5CCE2ENG Design: Engagement - Individual Coursework
Reflecting on Sustainability, Systems Thinking, Stakeholder Relations, Innovation Processes, and Material Choices in Relation to the Group Project
The individual report counts for 30% towards the final grade, and you must be prepared to put considerable work into this part. It is due on Tuesday 11th March, 4pm.
This individual coursework is designed to encourage you to reflect on and apply the core concepts and skills introduced in Sessions 1-5 (Weeks 22-26) of the module. You will draw upon the knowledge and tools from these sessions – such as sustainability, systems thinking, innovation, and life cycle assessment (LCA) – to analyse and critically engage with the challenge and design your group has selected for the Group Project. Your report should demonstrate how the concepts and frameworks learned in these sessions inform. your approach to the design process and the sustainability challenges at hand.
This report should provide both a reflective analysis of the module’s content and a detailed justification of the design solution your group is pursuing. You will be expected to demonstrate critical thinking, the ability to apply course concepts to real-world problems, and clear professional communication.
Assignment Structure and Requirements
Your individual coursework report should be structured as follows:
1. Introduction (300-400 words):
• Briefly introduce the challenge your group is addressing for the Group Project and explain its connection to the United Nations Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs).
• Identify the specific aspect of your group’s design that you will focus on in this coursework and explain why it is critical to reflect on this aspect in relation to sustainability, innovation, and entrepreneurship.
• Summarise the key concepts from Sessions 1-5 (Weeks 22-26) that are relevant to the design challenge and that will be discussed in your report.
2. Main Body (1200-1500 words):
• Reflection on Sessions 1-5 in relation to your group project:
- Session 1 (Introduction to sustainability and the Dilemma game): reflect on how the principles of sustainability, introduced through the Dilemma game and the SDG cards, have shaped your understanding of your group’s project challenge. How do the SDGs influence the design approach?
- Session 2 (Systems Thinking and the FishBanks game): discuss how the systems thinking and feedback mechanisms, explored in the FishBanks game, have informed your understanding of the complexity within your project’s design and challenge. How do interconnected systems play a role in your design solution?
- Session 3 (Sustainability in business and the REXUS game): evaluate how sustainability in business, value creation, and stakeholder negotiations—covered in this session—are relevant to your project. How are you incorporating commercial considerations and stakeholder interests into your design solution?
- Session 4 (Innovation processes): reflect on the role of innovation in your project. How do the stages of innovation and the strategies for fostering innovation discussed in this session influence the development of your design?
- Session 5 (Design for sustainability and Life Cycle Assessment, LCA): analyse how sustainability considerations are embedded in your group project, particularly through the lens of LCA. How are environmental, social, and economic factors integrated into your design decisions, and how does LCA inform. your group’sapproach?
• Linking Sessions to Your Group Project:
- Demonstrate how the key learnings from these sessions have shaped your group’s design process, addressing the sustainability, innovation, and commercial challenges you are facing.
- Provide examples of how the theories and frameworks learned in the module influence your design decisions, considering both the sustainability and commercial aspects of the project.
3. Conclusion (300-400 words):
• Summarise the key insights from your reflection and analysis, linking them back to the group project. What have you learned about the design process in relation to sustainability, innovation, and entrepreneurship?
• Reflect on your personal contribution to the group project and how the learning from this coursework has influenced your approach to the challenge.
References:
Provide a full list of references, following an academic referencing style (e.g., Harvard or IEEE). This includes course materials, required readings, and any additional academic or industry sources used in your analysis.
Submission Requirements:
Length: the report should be between 1800 and 2300 words, excluding references and appendices.
Format: the report must be typed, single-spaced, in Times New Roman, font size 12, with 2 cm margins on all sides.
Deadline: submit your report via Keats by Monday 11th March, 16:00.
Non-Mandatory Sub-Parts
Optional but recommended for deeper learning and reflection
These sub-parts are designed to help you engage more deeply with the content and develop a stronger connection between the module’s learning objectives and your group project. While these sub-parts are not mandatory, they will be useful for your report and are highly recommended.
Peer-Review Process
As part of your engagement with the module and this coursework, you will have an option to participate in the peer review process. Each week during the first half of the module (following submissions of the sub-parts, i.e. weeks 23-27), you will review and provide constructive feedback on a peer’s individual coursework. This process allows you to refine your own critical thinking and feedback skills, which are essential for professional practice. The peer-review expectations are:
• Provide constructive, well-reasoned, and actionable feedback on the sub-part report.
• Focus on strengths and areas for improvement in relation to the coursework content, design solution, and communication.
• Ensure your feedback is professional, clear, and helpful for your peer’sdevelopment.
For each sub-part where you (i) submit a complete assignment including all tasks, and (ii) perform a thorough peer review of a peer’s submission for the same sub-part, you will receive feedback from one of your peers.
You should aim to spend 2-3 hours per week on the follow-up assignments including peer-review. This is essentially a preparation for your individual report, and you will be able to reuse a lot of the content that you produce for the sub-parts.
Sub-part 1: Values Thinking (Dilemma game)
Task: reflect on the importance of values thinking in engineering design.
Reflect on what insights you take away from the values thinking seminar and discuss how awareness of values thinking can influence your approach to engineering design. Consider what role values play in sustainability and design decisions.
Identify a value-based dilemma, similar to those you encountered in the game, but which relates to
the discipline of engineering. Search the internet for facts and arguments that deepen your understanding of the dilemma.
Your task is to discuss both sides of the dilemma by following these five steps:
1. Give a brief explanation of the subject and why it has the characteristics of a 'dilemma'.
2. Specify some core arguments for one of the positions (use references when needed).
3. Counter the arguments by expressing the view of a person who disagrees with the first position.
4. Finish the assignment by once again taking the original viewpoint.
5. Finally – reflect upon the constructive debate exercise and the polarity map – how could that way of thinking add to your dilemma discussion? (1-4 sentences)
Develop your thoughts and opinions so that a reader can clearly understand your reasoning. Debate with well-supported arguments and make sure to clarify what facts or values your assertions are based upon. One tip is not to let go of the thoughts behind an argument too early. Always try to answer any of the questions “why?”, “when?”, “how?” and “what?” so that the reader is not left to interpret the claims themselves. Also, do not underestimate the power of examples, when trying to explain a certain mindset.
Please note that your own opinion is not relevant in this exercise. In order to assure the quality of your arguments you may want to test them against the three assessment criteria used in the game Dilemma:
1. Analysis: are conclusions and propositions sensible, reasonable and correct?
2. Convincing: are the arguments convincing? Could anyone else be inspired to debate in the same manner?
3. Rational: are the arguments logically constructed? Does the opponent reply on the other one’s argument or are there gaps in the logic?
An additional method for quality assurance is to check if your text has a good “flow”; how does it
work to read the text out loud? The presence of conjunctions such as ‘ because’, ‘ in addition’, ‘since’, ‘thus’, and ‘which’, give a hint that your you text has a flow.
Optional extra material (extra-curricular): watch this TED-talk about polarities and how to manage them, https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Jqd4-eemoAw
Sub-part 2: Systems Thinking (FishBanks game)
Task: apply systems thinking to your group project.
Identify a system relevant to the group project challenge (either directly relevant or peripherally relevant), which should be similar to FishBanks in the sense that it can be describe in terms of stocks, flows and connections.
Describe the system and the feedback loops driving it. Include a causal-loop diagram to visualise the system, and explain how it is connected to your project. Consider system boundaries and how feedback mechanisms can influence design decisions. Describe stocks, flows, and connections, and whether there are delays in the system that influence its behaviour. Further, describe potential system states (stable or meta-stable), and whether the system may transform between them suddenly when certain tipping points are exceeded due to exceeding the resilience of the system.
Sub-part 3: Sustainability in Business and Stakeholder Negotiations (REXUS Game)
Task: apply sustainability principles in business and stakeholder negotiations, using the REXUS game as areference point.
Note: this sub-part has a rather long description – but it is actually rather straightforward to execute.
In this sub-part, you will focus on the application of sustainability principles in the context of business and stakeholder negotiations. Drawing from the insights gained in the REXUS game, you will consider how different stakeholders with competing interests affect the design and implementation of sustainable solutions. You will analyse how these dynamics play out in real-world scenarios, especially in engineering projects where stakeholders may have differing views on sustainability goals, resource allocation, and long-term impact.
Step 1: Understand the Stakeholder Landscape
In the REXUS game, players experience the complexity of managing the Water-Food-Energy Nexus, where stakeholders (e.g., governments, businesses, communities, environmental groups) have competing interests and priorities. Your first task is to identify the key stakeholders relevant to your group project challenge. These could include clients, local communities, environmental groups, government agencies, or supply chain partners.
Reflect on the following questions:
• Who are the main stakeholders in your group project’schallenge?
• What are their key concerns or priorities when it comes to sustainability (e.g., environmental impact, cost efficiency, social justice)?
• How might these stakeholders have conflicting goals, and how might this affect the design decisions your group makes?
Step 2: Stakeholder Analysis and Mapping
Using your understanding of the stakeholder landscape, conduct astakeholder analysis. This analysis should help you map the power, influence, and interests of each stakeholder, similar to the REXUS game’s approach to balancing resource allocation while considering competing needs.
Tasks to include:
• Identify the key interests and concerns of each stakeholder group.
• Classify stakeholders based on their power and influence over the project (e.g., high power, low interest vs. high power, high interest).
• Discuss potential conflicts between stakeholders – how might these conflicts impact the success of your project and its sustainability goals?
Step 3: Negotiation Strategies and Conflict Resolution
Reflect on the negotiation tactics you encountered in the REXUS game. In that game, participants were required to negotiate compromises and make decisions that balance competing sustainability goals while meeting business needs. For your group project, think about the following:
• What negotiation strategies would you employ to manage conflicting stakeholder interests?
• How can you usestakeholder mapping and power analysis to prioritise actions and find win- win solutions?
• Are there ethical considerations involved in negotiating with stakeholders who may prioritise profit over environmental or social concerns?
• What trade-offs need to be considered in order to find an acceptable solution for all stakeholders?
Reflect on how these strategies will apply to your group project, and explain how effective negotiation can help achieve both sustainability goals and the project’s commercial objectives.
Step 4: Sustainability Trade-offs and Long-term Impacts
In the REXUS game, participants must consider long-term sustainability while negotiating short-term benefits. Apply this principle to your group project. Consider:
• How might short-term business goals conflict with long-term sustainability goals?
• What potential trade-offs might emerge in your design process (e.g., environmental impact vs. economic gain)?
• Discuss how these trade-offs could affect the project's success, and how you can balance the immediate needs of stakeholders with long-term sustainability objectives.
Step 5: Reflection on the Application of Sustainability Principles
Finally, reflect on how the principles of sustainability in business and stakeholder negotiations, as discussed in the REXUS game, will guide your approach to the group project challenge. Consider how stakeholder engagement and negotiation tactics will affect the design process and the overall sustainability of the solution.
• How will you ensure that sustainability is incorporated throughout the project’s lifecycle?
• What steps can you take to facilitate effective stakeholder collaboration, especially when interests conflict?
• How can you balance environmental, social, and economic factors in the design solution your group is proposing?
Additional Guidance:
Research and External Sources: to deepen your understanding of stakeholder negotiations and sustainability in business, you are encouraged to research relevant case studies or theories. Use credible external sources to support your analysis and reflect on real-world examples where stakeholder negotiations played a crucial role in sustainable business practices. Cite these sources appropriately in your report.
Visual Aids: consider including diagrams or frameworks to help map stakeholders, analyse their interests, or visualise negotiation strategies. This will help clarify your arguments and enhance the professionalism of your report.
Expected Deliverables:
Written Analysis: your analysis should be between 400-500 words, not including references. Ensure that your writing is clear, concise, and well-supported with evidence from the REXUS game, course materials, and any additional research.
Citations and References: properly cite all external sources you use in your analysis, following the Harvard referencing style.
By completing this sub-part, you will deepen your understanding of how sustainability considerations in business and stakeholder negotiations shape the decision-making process in engineering projects. You will also develop the critical skills necessary to manage complex stakeholder relationships while balancing commercial and sustainability objectives.
Sub-part 4: Design Thinking
Task: apply Design Thinking principles to your group project.
In this sub-part, you will reflect on how Design Thinking can be applied to the challenge your group is addressing. Design Thinking is a human-cantered approach that emphasises empathy, ideation, and prototyping. It encourages you to iterate on solutions based on user feedback and to focus on finding innovative solutions that meet real-world needs.
Steps to complete the task:
• Empathy: reflect on the users or stakeholders involved in your project. Who are they, and what are their needs, frustrations, and goals? How can you incorporate their perspectives into the design process?
• Ideation: discuss how your group has brainstormed possible solutions to the problem. What methods (e.g., brainstorming sessions, mind-mapping) did you use to generate ideas? How did you prioritise and select ideas for further development?
• Prototyping: reflect on how prototyping or testing concepts maybe useful for your group project. How might rapid prototyping help refine your design solutions?
Sub-part 5: Life Cycle Assessment (LCA)
Task: perform. a simplified Life Cycle Assessment (LCA) for your group project.
In this sub-part, you will apply the tools and methods for Life Cycle Assessment (LCA) that were introduced during the workshop. Your task is to perform. a simplified LCA on different components of your group project design. The goal is to assess the environmental impacts associated with each component, considering factors such as raw material extraction, manufacturing, use, and disposal.
Steps to complete the task:
• Divide the work: as a group, divide the components of your design and assign each group member a different component to analyse using the LCA tools provided in the workshop. Ensure that the analysis covers all stages of the product’s lifecycle (e.g., production, transportation, use, end-of-life).
• Perform. the LCA: for each component, analyse the environmental impacts at each stage of the lifecycle. Focus on key factors that are relevant for sustainability, such as energy use, resource depletion, carbon footprint, and waste generation.
• Consolidate findings: once each group member has completed their LCA for a component, come together to compare and discuss the results. Identify any areas where improvements can be made to reduce the environmental impact of your design.
• Reflection: in your report, briefly reflect on the results of the LCA. Were there any surprising findings? How might the LCA influence the design decisions you make going forward? What trade-offs between sustainability and other project factors (e.g., cost, functionality) need to be considered?