When teachers define the learning objectives for the upcoming course and for the course participants, it is assumed, most likely quite correctly, that the teachers already have obtained those skills themselves that they are teaching. Teachers do master the subject matter, but in my pilot, I wanted to check, how can I in my course design process identify my own innovation competences.

Course: Destination Germany Austria 3 ECTS (offered as a compulsory course for students going to ERASMUS / double degree exchange in Autumn 2024) 

Teacher: Sanna Simola   

Students: 11 (+ 2 who chose to attend, but not to do all the tasks) 

Goal and learning objectives: training and preparation for exchange in Germany or Austria, networking, inspiration (guests), career planning, language and culture skills, information search. 

Course implementation Hybrid (Campus – online lessons – tasks in LMS itslearning)  

Duration: March- May 2024 (14 weeks) 

Contact lessons at Campus

Contact lessons at Campus

LMS itslearning Task 1 cultural awareness, stereotypes, culture shock

Online lesson

LMS itslearning Task 2 Germany, Austria, education system

Online lesson, guest – a person who has lived in Finland for a long time shares his views on the differences between Finland and Germany- Frohe Ostern!

Contact lessons at Campus ein bisschen Deutsch (Restaurant, travelling)

LMS itslearning Task 3 student life, working life.

Online lesson, guest aFinn living and working in Germany.

LMS itslearning Task 4: Duolingo etc.

no meeting, Duolingo, online assignments

LMS itslearning Task 5 own destination – school, city, hobbies

Contact lessons at Campus presentations = task 5, feedback task 4

Online lesson exchange students (one already at home in Germany)

Contact lessons at Campus Gute Reise und schönen Aufenthalt! Exchange Student

When designing a course, it is good to be aware that things may occur unexpectedly.  During this course there were three things I had to react quickly to and must have a plan B. In unexpected situations innovation competences are really needed. 

During the spring I was asked to join an Erasmus week in Romania, in April we suddenly got snow again and one of the students had a request for the possibility to have some of the exchange students from Germany/Austria to attend the course and tell their experiences about Erasmus exchange in Finland and cultural differences. 

These demands were quite easy to tackle. After 24 years of experience of teaching, I knew of course that situations where I must react quite quickly may occur. The long experience has formed and developed the innovation competences. During these years I have learnt to be creative, to network with people, take initiative (contact people and suggest an idea of participation), be in a team and work together. Also, critical thinking is an important skill; for example, in the design process it is good to think critically about the choices you are making. I nowadays implement my courses in a hybrid format to increase flexibility and guarantee a versatile learning experience. 

About the hybrid implementation - Online teaching gives a teacher more options and a great way to reach material, resources, and people outside the campus area and beyond the borders. In this implementation it was a natural choice to implement the course in a hybrid format.  

Below I list advantages of this format: 

versatile, varied (the content and place are matched to suit the purpose) 

It is good to have different kinds of tasks and environments to enhance the learning experience. 

flexible (weather conditions- easy to change the place) 

to get guests to attend (abroad, longer distances) 

high quality online learning material (e.g. Deutsche Welle)  

in this case: online lessons with a small group, camera on, active participation, discussions. Working online did succeed well, because of the group size and motivation of the students. Motivation was high due to upcoming stay in Germany/Austria. 

Goal:

Examination of the influence of the Sincoe training videos for self-assessment of innovation competence combined with the regular content of the course (including learning units on the topics of perception and personality traits) on self-assessment with the Sincoe assessment tool.

Target group:

1^st Semester Life Sciences students. More than 60 participants. Age: 18 to 40.

Situation Environment:

50% online-lecture, 50% face-to-face. Tasks for the students are part of a portfolio examination.

Methods:

At the beginning of the semester, only the first two SINCOE training videos are used. Students then evaluate their innovation skills using the SINCOE assessment tool. Detailed feedback on training videos and assessment tool is collected. The third SINCOE training video (Biases and how to avoid them) is then used as an addition to the usual course topics of perception and personality traits. After participating in these learning units the students assess themselves a second time using the SINCOE assessment tool, they compare their results of the first and the second assessment and discuss the reasons for any differences. Detailed feedback from students from students on third training video and self-assessment is collected and discussed.

Additional Methods:

Quasi-experiments – online and face-to-face - on the topic of perception and self-perception as a construction of reality.

Online group work (Mini-groups):
Personality traits according to dimensions such as duration/change and proximity/distance and their influence on collaboration situations and innovation processes.

Analysis of communication situations in video sequences, and comparison of protagonists´. behaviour with own behaviour tendencies in similar situations.

Objectives:

This pilot focuses on this aspect of the SINCOE project:

-           Test the Self and Peer assessment tool SINCOE@ with students

-           Integrate the self-assessment in a regular course

-           Foster the awareness about innovation competencies

Methods:

This survey was planned as an “injection”,  in a course that is dominated by lectures with some short excercises. It was “injected” with a in the 6th week of 13 weeks, after introducing into the topic of the relationship between marketing and new information technology.

The survey was announced in the 1st session. In the 6th week, we started the session on-site with an information about the SINCOE study and some hints for an anonymous login to the survey Due to the data protection regulations, students should have the possibility to participate anonymously with a private mail adress. Students should regard the videos and fill out the survey remote after this and before the next session in the following week.

The summarizing results haven been submitted to the course management system immediately after closing the survey. The discussion was planned in a later session in the course.

Environment:

Students have been informed about the relevance of innovation for products and for processes in marketing. As business students in a B.Sc. marketing course they typically want to be innovative. But innovation has not been an explicit focus in current (4. Semester) or earlier courses.

Role:

The regular professor of the course introduced into the topic, the relevance for the course, the project in general and the survey in special.

Motivation:

The idea behind injecting SINCOE in this course was to nudge students to understand themselves as actors of innovation at university, in their jobs as well as in private life.

Assessment:

The self-assessment of students was the goal of this survey.

Objectives  

The aim is to find out about the student's motivation. What things improve, what weakens motivation? Is motivation related to something else related to studying? What kind of study skills do students have? What kind of skills students have for critical thinking, creativity and teamwork. Do students have challenges with their own life management and coping?

Methods  

Students fill out a form with lots of questions related to motivation, some questions related to student skills and innovation competencies. In addition, questions related to the student's stress, coping and goal-oriented activities are asked.

I selected three of the innovation competencies for the survey, and I found critical thinking, creativity and teamwork to be the best fit for students in the first year of technology. For each of these competencies, I selected a few statements for the survey.

After the formative questionnaire, it is possible to obtain even more in-depth and detailed information from students about the above-mentioned issues by interviewing a few students.

Environment  

The survey and interviews can be conducted either online or offline.

Role  

The teacher shares a link to a formative questionnaire, conducts interviews and analyzes the collected data. The student answers the survey and acts as an interviewee.

Motivation  

Students are motivated to respond to the survey, because by answering the survey, students can provide information to education providers that can improve their learning process and learning outcomes.

Assessment  

By answering the survey, the student evaluates their own actions. The responsibility is all the time on the student. 

Objectives 

The teacher has a conversation with each student separately to help them improve their Innovation Competences. The conversation is based on only couple of chosen Innovation Competence statements which he/she has given to the students.

Methods 

The students fill in a form with two-three questions from each category of Innovation Competences. The teacher discusses their self-assessment with them. The object of this conversation is to make students make their self-assessment and plan how to improve them. 

I chose only part of the Innovation Competence statements to answer, those which suited best to Journalism studies. It made the conversation easier and more focused.  

I could ask for more details about those couple of questions. When there has been the whole list of statements it has been very difficult to ask more about any of them.  

Environment 

Online suits very well to goal and development dialogue with a student. It is an intense and peaceful environment with one student at a time. 

Role 

Teacher asks questions and the student answers. The teacher does not provide so-called right answers. The responsibility is with the student. 

Motivation 

One of the questions in a form was about the motivation to assess a student´s own Innovation Competences. Here are the answers to that question.  

Innovation Competences are on my opinion: 

Totally useless: 0 

I pondered them at the time of the survey, but not at any other time: 4. 

I find it important to keep working life skills in mind during my studies: 13. 

Answering them clearly increases my self-awareness: 3. 

Answering them obliges me to develop myself: 0. 

Assessment 

Only self-assessment and a conversation with a teacher after that. The responsibility is all the time on the student.

Objectives 

To teach how to use artificial intelligence wisely as a part of the journalistic work. And how to use it with critical thinking. Also, to encourage students that it is not a threat to their creativity, on the other hand, it can improve it. 

Methods 

Three teaching sessions by a journalism teacher to students of two different groups. Two of the sessions were obligatory lessons and one of them was voluntarily. I gave there an example with another teacher how to make an interview, use Word dictating in real time and ask ChatGPT to write an article based on dictated text. I asked about different models and styles from it in front of the class: a very news-like style, a stye suitable for the youth and a humoristic style with a dialect. ChatGPT created all of these in a real-time. We did not test all the styles in every session. We also noticed that ChatGPT invented sentences which the interviewee had not said. It also made its own conclusions.

Then we analyzed texts and proved to the students that they were quite generic and not that interesting without a human intervention. But it was a good basis to work on.

The results were also interesting to the other teacher who had not used Word dictating nor ChatGPT before. We were all testing a new thing together, teachers and students.

A teacher can learn at the same time as students. It demands openness and an ability to dive into an unknown area and grow innovativeness. It is a real-time testing with students. A teacher is in charge, but he/she does not need to know where the research is going. A teacher analyses the results based on his/her professional experience. 

Environment 

On-site in a classroom in front of the students. And after these sessions the students tried by themselves. 

Role 

Two teachers taking a test in an unknown area. Both teachers and students tried something new. 

Motivation 

Artificial Intelligence is here and in use. Students know that they must compete with it in their professional field. They must know how to utilize it and prove where they can be better than it. 

Assessment 

Two questionnaires from the students, before the demonstrations and after it. The attitude towards AI became more positive. 

Objectives 

To support students to reflect and self-assess their competence of critical thinking in sustainable development.

Methods 

The assessment items about competence in sustainable development are included under the dimension of critical thinking in SINCOE assessment tool.   

This testing of these optional competence items in the assessment tool were implemented as students’ self-assessment with an electronic survey and completed with discussions and interviews.

The assessment topic, competence in sustainable development, was first briefly discussed with students, after which they answered to the survey including these optional items. Student were asked to consider these topics in their own studies so far, and after answering to the survey there was a discussion on their thoughts how they experienced the items. The respondents were students from engineering, business, and health and social sciences.

Environment 

On-site. The self-assessment was implemented online students using their own mobile phones, and the discussion took place after the self-assessment as face to face.

Role 

The teacher/tutor has an essential role in discussions with students, because a successful self-assessment always requires prior discussion with the students and should never be carried out without the students being prepared for it. The aim of the discussion is to explain to the participants what it is assessed, why it is assessed, and what the assessment items in practice can mean. Thus, no self-assessment tool is sufficient as such, but the importance of joint discussion and introduction to the assessment aims, methods and criteria used cannot be sufficiently emphasized.

Motivation 

The students find the self-assessment of their own competence in sustainable development very important. Many of them mentioned competence in sustainable development being among the most important competences now and in the future in all jobs and positions.

Assessment 

The expressions used, i.e. wording of the items, were found more or less complicated and difficult to understand. Thus, these items needs practical examples to be understood correctly. The items used in the self-assessment measuring the competences of sustainable development aim to support the students in the assessment of their own competence. In order for the assessment to be realistic and reliable, it is essential that the student understands a fairly general competence item correctly. For this reason, the examples of what the items can mean in practice are important for the success of self-assessment , and here the role of the teacher/ tutor is important.

Objectives:

The aim of this pedagogical example was to test the SINCOE@ Assessment tool as a feedback tool for two multidisciplinary groups of third year Bachelor-students solving the specific problem assigned from the external project owner. The project owner met the student groups face-to-face only at the beginning and end of the course, otherwise the guidance took place in remote meetings. 

Methods:

Capstone innovation project is part of Turku UAS learning entity. Innovation project’s goal is to familiarize students with other fields of study and to introduce a work-a-like project environment in a safe and familiar environment. Projects are given to students by companies or Educational Institutions, and they wish students to have an outside view of these projects, in other words, they wish for students to have innovative problem-solving. 

Capstone project groups are usually 5-10 students in size and consist of varied Turku UAS fields of study. This way students get to work with different fields and get to recognize different skills in these fields. Group sizes vary on the amount of interest of the students in the course with the exception of a few specific fields of study which are always included.  Each project has dedicated coach (staff member) and product owner (typically customer representative).

The primary task of the Capstone Innovation Project is to produce a new solution for a problem or need of a real-world customer. New solution will be offered in the form of working prototype. Prototype can be in the form of product, service concept, video, animation, game, or mobile application. 

Environment:

Project groups worked mainly on-site in classrooms two half days per week. Additionally, students worked in (SCRUM or other project management methods) smaller task teams and met their coach weekly, wherein online meetings were also allowed. The project owner met the groups in online and onsite meetings. 

Role:

The tutor’s role is to facilitate teamwork and guide the group in problem solving and support learning and team cohesion. The project owner’s role is to guide the group of students in the right direction of the project's goals and keep the requirements clear, as well as to provide feedback on the progress of the work.

Motivation:

Capstone Innovation Project as a pedagogical method is motivating for students. Learning in real work-life-oriented projects in collaboration with teachers, companies and students form a motivating learning environment itself.

In addition, using the SINCOE@ Assessment Tool as a feedback tool was intended to support students' motivation and deepen their learning experience.

Assessment:

In this pedagogical example the SINCOE@ Assessment Tool was intended to be used as a feedback tool. Providing additional feedback to students about their working and additional perspectives to the teacher for course evaluation.

Otherwise, the course was evaluated with grades 0-5. Assessment based on groups peer assessment and tutor’s assessment. Peer assessment will be made at the end of the course, but tutor asses constantly during course period.

Since the project owner was unable to monitor the students' work based on non-online meetings, it felt challenging to give feedback at first. However, the SINCOE@ Assessment tool made it easier by helping to articulate and concretise students' work and accomplishments. The items of the assessment tool were well suited for this kind of student project work. The tool made it easy to describe, for example, the initiative, creativity, and teamwork skills of a group of students by tying examples to projects. 

Students appreciated the written feedback. It told in a concrete way about their successes. The feedback was a good addition to the numerical grade the teacher gave.

Objectives:

 This pilot focuses on three aspects of the SINCOE project:

• Activating learning an teaching methos to involve and motivate students
• Efficient assessment methods and tools to involve and motivate students
• Creating interactive and friendly atmosphere

In this pilot we want to:

• Check if the “talent selection dynamic” allows for the display of innovative behaviors (and which priorities of the dimensions emerge in each group and what relationship it has with the profiles of each person in the group (if they value what they have most).
• Test the sincoe@self and see what utility the students give it. Have data for the psychometric validation of the instrument.
• Compare how they perceive sincoe@ versus Belbin as the gold standard
• Compare the results and process (rubric on triple diamond) of each group based on its composition of personal competencies (sincoe@) and roles (Belbin)

Methods:

We will use a highly participative workshop methodology that will allow you to develop knowledge, skills and attitudes, but above all, be able to practice them frequently enough in the classroom so that students can receive feedback and develop actions to improve their competencies. During the classes we will include abundant dynamics that allow the explained concepts to be manifested. In the same way, students will have to form and direct groups to solve a series of activities during class time. The result of these activities will be taken into account when calculating the final grade of the course.

Environment:

Facultad de Aministración de Empresas. Master's Degree in Business, Product and Service Management

Core subject: Participative management & teamwork for service improvement.

1st year. 5 ECTs

16 multicultural students (all of them with professional experience)

Face to face workshops

20 Master Students

One teacher (belonging to the UPV team of the European SINCOE project)

Main learning objectives of the subject:

In this course studetns will get to know and experience teamwork structures that encourage continuous improvement, creating a space in which you can collaborate, participate and feel responsible for the learning process. This will allow them to assess the potential of participatory management and teamwork in improving services.

Role:

The instructor act as facilitator, mentor, and guides throughout the process, ensuring a environment for personal and professional growth. He also introduce and provide training on the use/interpretation of the Sincoe@ self-peer assessment tool, enabling students to engage in self-reflection and peer evaluation.

During the classroom workshops the role of facilitator was developed guiding students through the various activities and encouraging open discussions. Also creating a safe and supportive learning environment where students can freely express their ideas, ask questions, and receive constructive feedback. The instructor actively observes group dynamics, monitors individual contributions, and provides real-time feedback and guidance to students.

Motivation:

By engaging in self-assessment through the Sincoe@ tool, students cultivate self-awareness and self-reflection skills, empowering them to identify their unique strengths and areas for growth. This not only fosters personal growth but also prepares them to thrive in collaborative team settings, where leveraging individual competencies is essential for collective success.

Moreover, the "talent selection dynamic" and the analysis of group dynamics equip students with teamwork and collaboration skills. As they navigate different roles within their teams, they gain first-hand experience in effective communication, conflict resolution, and leveraging the collective strengths of their peers. This experiential learning aligns seamlessly with the growing emphasis on cross-functional collaboration and interdisciplinary teamwork in modern professional environments.

The critical evaluation of different assessment methods, such as Sincoe@ and Belbin, hones students' analytical and critical thinking skills. This exposure to industry-relevant tools and frameworks not only prepares them for professional practice but also equips them with the ability to evaluate the effectiveness and applicability of various methodologie.

The iterative nature of this experience, with its emphasis on continuous feedback, reflection, and refinement, cultivates a growth mindset – a mindset that embraces lifelong learning and adaptability. As the job market continues to evolve rapidly, this growth mindset becomes a invaluable asset, enabling students to navigate change and seize new opportunities proactively.

Assessment:

We use of SINCOE@ for self-diagnosis (no peer use in this course) To evaluate how students are able to function effectively in a team whose members together provide leadership and create a collaborative and inclusive environment in the organization; coordination of work and Identify roles and skills to operate in multidisciplinary teams with different professional profiles; Collaborate proactively in the development of the work, establishing goals and meeting objectives, as well as contributing to the search for solutions to challenges or projects, demonstrating empathy and assertiveness when sharing ideas, reflections and arguments within collaborative work. to Solve complex problems independently in the discipline;  Draw conclusions from practical or experimental work; Demonstrate initiative to organize their own work, managing the effort and time dedicated to achieving the proposed objectives and goals;.

We will use the Diagnosis of teamwork roles based on Belbin ©, and Marin-Garcia, JA (2019) Development and validation of the Spanish version of the soft skills scale (sss17sp). WPOM-Working Papers on Operations Management, 10

Evaluation of the group product with the triple diamond model rubric (c) Marin-Garcia (2020). Marin-Garcia, JA, Garcia-Sabater, JJ, Garcia-Sabater, JP, & Maheut, J. (2020). Protocol: Triple diamond method for problem solving and design thinking. Rubric validation. WPOM-Working Papers on Operations Management, 11(2), 49-68. doi:10.4995/wpom.v11i2.14776

Objectives:

This pilot focuses on three aspects of the SINCOE project:

-           Activating learning and teaching methods to involve and motivate students

-           Efficient assessment methods and tools to involve and motivate students

-           Test the Self and Peer assessment tool SINCOE@ with students

In this pilot we want to:

-           Check if the “talent selection dynamic” allows for the display of innovative behaviors (and which priorities of the dimensions emerge in each group and what relationship it has with the profiles of each person in the group (if they value what they have most).

-           Test the sincoe@ self and peer, and see what utility the students give it. Have data for the psychometric validation of the instrument. Check alternative methodologies to assess in self and peer.

-           Compare sincoe@ results versus Belbin as the gold standard.

-           Compare the results of each group in the VSM task, based on team composition of personal competencies (sincoe@) and roles (Belbin).

-           Check different models to evaluate and give feedback.

-           Check that I can do it in groups with 40 students.

Methods:

Workshop sessions during classroom and lab classes

Environment:

Course Title: High-Performance Teams for Continuous Improvement.

This is a mandatory subject in the 4th year of the Industrial Organization Engineering degree program. It has 57 Bachelor students enrolled. The course offers 4 ECTS and is taught in-person. It includes one 3-hour session per week for 12 weeks and three 3-hour laboratory practices. Each class session is attended by between 35 and 47 students.

The course covers both theoretical and practical aspects of groups in organizations, with a special focus on developing skills and abilities for effective leadership and participation in these groups. Enrolled students will learn to identify problems/opportunities and transform them into improvement projects. They will learn the most common team management tools used in manufacturing/service environments and will be able to apply the principles of lean manufacturing, including team and materials management.

The course aims to provide an approach that enables the application of teamwork techniques within the philosophy of lean production and continuous improvement, using tools studied throughout the degree (leveling, standardization, process improvement, etc.).

Upon successful completion of the course, enrolled students should be able to:

• Operate, maintain, and improve organizations, production systems, services, and processes to enhance the competitiveness in the current environment and apply quality principles and methods.
• Be prepared to work in a team in a multilingual and multidisciplinary environment.
• Use modern engineering techniques, skills, and tools necessary for professional practice.
• Have knowledge to define the potential of industrial companies or organizations and apply it to meet the needs of potential customers.
• Solve problems with initiative and an entrepreneurial spirit, decision-making, creativity, critical reasoning, and communicate and transmit knowledge, skills, and abilities in their field.

Role:

The course was taught by three instructors. Two of the instructors shared the organization of the classroom dynamics, with each handling half. One of them was responsible for the theoretical aspects of Lean concepts and tools, creating video resources, and half of the cases/problems to be used in class. The other was responsible for developing the other half of the cases/problems, organizing half of the classroom sessions, and providing observations on transversal competencies and giving feedback/feedforward on the platform. During the classroom sessions, both professors contributed by providing counterpoints to each other, or adding comments, explanations, or feedback on aspects of Lean, continuous improvement, and/or the use of teams in organizations they had collaborated with. The third instructor was in charge of the laboratory practices.

Motivation:

To engage and motivate students, test efficient assessment tools, and analyze team performance based on personal competencies and roles, and assessing large groups effectively.

Assessment:

To assess how students are able to function effectively in a team whose members together provide leadership and create a collaborative and inclusive environment in the organization; coordination of work and identify roles and skills to operate in multidisciplinary teams with different professional profiles; Collaborate proactively in the development of the work, establishing goals and meeting objectives, as well as contributing to the search for solutions to challenges or projects, demonstrating empathy and assertiveness when sharing ideas, reflections and arguments within collaborative work, we will use the Sincoe@ an the Diagnosis of teamwork roles based on Belbin.