National eco-design curriculum development

For the first time in Australia, a curriculum resource kit for tertiary teachers and students in industrial design has been produced in order to provide for an improved understanding of Design for Environment (DfE) principles, strategies and resources. The curriculum has been piloted in Industrial Design Programs at RMIT University (Victoria) and University of Technology Sydney (NSW) before production of the resource kit for wider use. A copy of the completed kit is being distributed to all industrial design degree course tutors in Australia upon completion in early 2007.

The objective of the project is to develop a curriculum resource kit for tertiary teachers and students in industrial design that will provide them with an understanding of Design for Environment (DfE) principles, strategies and resources. After an initial pilot run at Industrial Design Programs at RMIT University (Victoria) and University of Technology Sydney (NSW) this kit is to be distributed to industrial design courses in Australia. The objective was also to run a national ‘train-the-trainer’ DfE workshop based on the kit for design teachers

The curriculum’s development is supported by a grant from the Commonwealth Government’s Department of the Environment and Heritage’s Environmental Education Grants program.

Project Partners

An Advisory Committee has been established which includes the following institutions:

• RMIT University
• University of Technology, Sydney
• University of Canberra
• University of New South Wales
• Product Ecology
• Sustainability Victoria
• Swinburne University

Methodology

Curriculum Content

The national sustainable design curriculum comprises of 11 sessions that can be presented during a standard three hour studio. One of the main aims of the project was to develop a curriculum that is flexible. Therefore, whether it is run in its entirety or only selected sessions the curriculum is designed to offer both the lecturers and students a good introduction to the main issues associated with sustainable design. Topics covered include:

• Ecology and environmental impacts
• The ethics of design
• The drivers for sustainable design
• The history of sustainable design
• The sustainable design process
• Sustainable design support tools
• The life cycle of a product (manufacture, use, end of life), and
  The promotion of sustainable products.
  

If you are interested in receiving the completed curriculum - PowerPoint presentations, lecture notes etc please contact Nick Johns, ph: +61 3 9925 1918 e: nicholas.johns@rmit.edu.au