Anne Jørgensen Bruland

Sustainable Architecture (Master's Programme)

Luca Finocchiaro

Læringsutbyttebskrivelse og sammenheng mellom emnenes- og programmets læringsutbyttebeskrivelserLæringsutbyttebeskrivelsen er forsåvidt faglig oppdatert og relevant, men den er vel teknisk fokusert og detaljert. Programmet har en god og rasjonell progresjon gjennom de tre semestrene før diplomsemesteret i 4de og siste semester. Det er imidlertid lenge siden det har vært noen koordinering mellom det faglige innholdet i de ulike semestrene og dette er noe jeg vil ta tak i som programleder ved å arrangere en fagsamling i oktober 2021 der alle emneasnsvarlige i programmet inviteres til en felles gjennomgang av læringsmål på program- og emnenivå. En slik gjennomgang passer godt tidsmessig da læringsutbyttebeskrivelsene skal revideres i høst. Læringsmiljø Læringsmiljøet er bra, men har potensiale til å utvikle seg til å bli enda bedre. Studentene har ønsket tettere tilknytning til MAAR5 programmet ved fakultetet og også en sterkere "programtilhørighetsfølelse" nå etter covid. Jeg har innført "Programmets time i skibolig" der hele programmet møtes i en uformell setting for å ta opp tema som er aktuelle for dem der og da. Jeg ser dette som en fin arena for samhandling mellom programleder, linjeforening og klasserepresentanter -og alle studentene på programmet (som nå teller ca 80 studenter -&gt;52+28). Linjeforening; håpet er at studentene i Sustainable Architecture bli innkludert i Broderskapet. Dersom ikke blir det etablert en ny linjeforening for Sustainable Architecture. Tegnesalene har de siste årene blitt oppgradert med nye farger på veggene, bedre møbler, sofekrok etc. og dette gode arbeidet vil fortsette for å øke tilstedeværelsen på tegnesalene. Det er ingen utfordringer som tilsier at studieprogrammet bør gjennomgå en periodisk evaluering tidligere enn planlagt (som uansett blir gjennomført i 2022).

Min vurdering er at programmet holder høy kvalitet. Det er dyktige og erfarne lærere med en flerfaglig og varier erfaringsbakgrunn som speiler studentmassen på en god måte. Vi er i rekrutteringsprosesser og vi kommer til å ansette enda flere med prosjekteringserfaringsbakgrunn. Programmet er knyttet opp mot forskningen som skjer i ZEN, bl.a. og flere diplomoppgaver er knyttet opp mot forskningsprosjekter eller virkelige prosjekter i samfunnet rundt oss (eks. Studentsamskipnaden, Kjeldsberg eiendom, Dora eiendom, NTNU med flere). Programmet ville være tjent med at emneansvarlige i de 4 semestrene hadde enda bedre innsyn og forståelse for hva som skjer i de andre emnene i programmet. Det taes nå grep for å rette på det. Anne Jørgensen Bruland har kommet inn som en super støtte til programleder og programmet. Dette bidrar til høyere kvalitet i gjennomføringen av det administrative og det bidrar til at programleder får et større rom for å drive faglig og pedagogisk utviklingsarbeid i programmet. Mere strateg og mindre brannmann og vaktmester.Dette vil bidra til

NTNU:TIA:REST

Fakultet for arkitektur og design

Faculty of Architecture and Design

Tommy Kleiven

In fall 2021, a course gathering was arranged to update the programme's course descriptions. The descriptions have since been updated and now reflect the updated course content. The course gathering is scheduled to take place once a year now, with the next one at the beginning of November 2022. This year's topics include a discussion about the progression of skills and competences throughout the 4 semesters and more links between the semesters. The program hour was started in spring 2022 and will be continued, as it has been a good forum for various concerns and feedback from the students. The entire group of students is invited (ca. 50 in total). Students expressed a desire to be associated with the linjeforening Arkitekstudentenes Broderskap and have succeeded in being included.

Admission and study start:We have an increasing number of applicants from all over the world, which peaked in 2021 (370 applicants) and has slightly decreased in 2022 (338 applicants), i.e. there is a total of almost 8 applicants per place offered. About half of the students who are offered a place start the program. At the start of the first semester, both the exact number of students (30 max are planned for) as well as their background (architects or engineers, country of origin etc.) is very unpredictable. For example, in the fall semester 2021 we had 9 Norwegian students and 13 from outside of Norway whilst these numbers changed to 5 and 16 respectively in 2022. We are aiming for a ratio of 1:1 architects:engineers, but consistently have more architects in the program. The fact that there is a fixed set of courses helps the students to get quickly acquainted with each other and start collaborating. This could be enhanced by excursions. Because of Covid restrictions, however, there have been less excursions and less other extracurricular activities than pre-Covid. Students' evaluation of the program:This year the program conducted a survey amongst the students. It was answered by 30 out of the 48 students. "The main advice from students seems to be that they would like to see more organization in the program and interaction with the local community, along with some more interactive coursework from the classes that rely on a final paper for grading. Students were big fans of recorded lectures due to being able to return to them for extra studying, and most students were happy with the technical knowledge that was gained throughout the program." Facilities and work spaces: The fact that there is a studio available with fixed workplaces for the students where individual and group work can take place is highly appreciated by the students. Work load and evaluation: The majority of students feel that the workload is adequate and students are treated fair and equally (25 out of 30 respondents to the survey marked this question with 4 or 5 out of 5 points) Relevance to the profession:Students seem to be a bit confused about the profession that thay would work in after finishing their studies. This is to be expected as the field of sustainale architecture is still quite new without an established traditional profession. At the same time, students from our program are highly sought after by the industry. We get very good feedback from employers for whom our alumnis work. Forms of teaching related to practise:<ul><li>The number of guest lectures was low during Covid (and all guest lectures were digital), but is increasing again.</li><li>Our design projects are related to real-life projects as far as possible.</li><li>Additionally, a number of Master theses projects is offered every year that are in close collaboration with industry.</li></ul> Internationalisation:The program is international and has participants from all over the world. This international, interdisciplinary environment is listed as one of the strong points of the program by the students.

Overall, the program is of high academic quality. Teachers' competence is rated excellent by the students. However, according to the survey, students feel that the program is not very well organized and that professors are hard to approach. This has certainly to do with Covid restrictions, but also with challenges in recruiting new teachers. This has already been addressed and improved, as semester responsibles are now in place again for the three semesters with theory and coupled design courses. The competences and research activities of the teachers complement each other very well and are closely related to the program. The topic of sustainable architecture has high societal relevance and more collaboration with other departments could be sought. However, this will have to be achieved in conjunction with either an increase in personnel or with a cross-departmental teaching "exchange". The aimed at interdisciplinarity is not achieved fully in the student population. We have disproportionally more students from an architectural background than from an engineering background. This has to do with the fact that we do not have a quota for architects / engineers in the uptake and that, in addition to the students in our program, students in the MAARC program and architecture exchange students take our courses, but no engineering students. We are aiming to increase connections with industry by inviting more guest lecturers and increasing collaboration with ongoing research / design projects as a basis for students' tasks. Additionally, we will invite alumni to present to give an account of their work life.

Eva Patricia Schneider-Marin

The study program has less students in fall 2023 (11) than we received in fall 2022 (17), mainly because of external factors: Tuition fees have been introduced for all non-EU/EEA students. More on the application and admissions process below. In November 2022, a course gathering was arranged to discuss with new and experiened emneansvalige and to update the programme's course descriptions. The descriptions have since been newly updated and reflect the course content well. An overview of the progression of knowledge, skills, and general competence throughout the 4 semesters of the program has been created and will be used in the promotion of the program and in this year's update of the program descriptions. It is the basis for discussion on links between the semesters and identification of gaps in the curriculum. The course gathering was scheduled to take place again at the beginning of November 2023. However, due to schedule conflicts, it is postponed to January 2024. Presently, regular update and discussion meetings for all teachers involved in the courses are scheduled to take place once a month. The program hour was continued, as it has been a good forum for various concerns and feedback from the students. The entire group of students is invited (ca. 50 in total). The program hour takes places once a month. The master course AAR 4993 had been criticized for not giving enough input to students. This was adjusted in teh spring 2023 with a kickoff meeting and generally closer follow up of the students. The result is reflected in students' evaluation of the master course showing that the majority is content with teeh course, and the outcome.

Admission and study start:The number of applicants peaked in 2021 (370 applicants), has slightly decreased in 2022 (338 applicants), and decreased further in 2023 (272 applicants). However, there is still a total of 9,1 applicants per place. About half of the students who are offered a place start the program. This year (2023) only 1 student from outside EU /EEA is joining the program, because of the tuition fees that students would have to pay. As of now, no stipend programs are in place. At the start of the first semester, both the exact number of students (30 max are planned for) as well as their background (architects or engineers, country of origin etc.) is very unpredictable. We are aiming for a ratio of 1:1 architects:engineers, but consistently have more architects in the program. Additionally, the intake of exchange students in unclear. We increased the capacity for architecture students from 8 to 12 for the fall of 2023. However, not all the students who asked to take our courses as a first choice received a place, as the administration set a deadline of 1. September that emneansvarlige and students were not informed about in advance.&nbsp; There is no recruitment strategy in place so far. Additionally, the onboarding process needs improvement. This year, a welcome letter was sent in August and a joint matriculation ceremony at faculty level was organized. Additionally, there is high interest in our courses from exchange students. Therefore, in time information about how many students will take their place in our courses is essential to offer all remaining places to exchange students. As of now, the number of exchange students is offered within the quota the program offers to MAAR students. Students' evaluation of the program (attached):The program conducted a survey amongst the students. It was answered by 12 out of the 17 students.&nbsp; Most students find the program through web search and through NTNU's web page.This is an important fact to consider when designing a recruiting strategy for the course. The students' main points of criticism are that some of the students do not find the program adequately organized. It might have played a role that two of the three mandatory theory and design modules were taught by non-permanent staff, as previous teachers were on research leave. Additionally, this group was influenced by Covid 19, insofar as there was a mix between digital and physical teaching at the beginning of the program. Students find the tasks well-aligned with the subjects and adequate, and they feel that they are treated fair and equal. Interdisciplinarity and positive learning environment are mentioned as strong features of the program. Students are also happy with the availability of the staff and that the teaching team is approachable and available. Connection and progression:The fact that there is a fixed set of courses helps the students to get quickly acquainted with each other and start collaborating. A kick-off excursion would be helpful to get an even better teambuilding upstart. However, because of the above-mentioned uncertainty about students participating in the courses in the first semester, an excursion was only conducted in the spring (2nd) semester. We travelled to Oslo and had a focus on rehabilitation / adaptive reuse projects. The excursion was very well received by the students: "instructive, new views, interesting, educational, productive, inspiring, fun, learned a lot" are some of the students' responses from a mentimeter survey after the excursion. On the other side, some students found the excursion "a lot to take in" or "stressful", as we had quite a tightly packed program. If the economic situation allows, we will organize an excursion again in the spring semester 2024. Relevance:Guest lectures, real-life design projects and mastertheses in connection to industry and research are provided to improve connection to potential workplaces. However, as the majority of our students are from abroad, not all of them easily find a job in Norway after they complete the course. At the same time, the topics in the courses are perceived as highly relevant and most of the students feel well-prepared for the job market. Internationality:As most of our students come from abroad, few (2 to 3) go on exchange in the third semester. If the semester schedule abroad is not aligned with NTNU's schedule this leads to a delayed master thesis. We have been able to accommodate for this within the master semester and all students who were on exchange completed their thesis with only a 2 month delay. The group of students is international with students coming from different backgrounds.There is a double degree offer with X'ian university. In this program, we had 3 incoming students altogether who have fit well into our courses.

Staff in the program is highly competent in their fields. This is also reflected in the students' evaluation. The survey shows that students rate the teaching team's availability and accessibility higher than the previous group. The research projects on European and Norwegian level play a role in the courses. Presentation of the latest developments in research are held in the courses. Some of the design and theory projects are are related to ongoing research projects, and master theses are offered related to research projects and often with industry partners. Interdisciplinarity is still a challenge, as the majority of the students come from an architectural education. We have started a cooperation with the minor in architecture, but will also account for this in our recruiting strategy. Topics that could be relevant for more systematic teaching: Presently, these are touched upon in the courses or experienced (learning by doing):<ul><li>Building Information modelling and its potential for early phase design evaluation</li><li>Sustainability certification systems</li><li>Project management in interdisciplinary groups</li><li>Detailing (with a focus on design for disassembly)</li></ul> The third semester elective course offers an opportunity for students to broaden their knowledge in a sustainability aspect of their choice. Currently, there are two preapproved courses that can be taken, others need to be accepted by the program coordinator. The latter option should be communicated more clearly to students. At the same time, we are seeking to increase the list of preapproved courses.

Future developments: <ul><li>Develop a recruitment strategy, especially for applicants from Europe /EEA and Norway: We have three points in the process when we need to improve our promotion of the programme:</li><li class="ql-indent-1">Finding applicants: Improve the website, create visibility in social media, find universities with bachelor programmes where applicants come from, participate in fairs/exhibitions</li><li class="ql-indent-1">Follow up when candidates have received offers (e.g., an open day)</li><li class="ql-indent-1">Follow up when candidates have accepted the offer; provide information / promotion material</li></ul>As this is a matter of urgency, we have taken this in our own hands, and a student assistant has been provided by the department, However, this should be supported professionally by marketing and communications, preferably on faculty and NTNU level.&nbsp; <ul><li>The onboarding process</li><li class="ql-indent-1">Flow and timeliness of information from the admissions office needs to be improved. We do not know how many students we will have until the students physically arrive until 15th of September, 3 weeks into the semester. It must be known, for example, who has paid tuition fees beforehand.</li><li class="ql-indent-1">We would like a waiting list so that we could fill places with students who did not get offers if students with offers do not come.&nbsp;</li><li class="ql-indent-1">We have many applicants who have not completed their bachelor's degree. We would like qualified students to receive conditional offers instead of being told that they must submit proof of their finished degree and NTNU decides afterwards.</li></ul>&nbsp;Developing a student profileThe profile of a student with a degree in sustainable architecture is still not entirely clear to applicants and students. We have increased industry connection by inviting more guest lectureres and offering master theses connected to research and industry. However, we are aiming to give students a clearer image of the kind of jobs they can expect to be doing after completion of the program. Therefore, we need to follow up with the program's alumni to see the range of job profiles our students have achieved.&nbsp;Cooperation with other courses / departmentsWe will admit engineering students participating in the minor in architecture into the theory course in spring and into one of the project courses in the fall. This is to increase the number of engineers in our courses to encourage interdisciplinarity at students' level.We have actively participated in the development of the Sirkulærstudio, an initiative by IAT to increase cooperation between faggruppe and offer a topic of high societal relevance to architecture students. Some of our courses will be electable as tracks in the Sirkulærstudio. Additionally, SUSARC teaching staff will represent current sustainability / circularity topics in the common events of the Sirkulærstudio. Exchange and agreements with other universitiesThe double degree program with X'ian and potential adiotional partnerships with universities from outside of EU / EEA will should be evaluated in teh coming year to assess their potential in maintaining an international student population.

Sustainable Architecture (Master's Programme) - MSSUSARC