Course Syllabus
Contact Information
Course Details
For a list of course activities, scroll to the bottom of this page.
Course Delivery
Synchronous Online: Learning occurs online and in real time. These "Live Sessions" take place weekly from 7 pm to 9 pm (CST). Live Sessions will count toward your participation grade. As such, it is highly recommended that you participate in real time. However, in the event that your work or personal schedule makes it impossible for you to attend, please review the recording of the Live Session for the particular week you were unable to attend, and complete all live session activities. Specific details and procedures on how to complete the make-up assignment can be found within each module on the "LIVE SESSION" tab.
Course Prerequisites
- ARCH 5812: Human Centric Design: Equity and Comfort
- ARCH 5822: Foundations of Building Physics and Analysis
- ARCH 5832: Introduction to Building Performance Analysis
- ARCH 5842: Introduction to Research Methods for Analysis
Course Materials
All required materials can be found linked to the individual weekly modules within Canvas. They are also available at the RESOURCES: Course Materials page in the Start Here Module.
Program Learning Outcomes (PLO)
The Sustainable Design Literature Reviews course in the MS in Sustainable Architecture program aligns closely with key program learning outcomes (PLOs), particularly emphasizing research, design assessment, environmental impact, and adherence to the AIA Framework for Design Excellence. All course learning outcomes (CLOs A-E) support PLOs 1, 2, 4, and 5 by focusing on design research methods, information visualization, research processes, analysis, and synthesis. This comprehensive alignment ensures students develop critical skills in identifying knowledge gaps, conducting thorough literature reviews, and applying research findings to sustainable design practices. The course emphasizes the integration of research with design processes, fostering innovative approaches to sustainable architecture while considering societal and environmental impacts.
- Research - Research and evaluate emerging science and methodologies for optimizing building and human performance through the case study method.
- Design, Build, and Assess - Use analysis, tools, and methods to design, develop, select materials and assess the building systems and performance of code-compliant sustainable projects.
- Fund and Manage - Evaluate financing and life cycle cost accounting strategies used in green building initiatives.
- Account for ESG Impacts - Explain how design decisions impact society, systemic issues and the environment for all communities today and in the future.
- AIA Framework - Demonstrate integrated project design and sustainability within the AIA Framework for Design Excellence.
Course Learning Outcomes (CLO) Alignment
| CLO | Description | PLO |
|---|---|---|
| A | Design Research Methods. Use the design process as a means to identify gaps in current knowledge and suggest paths to generate new knowledge that would fill these gaps. | 1, 2, 4, 5 |
| B | Information Graphics. Create and use diagrams and infographics to convey ideas and information. | 1, 2, 4, 5 |
| C | Research Process. Using design analysis, generate research questions and match these to appropriate research methods to identify and evaluate sources pertaining to those questions. | 1, 2, 4, 5 |
| D | Analyzing Research. Evaluate and summarize research source material including its research question and methodology. Position sources in larger context of research on that topic, and identify how a source addresses its area of study, and how it leaves gaps in the current knowledge. | 1, 2, 4, 5 |
| E | Synthesizing Research. Apply evidence from sources to suggest answers to research questions and develop evidence-based arguments that will allow you to use the research process as a means to verify design knowledge and identify opportunities for design innovation. | 1, 2, 4, 5 |
Grades
Breakdown
| Activity | Description | Percentage |
|---|---|---|
|
COTE Area Infographic |
Provides an opportunity for you to make sense of the current best practices within your chosen COTE Area, and to define and provide context for your initial problem statement. | 10% |
|
Annotated Bibliography |
Provides an opportunity for you to assemble, and present your analysis of a collection of appropriate resources to address your problem statement. You will also demonstrate your mastery of Chicago Style Bibliographic formatting to document your use of scholarly sources. | 20% |
|
Literature Review |
Provides an opportunity for you to present in written form your understanding of the scholarly and professional context for your problem statement. You will also identify gaps in that context and suggest paths for further work to move practices forward. | 30% |
|
Literature Review Final Infographic |
Provides an opportunity for you to present the work accomplished in this course in infographic, rather than oral, form. As dissemination is a key aspect of scholarship, you are encouraged to submit this infographic as a poster session to ACSA or a similar scholarly conference. | 10% |
|
Live Session Participation Assignments |
Participation is essential to this course as it will provide an opportunity for you to develop the four assignments above and to work collaboratively with peers to clarify your ideas through feedback (both given and received). | 25% |
|
Concept Checks |
Concept Checks are intended to make sure your work is progressing with sufficient speed and across the entire spectrum of tasks needed to complete your literature review. | 5% |
| Total | 100% |
Scale
| Percentage | Letter Grade |
|---|---|
| 90–100% | A |
| 80–89% | B |
| 70–79% | C |
| 60–69% | D |
| Below 60% | F |
Course Components
COTE Area Infographic
The COTE Area Infographic allows you to present your mapping of the approaches and solutions offered by the COTE Award Winners from 2023 and 2024. Where can you locate your own questions and how to they potentially fill gaps in our knowledge or offer ways to push forward current best practices?
This assignment will guide your learning process to ensure you can:
- Articulate a research question that will drive your search for sources for your literature review. (CLOs A, C and D)
- Work collaboratively with peers to develop topics, clarify ideas in writing, and provide substantive feedback on other assignments and written drafts. (CLOs A, B, C, D and E)
- Create a finalized Infographic from your sketched diagram (CLOs A, B, C and D)
Annotated Bibliography
This assignment forms the largest part of any Literature Review and will ensure you’re making good progress on your identification of sources, your mapping of the field of inquiry as it stands currently, and will help you refine your understanding of your own problem statement, ensuring it is well grounded in the literature.
This assignment will guide your learning process to ensure you can:
- Demonstrate note-taking habits and strategies that streamline the research and synthesis process. (CLOs D)
- Demonstrate your ability to use library databases, Zotero and Chicago Style formatting for research and documenting the selection, analysis, and organization of sources by working on an Annotated Bibliography. (CLOs C, D and E)
Literature Review
Using their analysis of the approaches offered by the COTE Award Winners from 2023 and 2024, this assignment provides an opportunity for students to present the major work of this class in the form of a narrative literature review that responds to their refined area of inquiry. This review provides context and justification for their area of inquiry and provides evidence of its applicability to to the field, in particular how an advancement can push best practices forward.
This assignment will help guide your learning process to ensure you can:
- Construct a solid, well-grounded academic problem statement or inquiry that is sufficiently supported from their research literature. (CLOs A, C and D)
- Develop clear and concise summaries and syntheses of research literature. (CLOs D and E)
- Develop written discussions about bodies of scholarship using summaries and syntheses, and use these to produce a 4-6 page literature review paper focused on their inquiry from within their chosen COTE criteria (CLOs D and E)
Final Infographic
This assignment stands in for the more traditional oral presentation. The Final Infographic allows you to visually present your mapping of the research as it pertains to your research questions. You will illustrate the context of your question within that body of knowledge, and any gaps your inquiry may fill. This infographic should be a helpful tool in persuading a viewer on the importance of your subject matter and the opportunity it presents to advance best practices in sustainable architecture. At conferences, these kinds of presentations occur as poster sessions, and I encourage you to consider submitting this assignment to ACSA or a similar conference that offers poster sessions.
This assignment will guide your learning process to ensure you can:
- Present their finalized research problem, and their synthesis of the applicable literature on their topic, visually as an infographic as an alternative strategy to narrative presentation. (CLOs A, B, C, D and E)
Live Session Participation Assignments
While Live Session "attendance" is not required for this course, all Live Session "participation activities" must be completed. During the Live Sessions, many of the course activities are introduced, and tasks which form part of the four major assignments can be completed in a collaborative work group. If you cannot attend, you will need to watch the video and complete the Live Session participation activities to ensure you are not missing questions or any of the more directed instruction covered as your fellow students work through the activities.
Concept Check
Concept Checks are quick assignments that serve multiple purposes in this course. Crafting a literature review requires task diversity, and the concept checks confirm that you're sufficiently engaging with defining, searching, reading, analyzing, and synthesizing information. They also help you assess whether you're making adequate progress in your research and writing, and they verify that you're addressing all necessary aspects of the literature review.
This assignment will guide your learning process to ensure you can:
- Properly prioritize and keep up with tasks that require different modes of work. (CLOs A, B, C, D and E)
- Prevent the workload from becoming overwhelmingly back loaded to the end of the class. (CLOs A, B, C, D and E)
- Give yourself as much time as possible to find and process information in order to create a high quality synthetic literature review. (CLOs A, B, C, D and E)
Course Policies
Communication
If you need to contact me, please e-mail me directly at kristinaleach@ou.edu. Canvas messaging is unreliable, please only use OU email for communication with me. I will do my best to respond within 24 hours, 48 hours max. Please note that work-life balance is very important to me, and I make an effort to avoid checking e-mail on the weekends if at all possible.
How will we address each other? My pronouns are she/her/hers. In terms of titles, Dr. Leach works just fine. If you go by a name other than the one listed in Canvas, please tell me how you prefer to be addressed. Additionally, if I mispronounce your name, do not hesitate to correct me. Respecting another's preferred pronouns, titles, and pronunciations is an easy way to show respect to your colleagues and is something I take very seriously.
Feedback
Assignments will be graded within one week of submission. If you would like a deeper dive into any feedback or grade you receive, I am happy to set up individual Zoom meetings to discuss further.
Late Policy
Late work will be accepted with a grade penalty as specified in the assignment rubrics. All assignments must be submitted by the due date. Extensions must be arranged prior to the deadline. Late submissions will incur a 10% grade reduction per day, and assignments submitted 3 or more days late will receive zero points. Any extensions of assignment due dates due to university-excused absences or for personal reasons (sickness, family emergency, etc.) must be arranged prior to the assigned due date.
Plagiarism
Plagiarism is the most common form of academic misconduct at OU. There is no college-level assignment that can be satisfactorily completed by copying. OU's basic assumption about writing is that all written assignments show the student's own understanding in the student's own words. That means all writing assignments, in class or out, are assumed to be composed entirely of words generated (not simply found) by the student, except where words written by someone else are specifically marked as such with proper citation. Including other people's words in your paper is helpful when you do it honestly and correctly. When you don't, it's plagiarism.
For more information about plagiarism, watch the OU Libraries Plagiarism Tutorial video and take the short Avoiding Plagiarism Tutorial Canvas course offered by University Libraries.
Errata and Changes
Errors and omissions to this syllabus or class presentations will be revised as observed and do not constitute incomplete or late work from students. Students are responsible for bringing the professor’s attention to any and all possible errata they encounter. The instructor reserves the right to make changes to the syllabus and content based on course pacing and current events that may be relevant to the material.
Additional Resources
If you need additional support or guidance in navigating Canvas, please visit the Sustainable Architecture Student Orientation Course for helpful tutorials, tips, and resources to enhance your experience with our learning management system.
University Academic Policies and Student Support
Access the University Academic Policies Document.
Course Summary:
| Date | Details | Due |
|---|---|---|