Duration
10h Th, 10h Pr, 30h Proj., 1d FW
Number of credits
| Bachelor of Science (BSc) in Architectural Engineering | 2 crédits |
Lecturer
Language(s) of instruction
French language
Organisation and examination
Teaching in the second semester
Schedule
Units courses prerequisite and corequisite
Prerequisite or corequisite units are presented within each program
Learning unit contents
The class will progressively address the paradigms, methods and tools necessary for the integration of end-users (and their diversity of profiles) within the design processes in engineering and architecture.
The different models of the user (user as a punctual informant; user as a resource; user as an expert; user as a co-designer) will be analyzed in relation to the main families of processes (concurrent design; open design; situated design; inclusive design; participatory design, etc.), in relation to the type of innovation targeted (incremental; disruptive) and in relation to the type of project (socio-economic, political, cultural, etc.). The methodological, ethical and deontological dimensions of these approaches will also be studied.
The study of outdated models of participation (including post-modernist models) and, above all, their limitations, will then give way to an examination of concrete tools, in particular issued from research carried out at ULiège, designed for collecting and for reflectively processing the collected data (introduction to usage engineering).
Over the course of the semester, students will be invited to read (anonymised) transcripts of interviews; and/or to meet with experts working in the field who will tell them about their experiences interacting with users; and/or to conduct in-depth interviews themselves (possibly retrospective; supplemented by inhabited surveys or commented journeys). Through these practical exercises, they will acquire essential skills in interacting with and managing their future customers on a day-to-day basis.
Learning outcomes of the learning unit
The student will be able to:
- in the short term: to apply a coherent user-centered approach (to position oneself with respect to different methodological postures; to make a thoughtful choice of methods and tools; to decline and adapt a series of techniques given a particular context) for the enrichment of an integrated project in architecture or in engineering;
- at the end of the course: to critically reflect on the contributions and limits of a user-centered approach in architecture and engineering, including its impacts on the project implementation process and on the innovative potential of the project.
Prerequisite knowledge and skills
Empathy and curiosity.
Planned learning activities and teaching methods
The course is organised during the first semester.
The proactive participation of the students is essential: they are involved in the analysis and collection of data and must in turn, on several occasions (in teams), offer reflective feedback and a critical analysis of the material presented to them.
One or more site visits may be organised.
Mode of delivery (face to face, distance learning, hybrid learning)
Face-to-face course
Additional information:
Face-to-face instruction, when health conditions permit.
Class sessions will be held in a room on the Sart-Tilman campus.
Course materials and recommended or required readings
Exam(s) in session
Any session
- In-person
oral exam
Continuous assessment
Out-of-session test(s)
Further information:
The learning outcomes are assessed through:
- the progressive and iterative construction of a reflective framework on user-centred approaches ("challenge map");
- conducting, transcribing and critically analysing an in-depth interview (usually with users or architects);
- at the end of the term, the submission of an individual reflective report based on an autoethnography notebook.
Access to assessment in the first session is conditioned by:
- active participation in the collective exercise of drawing up the "challenge map" and its final presentation;
- assiduous participation in the course and active implementation of an empirical approach;
- submission of an individual reflective report.
If the student fails one of these three requirements, he/she will have access to a second session in which he/she will be offered the opportunity to repeat the associated exercise. The mark obtained in the second session will replace, in the total weighting, the mark initially obtained for this one-off exercise.
Work placement(s)
Organisational remarks and main changes to the course
N/A.
Contacts
Catherine Elsen, Professor.
catherine.elsen@uliege.be
Audrey Mertens, Assistante.
Audrey.Mertens@uliege.be