DFM Practice: Innovation & Interdisciplinary Collaboration 2
36 hours per semester
One Semester or equivalent
Hawthorn
Available to incoming Study Abroad and Exchange students
Overview
This unit extends learnings from DDD80012 DFM Toolbox: Innovation & Interdisciplinary Collaboration 1 and aims to provide students the opportunity to collaborate with fundamentally different disciplines to design innovative, research-led solutions for complex, real-world problems. Applying critical thinking to solve research problems provided by external partners, student teams will work under supervision of academic staff. Students are expected to operate with high levels of self-direction, personal responsibility and commitment to inclusive teamwork philosophies.
Requisites
Teaching periods
Location
Start and end dates
Last self-enrolment date
Census date
Last withdraw without fail date
Results released date
Semester 2
Location
Hawthorn
Start and end dates
04-August-2025
02-November-2025
02-November-2025
Last self-enrolment date
17-August-2025
Census date
31-August-2025
Last withdraw without fail date
19-September-2025
Results released date
09-December-2025
Learning outcomes
Students who successfully complete this unit will be able to:
- Rationalise and apply theoretical concepts and research methods relevant to understand, re-frame and inform creative problem solving for a complex problem
- Apply judgement to synthesise different prototyping innovation techniques to develop design solutions that balance technical, human and economic considerations
- Support an innovation culture through inclusive decision making, open mind-set and empathetic approaches to collaboration activities
- Curate tangible design proposals within time constraints and rationalise the value and innovation of the response to a research problem
- Justify project outcomes effectively at different stages of project development using a range of communication techniques
- Rationalise and implement appropriate project management and communication tools for collaboration
- Critique and engage relevant stakeholder management techniques
Teaching methods
Hawthorn
| Type | Hours per week | Number of weeks | Total (number of hours) |
|---|---|---|---|
| Face to Face Contact (Phasing out) Studio | 3.00 | 12 weeks | 36 |
| Specified Learning Activities (Phasing out) Various | 5.00 | 12 weeks | 60 |
| Unspecified Learning Activities (Phasing out) Independent Learning | 4.50 | 12 weeks | 54 |
| TOTAL | 150 |
Assessment
| Type | Task | Weighting | ULO's |
|---|---|---|---|
| Project | Group | 50% | 1,2,4,5,7 |
| Project Presentation | Group | 20% | 4,5,7 |
| Reflection | Group | 30% | 3,6 |
Content
- Innovation culture, low hierarchy, mind-set and language
- Prototyping techniques for creative problem solving
- Divergent and convergent thinking
- Interdisciplinary teamwork and self-awareness
- Innovation tools and design thinking processes
- Co-creation, empathy and inclusive collaboration approaches
- Iterative design development and user testing processes
- Low hierarchy and project management practices
- Value proposition and business model canvas tools
- Ethical and responsible conduct
- Design research strategies
- Professional project documentation and presentation techniques
- Stakeholder management techniques
Study resources
Reading materials
A list of reading materials and/or required textbooks will be available in the Unit Outline on Canvas.