| Unit name | Client Led Brief |
|---|---|
| Unit code | INOVM0017 |
| Credit points | 20 |
| Level of study | M/7 |
| Teaching block(s) |
Teaching Block 2 (weeks 13 - 24) |
| 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 |
Why is this unit important?
We learn best by doing. This unit offers you a unique opportunity to apply your innovation skills to a real-world problem set by a client from the Centre's network. Working with our extensive network of commercial, creative social, and technical partners, we'll present student teams with real-life challenges tailored to your chosen degree specialism. You'll tackle these challenges through a group project, applying your research and design skills to develop a range of solutions. This unit is an excellent platform to showcase your abilities and experience.
How does this unit fit into your programme of study
This unit is based on 'agile development', which fosters better collaboration, innovation, and results. While traditionally used in software projects, agile development is now recognised as a successful methodology for transforming innovation, business management, and other processes. You'll be required to generate and sift through ideas, identify and create appropriate proofs of concept, and develop robust and adaptable methods of working in an iterative, agile, and responsive manner. You'll use and further develop the research and design skills you acquired in previous units.
An overview of content
This unit provides core professional methodology and academic knowledge for the practice of agile design work. It builds on skills in both Design Thinking (i.e., designing for users) and Systems Thinking (i.e., designing for the context within which users interact with products and services). You will leverage a wealth of practical tools and methods for problem-solving, developing compelling solutions, working in teams, and collaborating with clients.
How will students, personally, be different as a result of this unit
You'll gain both competence and confidence in agile working, Design Thinking, Systems Thinking, and client-handling methods. You'll be able to select and apply these methods to a range of real and hypothetical scenarios. You will further appreciate and be able to articulate the value of thoroughly understanding the problem (from a user and context perspective) before developing solutions. You will be able to reflect on the development of your professional design practice
Learning outcomes
On successful completion of this unit, students will be able to:
Teaching will be delivered through a combination of synchronous and asynchronous sessions, including lectures, group meetings and workshops supported by collaborative and self-directed learning.
Tasks which count towards your unit mark (summative):
Client Report (group assessment), 3000 words or equivalent (60%) [ILOs 1,2,3,4 and 5]
A project output demonstrating novel insights or findings to an identified academic or professional audience.
Reflective Summary (individual assessment), 2000 words or equivalent (40%) [ILOs 1,2,3, and 4]
This is an opportunity for students to showcase themselves and demonstrate their skills, knowledge and reflections on innovation and entrepreneurship.
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.
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. INOVM0017).
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.
