| Module Code | CEPCA002 |
| Module Name | Life Cycle Assessment for Engineering Practice |
| ECTS Weighting [1] | 5 ECTS |
| Semester Taught | Semester 2 |
| Module Coordinator/s | John Gallagher |
Module Learning Outcomes
On successful completion of this module, students will be able to:
- LO1.Explain key concepts relation to evaluating the sustainable performance of engineering products, systems, or processes such as carbon footprinting, life cycle assessment, and the circular economy.
- LO2. Describe and evaluate the breakdown of contributions within a carbon footprint of given engineering product, system, or process.
- LO3. Demonstrate an understanding of the life cycle analysis process by outlining the principles, procedures, and tools to support LCA and complementary assessment methods.
- LO4. Produce a complete LCA to appraise the environmental impacts of an engineering product, system, or process.
- LO5. Differentiate between methodological approaches and decision-making in the LCA process and its impacts on the perceived performance of engineering product, systems, or processes.
- LO6. Identify opportunities for design improvements in engineering products, systems, or processes to achieve trade-offs or win-wins in terms of environmental (LCA), economic (LCC), social (S-LCA) and holistic sustainability (LCSA) priorities.
- LO7. Compare and evaluate the similarities and differences between life cycle assessment and more nuanced ecometrics such as circularity measurement and assessment.
Module Content
Thematic areas covered in the module include:
- Carbon-footprinting: A 1-dimensional Life Cycle Assessment (LOs 1-2)
- Reviewing life cycle assessment studies: scoping to systematic reviews (LOs 2-6)
- Life Cycle Assessment: ISO 14040: Principles and Framework (LOs 1&3)
- Life Cycle Assessment: ISO 14044: Requirements and Guidelines (LOs 1&3)
- Economic, Social and Sustainability Life Cycle Considerations (LCs 1&5)
- Going beyond LCA: Circularity Measurement & Assessment (LOs 1&7)
Teaching and Learning Methods
- The module content is driven by self-directed online learning content providing a flipped classroom experience for students. The pre-recorded sessions are released fortnightly, with supplementary reading and questions to be responded to within the online discussion board. A complementary tutorial or discussion group session takes place 10 days after the release of each session, with further reflection questions to be addressed and an in-class dialogue encouraged to share knowledge and experience of those within the class. The self-directed learning components and their accompanying tutorials / discussion groups will take place fortnightly and out-of-work hours, weekday evenings from 7.00-8.30pm.
- A problem-based learning approach is applied within this module for assessment, as the module learning outcomes requires knowledge development thoroughly (i) directly applying the LCA methodology to evaluate a product, system or process for its sustainable credentials, or (ii) undertaking an independent critical appraisal of other LCA studies to evaluate the integrity of the LCA methodology by other practitioners.
- The virtual learning environment (VLE) is Blackboard Collaborate and student will be provided with access to all module content (online sessions, lecture notes, suggested reading, and other resources). Discussion boards will be provided for all students to provide a space for students to post responses to questions posed during the asynchronous sessions. This will encourage engagement prior to the synchronous sessions and support peer-to-peer learning through sharing valuable information between the class identified during independent study. Key comments will be drawn from the discussion board to shape the thematic discussions of synchronous live tutorials / discussion groups.
- Coursework provides opportunity to demonstrate independent learning through developing new critical thinking (reviewing literature and evaluating the quality in LCA studies) procedural (undertaking an LCA) and presentation (summary of case study and LCA review) skills, as well as using new tools (ecoinvent LCA database) and applying new ecometrics methods (e.g. ISO 14000 and ISO59000 standards). The Feedback will be provided using a grading rubric through Blackboard which will offer further opportunity to evaluate and reflect upon performance.
Assessment Details
| Assessment Component | Brief Description | Learning Outcomes Addressed | % of Total | Week Set | Week Due |
| Life Cycle Case Study | Undertake an LCA of an Engineering Product, System or Process. (2,5000-word limit) | LOs 1-5 | 50% | ||
| Scoping Review | Critical evaluation of LCA studies through a scoping review. (1,500-word limit) | LOs 1-3,5-7 | 40% | ||
| Presentation | Oral presentation of critical LCA findings from case study and review. (8-10 minute, in-class) | LOs 1-7 | 10% | ||
Reassessment Details
Resubmission of failed coursework components. A two-month timeframe is provided to resubmit failed coursework components.
Contact Hours and Indicative Student Workload
| Contact Hours (scheduled hours per student over full module): | 12 hours |
| Independent study (outside scheduled contact hours) | 24 hours |
| Completion of assessments (including examination, if applicable) | 89 hours |
| Total Hours | 125 hours |
Recommended Reading List
Module Pre-requisites
Prerequisite modules:
Other/alternative non-module prerequisites: N/A
Module Co-requisites
N/A