INNOVATE 100/100G : Innovation through Design
Business and Economics
2025 Semester One (1253) (15 POINTS)
Course Prescription
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 process. Students from different disciplines work individually and in teams on everyday and "wicked" problems, defining needs and problems from which to to create solutions, interventions, and new approaches to improve societal situations, identify beginnings of a product, or create a compelling digital experience. The course uses an experiential approach to user-centered innovation. Students have access to a wide variety of maker space equipment and digital tools, allowing iteration through stages of prototyping to understand how product and service innovations address user needs, and provide for greater understanding of user feedback.
The course introduces research and practice based frameworks and methodologies (including user centred design and LEGO serious play.) Sustainable innovation is foundational to the course, including understanding and building upon the UN Sustainable Development Goals.
Capabilities Developed in this Course
| Capability 2: | Sustainability |
| Capability 3: | Knowledge and Practice |
| Capability 5: | Solution Seeking |
| Capability 6: | Communication |
| Capability 7: | Collaboration |
Learning Outcomes
- Propose innovative and entrepreneurial solutions to contemporary societal and environmental challenges (Capability 2 and 5)
- Work collaboratively and efficiently in a group to unveil user needs and insights and develop creative solutions to tackle these needs (Capability 7)
- Apply design thinking tools and empathy to better define problems and use ideation and problem-solving techniques to create multiple solutions to such problems (Capability 3 and 5)
- Develop a range of innovations using human centered design and/or other innovation tools and frameworks and learn how to prototype, test and effectively communicate the characteristics of these innovations in multiple formats (e.g., visual/graphic, writing and oral) (Capability 6.1 and 6.2)
Assessments
| Assessment Type | Percentage | Classification |
|---|---|---|
| Prototyping Tools and Innovation Workshops | 12% | Individual Coursework |
| Team Innovation Project and Presentation | 28% | Group Coursework |
| Classmate Innovation Challenge | 25% | Individual Coursework |
| Individual Innovation Challenge | 35% | Individual Coursework |
| 4 types | 100% |
| Assessment Type | Learning Outcome Addressed | |||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | |||||||
| Prototyping Tools and Innovation Workshops | ||||||||||
| Team Innovation Project and Presentation | ||||||||||
| Classmate Innovation Challenge | ||||||||||
| Individual Innovation Challenge | ||||||||||
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 live, online, or recorded one-hour lecture each week, two hours of readings/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 somewhat 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 and participation 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
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.
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
Academic Integrity
The University of Auckland will not tolerate cheating, or assisting others to cheat, and views cheating in coursework, tests and examinations 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. A student's assessed work may be reviewed against electronic source material using computerised detection mechanisms. Upon reasonable request, students may be required to provide an electronic version of their work for computerised review.
Class Representatives
Class representatives are students tasked with representing student issues to departments, faculties, and the wider university. If you have a complaint about this course, please contact your class rep who will know how to raise it in the right channels. See your departmental noticeboard for contact details for your class reps.
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.