IA40590 Creative Thinking

Academic Year 2021/2022

The aim of this module is to help participants to access their innate ability for creative thinking and innovation in its broadest sense, and to consider how to develop an opportunistic mindset in exploring ideas in a multidisciplinary team environment. This module is delivered through activity-based exercises and interactive challenges at both individual and group level. The module encompasses three primary areas of skill development and learning, as follows:

• Developing confidence in creative thinking. The objective is to introduce students to the inherent risk of failure in creative thinking and how to learn through prototyping and iteration. Participants are encouraged to use various sources of inspiration in recognizing opportunities and considering where ideas come from

• Evolution of innovative ideas in multidisciplinary teams introduces team working in a creative context. Here, openness to new ideas and passion for ideas presented come into creative conflict. Several approaches to teamwork are introduced and explored to give participants an understanding of their own skills in relation to teamwork

• How to translate ideas into value. We draw upon the Design Thinking framework in learning how to work through a process of understanding your user/customer, generating ideas, prototyping, and testing. Consideration is also given to the importance of being able to clearly define value and pitch an idea.

Students must pass each individual assessable component individually in order to be able to pass the module as a whole.

Classes run 09:30 to 13:30 each day in a "Live online" format, followed by independent study and teamwork in the afternoons from 2.30-4.30pm. You must be available to attend and participate 9.30am-4.30pm every day of the module and complete any pre-module tasks and post-module deliverables.

Note: "Live online" is a highly interactive and dynamic approach to online learning consisting of class discussions, breakout rooms, mini-breaks and team activities and projects throughout the week.


UCD Innovation Academy

**Enrolment on an Innovation Academy module means a commitment to active participation and engagement, which necessitates full attendance at all scheduled classes**

At the UCD Innovation Academy, we are a group of Educator Practitioners with extensive real-world experience as academics, business and social entrepreneurs, tech thinkers, creative professionals and design thinking practitioners.

We take an action-oriented approach to learning, with a combination of individual, group and class tasks and activities, including discussions, presentations and reflection. All of our teaching is grounded in academic rigour. Our focus is on ‘learning by doing’ in a real-world context. Classes include a combination of individual and team tasks and activities, along with discussions, presentations and reflection.

www.innovationacademy.ie

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Curricular information is subject to change

Learning Outcomes:

On completion, participants should be able to:

• Generate innovative ideas and know how to approach their subsequent selection for further development
• Understand structures and theoretical tools that enable efficient team work, in order to convert ideas into value
• Recognise, cultivate and apply creative and entrepreneurial thinking in their own discipline and appreciate its value in other arena
• Understand fundamentals of innovation and entrepreneurship.

Student Effort Hours: 
Student Effort Type Hours
Lectures

5

Small Group

15

Practical

10

Specified Learning Activities

40

Autonomous Student Learning

30

Total

100

Approaches to Teaching and Learning:
All Innovation Academy modules take a learning by doing approach, combining, individual, group and team activities, tasks and projects including presentations, discussion and reflection:

• Activity/Task-based Work
• Peer and Group Work and Discussion
• Reflective Writing
• Student Presentations

Classes will be delivered in the Virtual Classroom using a number of different online tools; Brightspace Virtual Classroom, ZOOM, together with other interactive online tools.

 
Requirements, Exclusions and Recommendations

Not applicable to this module.


Module Requisites and Incompatibles
Not applicable to this module.
 
Assessment Strategy  
Description Timing Open Book Exam Component Scale Must Pass Component % of Final Grade
Assignment: Reflection Report Throughout the Trimester n/a Pass/Fail Grade Scale Yes

30

Attendance: This module requires active participation and engagement, which necessitates attendance at ALL scheduled classes (80% attendance is required to pass this component). Throughout the Trimester n/a Pass/Fail Grade Scale Yes

40

Presentation: Final Presentation Throughout the Trimester n/a Pass/Fail Grade Scale Yes

30


Carry forward of passed components
Yes
 
Remediation Type Remediation Timing
In-Module Resit Prior to relevant Programme Exam Board
Please see Student Jargon Buster for more information about remediation types and timing. 
Feedback Strategy/Strategies

• Feedback individually to students, post-assessment

How will my Feedback be Delivered?

Feedback will be given to students upon requested. This will include feedback based on their participation during the module and their deliverables.

Name Role
Ms Jacinta Owens Lecturer / Co-Lecturer