014226 Leading Innovative Practices

Warning: The information on this page is indicative. The subject outline for a particular session, location and mode of offering is the authoritative source of all information about the subject for that offering. Required texts, recommended texts and references in particular are likely to change. Students will be provided with a subject outline once they enrol in the subject.

Subject handbook information prior to 2025 is available in the Archives.

Description

This subject explores how students can lead innovative learning practices in their own professional contexts. It helps students develop an understanding of cutting-edge and critical approaches to innovation and leading change. Students have opportunities to learn and apply strategies, tools and theories for activating and supporting innovation to create positive transformation in their workplaces, organisations and communities. Students have opportunities to engage with and apply these ideas to develop and lead an innovative project in their own professional context or a community setting.

Subject learning objectives (SLOs)

Course intended learning outcomes (CILOs)

This subject engages with the following Course Intended Learning Outcomes (CILOs), which are tailored to the Graduate Attributes set for all graduates of the Faculty of Arts and Social Sciences.

• Synthesise advanced knowledge of complex concepts to make research and theory informed judgements about a broad range of professional learning and / or leading practices (1.1)
• Use and critically analyse technologies for leading learning and /or leading practices (1.2)
• Lead, develop and evaluate innovative learning in professional environments (1.3)
• Apply strong communication and interpersonal skills to engage diverse audiences around complex professional practice issues (6.1)

Teaching and learning strategies

Students are guided through a series of six online modules using a process of practice-based learning. Each module contains rich content that is organised around a series of topics and includes activities that help students actively engage with the content and undertake the practice–based tasks. Students engage interactively through online discussion boards, embedded comments, and concept-based activities. Student activities are scaffolded to carry out a leading innovation project and analyse innovation practices.

This subject employs an authentic learning approach in which students design and develop a project based on their workplace or community needs, using innovation tools and practices throughout the subject that students are encouraged to use in their own contexts. Students participate in collaborative activities and share observations and insights with peers from different professional contexts to expand their understanding of the concepts and practices used in this course. Synchronous online seminars provide an opportunity to revise key concepts, further develop connections with other students, and to prepare for assessments. Students receive formative feedback on assignment tasks both from their lecturers and peers, including early formative feedback.

To ensure practice-relevant and authentic outcomes, teaching and learning strategies for this subject involve students customising learning to suit their professional practice context. This occurs through the ‘Capability Wrap’ process. Students develop a ‘Subject Learning Plan’ for each subject, as a way of customising assessments and their learning in the subject to their professional context. As a first step in this process, students must complete their ‘Course Learning Plan’ and Portfolio (Part A – (if this is the student’s first subject in the course) and their ‘subject learning plan’ (Part B), which are compulsory (non-graded) tasks and constitute minimum requirements for this subject.

Students also complete a ‘subject wrap-up’ on conclusion of the subject by reflecting on their learning in relation to their course and subject learning plans. This also contributes to the ongoing ‘capability wrap’ process.

Content (topics)

In this subject, student learning is scaffolded around the design and development of an innovative project based on student’s workplace or community needs. Students are introduced to innovation tools and practices to apply to their project and encouraged to experiment with innovative ideas and approaches within their own contexts. Throughout, students participate in collaborative activities to share insights and observations with peers from a variety of professional contexts. Learning builds across the subject to expand students' understandings of the concepts and practices to enable them to lead innovative practices in their professional context. Content includes an introduction to design thinking and lean startup methodologies, identification of an opportunity space to develop an innovative initiative, empathy research, ideation, prototyping and testing an initiative and reflecting on the experience.

Assessment

Assessment task 1: Opportunity space

Assessment task 2: Idea Pitch

Assessment task 3: Critical reflection

Minimum requirements

The satisfactory completion of the Course Learning Plan (Part A) (if not previously completed) and the Subject Learning Plan (Part B) are minimum requirements for this subject as they are key components of the ‘capability wrap’ process and a defining feature of this course. Failure to meet this requirement will result in the final assessment task not being considered for assessment.

Required texts

There are no required texts for this subject. Recommended readings are available via UTS Library and the subject site.

Recommended texts

Almquist, E., Cleghorn, J., & Sherer, L. (2018). The B2B elements of value. Harvard Business Review, 96(2), 72-81.

Almquist, E., Senior, J., & Bloch, N. (2016, August 9). The elements of value: measuring - and delivering - what consumers really want. Harvard Business Review, https://hbr.org/webinar/2016/07/the-elements-of-value-measuring-what-consumers-really- want#:~:text=The%20Elements%20of%20Value%3A% 20Measuring%20What%20Consumers%20Really%20Want,-Featuring%20Eric%20Almquist&text =To%20better%20dissect%20and%20understand,life%20changing%2C%20and%20social%20impact
Bland, D., & Osterwalder, A. (2019). Testing Business Ideas (1st ed.). John Wiley & Sons, Incorporated.

Blank, S. (2013). Why the lean start-up changes everything. Harvard Business Review, 91(5), 63-72.

Brown, T. (2008). Design thinking. Harvard Business Review, 86(6), 84–141.

Christensen, C. M., Hall, T., Dillon, K., & Duncan, D. S. (2016). Know your customers’ “jobs to be done.” Harvard Business Review, 94(9), 54-60.

Edison, H. (2020). Lean Internal Startups: Challenges and Lessons Learned. In H. Edison, Fundamentals of Software Startups (pp. 251–268). Springer International Publishing. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-030-35983-6_15
Gherardi, S. (2012). Why Do Practices Change and Why Do They Persist? Models of Explanations. In S. Gherardi, Practice, Learning and Change (pp. 217–231). Springer Netherlands. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-94-007-4774-6_14
Hall, E. (2019). Just Enough Research (2nd Ed.), A Book Apart.
Holmes, K., & Maeda, J. (2018). Mismatch: How Inclusion Shapes Design. MIT Press.
Silva, S. E., Calado, R., Silva, M. B., & Nascimento, M. (2013). Lean Startup applied in Healthcare: A viable methodology for continuous improvement in the development of new products and services. IFAC Proceedings Volumes, 46(24), 295–299. https://doi.org/10.3182/20130911-3-BR-3021.00054
Stilgoe, J., Owen, R., & Macnaghten, P. (2013). Developing a framework for responsible innovation. Research Policy, 42(9), 1568–1580. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.respol.2013.05.008

Wilkinson, J., & Kemmis, S. (2015). Practice Theory: Viewing leadership as leading. Educational Philosophy and Theory, 47(4), 342–358. https://doi.org/10.1080/00131857.2014.976928