81511 Problems to Possibilities
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particular session, location and mode of offering is the authoritative source
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Subject handbook information prior to 2025 is available in the Archives.
Credit points: 8 cp
Result type: Grade and marks
There are course requisites for this subject. See access conditions.
Anti-requisite(s): 81539 Impossibilities to Possibilities
Description
In this first subject of the combined degree, students engage in a creative series of practical activities that bring them to a broad understanding of creative intelligence and innovation as a field of practice. This subject enables students to gain firsthand experience of the nature of today's open, complex, dynamic and networked problems. They are challenged to analyse problem situations from multiple perspectives and to integrate these findings in ways that lead to new possibilities. In the process, students develop and hone their skills in team collaboration, visualisation, modelling, representation and presentation.
Subject learning objectives (SLOs)
Upon successful completion of this subject students should be able to:
| 1. | Identify, describe and explore a range of challenges in order to discern significant opportunities |
|---|---|
| 2. | Generate imaginative ideas, speculative scenarios and propose useful methods to explore actionable questions |
| 3. | Consider and use visualisation methods from disciplinary practices to probe and generate new associations or findings |
| 4. | Explore and describe the city as an interrelated map of humanity |
| 5. | Select, test and evaluate different disciplinary methods for gaining insights into a complex system |
| 6. | Articulate and explain the thinking behind particular selections of ideas, strategies, findings and interpretations generated in multi-disciplinary teams |
| 7. | Develop a clear and convincing rationale to support the proposal for a particular solution |
| 8. | Communicate persuasively with an understanding of audience requirements |
| 9. | Manipulate and communicate experiences, ideas and findings to see the problem or context differently |
Course intended learning outcomes (CILOs)
This subject contributes specifically to the development of the following course intended learning outcomes:
- Identify and evaluate complex challenges by analysing system dynamics, constraints, and potential leverage points, using disciplinary perspectives, evidence, and diverse viewpoints. (CII.1.1)
- Practice mutual, responsible value creation, including the implementation of sustainable and entrepreneurial innovation. (CII.3.1)
- Communicate transdisciplinary ideas and solutions succinctly and persuasively using appropriate modalities. (CII.3.2)
- Develop reflexive connection with an evolving self, demonstrating ethical and intellectual positions that reflect well-considered values that enable greater purpose and inclusivity. (CII.4.1)
- Critically reflect on Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander People’s contexts across innovation and entrepreneurship to inform professional capability and practices to work effectively with and for Indigenous Australians. (CII.5.1)
Contribution to the development of graduate attributes
The subject provides opportunities for you as a student to draw on various disciplinary and non-disciplinary perspectives to begin exploring and developing your own creative innovation practices. You experiment and play with a range of methods to discern the ways disciplines approach problem situations and apply insights to develop your own proposals for responding to complex real-world challenges. Finally, you test your ideas in practice by communicating them to a range of audiences.
So your experiences as a student in this subject support you to develop the following graduate attributes (GA):
- GA1 Complex systems thinking
- GA 2 Create value in problem-solving and enquiry
- GA 3 Inter- and trans-disciplinary practices
- GA 4 Imaginative and ethical citizenship
Teaching and learning strategies
Learning in this subject will take place in a collaborative, immersive, experiential, distanced learning environment. This subject uses problem-based learning strategies that involves students in researching and developing their own / group solutions to complex problems / scenarios. Students will learn from academics and professionals across a wide range of disciplines, undertaking real briefs for real clients in real time. Staff, peers and invited experts will give formative feedback continually through class activities as students develop their future-oriented projects.
Some sessions in will be run via Zoom, and to log into these sessions students must be logged into Zoom via their UTS student account - instructions for this can be found on the Canvas site.
Content (topics)
- Introduction to a wide variety of disciplinary practices
- How to ‘think different’
- Exploring complexity
- Developing and communicating possibilities
Assessment
Assessment task 1: Exploring ideas worth spreading
| Objective(s): | This assessment task addresses the following subject learning objectives: 1, 2, 3 and 8 This assessment task contributes to the development of course intended learning outcome(s): CII.3.1, CII.3.2 and CII.4.1 |
|---|---|
| Type: | Report |
| Groupwork: | Individual |
| Weight: | 40% |
| Length: | Report in digital PDF copy – Including Output 1 and 2 – Max 1500 words (not including visualisations) |
Assessment task 2: Problems in situ
| Objective(s): | This assessment task addresses the following subject learning objectives: 4, 5, 6, 7, 8 and 9 This assessment task contributes to the development of course intended learning outcome(s): CII.1.1 |
|---|---|
| Type: | Presentation |
| Groupwork: | Group, group assessed |
| Weight: | 30% |
Assessment task 3: Sense-making and communicating
| Objective(s): | This assessment task addresses the following subject learning objectives: 9 This assessment task contributes to the development of course intended learning outcome(s): CII.3.2 and CII.5.1 |
|---|---|
| Type: | Report |
| Groupwork: | Individual |
| Weight: | 30% |
| Length: | 2,000 words (and a visualisation) |
Minimum requirements
A minimum of 80% of attendance of classes (as outlined in the timetable) is required.
Students must attempt each assessment task and achieve an overall pass mark in order to pass this subject.
Late penalties apply to all assessment tasks as outlined in the TD School Student Guide. Please consult this booklet for other useful information including Special Consideration, Plagiarism, Extension, and Student Support Services.
Required texts
Bailey, J. (2019) Disciplinary recipes: a visual guide! https://makinggood.design/thoughts/tasty/.
Bammer, G (2021) Stakeholder engagement primer: 7. Listening and dialogue. https://i2insights.org/2021/11/25/listening-and-dialogue/.
Bammer, G. (2022) Understanding diversity primer: 1. Why diversity? https://i2insights.org/2022/04/21/why-diversity/.
Bammer, G. (2022) Understanding diversity primer: 2. Mental models. https://i2insights.org/2022/04/28/diversity-in-mental-models/.
Bammer, G. (2019) Key issues in co-creation with stakeholders when research problems are complex. Evidence & policy. 15 (3), 423–435.
Berger, W. (2014) Introduction: Why questioning? In: A more beautiful question?: the power of inquiry to spark breakthrough ideas . First U.S. edition. New York, Bloomsbury. pp. 1–9.
Brand, S. (1999) The order of civilization. In: The clock of the long now?: time and responsibility . New York, Basic Books. pp. 33–39.
Dennett, D. C. (1995) How to make mistakes. In: J. Brockman & K. Matson (eds.). How things are?: a science tool-kit for the mind . London, Weidenfeld & Nicolson. pp. 137–144.
Dennet, D. C. (2013) Rapoport’s rules. In: Intuition pumps and other tools for thinking . New York, W. W. Norton. pp. 33–35.
Gladwell, M. (2005) Introduction The Statue That Didn’t Look Right. In: Blink?: the power of thinking without thinking . New York, Little, Brown and Co. pp. 3–17.
Government Architect New South Wales (n.d.) Designing with country. https://cdn.sanity.io/files/64znbptb/production/195dcdd4c5ceeb13fdc16055ce22a1342c608aca.pdf.
Hill, L. (2014) Collective Genius. 2014. https://hbr.org/2014/06/collective-genius.
Hopkins, R. (2019) What if we took play seriously? In: From what is to what if?: unleashing the power of imagination to create the future we want . White River Junction, Chelsea Green Publishing. pp. 15–32.
Johansson, F. (2006) The intersection - your best chance to innovate. In: The Medici effect?: what elephants and epidemics can teach us about innovation . Boston, Mass, Harvard Business School Press. pp. 11–20.
Kelly, L. (2020) Everything starts and finishes with country. In: First knowledges. 1, Songlines?: the power and promise . S.l, Thames & Hudson Australia Pty Ltd. pp. 35–44.
Littman, J. (2001) Innovation begins with an eye. In: The art of innovation . London, HarperCollins Business. pp. 23–52.
Nussbaum, B. (2013b) Rethinking creativity. In: Creative intelligence?: harnessing the power to create, connect, and inspire . 1st ed. New York, HarperBusiness. pp. 263–266.
Pearce, B.J. & Ejderyan, O. (2019) Joint problem framing as reflexive practice: honing a transdisciplinary skill. Sustainability science. 15 (3), 683–698. doi:10.1007/s11625-019-00744-2.
Pink, D. (2005b) Right brain rising. In: A whole new mind?: moving from the information age to the conceptual age . New York, Riverhead Books. pp. 7–27.
Repko, A.F. (2019) Thinking critically about disciplinary perspectives. In: Introduction to Interdisciplinary Studies. p.
Sawyer, K. R. (2012) How to be more creative. In: Explaining creativity the science of human innovation . 2nd ed. New York, Oxford University Press. pp. 405–426.
Turchi, P. (2004) Metaphor: Or, the map. In: Maps of the imagination?: the writer as cartographer . San Antonio, Texas, Trinity University Press. pp. 11–25.