Overview

This unit aims to develop a creative and innovative mindset in candidates who enrol on the PhD program at Swinburne University of Technology. Students will be able to apply creative thinking and approaches to their research and create innovative outputs which are meaningful to the world. Students will be encouraged to challenge what is widely accepted as the norm or the standard and question and look for ways of improving things within their research.

Requisites

Teaching periods
Location
Start and end dates
Last self-enrolment date
Census date
Last withdraw without fail date
Results released date
Term 2
Location
Hawthorn
Start and end dates
14-April-2025
01-June-2025
Last self-enrolment date
14-April-2025
Census date
02-May-2025
Last withdraw without fail date
09-May-2025
Results released date
08-July-2025
Term 4
Location
Hawthorn
Start and end dates
22-September-2025
02-November-2025
Last self-enrolment date
22-September-2025
Census date
10-October-2025
Last withdraw without fail date
17-October-2025
Results released date
09-December-2025

Learning outcomes

Students who successfully complete this unit will be able to:

  • Critically evaluate mindsets that stimulate and inhibit creativity and innovation in individuals, teams and organisations
  • Apply coherent and advanced knowledge of the types and roles of innovation in research
  • Critically analyse the relationship between creativity, innovation and entrepreneurship and how it influences research impact
  • Work collaboratively in multidisciplinary teams and function as an effective member and/or leader to enhance research productivity
  • Communicate proficiently in professional practice to a variety of audiences and use the tools and practices of creativity and innovation within project work

Teaching methods

Hawthorn

Type Hours per week Number of weeks Total (number of hours)
Specified Learning Activities (Phasing out)
Various		1.00 4 weeks 4
Online Contact (Phasing out)
Collaboration		1.42 12 weeks 17
Unspecified Learning Activities (Phasing out)
Individual Study		1.25 12 weeks 15
Unspecified Learning Activities (Phasing out)
Independent Learning		9.50 12 weeks 114
TOTAL150

Assessment

Type Task Weighting ULO's
PortfolioIndividual 100% 1,2,3,4,5 

Content

  • Mindset – creativity in the researcher
  • What is creativity and innovation – the need for creativity, invention and innovation
  • Sources and barriers to creativity and innovation
  • Creativity tools
  • Creative thinking and idea generation
  • Entrepreneurial mindset
  • Strategic foresight
  • Behaviour – creativity and innovation in research
  • Design Thinking part 1
  • Innovation in research
  • Types/dimensions of innovation
  • Organisational culture, collaboration and entrepreneurship
  • Finding new applications and audiences
  • Application – application of the innovation in the research
  • Trends, ecosystems and scenarios
  • Commercialisation of research
  • Intellectual Property and research
  • Design thinking part 2

Study resources

Reading materials

A list of reading materials and/or required textbooks will be available in the Unit Outline on Canvas.