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Unit outline_

SIEN1000: Innovation and Entrepreneurship Foundation

Semester 2, 2023 [Normal day] - Camperdown/Darlington, Sydney

In this unit students acquire foundational knowledge about innovation and entrepreneurship (I&E), including: perspectives, theoretical frameworks, processes, and mindsets required for success. Students discuss topics such as: sources of innovation; different types of I&E; defining and operationalising 'value'; ethical and responsible innovation; I&E for sustainability, and contemporary technological frontiers and trends. This unit takes an inclusive, multidisciplinary view, identifying complementarities and specificities of innovation and entrepreneurship across different disciplines to enhance students' ability to articulate and defend arguments on the topics of innovation and entrepreneurship in their course of study.

Unit details and rules

Academic unit Strategy, Innovation and Entrepreneurship
Credit points 6
Prerequisites
? 
None
Corequisites
? 
None
Prohibitions
? 
None
Assumed knowledge
? 

None

Available to study abroad and exchange students

No

Teaching staff

Coordinator Paul Finn, p.finn@sydney.edu.au
Type Description Weight Due Length
Participation Participation and Professionalism
Participation and professionalism
10% Ongoing Ongoing
Outcomes assessed: LO1 LO5 LO4 LO3 LO2
Assignment Defining Your Purpose & Becoming Inspired Report
Identification of focal SDG & analysis of successful innovations towards it
25% Week 04
Due date: 25 Aug 2023 at 23:59

Closing date: 08 Sep 2023
2000 words
Outcomes assessed: LO1 LO4 LO5
Presentation group assignment Sensing Opportunities & Shaping the Future Presentation
Consultant advice to innovator or entrepreneur working towards focal SDG
30% Week 09
Due date: 03 Oct 2023 at 23:59

Closing date: 17 Oct 2023
15 minutes + slide deck
Outcomes assessed: LO1 LO2 LO3
Assignment Your I&E Journey: Passport Poster & Audio Annotation
Poster analysing steps towards your purpose, opportunities and resources
35% Week 12
Due date: 23 Oct 2023 at 23:59

Closing date: 06 Nov 2023
Poster (=2500 words) + 3 minutes audio
Outcomes assessed: LO1 LO2 LO3 LO4 LO5
group assignment = group assignment ?

Assessment summary

Defining Your Purpose & Becoming Inspired Report: For this deliverable you will identify a United Nations Sustainable Development Goal (SDG) to which you personally want to contribute positively through innovation and/or entrepreneurship. For the SDG you select, you will identify examples of recent successful innovations and entrepreneurship efforts that you find inspiring. You will assemble a diverse set of examples, i.e. spanning private sector, government and not-for-profit organisations as well as technological (or digital) and social (or cultural/arts) ventures, so that you can more easily compare and contrast your examples using concepts from the unit and draw lessons from them for your own innovation and entrepreneurship journey.

Your I&E Journey: Passport Poster & Audio Annotation: For this deliverable, which is due at the end of the semester but is largely executed throughout it, you will visit a series of sites/organisations and undertake activities that "get you out there" as an innovator or entrepreneur to understand your SDG in more depth, frame opportunities, and build your social networks with individuals or organisations with resources that you may be able to mobilise once the unit is completed as you pursue these opportunities. For the deliverable, you will recap and analyse the sites and activities and, drawing on concepts from the unit in ways that demonstrate your mastery of them, describe what you learnt from them in terms of opportunities for you to make a difference and resources that you might mobilise in seizing these opportunities.

Sensing Opportunities and Shaping the Future Presentation: For this team-based deliverable, you will identify an organisation or individual that is currently developing and championing an emerging technological innovation or social organisation concept that plausibly could contribute positively to achieving your focal SDG in the foreseeable future. You will place yourself in the position of consultants to the innovators or entrepreneurs, who have asked for your advice on what they need to do in the next 5 years to be successful in achieving their purpose while also embracing the principles of responsible innovation. You will provide specific and concrete (as opposed to generic and abstract) recommendations to them that draw upon and illustrate your mastery of the concepts from the unit.

 

Assessment criteria

Result name Mark range Description
High distinction 85 – 100 Awarded when you demonstrate the learning outcomes for the unit at an exceptional standard, as defined by grade descriptors or exemplars outlined by the Business School.
Distinction 75 – 84 Awarded when you demonstrate the learning outcomes for the unit at a very high standard, as defined by grade descriptors or exemplars outlined by the Business School.
Credit 65 – 74 Awarded when you demonstrate the learning outcomes for the unit at a good standard, as defined by grade descriptors or exemplars outlined by the Business School.
Pass 50 – 64 Awarded when you demonstrate the learning outcomes for the unit at an acceptable standard, as defined by grade descriptors or exemplars outlined by the Business School.
Fail 0 – 49 When you don’t meet the learning outcomes of the unit to a satisfactory standard.

 

 

 

For more information see guide to grades.

Late submission

In accordance with University policy, these penalties apply when written work is submitted after 11:59pm on the due date:

  • Deduction of 5% of the maximum mark for each calendar day after the due date.
  • After ten calendar days late, a mark of zero will be awarded.

This unit has an exception to the standard University policy or supplementary information has been provided by the unit coordinator. This information is displayed below:

This unit follows the University policy for late submissions. Please refer to the policy online. Failure to submit peer evaluation for the group assessment would result in 0 mark for that individual.

Academic integrity

The Current Student website provides information on academic integrity and the resources available to all students. The University expects students and staff to act ethically and honestly and will treat all allegations of academic integrity breaches seriously.

We use similarity detection software to detect potential instances of plagiarism or other forms of academic integrity breach. If such matches indicate evidence of plagiarism or other forms of academic integrity breaches, your teacher is required to report your work for further investigation.

Use of generative artificial intelligence (AI) and automated writing tools

You may only use generative AI and automated writing tools in assessment tasks if you are permitted to by your unit coordinator. If you do use these tools, you must acknowledge this in your work, either in a footnote or an acknowledgement section. The assessment instructions or unit outline will give guidance of the types of tools that are permitted and how the tools should be used.

Your final submitted work must be your own, original work. You must acknowledge any use of generative AI tools that have been used in the assessment, and any material that forms part of your submission must be appropriately referenced. For guidance on how to acknowledge the use of AI, please refer to the AI in Education Canvas site.

The unapproved use of these tools or unacknowledged use will be considered a breach of the Academic Integrity Policy and penalties may apply.

Studiosity is permitted unless otherwise indicated by the unit coordinator. The use of this service must be acknowledged in your submission as detailed on the Learning Hub’s Canvas page.

Outside assessment tasks, generative AI tools may be used to support your learning. The AI in Education Canvas site contains a number of productive ways that students are using AI to improve their learning.

Simple extensions

If you encounter a problem submitting your work on time, you may be able to apply for an extension of five calendar days through a simple extension.  The application process will be different depending on the type of assessment and extensions cannot be granted for some assessment types like exams.

Special consideration

If exceptional circumstances mean you can’t complete an assessment, you need consideration for a longer period of time, or if you have essential commitments which impact your performance in an assessment, you may be eligible for special consideration or special arrangements.

Special consideration applications will not be affected by a simple extension application.

Using AI responsibly

Co-created with students, AI in Education includes lots of helpful examples of how students use generative AI tools to support their learning. It explains how generative AI works, the different tools available and how to use them responsibly and productively.

WK Topic Learning activity Learning outcomes
Week 01 What are Innovation & Entrepreneurship, and Why are They Important? Lecture and tutorial (3 hr) LO1 LO3
Week 02 A Closer Look at Innovation Lecture and tutorial (3 hr) LO1 LO2 LO3 LO4
Week 03 A Closer Look at Entrepreneurship Lecture and tutorial (3 hr) LO1 LO2 LO3 LO4
Week 04 A Historical Perspective on Innovation & Entrepreneurship Lecture and tutorial (3 hr) LO1 LO2 LO3 LO4
Week 05 Contemporary Capitalism and Possible Futures from Innovation & Entrepreneurship Lecture and tutorial (3 hr) LO1 LO2 LO3 LO4
Week 06 Innovation Processes Lecture and tutorial (3 hr) LO1 LO2 LO3 LO4 LO5
Week 07 Entrepreneurship Processes Lecture and tutorial (3 hr) LO1 LO2 LO3 LO4 LO5
Week 08 Innovation and Entrepreneurial Ecosystems Lecture and tutorial (3 hr) LO1 LO2 LO3 LO4 LO5
Week 09 Your Innovation & Entrepreneurship Journey: Part I Lecture and tutorial (3 hr) LO1 LO2 LO3 LO4 LO5
Week 10 Innovation and Entrepreneurial Organisations Lecture and tutorial (3 hr) LO1 LO2 LO3 LO4 LO5
Week 11 Innovation and Entrepreneurial Individuals Lecture and tutorial (3 hr) LO1 LO2 LO3 LO4 LO5
Week 12 Your Innovation & Entrepreneurship Journey: Part II Lecture and tutorial (3 hr) LO1 LO2 LO3 LO4 LO5
Week 13 Next Steps on Your Innovation and Entrepreneurship Journey + Wrap-up Lecture and tutorial (3 hr) LO1 LO2 LO3 LO4 LO5

Study commitment

Typically, there is a minimum expectation of 1.5-2 hours of student effort per week per credit point for units of study offered over a full semester. For a 6 credit point unit, this equates to roughly 120-150 hours of student effort in total.

Learning outcomes are what students know, understand and are able to do on completion of a unit of study. They are aligned with the University's graduate qualities and are assessed as part of the curriculum.

At the completion of this unit, you should be able to:

  • LO1. Critically discuss and analyse the concepts of entrepreneurship and innovation.
  • LO2. Demonstrate an ability to engage meaningfully and critically in debates about innovation and entrepreneurial processes in society; as well as how they intersect with contemporary technological frontiers, pressing social and ecological challenges and the UN SDGs.
  • LO3. Recognise and illustrate the multidisciplinary nature of innovation and entrepreneurship.
  • LO4. Analyze cases of innovation and entrepreneurship across multiple disciplines and industries; across traditional businesses and social ventures; and across start-ups and large established organizations.
  • LO5. Present and illustrate core concepts of innovation and entrepreneurship with reference to multiple settings and multiple types of innovations.

Graduate qualities

The graduate qualities are the qualities and skills that all University of Sydney graduates must demonstrate on successful completion of an award course. As a future Sydney graduate, the set of qualities have been designed to equip you for the contemporary world.

GQ1 Depth of disciplinary expertise

Deep disciplinary expertise is the ability to integrate and rigorously apply knowledge, understanding and skills of a recognised discipline defined by scholarly activity, as well as familiarity with evolving practice of the discipline.

GQ2 Critical thinking and problem solving

Critical thinking and problem solving are the questioning of ideas, evidence and assumptions in order to propose and evaluate hypotheses or alternative arguments before formulating a conclusion or a solution to an identified problem.

GQ3 Oral and written communication

Effective communication, in both oral and written form, is the clear exchange of meaning in a manner that is appropriate to audience and context.

GQ4 Information and digital literacy

Information and digital literacy is the ability to locate, interpret, evaluate, manage, adapt, integrate, create and convey information using appropriate resources, tools and strategies.

GQ5 Inventiveness

Generating novel ideas and solutions.

GQ6 Cultural competence

Cultural Competence is the ability to actively, ethically, respectfully, and successfully engage across and between cultures. In the Australian context, this includes and celebrates Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander cultures, knowledge systems, and a mature understanding of contemporary issues.

GQ7 Interdisciplinary effectiveness

Interdisciplinary effectiveness is the integration and synthesis of multiple viewpoints and practices, working effectively across disciplinary boundaries.

GQ8 Integrated professional, ethical, and personal identity

An integrated professional, ethical and personal identity is understanding the interaction between one’s personal and professional selves in an ethical context.

GQ9 Influence

Engaging others in a process, idea or vision.

Outcome map

Learning outcomes Graduate qualities
GQ1 GQ2 GQ3 GQ4 GQ5 GQ6 GQ7 GQ8 GQ9

This section outlines changes made to this unit following staff and student reviews.

Assignment due dates updated.

Disclaimer

The University reserves the right to amend units of study or no longer offer certain units, including where there are low enrolment numbers.

To help you understand common terms that we use at the University, we offer an online glossary.