Automotive and Transport Design BA (Hons)

The aim of this module is to support you in the development of a personal career focused portfolio which represents a cross-section of personal skills, knowledge, and capabilities. You will also work on developing a CV, identify relevant networks and prepare rationales around your future career aspirations. The intention and timing are to help you look outward towards possible placement opportunities and to begin to refine a personal career focus².

You will continue to add to your reflective blog, investigating developments in and around your industry, and identify opportunities and skill requirements that align with your career aspirations.

Compulsory

In order to develop innovative ideas that are meaningful to users and a continuously changing world, you must be able to investigate and question what already exists in design terms and be prepared to challenge. You will critically explore and develop dialogue around design scenarios and consider the purpose and possibilities for future transport systems/devices from an innovation perspective.

You will reflect and respond to specific factors such as new and emerging technologies, material possibilities and user scenarios and visualise transport design solutions to an advanced visual level adopting one or more design representation approaches (digital/clay or other media). 

Compulsory

This module considers design in its wider setting and highlights future scenarios as a platform to explore creative ideas against future ecological, sustainable, and social, technological contexts. The module should encourage you to question design in its international and cross-cultural setting to bring external perspectives to discussions and design action.   

International issues around the future of mobility, autonomous vehicles and future transport in cities will be explored as well as consumer models that may influence future design parameters. A Design Team approach will be adopted into this module to help you generate more extensive results and propose a wide range of design briefs.

Compulsory

As part of your Professional Development, you will reflect on the specifics of your year two project work. This includes reflecting on the benefits, and the challenges, of working in design teams. You will also organise and evaluate your thoughts about your action plans as defined in semester one. With a strong focus on employability, you should check actions taken so far, as well as your readiness for any potential upcoming work placement, or study abroad opportunities². You will have the opportunity to interact with, and produce ideas and designs, for industry collaborators.  

Compulsory

This module is the companion to the Industrial Design module. Relating to the brief set by the industry collaborator you will work initially in groups to investigate, research, and synthesize material that will have a direct bearing on, and will help to define, the design process.

You should develop an understanding of the market and users, technology, materials, functions, and use, as well as socio-economic, ecological and sustainability drivers that could potentially influence their solutions. You will also focus on innovations that can bring success to the proposed conceptual designs, these can be in form and function, and technology, or systems. 

Compulsory

This module has a strong outward facing focus and it is where you can consider industry expectations, communication and develop design professionalism. You will manage an investigation and respond to industry-aligned or client-inspired design briefs and follow the design process through to design solutions that are considered in terms of its functional feasibility, potential brand alignment and user sensibility. The outcomes may include sketch modelling of prototypes (digital and/or physical) and other techniques for presentation to professional audiences. 

Compulsory

This module provides you with an opportunity to reflect upon and gain experience for an approved placement² undertaken during your programme. A placement should usually be at least 26 weeks or equivalent; however, each placement will be considered on its own merits, having regard to the ability to achieve the learning outcomes. 

Optional

This module provides you with an opportunity to reflect upon and gain experience for an approved international study/work placement² undertaken during your programme. A work/study placement should usually be at least 26 weeks or equivalent; however, each placement will be considered on its own merits, having regard to the ability to achieve the learning outcomes. 

Optional

You will identify a range of potential themes for design innovation which respond to current global challenges or anticipated future trends/contexts. The module will involve you conducting an in-depth investigation that explores the identified themes, agreeing a brief derived from the investigations, and then go on to produce initial conceptual designs, one of which may lead to an individual and tutor-negotiated major project.

The activities in this module will represent the alignment with your chosen specialism and build upon the foundation of your career-focused portfolio. There is a requirement to produce a written research report and info-graphical representation, research, and analysis, presented to good academic standards. You will also be required to produce an initial occupant and technology package as well as a 2D initial speed form of surface design. 

Compulsory

In this module you will produce designs that align with your career aspirations and specialist interest. During this module you will complete two short projects.

Personal project (A): This project focuses on exploring and developing initial ideas around a theme of personal interest to springboard your final major project in semester 2. Outputs from this project will be 2D sketch-work and a short brief. Project work should consider users, technology, materials, manufacturing, culture, context.

Competition/Industrial Project (B): This short project focuses on either an industrial collaboration, or an outward facing competition entry (depending on availability). In this project you will be given externally supplied project topics which may be from national and international design competition briefs or industrial collaborators. you will operate within the constraints of non-negotiable, fixed design briefs, followed by a formative ‘professional gateway.’ Outputs from this contribute to Design Portfolio module.  

Compulsory

This module allows you to critically reflect on your work and on how this impacts your future academic/professional path.

This module specifically allows you to reflect on the outputs of semester 1 project work in Design Project - Select and Concept Creation modules to build on prior learning, to reinforce your specialism, and aid planning of your final major project and future career.

The module should help you develop a methodology of work that is reflective, allowing for continuous learning in context, and as part of a learning community, and will provide opportunities for peer discussions about themes of self-development and reflection that aid the development of self-awareness.

Compulsory

This module aims to develop a professional level of presence necessary for real world employment. The module will help you develop a methodology of self-presentation that is reflective, allowing for continuous learning in context, and will provide opportunities for peer discussions about themes of self-development and reflection that aid the development of self-awareness in the process of applying for jobs.

This personal and sometimes introspective analysis should lead you to consider your academic and professional aspirations and your strengths and weaknesses. You will be encouraged to engage in discourse with professionals and graduates to better inform your choices.

Compulsory

During this project you will deliver an agreed transportation design project which strongly represents your personal creativity, interests, and design ability. In order to do this, you will research, develop, and present around a single detailed design theme (established in the Concept Creation module and evidenced through concept packages and preliminary research) that integrates the skills and learning acquired throughout the course. 

The detail design development undertaken in this module will be supported by relevant research and knowledge into areas of aesthetics, user-factors, operational sense, and functional appreciation that responds to identified aspects of cultural political, environmental, technological, social and/or legislative contexts. 

The project design direction will be inspired by conceptual development and investigation undertaken in the Concept Creation module. The final brief will be negotiated and agreed with tutors. 

Compulsory