Overview
This unit is both a capstone to the social innovation major, and introduces advanced techniques in analysing and responding to entrenched social issues. It discusses both traditional (e.g. persuasion or policy) and non-traditional (e.g. disruptive) avenues to engaging communities in the change process. Non-profits, charities, governments and even individuals acting to create change in their environment often find the scale of their efforts at change limited, and this unit deals with why: it looks at variables limiting the scope or durability of change and why unintended consequences occur. You will learn about the motivational components of social innovation, including empathy and altruism, the role of individual differences and the well-being implications of being a social innovator.
Details
Pre-requisites or Co-requisites
MGMT11167 Foundations of Social Innovation
Important note: Students enrolled in a subsequent unit who failed their pre-requisite unit, should drop the subsequent unit before the census date or within 10 working days of Fail grade notification. Students who do not drop the unit in this timeframe cannot later drop the unit without academic and financial liability. See details in the Assessment Policy and Procedure (Higher Education Coursework).
Offerings For Term 2 - 2021
Attendance Requirements
All on-campus students are expected to attend scheduled classes – in some units, these classes are identified as a mandatory (pass/fail) component and attendance is compulsory. International students, on a student visa, must maintain a full time study load and meet both attendance and academic progress requirements in each study period (satisfactory attendance for International students is defined as maintaining at least an 80% attendance record).
Recommended Student Time Commitment
Each 6-credit Undergraduate unit at CQUniversity requires an overall time commitment of an average of 12.5 hours of study per week, making a total of 150 hours for the unit.
Class Timetable
Assessment Overview
Assessment Grading
This is a graded unit: your overall grade will be calculated from the marks or grades for each assessment task, based on the relative weightings shown in the table above. You must obtain an overall mark for the unit of at least 50%, or an overall grade of ‘pass’ in order to pass the unit. If any ‘pass/fail’ tasks are shown in the table above they must also be completed successfully (‘pass’ grade). You must also meet any minimum mark requirements specified for a particular assessment task, as detailed in the ‘assessment task’ section (note that in some instances, the minimum mark for a task may be greater than 50%). Consult the University’s Grades and Results Policy for more details of interim results and final grades.
All University policies are available on the CQUniversity Policy site.
You may wish to view these policies:
- Grades and Results Policy
- Assessment Policy and Procedure (Higher Education Coursework)
- Review of Grade Procedure
- Student Academic Integrity Policy and Procedure
- Monitoring Academic Progress (MAP) Policy and Procedure – Domestic Students
- Monitoring Academic Progress (MAP) Policy and Procedure – International Students
- Student Refund and Credit Balance Policy and Procedure
- Student Feedback – Compliments and Complaints Policy and Procedure
- Information and Communications Technology Acceptable Use Policy and Procedure
This list is not an exhaustive list of all University policies. The full list of University policies are available on the CQUniversity Policy site.
Feedback, Recommendations and Responses
Every unit is reviewed for enhancement each year. At the most recent review, the following staff and student feedback items were identified and recommendations were made.
Feedback from Unit co-ordinator
Add reading guides for the weekly readings
Build brief reading guides with overview of readings to guide reading, based on the Moodle modules.
- Apply relevant theoretical models drawn from a variety of disciplines to social innovation contexts
- Distinguish between traditional and non-traditional methods of social change, and be able to recognise the sociocultural and historical context of these different approaches to change
- Evaluate complex social problems and identify causal chains as a basis for intervention and risk minimisation in implementing interventions.
Alignment of Assessment Tasks to Learning Outcomes
| Assessment Tasks | Learning Outcomes | ||
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | 2 | 3 | |
| 1 - Online discussion forum - 35% | |||
| 2 - Portfolio - 65% | |||
Alignment of Graduate Attributes to Learning Outcomes
| Graduate Attributes | Learning Outcomes | ||
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | 2 | 3 | |
| 1 - Communication | |||
| 2 - Problem Solving | |||
| 3 - Critical Thinking | |||
| 4 - Information Literacy | |||
| 5 - Team Work | |||
| 6 - Information Technology Competence | |||
| 7 - Cross Cultural Competence | |||
| 8 - Ethical practice | |||
| 9 - Social Innovation | |||
| 10 - Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Cultures | |||
Alignment of Assessment Tasks to Graduate Attributes
| Assessment Tasks | Graduate Attributes | |||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | 5 | 6 | 7 | 8 | 9 | 10 | |
| 1 - Online discussion forum - 35% | ||||||||||
| 2 - Portfolio - 65% | ||||||||||
Textbooks
There are no required textbooks.
IT Resources
- CQUniversity Student Email
- Internet
- Unit Website (Moodle)
All submissions for this unit must use the referencing style: American Psychological Association 7th Edition (APA 7th edition)
For further information, see the Assessment Tasks.
j.rowland@cqu.edu.au
o.muurlink@cqu.edu.au
Module/Topic
Chapter
Readings will be provided weekly in the Moodle site.
Events and Submissions/Topic
Keep an eye on postings on the discussion site and respond as part of Assessment Item 1 requirements.
Module/Topic
Complex systems and systems theory.
Chapter
Readings will be provided weekly in the Moodle site.
Events and Submissions/Topic
Keep an eye on postings on the discussion site and respond as part of Assessment Item 1 requirements.
Module/Topic
Chapter
Readings will be provided weekly in the Moodle site.
Events and Submissions/Topic
Keep an eye on postings on the discussion site and respond as part of Assessment Item 1 requirements.
Begin collecting material and formulating responses to case study problems presented on the Moodle site. Investigate required software for recording and presenting your audio-visual response component (examples and suggestions shown on Moodle site).
Module/Topic
Policy responses to social innovation challenges.
Chapter
Readings will be provided weekly in the Moodle site.
Events and Submissions/Topic
Keep an eye on postings on the discussion site and respond as part of Assessment Item 1 requirements.
Continue to collect material and formulating responses to case study problems presented on the Moodle site.
Module/Topic
Politics and social innovation.
Chapter
Readings will be provided weekly in the Moodle site.
Events and Submissions/Topic
Keep an eye on postings on the discussion site and respond as part of Assessment Item 1 requirements.
Continue to collect material and formulating responses to case study problems presented on the Moodle site.
Module/Topic
Chapter
Events and Submissions/Topic
Module/Topic
Economic theories and social innovation.
Chapter
Readings will be provided weekly in the Moodle site.
Events and Submissions/Topic
Final week to respond to Assessment Item 1 requirements, and respond to Discussion Forum postings.
Continue to collect material and formulating responses to case study problems presented on the Moodle site.
Module/Topic
Chapter
Readings will be provided weekly in the Moodle site.
Events and Submissions/Topic
Begin editing, producing and finalising at least one of your case study responses.
Online Discussion Forum Due: Week 7 Friday (3 Sept 2021) 11:00 pm AEST
Module/Topic
Social innovations and the professions.
Chapter
Readings will be provided weekly in the Moodle site.
Events and Submissions/Topic
Continue to collect material and formulate responses to case study problems presented on the Moodle site.
Module/Topic
The concepts of scale and scope.
Chapter
Readings will be provided weekly in the Moodle site.
Events and Submissions/Topic
Continue to collect material and formulate responses to case study problems presented on the Moodle site.
Module/Topic
Emotions in social innovation.
Chapter
Readings will be provided weekly in the Moodle site.
Events and Submissions/Topic
Continue to collect material and formulate responses to case study problems presented on the Moodle site. Prepare and finalise the second response for the portfolio (Assessment Item 2).
Module/Topic
Current debates in social innovation.
Chapter
Readings will be provided weekly in the Moodle site.
Events and Submissions/Topic
Continue to collect material and formulate responses to case study problems presented on the Moodle site. Begin work on final portfolio item. You will have received preliminary feedback on your earlier items (if prepared prior to week 10), and you should incorporate this feedback in your final item.
Module/Topic
Integration: what SI tells us about how to respond to social challenges and what to expect when we do.
Chapter
Readings will be provided weekly in the Moodle site.
Events and Submissions/Topic
Portfolio of analyses Due: Week 12 Friday (8 Oct 2021) 11:00 pm AEST
Module/Topic
Chapter
Events and Submissions/Topic
Module/Topic
Chapter
Events and Submissions/Topic
1 Online discussion forum
This is a progressive assessment item. Each Monday of the teaching term, the unit co-coordinator will post online either a video or article with an overview comment. The material will be relevant to associated week's topic on the Moodle site. Students are required to respond thoughtfully and critically to each post, either directly to the post or to a posting made by another student. They can make more than one post, and can include their own additional readings/viewings as links in their responses. Note, maximum of 400 words per week's posting(s). Postings can include a visual component, if it helps illustrate or add to the critique.
Week 7 Friday (3 Sept 2021) 11:00 pm AEST
Due description - students should post directly to the Assessment item 1 Discussion Forum. Late penalty will apply, emailed submissions will not be accepted.
Week 9 Friday (17 Sept 2021)
In accordance with CQU policy, student marks and feedback will be released after all student submissions have been graded.
This assessment item is worth 35% of the total marks in the unit. Exemplars of critical, thoughtful responses will be given during the first week.
- Critical insight/thinking. Is your work simply a restating of the ideas in the original posting or does it show an extension in thinking on the original? Does your work show that you have read and understood the original post? (45%)
- Research. Does your work indicate you have done reading beyond the original post that helps inform your comment? (45%)
- Presentation and communication. Have you expressed yourself in a clear and compelling way? Have you checked your work prior to posting for grammar, spelling and punctuation? Does it show appropriate and accurate (in-text APA) referencing? (10%)
- Apply relevant theoretical models drawn from a variety of disciplines to social innovation contexts
- Distinguish between traditional and non-traditional methods of social change, and be able to recognise the sociocultural and historical context of these different approaches to change
- Evaluate complex social problems and identify causal chains as a basis for intervention and risk minimisation in implementing interventions.
- Communication
- Problem Solving
- Critical Thinking
- Information Literacy
- Team Work
- Information Technology Competence
- Cross Cultural Competence
- Ethical practice
2 Portfolio
The portfolio will consist of three items, each an analysis of three different problems posed during the term. You will be asked to analyse these problems using insights and approaches presented in this unit. You will be asked use the following questions at least once in producing your three portfolio items (and you may use all the questions, or any combination of the questions, in any single portfolio item). You will be asked to refer (with references using APA style) to the readings provided in this unit on the Moodle site plus at least five additional readings from your broader readings from the suggested reading list or beyond.
- What motivations might drive the key stakeholders in this problem to behave the way they behave? Supplementary question: Does your analysis give rise to identifying a 'weak spot' in the problem which might make the problem vulnerable to an attack/solution by a social innovator?
- What policy settings on the part of the relevant government might be inadvertently helping to 'maintain' this problem? Supplementary question: Can you imagine a policy approach that offers more flexibility?
- What are the difficulties in developing a solution that will be able to be scaled to a nation-wide or global level for this problem? Supplementary question: Are there aspects of a design of a solution for this problem that might overcomes resistance?
- What will be the likely micro or macro-economic impacts of the problem persisting? Supplementary question: What are the economic benefits to be 'harvested' from reducing this problem?
At least one of your portfolio submissions will be a five minute audio-visual presentation and at least one of your presentations will be a written analysis (maximum 1,000 words excluding references each for written analyses).
Week 12 Friday (8 Oct 2021) 11:00 pm AEST
Late penalties will apply. Emailed submissions will not be accepted.
In accordance with CQU policy, student marks and feedback will be released after all student submissions have been graded.
This assessment item is worth 65% of the total marks in the unit.
Exemplars of approaches will be offered in week 5 of this unit on the Moodle site.
- Critical insight/thinking. Is there evidence of original analysis and evaluation in your work? (40%)
- Research. Does your work indicate you have read and understood additional appropriate readings to inform your analysis? (40%)
- Presentation and communication. Have you expressed yourself in a clear and compelling way? Have you checked your work prior to submission for grammar, spelling and punctuation? Does it show appropriate and accurate (APA) referencing (for the written elements of the assignment)? (20%)
- Apply relevant theoretical models drawn from a variety of disciplines to social innovation contexts
- Distinguish between traditional and non-traditional methods of social change, and be able to recognise the sociocultural and historical context of these different approaches to change
- Evaluate complex social problems and identify causal chains as a basis for intervention and risk minimisation in implementing interventions.
- Communication
- Problem Solving
- Critical Thinking
- Information Literacy
- Cross Cultural Competence
- Ethical practice
As a CQUniversity student you are expected to act honestly in all aspects of your academic work.
Any assessable work undertaken or submitted for review or assessment must be your own work. Assessable work is any type of work you do to meet the assessment requirements in the unit, including draft work submitted for review and feedback and final work to be assessed.
When you use the ideas, words or data of others in your assessment, you must thoroughly and clearly acknowledge the source of this information by using the correct referencing style for your unit. Using others’ work without proper acknowledgement may be considered a form of intellectual dishonesty.
Participating honestly, respectfully, responsibly, and fairly in your university study ensures the CQUniversity qualification you earn will be valued as a true indication of your individual academic achievement and will continue to receive the respect and recognition it deserves.
As a student, you are responsible for reading and following CQUniversity’s policies, including the Student Academic Integrity Policy and Procedure. This policy sets out CQUniversity’s expectations of you to act with integrity, examples of academic integrity breaches to avoid, the processes used to address alleged breaches of academic integrity, and potential penalties.
What is a breach of academic integrity?
A breach of academic integrity includes but is not limited to plagiarism, self-plagiarism, collusion, cheating, contract cheating, and academic misconduct. The Student Academic Integrity Policy and Procedure defines what these terms mean and gives examples.
Why is academic integrity important?
A breach of academic integrity may result in one or more penalties, including suspension or even expulsion from the University. It can also have negative implications for student visas and future enrolment at CQUniversity or elsewhere. Students who engage in contract cheating also risk being blackmailed by contract cheating services.
Where can I get assistance?
For academic advice and guidance, the Academic Learning Centre (ALC) can support you in becoming confident in completing assessments with integrity and of high standard.
What can you do to act with integrity?
