Designing Industry-Specific Assignments

Overview

Students perform an industry-specific task in which they practice using specialized software in a realistic and fun way.

Why Use This?

This assignment gives students hands-on experience conducting a task that is often required in their professional field—in this case, a life cycle analysis commonly conducted in sustainability professions. Students can apply this experience in future courses and the real world, whether in an interview or on the job.

How Does It Work?

In this assignment, students conduct a life cycle analysis (LCA) in which they use specialized software to compare the environmental impact of two different recipes. The software, its accompanying tutorials, and a database necessary for the assignment are made available on a remote virtual computer, called the Virtual Lab, which is set up and maintained by the IT department. This way, students can log in to the Virtual Lab and use the software without installing it on their computers, making it more convenient and accessible to use.

Keep In Mind

If you are requiring the use of specialized software, ensure you have an equitable and accessible way for students to use the software, such as a remote virtual computer.
If you’d like to develop a similar assignment and utilize a virtual computer to host software for students, check with your IT department (or any other departments) well ahead of when your course will launch to learn more about the technology and its possibilities.

Testimonial

Dr. Holly calls LCA (life cycle analysis) “a critical tool for sustainable managers to quantify the environmental impact of processes and products.” He explains this concept further in one of his course videos:

“Over the past 20 years, life cycle assessment has grown from an academic exercise to an accepted decision-making tool for sustainable management. LCA is used by large companies and entire industries…to develop sustainable products and to quantify emissions and natural resource use to stakeholders and consumers…lifecycle inventories include thousands of calculations and require LCA software to complete.” (MSMGT 785, Unit 3 Introduction).

Michael Holly, PhD, Associate Professor, UW-Green Bay