Working in a group, with a minimum of two members, you need to complete a pitch about a social issue of concern to you. This assignment helps you to demonstrate your understanding of the characteristics of social problems. You are also asked to explain traditional approaches to solving this problem, and how social innovation approaches might differ. This will require you to engage with the specialist literature in the area of your challenge/problem, and the social innovation literature (both scholarly and applied). You will create either an 10 minute online video or a podcast, with the Moodle site for the unit providing resources that enable you to do so.

The objective of this first assessment item is to identify an issue, determine what is currently being done to address the issue (the intervention/s), evaluate the efficacy of this intervention(s); and compare that overall impact with a possible social innovation approach.

Information on referencing and resources for this assignment will be provided on the Moodle site. To succeed in this unit you will need to interact with the discussion board, follow forums, and communicate with your peers, read the recommended cases, listen/watch/read the materials provided.

The following criteria will be used to assess the Assignment:

Insight. To what degree have you explored the problem and its underlying causes?

Evidence:  Is this insight linked to evidence drawn from quality sources?

Critical insight/thinking. Have you identified the strengths and weaknesses of the evidence, and your solutions? Have you demonstrated the strengths and weaknesses of your scholarly and applied sources?

Presentation and communication. Is the way you’ve summed up the problem clear and compelling? Does it show good communication skills?

This assignment, due at the end of the delivery of the six modules, is a portfolio of brief reflective pieces (total 1500 words + references) on each of the modules, for which readings and audio-visual sources are provided in Moodle. The aim is to complete this task as you do your weekly readings.

In these one page reflective pieces I want you to critically reflect upon one or more ideas, concepts, issues or matters raised in the module that you found particularly interesting, perplexing, confusing, illuminating or otherwise significant. In discussing a reading from each module, you will be asked to source and use at least one additional scholarly reference to illustrate your point or points.

Your reflection should not only record your own thoughts and responses but also demonstrate that you have sought out further information and undertaken some research to confirm, challenge or otherwise elaborate on whatever area you choose to focus on for each module.

Word length: 1800 words +/- 10%

The following criteria will be applied to this assessment:

Insight and reflection. To what degree have you reflected on the topic?

Imagination. Are your reflections/thoughts about the issue you’ve raised original and incisive?

Research. Are you able to demonstrate some relevant further reading on the topic? Are your sources good quality/credible? Have you used a minimum of one additional resource per module to reinforce your reflections?

Presentation and communication. Is the way you’ve summed up the your responses to the topic in a clear, professional and concise way? Is your referencing accurate (using APA style)?

You will be asked to define key terms and concepts related to social innovation, and demonstrate a breadth and depth of research into social innovation.

Note in relation to assessment for this unit in general: As Masters students you are required to engage in research as per the Australia Quality Framework (AQF) guidelines. Two specific requirements need to be considered. 1. Students need to demonstrate "a body of knowledge that includes the understanding of recent developments in a discipline and/or area of professional practice, and 2. Students must demonstrate "knowledge of research principles and methods applicable to a field of work and/or learning”.

Each module in the unit has a number of readings in terms of academic texts, journals and other publications that represent the appropriate body of knowledge and recent developments referred to by the AQF. In order to demonstrate the ability to engage in appropriate research, students should read and utilise these texts and journals and publications. As Masters students you are expected to research beyond this minimum standard through additional texts, journals and studies to demonstrate an ability to engage in independent research.

Your attention is drawn to the University's stated position on plagiarism. THE WORK OF OTHERS, WHICH IS INCLUDED IN THE ASSIGNMENT MUST BE ATTRIBUTED TO ITS SOURCE (a full list of references must be submitted as part of the assessment).

For this assignment you are required to take an individual/personal issue (it doesn't have to be a real one, but it must be plausible) and visually map both the problem and solution. This assignment involves a three stage process:

Thinking. For this stage of the assignment, you have to select a ‘problem’, understand it’s root causes, engineer a solution, see the shortcomings of that solution, and then address (where possible) those shortcomings.

Mapping. Keep notes on the thinking stage, and then create a visual ‘mind map’ of how you think the problem and its solution (including its possible hurdles) would develop 'in real life'. How would you measure 'success'?

Rethinking: Refining the original plan to ensure that you’ve dealt with as many of the possible hurdles as possible.

The Moodle site offers further tools and advice on how to create visual maps of problems, and advice on choosing a topic.

We’ll be measuring the success of your Map on the following five criteria:

Insight. To what degree have you explored the underlying causes of the problem?  For example, is this really a problem? Or are you/others looking at it the wrong way? Are there any hidden 'advantages' of keeping this problem?

Critical insight/thinking. Have you identified the weaknesses of your solutions? Have you thought through how these secondary problems could be overcome?

Imagination. Have you come up with an innovative solution to the problem—something that cuts across normal ways of responding to a problem…that makes change inevitable, or offers positive side-effects while delivering the target change?

Realism. Are you able to demonstrate your solutions are realistic? Like Assignment 1, we aren’t looking for formal academic referencing here, but clear, tidy, consistent indications of your sources. Again remember, we, like everyone in the real world, is interested in the quality of your sources. So find some way to indicate on your infographic (perhaps in fine print in one corner) where you got your information/evidence from.

Presentation and communication. Is the way you’ve summed up the problem and the solution clear and compelling? Does it show good communication skills?