Duration
Life Cycle Assessment & Ecodesign : 18h Th
Sustainable Business Models : a Serious Game : 12h Th
Number of credits
Lecturer
Life Cycle Assessment & Ecodesign : Andrea Di Maria, Angélique Léonard
Sustainable Business Models : a Serious Game : Virginie Xhauflair
Coordinator
Language(s) of instruction
English language
Organisation and examination
Teaching in the second semester
Schedule
Units courses prerequisite and corequisite
Prerequisite or corequisite units are presented within each program
Learning unit contents
Life Cycle Assessment & Ecodesign
This course is part of the new competency development pathway in sustainability organized by HEC Liège. It is integrated with the course "Sustainable Business Models: A Serious Game.
For the first block of the master's program, students are required to select and complete only one of the following three thematic courses, all of which are taught concurrently:
- Sustainable Finance
- Reporting and Metrics for Sustainability
- Life Cycle Management
The thematic knowledge is assessed at the end of the chosen thematic course.
This course, given in English, presents the Life Cycle Assessment methodology (LCA), allowing to evaluate the environmental impact of a process, product, service, following a 'cradle to grave' approach. The LCA related environmental communication is also considered (Environmental Product Declarations, ecolabels, ...).
It combines theoretical courses, case studies, software demonstrations and the participation to the serious game.
The course is structured as follows:
Introduction to environmental impacts and LCA
- Description of environmental indicators
- Presentation of standards related to the realisation of an ACV
- Environmental communication
- LCA and ecodesign
- Social LCA and Life Cycle Costing
- Case studies
- Introduction to one LCA software
Sustainable Business Models : a Serious Game
ChocoMission is an immersive serious game focused on the sustainable transformation of business models.
Working in teams and taking on complementary management roles, students collectively lead a Belgian chocolate company through a sustainability transition. They make strategic decisions related to corporate purpose, governance, financing and cocoa sourcing, while considering their economic, social and environmental consequences.
ChocoMission constitutes Part B (2 ECTS) of an integrated 5-ECTS sustainability course. Part A (3 ECTS) consists of one of three thematic courses: TECH2002, FINA9030 or GEST7106.
Learning outcomes of the learning unit
Life Cycle Assessment & Ecodesign
At the end of the course, the student will be able to
- understand and explain most of environmental indicators usually assessed;
- show his/her understanding of GHG accounting methods, including the meaning of the so-called scope 1, scope 2, scope 3;
- show his/her understanding and his/her knowledge of the LCA methodology and related standards;
- to explain the advantages, potential applications, and limitations of this methodology;
- to understand and interpret the results of an LCA study;
- to explain the environmental communication concept, in particular EPDs;
- to understand the life cycle costing approach as well as social LCA approach;
- to explain the ecodesign approach;
- to realize a basic LCA study on the basis on data available in demo cases.
Sustainable Business Models : a Serious Game
At the end of ChocoMission, students will be able to:
- analyse complex business decisions from a systemic sustainability perspective;
- identify and navigate trade-offs between economic, social and environmental objectives;
- mobilise sustainability concepts and tools to support management decisions;
- develop and justify collective decisions under uncertainty;
- critically reflect on decisions, their consequences and the decision-making process.
Prerequisite knowledge and skills
Life Cycle Assessment & Ecodesign
Bachelor level scientific background.
Sustainable Business Models : a Serious Game
ChocoMission is Part B (2 ECTS) of a 5-ECTS sustainability course.
Part A (3 ECTS) consists of one of the following thematic courses:
- TECH2002
- FINA9030
- GEST7106
Both Part A and Part B are compulsory and must be passed independently with a minimum grade of 10/20. There is no compensation between the two partims.
Planned learning activities and teaching methods
Life Cycle Assessment & Ecodesign
The course is based on 'ex-cathedra' lectures, software demo sessions, personal searches.
Sustainable Business Models : a Serious Game
ChocoMission combines a team-based serious game with individual and collective reflective activities.
Students:
- explore multimedia and documentary resources;
- complete individual and team activities;
- negotiate and make strategic decisions in teams;
- respond to situations affecting their business model;
- participate in collective post-game reflection and debriefing;
- complete an individual post-game questionnaire;
- prepare a reflective team report.
Mode of delivery (face to face, distance learning, hybrid learning)
Life Cycle Assessment & Ecodesign
Face-to-face course
Further information:
Face-to-face lectures. Some lessons will be recorded if needed.
Sustainable Business Models : a Serious Game
Face-to-face course
Further information:
ChocoMission is delivered in person and played in teams using a dedicated digital interface.
The learning experience combines resource exploration, role play, individual and collective decision-making, negotiation and reflective activities.
Participation in all activities identified as compulsory is required.
Course materials and recommended or required readings
Life Cycle Assessment & Ecodesign
Platform(s) used for course materials:
- eCampus
- LOL@
Further information:
Slides used during the lectures may be downloaded from eCampus and Lol@.
Life Cycle Assessment & Ecodesign
Exam(s) in session
Any session
- In-person
written exam ( multiple-choice questionnaire )
Further information:
This course constitutes Part A (3 ECTS) of an integrated 5-ECTS sustainability course. Part B (2 ECTS) - ChocoMission is common to students enrolled in TECH2002, FINA9030 and GEST7106 and provides an integrative serious-game experience in which students mobilise knowledge, concepts and tools acquired in Part A.
Both Part A and Part B are compulsory and must be passed independently with a minimum grade of 10/20. There is no compensation between the two partims. When both partims are passed, the final grade is calculated as follows: Part A: 60%; Part B: 40%.
An absence preventing assessment of either partim results in an overall Absent status for the course for the corresponding examination session.
A grade of 10/20 or above obtained for either partim in the first examination session is retained for the second session. Carry-over of a successfully completed partim from one academic year to the next must be requested by the student from the professor responsible for that partim and approved by that professor.
The learning activities, assessment arrangements and organizational requirements specific to Part B are described in the ChocoMission course description. Assessment arrangements specific to Part A are described below.
For Part A, the evaluation is based on multiple choice questions (choice between 4 answers, +1 if correct answer, 0 if omission, -0.33 if wrong answer).
Sustainable Business Models : a Serious Game
Written work / report
Other : Simulation integrated assessment
Further information:
Part B - ChocoMission
Assessment of ChocoMission is based on:
- participation in all compulsory game and debriefing activities;
- completion of the individual post-game questionnaire;
- submission of the team report;
- the quality of the analysis and reflection demonstrated in the report and post-game activities.
A minimum grade of 10/20 reflects satisfactory achievement of the learning outcomes. Higher grades reflect the quality and depth of the analysis, the ability to identify trade-offs and interdependencies, the appropriate mobilization of sustainability concepts, and active and reflective engagement in the debriefing activities.
Articulation with Part A and final grade
Both partims must be passed independently:
- Part A (3 ECTS): minimum 10/20
- Part B - ChocoMission (2 ECTS): minimum 10/20
When both partims are passed, the final grade for the 5-ECTS course is calculated as follows:
- Part A: 60%
- Part B: 40%
Second examination session
A grade of 10/20 or above obtained for either partim in the first examination session is retained for the second session. Students only retake the partim that they failed or for which they could not be assessed.
For Part B, a ChocoMission game session is organised during the second examination session. Students participate in the game and debriefing activities in teams, as in the first session.
However, assessment is more individualised: students complete the individual post-game questionnaire and submit an individual reflective and analytical report, instead of the team report required in the first session. The report requires students to critically analyse the decisions and trade-offs encountered during ChocoMission and explicitly connect them with relevant concepts and tools from their sustainability course.
The minimum passing grade remains 10/20.
Carry-over between academic years
A Part A or Part B grade of 10/20 or above may be retained from one academic year to the next. Such carry-over is not automatic: students must request it from the professor responsible for the relevant partim, and the request must be approved by that professor.
Students whose carry-over has been approved are only required to complete the partim that has not yet been passed.
Work placement(s)
Organisational remarks and main changes to the course
Life Cycle Assessment & Ecodesign
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Sustainable Business Models : a Serious Game
The schedule of ChocoMission activities will be available on CELCAT.
Several time slots will be displayed on CELCAT. Students will be required to register for the specific ChocoMission sessions they will attend among the available time slots. Detailed registration instructions, team allocation, practical information and assessment deadlines will be communicated on Lola in due time, before the ChocoMission sessions.
Registration for the required sessions and participation in all compulsory game and debriefing activities are required.
Students are responsible for completing the individual questionnaire and submitting the required report within the communicated deadlines.
Contacts
Life Cycle Assessment & Ecodesign
Prof. Angélique LEONARD
A.Leonard@uliege.be
Dpt of Chemical Engineering
PEPs - Products, Environment, Processes
Quartier Agora
Institut de Physique, B5a, Room 1/51 and 1/53
Dr. Andrea Di Maria
Gembloux Agro-Bio Tech - Université de Liège
TERRA Teaching and Research Centre : Biosystems Dynamics and Exchanges
Avenue de la Faculté d'Agronomie 8
5030 Gembloux, Belgium
andrea.dimaria@uliege.be
Sustainable Business Models : a Serious Game
Professor Virginie Xhauflair v.xhauflair@uliege.be
in collaboration with HEC Liège SLab
Bruno Gemenne bruno.gemenne@uliege.be
Teaching Assistants
- Yasmin Tabit
- Isaline Thirion