Innovations for Emerging Cities: OpenLab Multidisciplinary Project Course, period 1, 7.5 credits

A Bachelor's degree or a professional degree worth at least 180 credits in healthcare. Or 180 credits from a study programme in medicine, dentistry, psychology or speech and language pathology. And proficiency in English equivalent to English B/English 6.

The aim of the course, which is an multidisciplinary, international project course, is to use Design Thinking methodology to develop knowledge about creating solutions to large societal challenges in the health care of Region Stockholm, in new co-operations and bordering traditional fields of knowledge.

On completion of the course, the student should be able to:

• identify and analyze complex phenomenon and present new innovative ideas that can be developed and implemented to sustainable use and value for a specific target group,
• apply an interactive and creative work methodology through Design Thinking
• reflect over and have knowledge of perspectives and practices from different knowledge fields and target groups, and
• design and organize innovation work over different knowledge fields,
• communicate the work and the results of the innovation project with the chosen target group challenge giver, and the society.

The course is given within the framework of Openlab, a learning environment where students and teachers from Karolinska Institutet, The Royal Institute of Technology, Stockholm University and Södertörn University work with challenge givers from The Stockholm City Council and the health care of Region Stockholm. Through challenges on themes on emerging and sustainable cities, students work in project form to design, organise and present an innovation project that borders across academic disciplines.
The course can be combined with  Innovations for the emerging cities: Openlab multidisciplinary project course Periode 2, to pursue the project initiated in period 1 for longer, and receive more tools according to Design Thinking. 

Subject areas: Development of ideas, User involvement, Business/organisational development, Teamwork, Communication, Quality development and Design methodology.

In the course, different working methods are used, such as lectures, multidisciplinary group assignment with development projects, visits to challenge givers, individual reflective assignments and a written report and presentation for the challenge givers.

The examiner decides whether, and if so how, absence from compulsory course elements can be made up. Study results cannot be reported until the student has participated in compulsory course elements or compensated for any absence in accordance with instructions from the examiner. Absence from a compulsory course element could mean that the student can not retake the element until the next time the course is offered.

Examination of the course consists of a written report of the innovation project, a presentation of the innovation project for the challenge givers and individual reflective assignments.

For the grade Pass, active participation in work of the group, individual responsibility for part of the presentation for challenge givers and passed individual assignments are required.

Students who do not pass a regular examination are entitled to re-sit the examination on five occasions.more. If the student has failed a total of six examinations/tests, no additional examination is given. Each occasion the student participates in the same test counts as an examination. Submission of a blank exam paper is regarded as an examination. In case a student is registered for an examination but does not attend, this is not regarded as an examination.

If there are special grounds, or a need for adaptation for a student with a disability, the examiner may decide to deviate from the syllabus's regulations on the examination form, the number of examination opportunities,  the possibility of supplementation or exemptions from the compulsory section/s of the course etc. Content and learning outcomes as well as the level of expected skills, knowledge and abilities may not be changed, removed or reduced.

Examination will be provided during a time of one year after a possible close-down of the course.

Language of instruction: English

The course may not be included in a higher education qualification at the same time with a course whose contents completely or partly corresponds to the course content.