| Abstract: | The authors are developing a course on socially conscience innovation for non-traditional students from any discipline. The purpose of the course is to teach students to identify and evaluate opportunities for new and innovative products. As envisioned the course will be divided into five modules. Each module will begin with the students selecting an academic article or an approved resource relevant to the topic to read and summarize for the class. The first module will cover foundation topics such as observing behavior, documenting new ideas, social and technological trends and the new product development process. The following three modules are focused on an individual area for innovation. For the first offering the areas of concentration are aging in modern society, the office environment and innovation at the bottom of the economic pyramid. For each area of concentration an academic subject expert will present on a topic on a topic relevant to the area of concentration. For instance a gerontology expert will present on the lifestyle options for aging in America for the aging in modern society module. Next the class will go visit sites to explore the area of concentration and talk with people who live and or work with the issues involved. For the aging in a modern society the class will visit the various levels of assisted living facilities. The students will search for product opportunities by talking to residents, caregivers and other employees. After collecting information the students will use a variety of methods to ideate solutions to the problems they discovered. In the last module the students will evaluate the product opportunities they have identified. Hopefully the product opportunities will be pursued by the students in the entrepreneurship minor or in the product development class in the engineering school. |
