NBS8970 : Innovation and Change
- Offered for Year: 2025/26
- Module Leader(s): Dr Lucy Hatt
- Lecturer: Dr Natalya Radko
- Owning School: Newcastle University Business School
- Teaching Location: Newcastle City Campus
Semesters
Your programme is made up of credits, the total differs on programme to programme.
| Semester 1 Credit Value: | 20 |
| ECTS Credits: | 10.0 |
| European Credit Transfer System | |
Aims
The aim of this practice-based module is to enable you to develop and enhance, to an advanced level, your knowledge, understanding and practice of innovation and change. The module will provide you with the opportunity to enhance your skills for thinking creatively to adapt and innovate in the changing world of work. By the end of the module, you will have:
• Analysed the impact of change on individuals, in organisations and in a wider global context
• Enhanced your entrepreneurial, innovative and creative problem solving capabilities, through developing your ability to capture the value of opportunities by mobilising and empowering key resources needed to develop and transform opportunities into innovative practices
• Critically evaluated innovation and entrepreneurial processes and practices, whether occurring in an independent, corporate or social context, and at individual, group and organisational levels, enacted through intra- and inter-organisational collaboration
Outline Of Syllabus
The syllabus will include topics such as:
• Overview of change theory
• The need for continuous improvement
• Regulatory environments and compliance requirements
• Contemporary change theory and practices
• Leading strategic change for sustainability across infrastructure processes, people and culture
• Innovation drivers, processes and practices and their impact
• Success and failure in innovation
• Evaluating opportunities for innovation
• Organising for innovation in different contexts
• Creating the environment for innovation and creativity
Teaching Methods
Teaching Activities
| Category | Activity | Number | Length | Student Hours | Comment |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Guided Independent Study | Assessment preparation and completion | 60 | 1:00 | 60:00 | N/A |
| Scheduled Learning And Teaching Activities | Lecture | 4 | 3:00 | 12:00 | PiP: Lectures (and workshops) scheduled in blocks |
| Structured Guided Learning | Structured research and reading activities | 14 | 1:00 | 14:00 | Online activities designed to prepare for scheduled synchronous face to face learning |
| Guided Independent Study | Skills practice | 12 | 1:00 | 12:00 | Work based skills practice and reflection |
| Guided Independent Study | Reflective learning activity | 20 | 1:00 | 20:00 | N/A |
| Guided Independent Study | Independent study | 26 | 1:00 | 26:00 | N/A |
| Scheduled Learning And Teaching Activities | Scheduled on-line contact time | 6 | 1:00 | 6:00 | N/A |
| Guided Independent Study | Online Discussion | 4 | 1:00 | 4:00 | Asynchronous discussions |
| Guided Independent Study | Distance Learning Advance Preparation | 46 | 1:00 | 46:00 | Designed to broaden and deepen knowledge |
| Total | 200:00 |
Teaching Rationale And Relationship
The teaching methods recognise the importance of learners learning about context, content and processes for their own individual and organisational development of advanced professional practice.
The teaching and learning methods support achievement of the module’s learning outcomes. The processes of teaching and learning, within this blended learning module, include but are not limited to the following: Face-to-face and online opportunities to acquire knowledge and understanding of theory in practice are provided through attending lectures, listening to and watching podcasts and/or videos, reading and research, and work-based and reflective learning. Learning through dialogue, discussion and collaboration, in face-to-face teaching and online, enables students to articulate, respond to and provide feedback on theory, knowledge and practice application, and to question and challenge their work-based practices. Collaborative social learning, online and in the classroom, is a hallmark of the module and will involve peer learning, co-production of knowledge and ideas about practice, and feedback.
As a post-experience programme, contextualising theory in practice requires not only academic input but also practitioners’ knowledge and expertise and, therefore, some lectures or workshops will be taught by adjunct staff. Reflection on practice, through completion of a reflective journal, supports the learner to evaluate their understanding of the relevant subject knowledge, and to question and challenge their work-based practices, through applying and integrating theory in practice.
Students are expected to enhance their face-to-face and online learning by independent reading and enquiry, for which they are given guidance on relevant materials.
Assessment Methods
The format of resits will be determined by the Board of Examiners
Other Assessment
| Description | Semester | When Set | Percentage | Comment |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Report | 1 | M | 100 | 3,000 words: innovation or change opportunity |
Formative Assessments
Formative Assessment is an assessment which develops your skills in being assessed, allows for you to receive feedback, and prepares you for being assessed. However, it does not count to your final mark.
| Description | Semester | When Set | Comment |
|---|---|---|---|
| Written exercise | 1 | M | N/A |
| Poster | 1 | M | Poster setting out an Innovation or Change |
Assessment Rationale And Relationship
Formative Feedback
Formative feedback is provided throughout the module by encouraging learners to respond to questions and engage in reflection, dialogue, debate and discussion in online and face-to-face contexts. Collaborative learning, online and in the classroom, is a hallmark of the module and involves co-production of knowledge and ideas about practice, and feedback.
In the final present in person session, the students are invited to submit an A1 poster and participate in a mini-conference session where they share there ideas for innovation or change with their peers and gather formative feedback.
Summative Feedback
The module assessment enables learners to achieve the learning outcomes and to consolidate their learning by articulating their conceptual understanding and how it is used in practice. The assessment has 1 component:
1. 100% Report (3,000 words) The written assessment requires students to identify and plan an innovation or change opportunity, demonstrating the ability to identify and synthesise key information and resources to support and to evaluate its potential value. Complementing the plan, the report requires students to appraise, apply and critically evaluate theories, tools and techniques of innovation and change in relation to their identified opportunity. The report also requires students to reflect on their abilities to enact collaborative leadership of innovation and change.
A reflective learning Portfolio is central to completion of the summative assessment, and is an appropriate assessment method for all learners, enabling them to consolidate what they have learned by reflecting on and articulating their personal and/or organisation practice and how it relates to their current conceptual understanding.
Summative feedback on the assessment will include ‘feed forward’, enabling learners to improve future academic and/or practice action.
If students are eligible to a second attempt, the resit will be an assignment and the resit calculation will be based 100% on the submission.
Reading Lists
Timetable
- Timetable Website: www.ncl.ac.uk/timetable/
- NBS8970's Timetable