Syllabus Building With Nature 101x

8/19/2019 Syllabus Building With Nature 101x

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Engineering: Building

with Nature 101xSyllabus

Prof. dr. Jill Slinger

19 February 2016


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Collaborative Scope

The development of the Massive Open Online Course (MOOC) Engineering: Building with Nature

101x represents a collaborative endeavour by the Delft University of Technology and contributors

from the Ecoshape Foundation. In particular Deltares, Witteveen + Bos and the Regional

Development Fund of the European Union have contributed financially to this collaborative

endeavour. In addition, specialists from Deltares, Boskalis, Van Oord, Witteveen + Bos and

Wageningen University have contributed their knowledge and time to this endeavour.

Moreover, this Building with Nature education endeavour rests firmly upon the seminal work of Dr.

ir. Ronald Waterman, who has kindly granted the Delft University of Technology the right to use the

registered trademark Building with Nature® and the Building with Nature© in this MOOC and other

teaching courses.

In the world of scientific education, there can be no perfect, final product. Accordingly, Delft

University of Technology chooses, together with her collaborative partners, to view the MOOC

Engineering: Building with Nature 101x as it now stands as the first step in an ongoing collaboration

to review and improve the education material related to the Building with Nature concept.

Developed by:

Prof. dr. Jill H Slinger

Associate Professor

Policy Analysis & Hydraulic Engineering

Delft University of Technology

With reference to “Building with Nature: Kennisvalorisatie Ecoshape”


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Welcome

Thank you for joining us, and welcome to the MOOC Engineering: Building with Nature 101x. We

have worked enthusiastically to develop an accessible course, that captures the conceptual challenge

of integrated design without being too difficult. We hope you will find it interesting and will

participate enthusiastically.

We aim to create an open, worldwide community of participants who are interested in exploring the

interface between hydraulic engineering, ecology and society. This MOOC represents the first step in

such an endeavour with its focus on integrated design – designing from engineering AND ecological

principles. The course will provide you with valuable insights on how to connect engineering and

ecosystem-based design, which you can apply in your further career. We encourage you to share

your experiences and knowledge within the community, so that we can learn from each other and

develop more practice-based knowledge about applying the Building with Nature concept around the

world.

Thank you for joining us. We hope you will enjoy the MOOC!

On behalf of the course team,

Jill Slinger

Syllabus Content

The syllabus content comprises three sections: Sections A, B and C.

Section A describes the learning goals, prior knowledge, course materials, and rules of the game.

Section B gives a course outline and describes the assignments and grading. The recommended

route through the course is depicted in terms of required activities and the work load per week. A

speed route option (‘Binge MOOC’) is also described.

Section C provides details of the course content per week.


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SECTION A

A.1 Learning objectives

Building with Nature is a comprehensive engineering approach that seeks to enhance the use of

natural ecological processes to achieve efficient and sustainable hydraulic infrastructural designs. It

strives for a flexible integration of land in water and water in land using interactions and materials

present in nature (Waterman 2008). Through the course Engineering: Building with Nature 101x, you

will become familiar with this ecosystem-based design concept and its applications in water and

coastal systems. Our aim is that participants will learn both ecological and engineering principles, be

able to explain why they are important, and how they are applied in a number of case studies. We

will not cover whether hydraulic infrastructure should be built or not, nor will we deal with assessing

the impact of infrastructure on the natural environment. Instead, we will focus on how to design

hydraulic infrastructure taking ecosystem processes and materials into account.

Specifically, participants in the course Engineering: Building with Nature 101x will learn:

1. Basic engineering design principles, and basic ecological principles, relevant to the Building

with Nature approach

2.

How to assess which principles are applied in several case studies and so form your own

opinion on whether the hydraulic infrastructure is meeting engineering, ecosystem and

societal goals

3. How to apply your new knowledge in assessing the potential for Building with Nature

solutions where you live.

The structure of the course week-by-week is oriented to addressing learning objective 1 within the

first three weeks, learning objective 2 in weeks two to four, and learning objective 3 particularly in

weeks 4 and 5. In the last two weeks (weeks 4 and 5) course participants focus on designing Building

with Nature solutions and reviewing the designs of their peers.

A.2 Prior Knowledge

The course is intended to be accessible to many disciplines, for example engineers, ecologists, and

planners. Because we are teaching an integrated design approach, the material is conceptually

challenging, but the level of disciplinary knowledge required to complete the assignments is not high.

This choice is motivated by the desire on the part of the course development team that as many

people as possible are able to complete the course – gaining an understanding of how to integrateengineering design approaches with ecosystem requirements. The difficulty of the assignments and


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the grade allocation are designed to support this aim. All with an interest in ecosystem-based

engineering and an affinity for coastal and water systems are welcome! Experience in engineering

design or ecological consultancy is an advantage, but no prior MOOC training or diploma is required

for enrolment.

A.3 Course materials

The course materials consist in: short video lectures, quizzes, texts on the EdX platform,

questionnaires, case descriptions, six assignments, a peer review forming part of the last assignment,

and contributions on the world map and the discussion forum. There are also links to supplementary

material. This list of material (websites, additional readings, supplementary knowledge clips) is

compiled for those participants who would like to explore beyond what is required for this course

and its assignments.

A.4 Rules of the game

The participants in this MOOC have different backgrounds, different views on the value of nature,

and are at different stages in their career. We ask you to show respect for each other and to avoid

value judgements in your feedback to one other. We do not strive for a particular viewpoint in this

course, but seek to work respectfully and professionally with people holding a diversity of viewpoints

on hydraulic engineering and nature. This acceptance of multiple views lies at the heart of the

working successfully in multidisciplinary projects. We ask you to be analytical and helpful, especiallywhen participating in the discussion forum. We all can learn from each other, and we look forward to

many interesting discussions and learning moments.


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SECTION B

B.1 Course Outline

The week-by-week structure is listed per week below.

Week 1: Introduction to Building with Nature.

Introduction to the Building with Nature concept and its importance first through a few dramatic

examples, and then through a film by Dr. ir. Ronald Waterman, and short video lectures providing

both an engineering and an ecological perspective. Thereafter, participants complete the opinion

poll which forms Assignment 1. Opinions on the eco-friendliness of hydraulic engineering

infrastructures are shared and we explore the diversity of standpoints on nature amongst the MOOC

participants.

Week 2: Engineering design principles

The engineering design process is explained in a series of video lectures and the underlying principles

are distilled. Course participants familiarize themselves with the material first through the

classification exercises on hydraulic structures (Assignment 2.1), and then by evaluating the

application of the engineering design principles in a particular instance and motivating their analysis

(Assignment 2.2). There is ample room for discussion and knowledge exchange in the discussion

forum.

Week 3: Ecological design principles

Ecological building blocks and a wetland ecosystem classification are introduced via video lectures

and reading material. The concept of designing in accordance with ecological principles is explained

in a short video lecture. Course participants then identify different types of aquatic ecosystems in

terms of their form and functioning and assess the character of hydraulic infrastructures sited in such

systems (Assignment 3.1). They also evaluate the application of the ecological design principles in a

particular instance and motivate their analysis (Assignment 3.2).

Week 4: Integrated Building with Nature design

The integrated Building with Nature design process is explained and contrasted with the

conventional engineering design process in a short video lecture. A range of material on the iconic

Sand Engine on the South Holland coast is provided, and the BwN design assignment is demonstrated

using the Sand Engine as example case. Course participants then apply their new knowledge in

assessing the potential for Building with Nature solutions in one of 4 prepared case studies, or in

their locality. Design sketches are made, trade-offs in applying engineering and ecological principles

are explicated, and the opportunities for nature are clarified in part one of Assignment 4.

Week 5: Integrated design review

The peer review part of the Building with Nature Design assignment is undertaken in this week

(Assignment 4 part two). In particular, participants assess the coherence between the engineering

and ecosystem principles and the infrastructure designs proposed by three of their peer. In so doing,


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they learn to evaluate the extent to which hydraulic infrastructures meet engineering, ecological and

societal goals.

B.2 Assignments and Grading

There are six required assignments distributed over the five weeks of the course. In addition there

are a number of voluntary quizzes associated with the short video lectures, aiming to help

participants test their knowledge of important points from the videos. The course material also

includes a short questionnaire on views on nature and sustainability in the first week.

The table below details per assignment: the maximum grade allocation, the date on which the

assignments are released, the recommended submission date and the final deadline for assignment

submissions. Dates are written as dd/mm/yyyy.

The course uses a pass/fail structure. To pass the course you need to obtain at least 50% of the total

amount of points that can be earned.

Assignments, Grading and Deadlines

Wk Assignment Max.

Grade

Release Date

Recommended

Submission

Date

Final Deadline

1 1. Is this an example of Building with Nature? 10% 29/2/2016 7/3/2016 4/4/2016

2 2.1 Form, Function & Character of Hydraulic

Infrastructures

10% 29/2/2016 14/3/2016 4/4/2016

2.2 Engineering Design Principles 10% 29/2/2016 14/3/2016 4/4/2016

3 3.1 Form, Functioning of Wetland Ecosystems &

Ecological Character of Hydraulic Infrastructures

10% 29/2/2016 21/3/2016 4/4/2016

3.2 Ecological Design Principles 10% 29/2/2016 21/3/2016 4/4/2016

4, 5 4. Building with Nature Design Assignment 50% 14/3/2016 R*

: 29/3/2016P**: 4/4/2016

R*

: 4/4/2016P**: 8/4/2016

*R stands for ‘response’ which is your assignment. **P stands for the ‘peer reviews’ you have to

submit. Assignment 4 is not completed until you finish the peer reviews!


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B.3 Activities, Work Load Week-by-Week and the Speed Route

An overview of the activities that the week-by-week structure requires is provided in Figure 1. The

work load in week 1 is low for all course participants. Week 2 is easier for participants with an

engineering background, but not for participants from other backgrounds. Similarly, week 3 is easier

for participants with an ecology background but not for participants from other backgrounds. Week

4 is demanding for all participants and week 5 does not have a high work load but focusses on

consolidating the learning.

Because the distribution of the work load can vary according to participants ’ background knowledge,

we have chosen to allow participants to move through weeks 1 to 3 at their own pace. This means

that if a student wants to do weeks 1 and 2 quickly and take a little longer over week 3 they may do

so. Week 4 will open two weeks into the course, so that participants can either take longer over the

last assignment or can choose to finish the integrated design assignment quickly. The only potential

delay to a speed route through the course (‘Binge MOOC’) lies in the peer review component of the

last assignment. This can only occur when sufficient participants have submitted Assignment 4 part 1

so that the apportioning of peer review assignments can happen automatically.

Activities week-by-week


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SECTION C

C.1 Week 1: Building with Nature - An issue of Trade-offs

Knowledge clip introducing Building with Nature- a worldwide trend by Prof. Dr. Jill Slinger

o Many disastrous floods e.g. Sandy, Katrina, Ike have occurred in recent times. One

would expect people to look to conventional hydraulic solutions, as represented by

the Dutch Delta Plan, which was innovative for its time. BUT no! Newspaper clippings

reveal a search for nature-friendly or nature-enhancing solutions. Building with

Nature is a worldwide trend - the innovation of our time and the way of the future.

Knowledge clips for Perspectives on BwN

o A film from Dr. ir. Ronald Waterman explaining the Building with Nature concept, its

applications along the Dutch coast and in the deltas of the world

o An engineering perspective on Building with Nature by Dr. ir. Mark van Koningsveld

o An ecological perspective on Building with Nature by Dr. Bregje van Wesenbeeck

o Each knowledge clip is accompanied by one or two quiz questions so that course

participants can check whether they have grasped important points from the videos.

The quizzes are not graded.

Week 1 Assignment 1

o Opinion poll on whether hydraulic infrastructure is BwN or not, establishing the

range of participants’ opinions

o Required assignment forming 10% of the total grade

Survey/questionnaire on Worldviews with regard to nature

o

Identifying your own worldview

o Realizing and accepting there are other worldviews

Feedback and Discussion

o Feedback on Assignment 1

o

Moderated discussion forum


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C.2 Week 2: Engineering Design Principles

Knowledge clip on the engineering design process by Prof. Dr. Jill Slinger

o Material is adapted from Voorendt (2015) and Dym & Little (2004)

Knowledge clips demonstrating the design process by senior engineers

o Designing a storm surge barrier by ir. Ad van Toorn

o

Designing a dike by ir. Mark Voorendt

o

Each knowledge clip is accompanied by one or two quiz questions so that course



Distilling engineering design principles

o

Nine engineering design principles that determine the character of a hydraulic

structure are explained

Week 2 Assignment 2.1

o Identify the Form of an hydraulic structure from an image, next identify its Function

and finally its engineering Charactero Required assignment forming 10% of the total grade

Feedback and Discussion

o Feedback on Assignment 2.1

o Moderated discussion forum

Week 2 Assignment 2.2 as preparation for week 4

o Invitation to select case for week 4 Assignment 4

o Evaluating and motivating the engineering design principles applied to the hydraulic

infrastructure in an image

o Feedback on the assignment is provided

o

Required assignment, graded by self assessment, and forming 10% of the totalgrade


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C.3 Week 3: Ecological Design Principles

Knowledge clips on ecological building blocks

o Biodiversity by ecologist Dr. Bregje van Wesenbeeck

o Types of Ecosystem and Design by ecologist Dr. Bregje van Wesenbeeck

o Each knowledge clip is accompanied by one or two quiz questions so that course



Information on an international classification of wetland ecosystems – the primary places

that hydraulic infrastructures are sited

Distilling ecological design principles

o Eleven ecological design principles that determine the character of a hydraulic

structure are explained

o Do’s and Don’ts in terms of the inherent character and functioning of ecosystems

o Design principles that accord with ecosystem character and function

Week 3 Assignment 3.1

o Identify the Form of a wetland ecosystems from an image, next identify its

Functioning and finally its ecological Character

o

Required assignment forming 10% of the total grade Feedback and Discussion

o Feedback on Assignment 3.1


Week 3 Assignment 3.2 as preparation for week 4

o

Repeated invitation to select a case for week 4 Assignment 4

o Evaluating and motivating the ecological design principles applied to the hydraulic

infrastructure in an image

o Feedback on the assignment is provided

o Required assignment, graded by self assessment, and forming 10% of the total

grade


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C.4 Week 4: Integrated Building with Nature Design

Knowledge clip on the Building with Nature design process by Prof. Dr. Jill Slinger

o The integrated nature friendly Building with Nature design process is compared with

the conventional engineering design process.

o The knowledge clip is accompanied by one or two quiz questions so that course



Case material for the Sand Engine

o Films of the Sand Engine on the Dutch coast by Prof Marcel Stive and others

o

Supplementary case material to be studies and understood

o Knowledge clip on the first part of the Building with Nature Design Assignment in

which the application to the Sand Engine is illustrated by Prof. dr. Jill Slinger and ir.

Grace Nava Guerrero

Week 4 Assignment 4 (part 1)o Undertake an Integrated Building with Nature Design Assignment for a case study

selected out of 4 prepared cases or personally researched and selected.

o Demonstrate the ability to apply the H-E-principles to the case

o Submit the required BwN design assignment which forms 50% of the total grade

Discussion Forum


C.5 Week 5: Assessing BwN designs

Knowledge clip on peer assessment by ir. Grace Nava Guerrero

o You have made your own BwN design. Now how to following a particular review

process and constructively review the BwN design of other participants is explained.

Week 5 Assignment 4 (part 2)

o

Peer review of BwN student submissions

o Evaluate the coherence between the H-E-principles and the proposed BwN design

o Submit the required peer reviews as this means that you receive your grade for the

course.

Supplementary material on value sensitive design by Prof dr. Jeroen van den Hoven and Prof

dr. Ibo van der Poel

Discussion Forum


o Rounding off

This completes the detailed description of the course activities per week.


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Syllabus Building With Nature 101x

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