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ARCT40020

Academic Year 2026/2027

Research & Innovation in the Designed Environment (ARCT40020)

Subject:
Architecture
College:
Engineering & Architecture
School:
Architecture, Plan & Env Pol
Level:
4 (Masters)
Credits:
5
Module Coordinator:
Assoc Professor Samantha Martin
Trimester:
Autumn
Mode of Delivery:
On Campus
Internship Module:
No
How will I be graded?
Letter grades

Curricular information is subject to change.

The course offers a series of small-group thematic seminars. One of these seminars is to be taken in order to explore through readings, fieldwork and presentation the evolution, production, perception, and innovation of the designed environment. Studies will engage with a range of pressures that have moulded the designed environment in the past and demand changes for the future. These may include: the social and cultural, historical, geographical as well as the environmental and technical. The structure of the programme will involve group seminars, assignments, and presentations. In addition, there will be presentations on research methods. Attendance in the seminar meetings is mandatory. Any student who accrues more than two unexcused absences during the trimester will be penalized with a drop of 1/3 of their final grade.

About this Module

Learning Outcomes:

On completion of this module students should be able to: 1.Establish individual research skills and develop critical thinking as instruments for appraisal and innovation in the culture of architecture and landscape. 2. Have acquired the skills of communication and documentation of research and critical thinking. 3. Attend, participate and engage in class discussions.

UNESCO highlights a set of key competencies that support individuals in their development and support society in achieving the UN Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs). UCD has adapted these competencies and is combining them with others to form a general framework of learning competencies. This module will help you develop the competencies below to the levels specified. 
Learning Competency Additional Information Level

Collaboration

 The ability to learn from others; to understand and respect the needs, perspectives and actions of others (empathy); to understand, relate to and be sensitive to others (empathic leadership); to deal with conflicts in a group; and to facilitate collaborative and participatory problem solving. Proficient

Critical Thinking

 The ability to question norms, practices and opinions; to reflect on one’s own values, perceptions and actions. Expert

Systems Thinking

 The ability to recognize and understand relationships; to analyse complex systems; to think of how systems are embedded within different domains and different scales; and to deal with uncertainty. Advanced Beginner

Self-awareness

 The ability to reflect on one’s own role in the local community and (global) society; to continually evaluate and further motivate one’s actions; and to deal with one’s feelings and desires. Advanced Beginner

Normative

 The ability to understand and reflect on the norms and values that underlie one’s actions; and to negotiate values, principles, goals, and targets, in a context of conflicts of interest and trade-offs, uncertain knowledge and contradictions. Advanced Beginner

Digital Literacy and Judgement

 The ability to access, evaluate, create and communicate information in digital environments; to engage critically, ethically and responsibly with digital technologies and digital information; to understand their opportunities, limitations, risks and impact on individual’s digital identities; and to exercise informed judgement in digital participation and decision-making. Proficient

AI Literacy & Agency

 The ability to understand, critically evaluate and responsibly engage with artificial intelligence; to recognise how AI systems are shaped by human values; to assess their ethical, social and environmental implications; and to exercise human judgement, agency and accountability in AI-related contexts. Proficient

Student Effort Hours:
Student Effort Type Hours
Autonomous Student Learning

90
Lectures

10
Seminar (or Webinar)

15
Total

115

Approaches to Teaching and Learning:
This module aims to cultivate research methods in the discipline of architecture. Students are guided in: choosing and defining a research topic, writing and honing a research proposal, and evaluating quality of sources. Independent research and writing skills are emphasised overall. Furthermore, participation in the module encompasses practical skills, such as assessing and using archives and compiling bibliographies.

Content generated by Artificial Intelligence (AI) technologies should not be presented as your own work in your assignments, even weekly work, for this module.

AI- generated content - especially text-based content - is often factually inaccurate, out-of-date, and includes false or fabricated sources, citations and references. This will be covered in seminar to clarify the issue and answer questions.

In short: If you include factually inaccurate material and/or fabricated citations and references in your assessments, you will be marked down for inaccurate content, which may result in a fail grade for your essay.

An important caveat: some content generated by AI tools makes use of other people’s ideas without referencing them, which is a form of plagiarism. If you submit AI-generated content that includes unreferenced or improperly referenced material you may be in breach of the UCD Student Plagiarism Policy. Further to this, if academic misconduct is suspected, you may be asked to explain components of your assignment or research project to determine the authenticity of your work, without prior warning.

Requirements, Exclusions and Recommendations

Not applicable to this module.


Module Requisites and Incompatibles
Not applicable to this module.
 

Assessment Strategy
Description Timing Component Scale Must Pass Component % of Final Grade Component repeat (in-module) Offered
Assignment(Including Essay): A short written submission comprising the research project proposal, including a bibliography Week 6 Graded No
25
 No
Assignment(Including Essay): A final research project of between 3,000-5,000 words is required, to be handed-in at the end of the semester. Week 15 Graded No
50
 No
Participation in Learning Activities: Students are expected to participate and engage in weekly discussions, readings and workshops. Attendance is taken. Week 1, Week 2, Week 3, Week 4, Week 5, Week 6, Week 7, Week 8, Week 9, Week 10, Week 11, Week 12 Graded No
25
 No

As part of UCD's student support, under the Additional Consideration policy, extensions may be available for the following assessments in the module: Assignment (including essay/poster), Portfolio, Reflective Assignment, Report(s), and Individual Project.


Carry forward of passed components
Yes
 

Remediation Type Remediation Timing
In-Module Resit Prior to relevant Programme Exam Board
Please see Student Jargon Buster for more information about remediation types and timing. 

Feedback Strategy/Strategies

• Feedback individually to students, on an activity or draft prior to summative assessment
• Feedback individually to students, post-assessment
• Group/class feedback, post-assessment

How will my Feedback be Delivered?

Students are offered feedback on individual assignments which are submitted for a grade. If students submit drafts of assignments, then comments and feedback may be given prior to summative assessment. When group projects are included in the module, students are offered feedback, post-assessment.

Name Role
Professor Nasrin Seraji Lecturer / Co-Lecturer

Timetabling information is displayed only for guidance purposes, relates to the current Academic Year only and is subject to change.
Autumn Lecture Offering 1 Week(s) - Autumn: All Weeks Mon 09:00 - 12:51
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