solvers teaching & learning conference jane nolan mbe entrepreneur in residence and development...
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SOLVERSTeaching & Learning Conference
Jane Nolan MBEEntrepreneur in Residence and
Development Officer (Careers Service)Katie Wray
Lecturer in Enterprise (SAgE Faculty)
Entrepreneurial StudentsSome statistics:• 30 student/graduate businesses start each
year• 23 so far this academic year• 34 last financial year
• Aug 2010 – April 2011: • 1332 students/graduates engaged
Agenda• Short Ice-breaker activity• Introduction to SOLVERS model & Creative
Thinking• Case Studies• Sharing our use of the model• Having a go at a World Cafe• Brief presentations of your findings• Conclusions and Q & A
Session Objectives:1. have learnt a bit more about Rise Up activity
2. have explored the societal challenges
3. have thought about the grand challenges for teaching
and learning
4. have had a go at a world cafe
5. be equipped to run your own World Cafe on issues that are relevant to your team or students
Ice-Breaker
The SOLVERS Model
Intensive Solvers Series
Post Graduate Researcher Development workshops
Introducing knowledge and skills around commercialisation and business
Using real life problems and issues as provocations
Entrepreneurial academics – Will Dracup, Prof Max Robinson, Dr Gavin Clark
Intensive Solvers SeriesReal life problem or issue
Creative thinking session
Problem solving and solution finding
Set up a hypothetical business – engaging with the terminology and concepts
Make an elevator pitch
Receive feedback and hear what actually happened
Intensive Solvers Series
3.5 - 4 hours duration
Very interactive
Delivered in HASS and SAgE
Very good feedback from students
Hope to use a cross faculty approach in future
Intensive Solvers SeriesPiloted the workshops with taught masters
students
Also piloted with undergraduates, School of English
Using the university’s societal challenge themes as provocations
Created links with institutes and networks within the university- IaH, SiDE, Transport Newcastle
Intensive Solvers SeriesSchool of English Undergraduates – Stages 1-3
– provocation provided by SiDE- digital kitchen and digital jewellery
Not simply advanced technologies - also engaging human stories and possibilities
Connecting students from HASS faculty to digital research – interesting product and service ideas were generated
Intensive Solvers SeriesIAH – have highlighted huge opportunities
being created by the baby boomer generation and the issues of an ageing population
A wealth of engaging stories and case studies which bring the research and the opportunities to life
Providing research informed teaching
The Market Opportunity
Over 50s currently 20 million strong and growing fast – hold 80% of the nation’s wealth
As much as 40% (£260bn) of total UK annual consumer spending can be attributed to the UK over 50s
YET currently receive only in the region of 10% of marketing focus !
“Just because I’m over 60 nobody wants to sell me anything any more”
Germaine Greer
Intensive Solvers Series
Third pilot –working with a Research Group
Transport Newcastle network – Intelligent Transport theme, route mapping exercise with a multi disciplinary research group and key external stakeholders
Using Solvers approach and creative thinking techniques to map out research priorities for the next 5 years +
Intensive Solvers Series
An effective, flexible and highly interactive way to engage people with the societal challenge themes and spark entrepreneurial thinking
In context of an increased focus on research impact including through commercialisation
Building communities and connections between students, researchers, the societal challenge themes, institutes, stakeholders and highlighting opportunities
Creative Thinking
Divergent
Convergent
Quantity of ideas
Finding the best idea
Divergent ThinkingDetermine goals, explore possibilities
Generate ideas – lots of them!
Think as widely as possible
Don’t think about why you can’t do something
Include the obvious
Don’t judge the ideas
BRAINSTORMING:As many ideas as possibleNo such thing as a silly ideaNo criticismNo judgements
Substitute/combine
Adapt
Modify
Combine
Combine
Coin Press Wine Press
Printing Press
Power of End User
Reverse/rearrange
Convergent ThinkingSecond phase:
Combining/refining/selectingUsing criteria to focus on ideas with
potentialDecision making, analysing options,
Creating plans and actions
The History of World Cafe
Juanita Brown & David Isaacs (1995)
“To discuss an issue”
Case Studies1) Enterprisers
2) New Food Product Development Module
3) ACTION 2011 Sustainability Challenges
4) Intelligent Transport Route Mapping
Let’s have a go....
World Cafe
World Café
Divergent thinking phase – brainstorming in a World Café session
• Provocations at each base• Write your ideas on the large sheet
• Build on other people’s ideas• Can make notes, draw pictures etc
• “I wish...” “If only.....”
World Café
After 10 minutes change base
Work with new people
Review the brainstorm on the table,build on it with more ideas
Add completely new ideas
Visit each base only once
Every 10 minutes change bases -
More brainstorming – “I wish...”, “If only...”
World Café
Final Base – 20 minutes
Convergent thinking
Review the ideas generated at your current base - “How might we....”
Combine ideas, refine, reject, select
Focus on the ideas with the most potential
Does the idea meet needs? Is there any scope for commercialisation around the idea?
Conclusions
Q&AThank You Very Much
[email protected]@ncl.ac.uk