INNOVATION LEADERSHIP IN THE BUILDING INDUSTRY (6 ECTS)

With Innovation Leadership we combine different innovative teaching methodologies (self-reflective, real-world problem solving, coaching sessions) to enrich students’ critical thinking process, and promote more innovation in the building industry.

• New teaching methods: collaborative and interdisciplinary learning, individual self-reflective learning, team and individual coaching, moodle und elba as learning technologies
• Complex problem-solving/ real-world problem/ cross-team learning platform
• Continuous improvement: Novel evaluation concept through learning diary and reflecting teams

The most innovative aspects of this project are threefold. First, the students will implement, in real time, notions and concepts learnt in this and other courses, to solve real problems identified by the partner company. The students fare the ‹project owners› and will have to take responsibility for advancing the learning of the team and the class in order to eventually develop a solution that is presented to the top management of the partner company. Third, ETH faculty will facilitate the learning process and offer various formats to empower the students.

Closer monitoring of progress regarding company project (task and team dynamic wise) by communicating more frequently with case manager from partnering firm.

Feedback about Learning Diaries: “Learning to work towards an unknown direction with no certain outcome: What I gained was to avoid being stressed, but instead, put everything in order, and step by step, the outcome became clearer.”
Feedback on Online-Assessment: “The self-assessment revealed that I’m not so good at trying new things. So, I decided to conduct interviews and design a mock-up together with a team mate to practice my language skills and creativity. From this experience, I learnt that even creativity can be practiced, and that I need to be bold.”
Feedback on Design Thinking Toolkit: “Seeing all the different ways of producing ideas and addressing questions through the toolkit, I feel it really expanded my point of view about how I think. I did not really have in mind that there are so many triggering processes for productive thinking (also the why/what part was really illuminating) and I appreciate having gained some tools for future application.”

• The learning diary supported to build an in-depth relationship to students’ individual learning objectives.
• Ensuring team diversity, i.e. to mix backgrounds, disciplines, students with and without work experience.
• Frequent mix of methods during sessions, i.e. switching between individual and team-level tasks and between “traditional lecturing” and student-led parts (e.g. presentation of results).