Overview
This unit uses design thinking to develop a product or service in the unique context of tourism. It equips you to navigate the process of innovation applied within a structured product development scenario. In this unit, you will learn how to identify gaps in the market through a situation analysis, define the design problem, innovate a product or service through design thinking strategies and plan for testing and development. Through this process, you will engage in self-reflection to enhance your ability to think critically and innovate using your own creative style.
Details
Pre-requisites or Co-requisites
There are no requisites for this unit.
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.
- Evaluate and apply a range of innovation strategies in tourism
- Apply innovation strategies to real-world tourism scenarios through developing a proposal for a product to fill identified gaps in the market
- Evaluate your own individual creative style within a design thinking framework through reflection
- Effectively communicate innovation outcomes with a wide audience
- Develop a variety of personal strategies that generate innovation in tourism.
N/A
Alignment of Assessment Tasks to Learning Outcomes
| Assessment Tasks | Learning Outcomes | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | 5 | |
| 1 - Reflective Practice Assignment - 40% | |||||
| 2 - Practical Assessment - 60% | |||||
Alignment of Graduate Attributes to Learning Outcomes
| Graduate Attributes | Learning Outcomes | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | 5 | |
| 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 - Reflective Practice Assignment - 40% | ||||||||||
| 2 - Practical Assessment - 60% | ||||||||||
Textbooks
There are no required textbooks.
Additional Textbook Information
There are no required textbooks. Weekly readings will be available via Moodle.
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.
a.pabel@cqu.edu.au
Module/Topic
Introduction to design thinking in tourism
Chapter
The literature on design thinking is constantly evolving, hence there is no set textbook for this unit. Instead we will use journal articles as weekly readings. Please refer to the list of readings on Moodle.
Events and Submissions/Topic
Module/Topic
Transition to a different economy
Chapter
Refer to the list of readings on Moodle.
Events and Submissions/Topic
Module/Topic
From target group to follow group
Chapter
Refer to the list of readings on Moodle.
Events and Submissions/Topic
Module/Topic
The design thinking process
Chapter
Refer to the list of readings on Moodle.
Events and Submissions/Topic
Module/Topic
Design methods, tools and techniques
Chapter
Refer to the list of readings on Moodle.
Events and Submissions/Topic
Module/Topic
Vacation week
Chapter
Events and Submissions/Topic
Module/Topic
A meaningful experience
Chapter
Refer to the list of readings on Moodle.
Events and Submissions/Topic
Module/Topic
From brand marketing to identity branding
Chapter
Refer to the list of readings on Moodle.
Events and Submissions/Topic
Module/Topic
Thinking in terms of business models
Chapter
Refer to the list of readings on Moodle.
Events and Submissions/Topic
Module/Topic
Staging and managing experiences
Chapter
Refer to the list of readings on Moodle.
Events and Submissions/Topic
Module/Topic
Becoming a design thinker
Chapter
Refer to the list of readings on Moodle.
Events and Submissions/Topic
Module/Topic
The post-experience stage
Chapter
Refer to the list of readings on Moodle.
Events and Submissions/Topic
Module/Topic
Experience design cases
Chapter
Refer to the list of readings on Moodle.
Events and Submissions/Topic
1 Reflective Practice Assignment
Visit a tourism or hospitality setting (i.e. restaurant, hotel or tourism attraction) in your local area and critically reflect on your overall experience. Thinking about all the different touch points of the experience such as information search, communication with reservations or customer service staff, on-site experience, and post-experience evaluation, you are required to identify one way to enhance or change the current experience.
The assignment should not exceed 1,500 words (excluding references). The structure of your reflective practice assignment should be set out as follows:
- Title page: The title page will include the title of your assignment, your name, student ID number, lecturer/tutor name, and unit name and code.
- Introduction: Briefly describe your chosen tourism or hospitality organisation and outline the typical or advertised customer experience for this chosen setting (please document this ordinary experience with a reference or website).
- Idea identification: Reflecting on your experience, identify a problem or opportunity that could be addressed/improved through design thinking.
- Idea selection/evaluation: Specify what the idea for your innovation is and how it improves the current situation. Apply design thinking tools and techniques to develop the idea for innovations that address/improve the problem you have identified.
- Improvements: Recommend potential improvements to your identified problem or opportunity. Also outline the key feature of your new idea and how this will enhance the current experience offered (which you described in the introduction section).
- Conclusion: Critically evaluate the viability of your proposed idea by reflecting on how the improvement might align within the chosen organisation.
- Evidence of research and referencing: Use references about innovation and creativity from the unit material. Provide a list of at least 8 citations and references of published academic and research papers, textbooks, government report and authentic internet sources. Referencing should follow the APA style.
Week 6 Wednesday (25 Aug 2021) 11:55 pm AEST
Penalties apply for late submission (5% will be deducted from the total mark for the assessment per day unless an approved extension has been granted).
Week 8 Wednesday (8 Sept 2021)
A brief marking criteria is provided below. A more detailed marking rubric is provided on Moodle.
- Introduction
- Idea identification
- Idea selection/evaluation
- Improvements
- Conclusion
- Evidence of research and referencing
- Presentation
- Evaluate and apply a range of innovation strategies in tourism
- Evaluate your own individual creative style within a design thinking framework through reflection
- Develop a variety of personal strategies that generate innovation in tourism.
- Communication
- Problem Solving
- Critical Thinking
- Ethical practice
2 Practical Assessment
This is an individual assessment task that allows you to research a real-world challenge from various customer-centred perspectives. By using design tools and techniques, you will identify and define the real-world problem, have a better understanding of tourists’ needs and wants, and develop innovative solutions that will enhance the current situation.
You are currently employed as the Tourism Strategy and Research Manager of Tropical North Queensland (TNQ). In the past, this destination has strongly relied on marketing its proximity to two natural wonders, the Great Barrier Reef and the Wet Tropics Rainforest. However, recent research indicates that tourist numbers are declining, particularly the international market.
As the current experiential offering of TNQ seems to be experiencing a decline in demand, tourism managers need to be proactive in identifying tourists’ needs and wants. Rather than just seeing tourists as targets for sales, innovative tourism managers put themselves in their customers’ shoes by understanding their rational and emotional needs and wants. Your supervisor has asked you to analyse the current situation facing TNQ and develop appropriate strategies suggesting innovative solutions that will enhance the position of TNQ as a destination.
Areas for innovation in the tourism sector may include the release of new tourism products, introduction of new tourist routes, opening of new markets and the applications of new technologies, i.e. artificial intelligence, augmented reality and robotic automation.
The assignment should not exceed 2,000 words (excluding references). The structure of your Innovation Challenge Report should be set out as follows:
- Title page: The title page will include the title of your assignment, your name, student ID number, lecturer name, and unit name and code.
- Introduction: Briefly describe the destination and outline what the problem is that needs solving.
- Situation analysis: Provide information on the current key trends and challenges facing TNQ as a tourist destination. This should include a comprehensive overview of TNQ’s current customer base and a SWOT analysis of the destination.
- Target market identification: Outline who you are designing for, i.e. specify the target audience in terms of their demographic, geographic, psychographic and behavioural characteristics. Use of additional sources of information to help support the discussion is expected.
- Innovative solution: Demonstrate the application of design tools and techniques and recommend a potential solution to the identified problem, justifying why this solution is relevant to your chosen target market. Also outline the benefits of the innovative solution for the destination.
- Feasibility evaluation: Critically evaluate the desirability and viability of the proposed solution to make informed decisions that meet the needs of the tourists and the local community and businesses at the destination. Outline what innovation capabilities need to be developed at destination level for the solution to work. This also includes identifying any risks or threats associated with the proposed innovative solution.
- Conclusion: Succinctly describe the main points associated with your proposed innovative solution and how it tackles the identified problem.
- Evidence of research and referencing: Use references about innovation and creativity from the unit material. Provide a list of at least 10 citations and references of published academic and research papers, textbooks, government reports and authentic internet sources. Referencing should follow the APA style.
Week 12 Monday (4 Oct 2021) 11:55 pm AEST
Penalties apply for late submission (5% will be deducted from the total mark for the assessment per day unless an approved extension has been granted).
As this unit has no exam, the formal results for this last piece of assessment can only be released to students on the Certification of Grades date.
A brief marking criteria is provided below. A more detailed marking rubric is provided on Moodle.
- Introduction
- Situation analysis
- Target market identification
- Innovative solution
- Feasibility evaluation
- Conclusion
- Evidence of research and references
- Evaluate and apply a range of innovation strategies in tourism
- Apply innovation strategies to real-world tourism scenarios through developing a proposal for a product to fill identified gaps in the market
- Evaluate your own individual creative style within a design thinking framework through reflection
- Effectively communicate innovation outcomes with a wide audience
- Develop a variety of personal strategies that generate innovation in tourism.
- Communication
- Problem Solving
- Critical Thinking
- Information Literacy
- Cross Cultural Competence
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?
