Innovation Project (10 cr)

Evaluation scale

H-5

Content scheduling

13.09.2024 - 20.12.2024.
• Innovation project is an onsite course. Working on Campus on Tuesdays and Fridays at 08-12. Absences for a maximum of 3 acceptable reasons.
• Project Work for pre-selected companies or organizations
• Working in groups of 6-10 students
• Each project has dedicated coach (staff member) and product owner (typically customer representative).
• SCRUM or some other method for project management
Idea/creation phase: Sep-Dec
Execution/prototyping phase:

Objective

After completing the course the student can:
- participate in systematic research and development activities as a responsible member of the project team
- describe the principles of project team operation and project control
- explain the importance of the project’s goals to the business of the stakeholders
- use modern tools of project management in project planning and implementation
- solve problems related to project implementation
- apply his/her knowledge to achieve project goals
- document the project
- identify areas of further development related to one’s professional skills and is able to deepen one’s professional skills according to the project’s goals
- evaluate his/her learning and professional development in the project.
More detailed outcomes will be defined on a project basis and according to student’s degree programme and competence area.

Content

Innovation project is typically a development project implemented in co-operation with a company or another external customer. However, the project may also be a part of Turku University of Applied Science’s internal research and development activities or it can be based on a student’s or student team’s own project or business idea. Also development projects related to different student competitions are applicable.

The final extent, detailed contents, student workload and learning outcomes of the course will be defined on a project basis.

Materials

Students choose their theory to suit the project and their own learning goals.
Every student chooses one useful book to read. The book must be useful for the project and for students own learning.
Students gather all necessary info, knowledge, skills and tools to be able to succesfully finnish the project.

Teaching methods

Contact lessons/info, teamwork, individual work, reports. Pedagogical methods used: Project learning, problem based learning, CDIO and innovation pedagogy.

International connections

Innovation project is typically a development project implemented in co-operation with a company or another external customer. However, the project may also be a part of Turku University of Applied Science’s internal research and development activities or it can be based on a student’s, student team’s own project, or business idea. In addition, development projects related to different student competitions are applicable.
Students select their preferred projects they want to work after exhibition.
After completing the course, the student can:
• participate in systematic research and development activities as a responsible member of the project team
• describe the principles of project team operation and project control
• explain the importance of the project’s goals to the business of the stakeholders
• use modern tools of project management in project planning and implementation
• solve problems related to project implementation
• apply his/her knowledge to achieve project goals
• document the project
• identify areas of further development related to one’s professional skills and is able to deepen one’s professional skills according to the project’s goals
• evaluate his/her learning and professional development in the project.

Student workload

4 hours on Tuesday and 4 hours on Friday
Additionally student work in (SCRUM or other project management methods) team together with rest of team member.

Further information

In the Capstone Innovation Project, it is compulsory to attend the scheduled teamwork on Tuesdays and Fridays from 8:00 to 12:00 O'clock.

Reason for compulsory participation on Tuesdays and Fridays:
The capstone course is based on a multidisciplinary working life project in multi-professional student teams.

The learning objectives are related to multidisciplinary teamwork and project management skills. In contrast to, for example, an internship, the focus is not on the competence of certain work tasks, but on the competence of multidisciplinary cooperation and project management in demanding research, development, or entrepreneurship projects of working life. In Capstone, the student must act as an expert in his field in tasks placed in the intermediate spaces of the participants' core competences. Learners learn to adapt their expertise to their peers' skills and the assignment requirements.

The assessment relies on a 360-assessment process and focuses, among other things, on the students' ability to function successfully as a member of a multi-specialist team. The Capstone Innovation Project course requires the opportunity to work in a trained team where peer evaluation is carried out. Studying a demanding job and working on it alone will not produce the competence sought by the Capstone innovation project without team coaching and peer learning. Just doing individual expert tasks does not fulfill the goals of the Capstone innovation project course.

These learning objectives are not possible to achieve without participation in onsite learning on Tuesdays and Fridays from 8:00 to 12:00.

More information from coordinators:
Linnossuo Timo
Sanna Simola