ITF31213 ICT-based Innovation (Spring 2016)

The course is connected to the following study programs

Elective course.

Prerequisites

Students must have achieved at least 100 ECTS credits before they may commence the course.

The student's learning outcomes after completing the course

Knowledge:

The student has:

• acquired knowledge of innovation processes, business startups, and commercialisation.

Skills:

The students has:

• gained a sufficiently theoretical and practical grounding to equip them for realising their ideas.

General competence:

The students has:

• knowledge that is relevant for establishing their own business and expanded knowledge of entrepreneurship and innovation.

Content

Large parts of the course are project-based, where students work on an innovation assignment.

Before the course begins, all the students should make a note of an assignment they would like to work on during the course. The groups will be formed on the basis of these topics. Ideally, groups of 4 students should agree on a topic in advance.

Topics adapted to the phases in the innovation from idea through to business plan will be reviewed.

Example topics:

• Innovation
• Creativity
• Industrial property rights
• Entrepreneurship
• Business models
• Industry analysis
• Market analysis
• Financing
• Investors
• Group processes and teamwork
• Project work
• Osterwalder's model

Lectures on relevant topics may be held at institutions/companies.

Forms of teaching and learning

Lectures and project work.

Guest lecturers and lectures during industry visits.

Group presentations of ongoing project work.

Workload

4 hours of lectures + exercises per week.

Coursework requirements - conditions for taking the exam

1. During the first weeks of the course, all the students must submit a brief reflection on what they want to accomplish during the course and which topics/themes they would like to work on.
2. The students must submit 4 written (and oral) answers on Market Analyses (macro and micro) and Industrial Analyses (macro and micro) within the themes to be resolved by the project assignments.
3. Submission of individual reflection notes (1?3 pages).
4. Weekly project meetings (with minutes) to which the subject teacher/student assistant is invited.

Written coursework requirements are submitted via e-mail, Fronter (individual) and/or Projectplace (group). A closed Facebook group and Dropbox are used during the course.

The coursework requirements must be approved before students may sit the exam.

Examination

Group project assignment and individual oral exam (which may adjust the overall grade).

The final individual grade is awarded on the basis of two exam components. Students must pass both components in order to be awarded an overall individual grade for the course.

Project assignment in groups

The project is assessed on the basis of three criteria: the group process, the project report and the project outcome. Emphasis is placed on the project process. The project workload per student is at least 150 hours. Students are awarded a provisional, individual grade.

Individual oral exam lasting approximately 30 minutes (which may adjust the overall grade).

The exam has two components: a presentation of the project assignment and questions from the course syllabus.

The oral exam may adjust the grade for the written project by two grades up or down on the letter grading scale A-F.

In the case of resit exams or rescheduled exams, both components must be taken. Resit exams and rescheduled exams must be undertaken in conjunction with the next ordinary exam.

Grades awarded for written group project assignments may be appealed against. Students whose grade is adjusted after an appeal must retake the oral exam.

Course evaluation

This course is evaluated as follows:

• Mid-semester evaluation (optional)
• Final evaluation (compulsory)

The course instructor prepares a course report on the basis of student feedback and on his/her own experiences of the course. Course reports are discussed with the Committee for Study Quality at the Faculty of Computer Sciences.

Literature

Updated 16. November 2015.

The New Business Road Test - What Entrepreneurs and Executives should do before launching a lean start-up, John Mullins, fourth editon (2013).

Business Model Generation, Aleksander Osterwalder and Yves Pigneur (2010), isbn: 978-0470-87641-1

References to Osterwalders model.

Relevant literature from Innovasjon Norge.

Web resources are available on Fronter.