INNOVATE 100G : Innovation through Design

Business and Economics

2021 Semester One (1213) (15 POINTS)

Course Prescription

Introduces design thinking and develops a user-centred approach to innovation, emphasising the importance of a deep understanding of user needs throughout an iterative ideation and prototyping process. Utilising the maker space at the Unleash Space and a range of digital tools, students will develop practical making and early stage prototyping skills.

Course Overview

Utilising a combination of lectures, learning activities, and workshops in the Unleash Space (https://www.cie.auckland.ac.nz/unleash-space/) students learn to develop user empathy in order to create solutions and gain additional insights into the innovation.  Students from different disciplines work individually and in teams can easily converge, and a variety of maker space tools, our aim is to introduce you to a user-centered approach to innovation. The course uses an experiential approach, and a variety of maker space and digital tools, allowing students to iterate through stages of prototyping to understand how product and service innovations address can user needs, and provide for greater understanding of user feedback.

The course introduces research and practice based frameworks and methodologies including design thinking and LEGO serious play.  Sustainable innovation is foundational to the course, including understanding and building upon the UN Sustainable Development Goals.

Course Requirements

No pre-requisites or restrictions

Capabilities Developed in this Course

Capability 1: Disciplinary Knowledge and Practice
Capability 2: Critical Thinking
Capability 3: Solution Seeking
Capability 4: Communication and Engagement
Capability 5: Independence and Integrity
Graduate Profile: University

Learning Outcomes

By the end of this course, students will be able to:
  1. Create early stage prototypes to explore user needs and capture human-centred insights that help you define and redefine a problem that matters for your users. (Capability 1, 3, 4 and 5)
  2. Reflect on each iteration of the Empathize-Define-Ideate process to decide what questions were answered and what new questions or new ideas should be explored through subsequent iterations. (Capability 2, 3 and 4)
  3. Learn and develop awareness of tools and techniques that can be used to visualise and prototype to communicate and learn about the solutions you propose. (Capability 1, 3 and 5)
  4. Learn and apply innovation processes built upon design thinking and other key research and practice informed design and innovation methodologies. (Capability 1, 2, 3 and 4)
  5. Understand and apply the concepts and practice of user empathy and its role in the innovation process to meet needs to humans in society, the products they use and choose to support, and the challenges faced on the planet.

Assessments

Assessment Type Percentage Classification
Coursework and Workshop Tutorials 80% Group & Individual Coursework
Prototyping Tools Workshops 20% Individual Coursework
Assessment Type Learning Outcome Addressed
1 2 3 4 5
Coursework and Workshop Tutorials
Prototyping Tools Workshops

Workload Expectations

This course is a standard 15-point course and students are expected to spend 10 hours per week involved in each 15 point course that they are enrolled in.

For this course, you can expect a one-hour lecture each week, two hours of reading/videos/podcasts along with assimilating/applying the content, six hours of work on assignments, including training on key prototyping tools.  Additionally, you'll spend 2 hours during four weeks of the semester participating in the Unleash Space experiential workshop tutorials.   A lot of your time will be making prototypes to be used to interact with users and writing up your learning from those interactions, along with preparing video submissions that capture and summarise the work created, your insights that underlie the work, and identifying improvements and next steps.

Expect to work consistently from Week 1, with a slightly heavier workload in the 4 weeks that include in-person 2 hour experiential workshops in the Unleash Space

Due to the experiential nature of the course, attendance at class sessions is strongly encouraged and attendance at workshop tutorials is required.   

Delivery Mode

Campus Experience

Attendance is expected at scheduled activities such as lectures.  Attendance is required at the workshop tutorials held throughout the semester in the Unleash Space as an integral part of this course, supporting the associated experiential learning, to receive credit for these activities.


Lectures will be available as recordings. Other learning activities including workshop tutorials will not be available as recordings.


The course may include live online events including lectures, group discussions or tutorials, particularly in response to COVID-19 or other disruptions.

The activities for the course are scheduled as a  weekly timetable with 4 experiential learning tutorials throughout the semester.

Learning Resources

There is no textbook for this course.  You’ll be expected to read/watch/listen to the materials provided on Canvas to prepare for class, complete assignments, and complete trainings for tools and resources.

Student Feedback

At the end of every semester students will be invited to give feedback on the course and teaching through a tool called SET or Qualtrics. The lecturers and course co-ordinators will consider all feedback and respond with summaries and actions.

Your feedback helps teachers to improve the course and its delivery for future students.

Class Representatives in each class can take feedback to the department and faculty staff-student consultative committees.

Other Information

This class Is made up of weekly lectures held in a lecture theatre and experiential workshop tutorials run in the Unleash Space (Building 402, 20 Symonds Street)

As an experiential workshop-based course, there are no lecture recordings or remote learning access for the workshop tutorials. Therefore, this course is not suitable for registration by students overseas.

Digital Resources

Course materials are made available in a learning and collaboration tool called Canvas which also includes reading lists and lecture recordings (where available).

Please remember that the recording of any class on a personal device requires the permission of the instructor.

Academic Integrity

The University of Auckland will not tolerate cheating, or assisting others to cheat, and views cheating in coursework as a serious academic offence. The work that a student submits for grading must be the student's own work, reflecting their learning. Where work from other sources is used, it must be properly acknowledged and referenced. This requirement also applies to sources on the internet. A student's assessed work may be reviewed against online source material using computerised detection mechanisms.

Inclusive Learning

All students are asked to discuss any impairment related requirements privately, face to face and/or in written form with the course coordinator, lecturer or tutor.

Student Disability Services also provides support for students with a wide range of impairments, both visible and invisible, to succeed and excel at the University. For more information and contact details, please visit the Student Disability Services’ website http://disability.auckland.ac.nz

Special Circumstances

If your ability to complete assessed coursework is affected by illness or other personal circumstances outside of your control, contact a member of teaching staff as soon as possible before the assessment is due.

If your personal circumstances significantly affect your performance, or preparation, for an exam or eligible written test, refer to the University’s aegrotat or compassionate consideration page https://www.auckland.ac.nz/en/students/academic-information/exams-and-final-results/during-exams/aegrotat-and-compassionate-consideration.html.

This should be done as soon as possible and no later than seven days after the affected test or exam date.

Learning Continuity

In the event of an unexpected disruption we undertake to maintain the continuity and standard of teaching and learning in all your courses throughout the year. If there are unexpected disruptions the University has contingency plans to ensure that access to your course continues and your assessment is fair, and not compromised. Some adjustments may need to be made in emergencies. You will be kept fully informed by your course co-ordinator, and if disruption occurs you should refer to the University Website for information about how to proceed.

Student Charter and Responsibilities

The Student Charter assumes and acknowledges that students are active participants in the learning process and that they have responsibilities to the institution and the international community of scholars. The University expects that students will act at all times in a way that demonstrates respect for the rights of other students and staff so that the learning environment is both safe and productive. For further information visit Student Charter https://www.auckland.ac.nz/en/students/forms-policies-and-guidelines/student-policies-and-guidelines/student-charter.html.

Disclaimer

Elements of this outline may be subject to change. The latest information about the course will be available for enrolled students in Canvas.

In this course you may be asked to submit your coursework assessments digitally. The University reserves the right to conduct scheduled tests and examinations for this course online or through the use of computers or other electronic devices. Where tests or examinations are conducted online remote invigilation arrangements may be used. The final decision on the completion mode for a test or examination, and remote invigilation arrangements where applicable, will be advised to students at least 10 days prior to the scheduled date of the assessment, or in the case of an examination when the examination timetable is published.

Published on 07/12/2020 09:16 a.m.