Assessment Information/Brief 2021-22
To be used for all types of assessment and provided to students at the start of the module.
Information provided should be compatible with the detail contained in the approved module specification although may contain more information for clarity.
Module title Innovative Problem Solving
CRN N100-M0106 Level: M (53159 / 53160 / 53162 / 53163 / 53165)
Level 7
Assessment title Digital Portfolio
Weighting within module This assessment is worth 100% of the overall module mark.
Submission deadline date and time See OnlineCampus
Module Leader/Assessment set by:
How to submit
You should submit, via OnlineCampus, a document in either Word or PDF that contains the text and content from the portfolio AND the link to your online digital portfolio.
Assessment task details and instructions
Students should select a business/societal issue for which they must innovatively problem solve, developing their solution with support from tutors. The proposed solution will be delivered via a digital online portfolio and must include a variety of components (listed below). Students will research, develop, and collect material relevant to their innovative solution and upload it to a personally created blog/website platform such as WordPress, Wix or similar of their own making/choosing.
Content: During each stage of the module, you will contribute and curate your Digital Portfolio – this is an online collection into which you should include evidence of your research activities; this may be images, photos, sketches, videos etc. In addition, you should include reflections, reviews of guest speakers and critiques of articles, white papers, journal articles, practitioner reports and suchlike. Finally, you should also upload the various outcomes of each work session which will both contribute to your overall portfolio for assessment and provide an opportunity for feedback and discussion.
The digital portfolio is worth 100% of the mark for the module, with weightings for each component listed below:
% Component Description
40% Innovative Solution Create an online digital portfolio to articulate your proposed solution. The final format of this component will vary depending on your solution. However, typically there will be many pages of media and written content on your portfolio to help clearly articulate your solution. As such, this component is expected at minimum to include:
– Problem definition: How did you get clarity on the problem, its nature, whom it affects and to what degree?
– Background research: What literature did you review and what use did you make of secondary research? What information currently exists about the problem and how did you interpret that information?
– Ideation: What ideas did you develop and consider to address the problem? How did you decide on your final choice and why? What makes your solution the preferred choice from those options?
– Planning and Development: What tools, methods and processes were used to plan for and develop the solution? Why did you choose them and what options were there? What were the challenges you faced?
– Demonstration: What is the actual proposed solution? Explain and describe it in detail. What form can/does it take and why? How – specifically and in detail – does it solve the problem and for whom?
– Future scope: What other versions are possible? Are any other audiences/consumers within reach? What other applications might your solution have?
All your materials should be presented. You are expected to make use of media (video of the solution in operation, product images, audio etc.) to clearly demonstrate the final artefact. It is not necessary to have an operational version, but you must be able to demonstrate feasibility in some manner. As such, it is expected for example that if solutions such as websites, apps and digital services are not actually produced, then they are process mapped, wireframed, paper prototyped etc.
20% Pitch Video
Create a presentation video of no longer than 10 minutes in duration and upload it to your digital portfolio (it is acceptable for it to be uploaded to YouTube, Vimeo, Collaborate Ultra, Stream etc. and then linked/embedded within your digital portfolio). The presentation is a ‘pitch’ or proposal for your solution to the problem outlined whereby you persuade/convince your audience of the feasibility of your proposed solution. [Approx. 8-10 mins].
10% Business Model Your portfolio must include consideration of how your innovative solution is financially operationalised / commercialised. You therefore need to demonstrate a degree of economic feasibility via Business Model Generation.
10% Paper Critique An entry in the portfolio clearly marked as a critique of a relevant and contemporary discourse, provided on the module (journal article, book chapter, white paper or similar). [Approx.400 words].
10% Reflective Piece Reflective piece on an activity from the module or development challenge. The reflection may be in the form of either a written or recorded (audio or video) piece. You must use Gibbs (1988) reflective cycle. [Approx.400 words].
10% Materials from your research and preparation activities Annotated images, diagrams, models, group work etc. developed during your research and preparation activities.
Final deliverables:
One file, uploaded to OnlineCampus, containing the following
1. a document in either Word or PDF that contains the text and content from the portfolio
2. a link (URL) to your password protected portfolio – include all necessary access information (credentials/password for the portfolio to be fully visible to the assesor) and make sure that the portfolio is complete and accessible
Referencing should use APA Harvard; see the following link for a full guide: https://www.salford.ac.uk/skills-for-learning/home/using-and-referencing-information/referencing. Background information and links to relevant news stories regarding your proposal are welcome, but these should be short, referenced quotes and careful referencing should be adhered to throughout, as per the guidelines specified above. Be explicit to state all work that is not your own and reference clearly. You should not be including large entries of content created by others and all content you use must be credited, whether text or otherwise.
Requirements are specified above, however as a guide, the entire portfolio should be the equivalent of a piece of work requiring the effort for 4,000 words.
Assessed intended learning outcomes
On successful completion of this assessment, you will be able to:
Knowledge and Understanding
1. Demonstrate a critical awareness of the combination of theory and practice, with practice being informed by theory, when considering innovative solutions to solve problems.
2. Demonstrate an understanding of professional, legal, social, cultural and ethical issues related to computing and an awareness of societal and environmental impact.
3. Select the appropriate tools, techniques and technologies (established, current or emerging) to develop innovative solutions to solve problems.
4. Demonstrate an ability to evaluate the technical, societal and management dimensions of computer/technical systems.
Transferable Skills and other Attributes
1. Competently use a range of digital literacy skills and applications to research, analyse and communicate findings to a non-technical audience.
2. An ability to recognise and respond to opportunities for innovation.
3. An ability to critically review the literature (academic and practitioner), which includes identifying all of the key developments in a particular area of study, critically analysing them and identifying limitations/avenues for further development or explanation.
4. Develop reflective skills for continued learning, set goals and identify resources for the purpose of learning.
Module Aims
1. To equip students with the knowledge to model (prototype) user and information requirements, information flows, and business processes in such a way that allows effective and efficient translation into DIY innovative designs.
2. To facilitate a comprehensive understanding of systems methodologies and/or computer systems lifecycles, an appreciation of the issues around systems development, implementation and maintenance, including human ideas of abstraction and design, linked to problem solving.
3. To bring awareness and appreciation of the innovative, exploitive nature of emerging and disruptive technologies and open-source possibilities.
4. To facilitate a critical awareness of professional, legal, social, cultural and ethical issues related to innovative use of technologies and an awareness of societal and environmental impact.
5. To equip students with the knowledge obtained by problem analysis, to design creative solutions to meet information needs of defined and potential user communities.
Feedback arrangements
Feedback will be provided as per the Assessment and Feedback Policy.
Support arrangements
You can obtain support for this assessment from your lecturer, by following the lectures and participating in the class discussions/activities.
askUS
The University offers a range of support services for students through askUS.
Good Academic Conduct and Academic Misconduct
Students are expected to learn and demonstrate skills associated with good academic conduct (academic integrity). Good academic conduct includes the use of clear and correct referencing of source materials. Here is a link to where you can find out more about the skills which students require http://www.salford.ac.uk/skills-for-learning.
Academic Misconduct is an action which may give you an unfair advantage in your academic work. This includes plagiarism, asking someone else to write your assessment for you or taking notes into an exam. The University takes all forms of academic misconduct seriously. You can find out how to avoid academic misconduct here https://www.salford.ac.uk/skills-for-learning.
Assessment Information
If you have any questions about assessment rules, you can find out more here.
Personal Mitigating Circumstances
If personal mitigating circumstances may have affected your ability to complete this assessment, you can find more information about personal mitigating circumstances procedure here.
Student Progression Administrator
If you have any concerns about your studies, contact StudentCare.
Assessment Criteria
Specific assessment criteria is given above in the brief, in the description of the task. General grade descriptors also apply (see last page of this document).
In Year Retrieval Scheme
Your assessment is not eligible for in year retrieval.
Reassessment
If you fail your assessment, and are eligible for reassessment, you will need to resubmit on or before reassessment deadline. For students with accepted personal mitigating circumstances for absence/non submission, this will be your replacement assessment attempt.
Reassessment will take the same format as the original assessments.