That’s the real-life problem we recently tackled in the redesigned Graduate Certificate in Public Sector Innovation.
The UTS team from the Designing Out Crime research centre already knew a thing or two about designing! They had carefully mapped out tasks, topics, animations and video for a new cohort, the Australian Defence Force (ADF). They worked with the postgraduate.futures team to design a new interactive problem-solving space for learners in Canvas.
The process
The ADF learners work on complex and dynamic real-world problems in their profession, including:
- How do you achieve flexible working practices for seagoing service people?
- How can you optimize human performance given that fatigue is only human?
- How can the Airforce help workers be resilient enough to make good decisions even on the worst days?
As in the workplace, group discussion and collaboration is a key part of the problem-solving process. Learners are guided to explore and document their problems, and reflect on their learning in an ePortfolio. There are plenty of exercises to encourage active learning too.
The learners use Zoom, a webinar tool, to practice the (sometimes) gentle art of persuading their audience to invest in their problem-solving approach. Learners’ final presentations can also be scheduled anytime and recorded using Zoom.
Here’s what some of our ADF learners said:
I am enjoying the process (actually loving it) but need to get past this block to cement in my head the best way to frame and reframe!
I have learned a great deal to date. It was a wonderful experience, thank you again.