Unit information: Ideation for Innovation in 2026/27

Please note: Programme and unit information may change as the relevant academic field develops. We may also make changes to the structure of programmes and assessments to improve the student experience.

Unit name Ideation for Innovation
Unit code INOV30008
Credit points 20
Level of study H/6
Teaching block(s) Teaching Block 1 (weeks 1 - 12)
Unit director Mr. Dave Jarman
Open unit status Not open
Units you must take before you take this one (pre-requisite units)

None

Units you must take alongside this one (co-requisite units)

None

Units you may not take alongside this one

None

School/department Centre for Innovation
Faculty Faculty of Arts

Unit Information

Why is this unit important?

To innovate you need new ways of looking at problems to find novel and creative solutions. This unit builds on your existing learning in innovation and your core discipline to enable you to generate your own ideas to tackle some of the world’s biggest challenges. You will be expected to take a big picture view (systems perspective) – which recognises the interconnectedness of issues whilst bringing together creative thinking (ideation) to develop innovative solutions to design challenges. Playful ideation strategies will help you to develop ideas to address factors involved in commercial, social and policy domains.

How does this unit fit into your programme of study?

This unit builds on the innovation tools and techniques learned in years 1 and 2. Through group work, individual reflection and practical application you will learn how to develop and articulate ideas and solutions to the issues you care about.

Your learning on this unit

An overview of content

This unit covers methods for idea development and how these can be applied to generative creative innovation solutions. Skills will be developed through the practical, critical, application of ideation processes. You will focus on defining problems and using a range of tools and techniques to develop design solutions and reflect on the efficacy of their ideas.

How will students, personally, be different as a result of the unit

Ideation for Innovation will enable you to generate and sift ideas, seek out appropriate testing grounds, and develop robust and flexible methods of working in an iterative, agile and responsive manner. You will gain confidence from sharing your ideas and develop the ability to generate solutions that others may not have thought about before.

Learning Outcomes

On successful completion of this unit, students will be able to:  

1. Understand different types of innovation challenge and how an appropriate response might can be crafted through use of Entrepreneurial, Design, and Systems thinking.
2. Articulate how the resources available to them (ideas, people and opportunities) can act as a source of traction in crafting their own response to an innovation challenge.
3. Work both individually and collaboratively to propose a variety of potential solutions that respond to a target innovation challenge for a specified audience.
4. Reflect critically on their innovation journey (from problem selection to solution proposal) and its implications for their future professional development. 

How you will learn

Students will learn through practical, studio-based workshop sessions. Learning will be centred around the problems selected by students to work on, using a selection of tools and methods provided by the staff. Students will be encouraged to learn through iterative experimentation and reflection on their efforts. Generative methods will be used to allow students to produce new ideas and enable reflective learning on creative processes.

How you will be assessed

Tasks which count towards your unit mark (summative):

Team Project Presentation (group assessment), 2000 words or equivalent (40%) [ILOs 1, 2, 3 and 4]

A team-produced presentation documenting ideation and design processes. Word count will be shared across the group.

Reflective Critique (individual assessment), 3500 words or equivalent (60%) [ILOs 1, 2, 3 and 4]

An individual account and reflection on the process of research and idea generation.

When assessment does not go to plan

When required by the Board of Examiners, you will normally complete reassessments in the same formats as those outlined above. However, the Board reserves the right to modify the form or number of reassessments required. Details of reassessments are normally confirmed by the Centre shortly after the notification of your results at the end of the academic year.

Resources

If this unit has a Resource List, you will normally find a link to it in the Blackboard area for the unit. Sometimes there will be a separate link for each weekly topic.

If you are unable to access a list through Blackboard, you can also find it via the Resource Lists homepage. Search for the list by the unit name or code (e.g. INOV30008).

How much time the unit requires
Each credit equates to 10 hours of total student input. For example a 20 credit unit will take you 200 hours of study to complete. Your total learning time is made up of contact time, directed learning tasks, independent learning and assessment activity.

See the University Workload statement relating to this unit for more information.

Assessment
The assessment methods listed in this unit specification are designed to enable students to demonstrate the named learning outcomes (LOs). Where a disability prevents a student from undertaking a specific method of assessment, schools will make reasonable adjustments to support a student to demonstrate the LO by an alternative method or with additional resources.

The Board of Examiners will consider all cases where students have failed or not completed the assessments required for credit. The Board considers each student's outcomes across all the units which contribute to each year's programme of study. For appropriate assessments, if you have self-certificated your absence, you will normally be required to complete it the next time it runs (for assessments at the end of TB1 and TB2 this is usually in the next re-assessment period).
The Board of Examiners will take into account any exceptional circumstances and operates within the Regulations and Code of Practice for Taught Programmes.