New Technology Alignment On-line Course

The Australian Computer Society's "New Technology Alignment" (NTA) on-line postgraduate course, starts 19 June. This is offered directly by ACS as part of its certificate (register now) and through Open Universities Australia. The course is being run much as designed by Professor Doug Grant, with some minor updates I have made as the instructor for this year.

Course content

New Technology Alignment has an emphasis on
opening your mind to new technical trends, and how they align with business today.

It includes four modules, which explore:

1. Frameworks for measuring the impacts of technology on business performance
2. Fostering innovation and encouraging adoption
3. Technology assessment and integration
4. Promotion and realising benefits.

Learning outcomes

• Knowledge and understanding of emerging technologies.
• Ability to identify new and emerging information technology trends and assess their relevance and potential value to the organisation.
• Ability to strategise for and promote emerging technology awareness among staff and management.

Instructional Design for Innovation

The ACS e-Learning Special Interest Group meeting this evening in Canberra is on "Innovations in Teaching Innovation". Normally as the convener I would make notes on what the guest speaker says, but as I am the speaker, I have made some notes in advance.

Who are you to speak on Innovation?

I was the Defence Project Manager for the DBQWindows Project, federally funded to develop a graphical user interface for Australian database software. I have evaluated applications for innovation grants for the Department of Industry, acted as a consultant for patent applications and provided advice on web design for the Beijing Olympics. I have has been a speaker and mentor for Innovation ACT, on the organising team for GovHack and GovCamp Canberra and a judge for Random Hacks of Kindness (Sydney).

What  are you doing now?

Currently I am tutoring "New Technology Alignment" for the Australian Computer Society Virtual College. The postgraduate students are from across Australia and the UK. Two students are also enrolled in Masters programs at Australian and UK universities.

Also I am a masters of Education student and have selected designing an on-line innovation course as my instructional design project.

What Innovation Courses Are There Already in Canberra?

ANU:

1. Entrepreneurship and Innovation MGMT3027
2. Innovation and Commercialisation MGMT7165
3. Technology and Innovation Management and Strategy MGMT7106
4. Engineering Innovation ENGN3230 
5. Techlauncher (new)

University of Canberra:

Bachelor of Entrepreneurship and Innovation", with units such as “Managing Change and Innovation” (7776.3).

What other Innovation Programs Impressed You?

The course which most impressed me was the UBC two semester interdisciplinary capstone project for business and engineering students (I visited UBC and discussed it with the staff in 2014).

What Could Be Improved?

Current courses tend to be discussing enterprise innovation, not startups which interest young people. Also many of these cruses are conventional lecture and exam based, which does not suit an entrepreneurial approach. Some coruses are integrated with a innovation competition (simian to Innovation ACT), but this creates a rigid structure and requires a year of study.

What is Your Solution?

A 12 week e-learning course to teach theory, with students undertaking practical group work in a competition, such as Innovation ACT.

More in "Commercialisation and Entrepreneurship in Technology Course Proposal".

Innovations in Teaching Innovation

From January 2015 I am taking over teaching of the Australian Computer Society's "New Technology Alignment" (NTA) on-line postgraduate course. This is offered directly by ACS as part of its postgraduate certificate (register now for courses starting 19 January 2015) and through Open Universities Australia. The course was designed by

Professor Doug Grant and I will be just making some minor updates to the material. But suggestions would be welcome.

In August I met Philippe Kruchten at UBC Electrical and Computer Engineering at the Universality of British Colombia (UBC) in Vancouver, Canada. UBC's  "New Venture Design" course (APSC 486),  has engineering and business students learn to produce a business plan for a product. The students are encouraged to enter a innovation competition or program as part of the course. After looking at courses on innovation in Canberra, I created "Commercialisation and Entrepreneurship in Technology" which can be undertaken by students as a special topic.