Unsolicited Advice: Your innovative solutions for societal challenges
- Degree
Exchange
- Start date
February, September
- Location
Enschede
- Duration
6 Months
You decide what you want to learn in the minor ‘Unsolicited Advice’. In the Unsolicited Advice minor, you are in charge. You are part of a learning community with students and teachers from different study programs and backgrounds. In this minor, you take the lead. You get the opportunity to focus on what you want to learn and what you consider socially important. There are no pre-determined clients. You and your group decide which company or organization could benefit from good advice. In this minor, you can make a difference!
Course content
We live in a time where we need to work together to address major challenges such as climate change, equal opportunities for everyone, and fair distribution of wealth. Some organizations still find it difficult to adapt to these changes - and that's where you come in!
By working together with students from different programs, you learn from each other how things can be done differently. The UN's Sustainable Development Goals - also known as 'The Global Goals' form the basis for your project. You choose which SDGs you find most important and want to work on.
The minor is offered in a vibrant environment at the Academy of Creative Technology, where you can use all technological possibilities to innovate. Here you get the chance to really make a difference and help organizations take a positive step towards a more sustainable world.
The Unsolicited Advice minor consists of four main components.
- Introduction/startup (weeks 1-3) During the Unsolicited Advice minor, strong emphasis is placed on both your personal and professional development. In the first phase, you explore who you are, what drives you, and what ambitions you have. This forms the basis for further collaboration in an interdisciplinary group. Then you dive into the world of SDGs, groups are formed, together you determine an impactful topic, and you take the first steps in research. This phase concludes with a focused action plan.
- Research (weeks 4-14) The research phase consists of the following components:
- Research initiation. Goals: problem definition, target group analysis, stakeholders, etc. Product: Action Plan and its presentation.
- Interdisciplinary research. Goals: Collection of primary and secondary data, conclusions, and concept advice. Product: Research report, midterm pitch.
- Concept product or advice. Goals: development of a prototype Product: requirements specification, prototype/advice.
- The product/advice/exposure phase. Goal: Delivery of product/advice, presenting, showing, and sharing it. Product: Final research report, final requirements specification, working prototype, professional advice.
- Product/advice/exposure (weeks 15-19); In this phase you work on the presentation of your advice/product
- Personal development/societal relevance (Weeks 1-19). A significant part of the minor is devoted to your personal development and social awareness. From beginning to end, you work on your personal development. Goal: Personal discovery, personal development, learning, sharing, growing, showing (what is my impact? Product: Development portfolio part 2, Professional portfolio.
The minor is accessible to all HBO full-time students from Saxion, from the Netherlands and from international partners.
You are independent, proactive, and willing to step outside your comfort zone. During the minor, you learn to feel comfortable without having a clear assignment upfront. You are able to formulate your own professional and personal learning objectives. We challenge you to think creatively and to venture off the beaten path. You actively participate in and contribute to an inspiring learning environment to develop new innovative ideas.
You work with an interdisciplinary group on a professional research report, including a well-thought-out Requirements Specification and a convincing prototype or advice.
During the minor, you have worked on personal learning objectives based on the core competencies:
- Your ability to think creatively and innovatively,
- Your investigative attitude,
- Your interdisciplinary collaboration,
- Your communication skills,
- Your entrepreneurial mindset,
- Your personal development
- Your reflective capacity.
Throughout the semester, you build two portfolios in which you document your personal growth (development portfolio) and your project results (professional portfolio).
The assessment concludes with an individual assessment interview.