DSC3001 : Data Innovation Bootcamp
- Offered for Year: 2024/25
- Module Leader(s): Dr Paul Goodman
- Lecturer: Professor Barry Hodgson
- Owning School: Mathematics, Statistics and Physics
- Teaching Location: Newcastle City Campus
Semesters
Your programme is made up of credits, the total differs on programme to programme.
| Semester 1 Credit Value: | 10 |
| ECTS Credits: | 5.0 |
| European Credit Transfer System | |
Aims
The primary aim of the Data Innovation Bootcamp module is to introduce students to innovation methods and tools that explore how to create products and services that customers want. The module enlists a number of external organisations to pose a real-world business problem, supported by a data set that students can explore. The emphasis of the module is on experiential learning – learning by both reflecting on, and engaging with, the business problem directly, and applying their knowledge of data science, to the data, in order to propose potential solutions to the problem owner. The module builds on previous, successful innovation bootcamps, run by the National Innovation Centre for Data (NICD).
Over the course of the module students will be introduced to the problem, given tools to think innovatively about the problem, given data that may be used to address the problem, and be asked to work collectively in groups to present solutions to the problem.
Outline Of Syllabus
The module takes the form of a one-week ‘bootcamp’, where student will undertake a ‘deep-dive’ into a particular, real world business problem and associated data set. The module will include:
• Presentations from selected businesses to introduce their real-world problems and
associated datasets.
• Structured lectures and workshops introducing tools for innovative thinking around the
presented problems (e.g. innovation story canvas, value proposition canvas, business model
canvas).
• Group work to identify approaches to the problems, to perform exploratory analysis of data
relating to the problem, to develop potential solutions, and to select a broad approach to a
minimum viable product (MVP).
• All group work will be guided by access to relevant business stakeholders via Q&A sessions.
• Presentations by the group to the stakeholders of a ‘product pitch’ based on their favoured
solution approach.
Business stakeholders will be drawn from a variety of regional businesses, utility providers and public bodies, so the problems presented will be diverse and challenging.
Teaching Methods
Teaching Activities
| Category | Activity | Number | Length | Student Hours | Comment |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Guided Independent Study | Assessment preparation and completion | 1 | 3:00 | 3:00 | Group Presentations |
| Scheduled Learning And Teaching Activities | Lecture | 5 | 0:30 | 2:30 | Daily discussion and plenary sessions |
| Guided Independent Study | Assessment preparation and completion | 18 | 2:00 | 36:00 | Preparation for final presentation |
| Scheduled Learning And Teaching Activities | Lecture | 6 | 1:00 | 6:00 | Lectures introducing the business problem and specific topics for workshops |
| Scheduled Learning And Teaching Activities | Workshops | 4 | 1:00 | 4:00 | Focused/guided workshops of completing specific tasks |
| Guided Independent Study | Reflective learning activity | 1 | 38:30 | 38:30 | Working individually and in teams to review business ideas from workshops |
| Scheduled Learning And Teaching Activities | Drop-in/surgery | 8 | 0:30 | 4:00 | Group surgeries with problem owner – Q&A + Feedback |
| Guided Independent Study | Student-led group activity | 3 | 2:00 | 6:00 | Long-form ideation workshops to progress group work under guidance |
| Total | 100:00 |
Teaching Rationale And Relationship
The purpose of the bootcamp approach is to intensively immerse the students in an experience that is somewhat outside of a ‘typical’ academic setting – introducing students to a real-world problem they will not have seen before and encouraging them to think about that problem together in their groups in innovative and novel ways.
Assessment Methods
The format of resits will be determined by the Board of Examiners
Other Assessment
| Description | Semester | When Set | Percentage | Comment |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Oral Presentation | 1 | M | 80 | Group presentation. 15 minutes presentation, 5 minutes question, Each group member to present at least 2 minutes individually, with nominated group representatives providing additional intro and outro. |
| Report | 1 | M | 20 | Personal diary reflecting on daily progress, describing learned experience and giving indication of contribution of contribution towards final presentation. Format: Daily bullet points, with a maximum of 500 words. |
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 |
|---|---|---|---|
| Prob solv exercises | 1 | M | Three workshops within the week revolve around completing canvases – The Customer Journey Model, Value Proposition Canvas, Business Model Canvas. These will receive feedback during the week. |
Assessment Rationale And Relationship
The use of group work is designed to foster collaboration in the face of a previously unseen problem. Students will have to collaborate and cooperate to achieve success in the module, and have a collective sense of pride in their achievement at the end of the bootcamp module.
The Q&A/surgery sessions, as well as the final presentation give the students the opportunity to conduct and present themselves professionally to a client outside of the usual academic classroom context. The presentation format also challenges students to pitch their selected approach to the client in a collegiate environment, prior to entering the workplace. Effective communication and presentation skills are a pre-requisite for many industries, but especially in data science, where the practitioner may be acting as a bridge between both technical and non-technical audiences.
The personal diary allows a greater element of individuality to be brought into the assessment, beyond the individual contribution to the group presentation. It also allows students to provide feedback on their own experiences of the module, what worked, and what didn’t, as well as enabling an element of peer-review – e.g. to praise or critique the contributions of other individuals within their group.
Reading Lists
Timetable
- Timetable Website: www.ncl.ac.uk/timetable/
- DSC3001's Timetable