Innovation (INNO) 323

The Practice of Innovation
Winter 2009 - Weekend University
Lectures: Saturday 8:00am - 12:00 noon
January 17, 24, 31, February 7,14, 28, March 7, 21, 28, April 4

Instructor:	Dr. Anne Tyrie
Office Location:	SS 209
Office Phone:	403- 949-2474
E-Mail:	tyriea@telus.net
Office Hours:	Sat 12:00 - 14:00, email any time

Course Description

One of the main expectations in the contemporary workplace and economy is the need for creative employees and entrepreneurs.  Employers argue the need for creative university graduates.  Scholars proclaim the importance of creativity for entrepreneurial business success.  In Innovation 323, the instructor takes the position that creative thinking can be useful for everyone in many activities. Creative problem solving will be taught and used as a practice for innovation.

Innovation 323 provides students with an innovation process experience. The course is designed to promote and foster creative processes in a variety of contexts, while providing theoretical and practical information on innovative thinking and research methods.

Student teams will generate an Innovation Brief and students will use this brief as their commitment, guide, and focus for producing a group term project.  Execution of this project will require real-world problem identification and market insight; creative solution generation and development; and conceptual communication through various methods. The term will conclude with professional presentations of each group's term project result.

Innovation 323 is designed to inspire, stimulate and develop creativity by eliciting perception and playfulness.  The intellectual underpinnings of INNO 323 are derived from knowledge in the field of creativity. The course is structured to stimulate imagination and enhance creative expression that leads to innovative solutions.

Guests (artists, entrepreneurs, designers and academics) will be involved at all stages of the course.

Note: Open to students from all programs.

Objectives of the Course

Innovation 323 is an experiential learning class focused on creativity and communication skill enhancement for innovation. The course is designed to encourage free and lateral thinking by instilling comfort and confidence with respect to creative processes. Innovation 323 objectives are in three areas:

Content:      Greater knowledge about creativity and innovation, individual and group

Skill:             Improved ability to generate ideas

                      Improved ability to conduct fieldwork (research) 

                      Improved ability to communicate and develop professional networks

Situational:   Increased confidence, tolerance of ambiguity and comfort with uncertainty

                      Increased self-awareness regarding creative skills and intuition

Structure & Format

Innovation 323 deals with problem finding, data finding, idea finding, problem solving, communication planning, and communicating.  Each stage involves both divergent (creative) and convergent (analytical) thinking. Students will:

1. Practice methods for discovery and identification of high potential problem/need insights and opportunities

2. Explore and use idea/solution generation methodologies

3. Develop a filtered idea/solution set

4. Evaluate the potential for conceptual products that stem from ideas generated

5. Professionally report on the conceptual outcomes of the discovery, exploration, development generation, and evaluation efforts

Textbooks and Readings:

Supplementary readings posted on the web (course blackboard) and library resources are essential for the term projects. 

Assignments and Evaluation

It is the student's responsibility to keep a copy of each submitted assignment.

1. Term project (groups of about 4)    

Group project meetings take place within and outside the class hours 

Innovation Brief  - 15%        due Feb 28

Presentation - 15%              last 2 classes

Final report - 20%                due April 4

2. Class and blackboard discussion participation - 15%

4. Individual Assignments (in 2 parts) - 35%        due Feb 7 

Notes: 50% of the mark is awarded for student initiated activity. The grade of A+ is reserved for work during the term that is recognized as in the top 5% of work submitted in this course over the past three years. In calculating GPA for term work, A+ will be recorded as 4.3. However, an A+ final grade is officially recorded as 4.0.

Note: Please return assignments directly to the instructor if possible. If it is not possible to do so, a daytime drop box is available in SS110; a date stamp is provided for your use. A night drop box is also available for after-hours submission. Assignments will be removed the following morning, stamped with the previous day's date, and placed in the instructor's mailbox.

Intra-Group Evaluations

Each group will be expected to notify the instructor of any negative group dynamic issues immediately, these matters will be resolved quickly with fairness.  At the conclusion of the course, each student will be provided a form with which they will evaluate their fellow group member's performances. The evaluations may be used by the instructor to award the appropriate portion of the 15% group participation grade for each individual.

Registrar-scheduled Final Examination:  None

Policy for Late Assignments

Assignments submitted after the deadline may be penalized with the loss of a grade (e.g.: A- to B+) for each day late. 

Writing Skills Statement

Faculty policy directs that all written assignments (including, although to a lesser extent, written exam responses) will be assessed at least partly on writing skills. For details see www.comcul.ucalgary.ca/info. Writing skills include not only surface correctness (grammar, punctuation, sentence structure, etc) but also general clarity and organization. Research papers must be properly documented.

If you wish help with your writing at any stage, including drafts, you are invited to contact the Writing Centre, SS110, 220-7255. 

Ethics and HUMAN SUBJECT FIELD WORK RESEARCH

During the initial information gathering phase of the course the students may be expected to do some form of primary observation and data recording of friends, family, colleagues roommates etc. along with public domain shopping, observation, and public domain inquiry.  Formalized, direct human research beyond friends, family and colleagues in normal everyday scenarios is neither expected nor part of this course activity.  These interactions will be permission based only and respectful at all times - please refer to University of Calgary student code of conduct.

Whenever you perform research with human participants (i.e. surveys, interviews, observation) as part of your university studies, you are responsible for following university research ethics guidelines.  Your instructor must review and approve of your research plans and supervise your research.  For more information about your research ethics responsibilities, see the U of C Research Ethics "Information for Applicants," sections 3.0 to 9.0, inclusive: http://www.ucalgary.ca/UofC/research/html/ethics/info_undergrad.html

Grading System

The following grading system is used in the Faculty of Communication and Culture:

(Revised, effective September 2008)

	Grading Scale
A+	96-100
A	90-95.99
A -	85-89.99
B+	80-84.99
B	75-79.99
B-	70-74.99
C+	65-69.99
C	60-64.99
C-	55-59.99
D+	53-54.99
D	50-52.99
F	0-49

 

Where a grade on a particular assignment is expressed as a letter grade, it will normally be converted to a number using the midpoint of the scale.  That is, A-  would be converted to 87.5 for calculation purposes.  F will be converted to zero.

Plagiarism

Using any source whatsoever without clearly documenting it is a serious academic offence. For details see www.comcul.ucalgary.ca/info. Consequences include failure on the assignment, failure in the course and possibly suspension or expulsion from the university.

You must document not only direct quotations but also paraphrases and ideas where they appear in your text. A reference list at the end is insufficient by itself. Readers must be able to tell exactly where your words and ideas end and other people's words and ideas begin. This includes assignments submitted in non-traditional formats such as Web pages or visual media, and material taken from such sources.

Please consult your instructor or the Writing Centre (SS110) if you have any questions regarding how to document sources.

Students with Disabilities

If you are a student with a disability who may require academic accommodation, it is your responsibility to register with the Disability Resource Centre (220-8237) and discuss your needs with your instructor no later than fourteen (14) days after the start of the course.

Students' Union

For details about the current Students' Union contacts for the Faculty of Communication and Culture see http://www.comcul.ucalgary.ca/info

"SAFEWALK" Program -- 220-5333

Campus Security will escort individuals day or night -- call 220-5333 for assistance. Use any campus phone, emergency phone or the yellow phone located at most parking lot booths.

Schedule of Lectures and Readings

On Blackboard.