LD6045 - Design for Innovation

You will learn through a model that combines access to industry-leading technical and academic knowledge base, online support and engagement with your module tutors. This learning model is designed to enable you to rapidly develop new skills and knowledge and apply them to technical challenges related to design thinking and innovation.

As such a mixture of lectures and lab based practical workshop sessions will be delivered and supported by on-line learning materials and activities. Lectures will be used to introduce the key topics (e.g. design thinking) and using a research led approach. These lectures will be followed by practical lab-based workshop activities in which you will apply the methods, techniques and frameworks related prototyping. You will be given real world scenarios of business problem to test your theoretical knowledge and to perform lab activities. Thus, you will very much use ‘learn by doing’ approach in this module. You will have opportunities to engage in discussions with your peers as well as your tutor.

An initial workshop will introduce you to the module, assessment and core topics in design in innovation. Subsequent to this you will be guided through a range of subject specific topics delivered over the period of the module. Key messages from these sessions will also be available by online learning materials including video/podcast to support your learning outside of the classroom.

In order to develop your capacity and confidence as an effective learner, you will engage in directed learning. This will be supported by tutor-guided activities reflected in a learning plan, including prompted reading, activities to undertake and questions to address. However, you will also extend to advanced independent study which entails reading beyond the learning materials/reading list provided, and reflecting on its potential relevance for your own development.

The virtual learning environment will be used to encourage individual and group contributions to debate on key topics and issues in design thinking and innovation. Materials and discussion group work will be available on the e-learning portal to support and engage you. To support and embed the learning, provide the opportunity for reflection, and encourage effective communication, you will engage in discussion forums via the University’s e-Learning platform. This will include posing and answering topic specific questions posed by the tutor and peer group and providing peer group formative feedback. You will also be encouraged to use email and discussion board tool to clarify issues.

For those of you completing your studies in part time mode your work experience will form a significant element of your learning. This will include weekly directed activities outlined in the module learning plan. These activities will enable reflection on learning from taught sessions and subsequent application through research into practice. Your tutors will use these activities as a key element of discussion during the taught sessions and feedback review meetings.

A range of approaches are adopted to accelerate your learning in this module.

During the first week of this module, you will receive information about the module and Teaching & Learning Plan. The teaching and learning plan (TLP) sets out
• Learning outcomes and overall module and programme aims
• Teaching, learning and assessment strategy
• Teaching schedule
• Directed reading references (text and journals) and core texts for the module
• References to data sources and details of lab activities

Further supporting your learning journey, the first session of this module will discuss the rational and learning objectives of this module and how it contributes to your overall programme goals. The formative and summative assessment strategy will be outlined as will a refresher on key academic skills and resources critical to your success as a learner on this module. This session will also be available as a video/podcast for further reinforcement.

During this module, your module tutor will provide academic support including:
• Delivering practical lab based workshops using frameworks such as design thinking and related prototyping tools such as Adobe XD or similar
• Providing guidance in relation to assignments
• Development of key resources, made available through the VLE
• Assessing assignments and assessing or reviewing any other agreed summative or formative outputs as appropriate

E-Reading Lists
The module will also have an e-reading list which directs learners to specific reading for each session. This includes direct access to repositories, journal articles and other academic sources. You will also be provided with access to a significant set academic research sources via the Northumbria University library portal.

You will also have opportunities to receive formative feedback from your tutor in response to opinions you express and issues you raise during workshop sessions and face-to-face or online tutorials. These formative feedback sessions are formally scheduled at key points throughout the module.

All modules at Northumbria include a range of reading materials that students are expected to engage with. Online reading lists (provided after enrolment) give you access to your reading material for your modules. The Library works in partnership with your module tutors to ensure you have access to the material that you need.

Knowledge & Understanding:
1. Critical appraisal of design thinking methods and techniques in an applied innovation context.
2. Critically apply a range of appropriate design thinking methods, tools and techniques to create innovative digital solution.

Intellectual / Professional Skills & Abilities:
3. Demonstrate critical ability to generate innovative idea for sustainable competitive advantage.

Personal Values Attributes (Global / Cultural awareness, Ethics, Curiosity) (PVA):
4. Apply creativity to generate innovative digital solutions.

This module uses a subject-based assessment approach, encouraging or directly enabling you to bring your career context or learning experience into the module.

Formative Assessment
Formative assessment of your practical skills, knowledge and understanding of design thinking in an applied innovation context, as demonstrated in your submitted assignments, is a key component of the assessment strategy. It forms an integral part of the formal scheduled teaching programme utilising lectures and practical labs to enable you to use ‘learn by doing’ approach. To foster engagement with your tutors and peers, asynchronous discussion board on the VLE will be used.

Formative assessment feedback on your practical lab activities will additionally enable you to undertake self-reflection and to include newly acquired knowledge and practical skills in innovating a digital solution or service using required design thinking methods and assisted technologies for a given scenario. This will create further opportunities to get feedback from your tutor, which would inform your solutions for final summative assessment.



Summative Assessment
Task – 3000-word report
In this module you will be asked to analyse, develop and design a prototype for a given business problem. Accompanied by design artefacts and the reflective report on critical discussion of rationale of choices made and critique of the theories applied in problem solving.

This assessment will assess all module learning outcomes. You will be provided with written, electronic, feedback on your work.

None

None

User-centric and hand-on problem solving can help us innovate in this competitive world. Innovation is a source of differentiation and can lead to create a competitive advantage. Indeed, this module helps you to develop and cultivate a creative mind-set through design thinking and innovative practice, allowing you to bring together knowledge and creativity to construct a viable computer solution, service or a product. Specifically, this module uses design as a tool for user-centred innovation and provides an opportunity to take your design and innovation ideas, skills and talent to the wider user community of innovative practice.

The module will challenge you through an iterative process of requirements capture, ideation, concept design, development and rapid prototyping to deliver a functional proof-of-concept. The module is designed to teach design led innovation methods, techniques and processes that are required to develop a policy, system, service or product. This module will prepare you for later modules and final project which you can demonstrate your innovation in various problem-solving tasks.

Indictive topics covered include:

• Exploration and Ideation
• Design thinking models
• Innovation process and techniques
• Agile approaches and design thinking
• Prototyping Development methods
• Presentation and Pitching.