UK Centre for Materials Education
Working with you to enhance the student experience
Working with you to enhance the student experience
This project was initiated in 2003 with the intention of injecting ethical evaluation methods into design programmes, particularly Architecture, Engineering and Product Design, where the need to design ethically and sustainably was paramount. At the time the project was initiated, there was very little engagement with ethical perspectives in design, and the way in which this could be introduced into the curriculum. This has, since then, been built into QAA standards.
This project aimed to implement ethical evaluation techniques into courses run by two universities, the University of Greenwich and the University of Derby. These courses at the two universities would then be compared, particularly with respect to the differences in implementation, and the ways in which the students approached them. Such comparison would enable the best approach to be taken forward in the future.
The University of Derby adopted a case study or scenario based approach (for example, students were asked to design an eco-friendly concept car), which resulted in the production of a student guide for eco-studies. Derby’s injection of a more personal perspective to ethical design was in contrast to the stance adopted by the University of Greenwich, which was a more traditional and prescriptive approach to incorporating ethical evaluation techniques in the chosen modules.
The immediate project deliverables were a website with details of teaching materials, links, student guides, as well as the results of the evaluation of the modules and courses concerned. The findings of the project were further disseminated through conference presentations, and a paper entitled ‘The Education of an Informed and Critical Ethical Designer’.
The project met with great success at the University of Derby, and the relevant modules were continued and developed further. They have now morphed into a University Certificate in Environmental Engagement, comprising of a set of four modules at 15 CATS credits each (60 CATS credits at Level 4) offered through Learning Through Work Framework which is dedicated to promote widening participation and an individually designed approach to learning. These modules aim to engage students from non-traditional backgrounds, and use a blend of distance learning materials and class room lectures.
You can read the journal article about this project here.
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Adobe PDF Format, 367kb)
