canvas to provide students with learning materials including reading lists and lecture recordings (where available). Please remember that the recording of any class on a personal device requires the permission of the instructor.

Additional Information on Learning Resources

BYOD - All students enrolled in a Bachelor of Design or Design conjoint degree should come to class with their own laptop. This is so students will have the core learning tools available in and outside of class. It also means students can increase their independence and have better control of a professional device to stimulate creativity and simplify their design process. Working with a personal laptop during the Design degree will prepare students for the realities of working as a designer after graduation. The highly recommended,

recommended, and minimum specifications for a laptop are listed here: https://www.auckland.ac.nz/en/creative/current-students/courses/design/courses-design-bring-your-owndevice. html

An A4 sketch pad and drawing materials are essential tools for designers. It is good practice to be able to quickly record ideas through writing and sketching as well as collecting and pasting items found that are relevant or inspiring. Keeping a workbook is expected, and you will be assessed not only on final outcome, but the evidence of your progress as shown in your workbook.

Copyright

The content and delivery of content in this course are protected by copyright. Material belonging to others may have been used in this course and copied by and solely for the educational purposes of the University under license. You may copy the course content for the purposes of private study or research, but you may not upload onto any third-party site, make a further copy or sell, alter or further reproduce or distribute any part of the course content to another person.

Health and Safety

The practical component of the course may require the use of the lab facilities.  It is expected that students will comply with the relevant health and safety regulations and undergo the required induction and training as appropriate.

Learning Continuity

In the event of an unexpected disruption, we undertake to maintain the continuity and standard of teaching and learning in all your courses throughout the year. If there are unexpected disruptions the University has contingency plans to ensure that access to your course continues and course assessment continues to meet the principles of the University’s assessment policy. Some adjustments may need to be made in emergencies. You will be kept fully informed by your course co-ordinator/director, and if disruption occurs you should refer to the university website for information about how to proceed.

Academic Integrity

The University of Auckland will not tolerate cheating, or assisting others to cheat, and views cheating in coursework as a serious academic offence. The work that a student submits for grading must be the student's own work, reflecting their learning. Where work from other sources is used, it must be properly acknowledged and referenced. This requirement also applies to sources on the internet. A student's assessed work may be reviewed for potential plagiarism or other forms of academic misconduct, using computerised detection mechanisms.

Similarly, research students must meet the University’s expectations of good research practice. This requires:

  • Honesty - in all aspects of research work
  • Accountability - in the conduct of research
  • Professional courtesy and fairness – in working with others
  • Good stewardship – on behalf of others
  • Transparency – of research process and presentation of results
  • Clarity - communication to be understandable, explainable and accessible

For more information on the University’s expectations of academic integrity, please see the Academic Conduct section of the University policy hub.

Disclaimer

Elements of this outline may be subject to change. The latest information about taught courses is made available to enrolled students in Canvas.

Students may be asked to submit assessments digitally. The University reserves the right to conduct scheduled tests and examinations online or through the use of computers or other electronic devices. Where tests or examinations are conducted online remote invigilation arrangements may be used. In exceptional circumstances changes to elements of this course may be necessary at short notice. Students enrolled in this course will be informed of any such changes and the reasons for them, as soon as possible, through Canvas.


Additional Information on Academic integrity

Generative AI tools, such as ChatGPT and DALL.E 2, may only be used in assessments approved by the Course Director/Course Coordinator. Without permission, students must complete assessments independently, without substantial assistance from AI tools. In approved assessments, students must include a written statement detailing any tool’s use and the prompts applied. 

Assessment and Learning Outcomes

Additional Information on Assessment

The grade of DNC (did not complete) is assigned a grade point value of zero and is used when a student fails to complete compulsory coursework despite earning over 50%, or when coursework is incomplete and a fail grade would misrepresent their achievement.

Course Learning Outcomes

CLO #OutcomeProgramme Capability Link
1
2
3
4
5
6

Assessments

Assessment TypeAssessment PercentageAssessment Classification

Assessment to CLO Mapping

Assessment Type123456

Student Feedback, Support and Charter

Student Feedback

Feedback on taught courses is gathered from students at the end of each semester through a tool called SET or Qualtrics. The lecturers and course co-ordinators will consider all feedback and respond with summaries and actions. Your feedback helps teachers to improve the course and its delivery for future students. In addition, class Representatives in each class can take feedback to the department and faculty staff-student consultative committees.

Additional Information on Student Feedback

One key area of feedback from the 2021 course that was improved in 2022, was to increase the amount of contact with people who have a variety of disabilities, to hear their stories, aspirations and frustrations with the technologies that they have to choose from to help them in their daily tasks.  Feedback from 2022 has been that this has been inspirational and has become a regular feature of the course, repeated in 2023, with additional direct contact and experience of disability.

Class representatives

Class representatives are students tasked with representing student issues to departments, faculties, and the wider university. If you have a complaint about this course, please contact your class rep who will know how to raise it in the right channels. See your departmental noticeboard for contact details for your class reps.

Tuākana

Tuākana is a multi-faceted programme for Māori and Pacific students providing topic specific tutorials, one-on-one sessions, test and exam preparation and more. Explore your options at Tuakana Learning Communities.

Inclusive Learning

All students are asked to discuss any impairment related requirements privately, face to face and/or in written form with the course coordinator, lecturer or tutor. Student Disability Services also provides support for students with a wide range of impairments, both visible and invisible, to succeed and excel at the University. For more information and contact details, please visit the Student Disability Services’ website.

Wellbeing

We all go through tough times during the semester, or see our friends struggling. There is lots of help out there - please see the Support Services page for information on support services in the University and the wider community.

Special Circumstances

If your ability to complete assessed work is affected by illness or other personal circumstances outside of your control, contact a member of teaching staff as soon as possible before the assessment is due. If your personal circumstances significantly affect your performance, or preparation, for an exam or eligible written test, refer to the University’s aegrotat or compassionate consideration page. This should be done as soon as possible and no later than seven days after the affected test or exam date.

Additonal Information on Special Circumstances

Where a student faces unavoidable personal circumstances (e.g. illness or a death in the family) that mean the student is unable to submit a component of coursework, they may apply for an extension. Requests for extensions of time must be submitted and approved using the online Extension of Time Application form available on Canvas:

https://www.forms.auckland.ac.nz/en/student/creative-arts-and-industries/design-programme-extension-of-time-application-form.html

Students should notify the Course Director/Course Coordinator of their situation as soon as practicable, and preferably before any due date. Notifications received after an assessment due date will be accepted, where this is reasonable, within the context of the course. If possible, students are encouraged to seek medical, counselling or other support from the most appropriate sources.

No extensions will be granted for problems such as accidentally erased computer files, which should always be prevented by keeping backup copies.

Student Charter and Responsibilities

The Student Charter assumes and acknowledges that students are active participants in the learning process and that they have responsibilities to the institution and the international community of scholars. The University expects that students will act at all times in a way that demonstrates respect for the rights of other students and staff so that the learning environment is both safe and productive. For further information visit Student Charter.

Student Academic Complaints and Disputes

Students with concerns about teaching including how a course is delivered, the resources provided, or supervision arrangements, have the right to express their concerns and seek resolution. The university encourages informal resolution where possible, as this is quicker and less stressful. For information on the informal and formal complaints processes, please refer to the Student Academic Complaints Statute in the Student Policies and Guidelines section of the Policy Hub.