Course syllabus for Digital tools for sustainable business development

Course syllabus adopted 2025-02-06 by Head of Programme (or corresponding).

Overview

  • Swedish nameDigitala verktyg för hållbar affärsutveckling
  • CodeACE645
  • Credits3 Credits
  • OwnerTAFFS
  • Education cycleFirst-cycle
  • Main field of studyCivil and Environmental Engineering
  • DepartmentARCHITECTURE AND CIVIL ENGINEERING
  • GradingUG - Pass, Fail

Course round 1

  • Teaching language Swedish
  • Application code 60123
  • Maximum participants70
  • Open for exchange studentsNo
  • Only students with the course round in the programme overview.

Credit distribution

0125 Project 3 c
Grading: UG		3 c

In programmes

Examiner

Go to coursepage (Opens in new tab)

Eligibility

General entry requirements for bachelor's level (first cycle)
Applicants enrolled in a programme at Chalmers where the course is included in the study programme are exempted from fulfilling the requirements above.

Specific entry requirements

The same as for the programme that owns the course.
Applicants enrolled in a programme at Chalmers where the course is included in the study programme are exempted from fulfilling the requirements above.

Aim

The course aims to introduce students to digital tools and their application in sustainable business development within the construction and real estate sectors. The goal is to enhance students' ability to identify and utilize relevant digital tools to support project management, business development, and sustainability goals through practical applications and group work. The course also provides an opportunity to develop skills in collaboration, critical thinking, and decision-making in complex scenarios.

Learning outcomes (after completion of the course the student should be able to)

  1. Identify appropriate digital tools for various phases of business development projects in the construction and real estate sector, with a focus on their contribution to sustainability goals.
  2. Critically assess the advantages and limitations of digital tools in real business contexts and propose solutions based on incomplete or ambiguous information.
  3. Understand and apply fundamental principles of project management, including planning, organization, and teamwork within the framework of sustainable business development, and thereby synthesize results and present solutions both orally and in writing.
  4. Collaborate and communicate effectively in teams, demonstrating an understanding of the various roles within a project group of diverse composition, with a focus on equality, non-discrimination, and diversity (EDI).

Content

The course focuses on the role of digitalization in driving sustainable and business-oriented projects within construction and real estate development. Through lectures and workshops, students are introduced to various digital tools. Students work in groups to simulate business development projects, where they analyze and propose digital tools and linking these to sustainability goals. The course structure includes both theoretical and practical elements, emphasizing the application of learning through concrete case studies and reports.

Organisation

To fulfil the intended learning outcomes, the students will be assessed and examined through the following TLAs.
  1. Lectures (for theoretical understanding) and Workshops (for practical application):
    • Lecture: Introduce core concepts of digital tools and their applications in sustainability and business development.
    • Workshop: Hands-on sessions where students experiment with various digital tools and apply them to their group project scenarios.
  2. Group Project:
    • Students will be divided into groups and then simulate a business development project, where they choose a real-life or fictional case of a construction project.
    • The group work is finalised in a report that outlines a strategy for which digital tools to implement in their chosen cases.
  3. Peer Presentations:
    • Students present their findings to their classmates and teachers to enhance communication skills and peer learning.
Students are divided into groups, where each group will simulate a business development project. The task involves proposing which digital tools should be used in their chosen project and how these tools contribute to achieving various sustainability goals.

The course is structured with lectures and workshops. The lectures introduce different digital tools, which students then get to explore, experiment with, and begin applying to their respective fictional cases in the subsequent workshops.

Literature

See the course website for current literature and information.

Examination including compulsory elements

To achieve a passing grade in the course, students must fulfill attendance requirements for all mandatory sessions and successfully complete the project assignment. The chosen grading scale for the course is Pass/Fail.

The ILOs are assessed as follows:
  • Written Report: A group report describing the project and discussing the use of digital tools in relation to sustainability goals.
  • Oral Presentation: Students present their findings in new group constellations (mixed groups focusing on different phases of the project).
  • Teamwork Evaluation: Informal checks through active workshop participation.

The course examiner may assess individual students in other ways than what is stated above if there are special reasons for doing so, for example if a student has a decision from Chalmers about disability study support.