Innovation Sandpit
Overview
This unit provides students with the opportunity to collaborate across fundamentally different disciplines to apply a range of innovation methodologies, as they work on a real-world industry project. Students will engage in a series of creative, collaborative and practice-based studios. In teams, students will apply various innovation tools, research methods, prototyping activities and creative approaches to problem solving to unpack challenges, identify opportunities, and generate and develop solutions. They will propose innovative solutions to a complex challenge that considers technical, human, and economic implications.
Requisites
03-August-2025
Learning outcomes
Students who successfully complete this unit will be able to:
- Justify research methods relevant to understand, re-frame and inform a complex innovation challenge.
- Use creative problem-solving to explore ideas that address a real-world problem.
- Apply prototyping techniques to develop design solutions that balance technical, human and economic considerations.
- Use storytelling to articulate project outcomes using verbal and visual communication processes.
- Collaborate in diverse teams through engaging open mind-set, relevant communication tools and inclusive decision making.
- Discuss the challenges of managing innovation and creative processes in action.
Teaching methods
Hawthorn
| Activity Type | Activity | Total Hours | Number of Weeks | Hours Per Week |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| On-campus | Studio | 36 | 12 weeks | 3 |
| Specified Activities | Various | 48 | 12 weeks | 4 |
| Unspecified Activities | Independent Learning | 66 | 12 weeks | 5.5 |
| Total Hours: | 150 | Total Hours (per week): | 12.5 | |
Assessment
| Type | Task | Weighting | ULO's |
|---|---|---|---|
| Applied Project | Individual/Group | 50% | 1,2,3,4,5 |
| Presentation | Individual/Group | 20% | 4 |
| Reflective Journal | Individual | 30% | 1,2,3,5,6 |
Content
This unit may include:
- Tools and methods for innovation practice
- Creative problem solving, user-centered design and empathy
- Prototyping techniques and user testing
- Co-creation
- Evaluation of innovation opportunities and outcomes
- Approaches to interdisciplinary collaboration and project management
- Managing innovation
- Communication and presentation techniques
- Narrative and storytelling
- Emotional intelligence and team dynamics
- Graduate Attribute – Communication Skills: Verbal communication
- Graduate Attribute – Communication Skills: Communicating using different media
- Graduate Attribute – Teamwork Skills: Collaboration and negotiation and processes
- Graduate Attribute – Digital Literacies: Information literacy
Study resources
Reading materials
A list of reading materials and/or required textbooks will be available in the Unit Outline on Canvas.