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2021/2022

Models of Urban Innovation and Citizenship Science

Code: 104550 ECTS Credits: 6
Degree Type Year Semester
2503743 Management of Smart and Sustainable Cities OT 3 2
The proposed teaching and assessment methodology that appear in the guide may be subject to changes as a result of the restrictions to face-to-face class attendance imposed by the health authorities.

Contact

Name:
Fernando Luis Vilariño Freire
Email:
FernandoLuis.Vilarino@uab.cat

Use of Languages

Principal working language:
english (eng)
Some groups entirely in English:
Yes
Some groups entirely in Catalan:
No
Some groups entirely in Spanish:
No

Teachers

Marc Castelló Bueno
Josep Ignasi Bonet Pocino

Prerequisites

There are no prerequisites for this subject. 

Objectives and Contextualisation

In the subject "Models of Urban Innovation and Citizen Science", a set of practical case studies will be developed by the students. The course delves and deepens into the Open Innovation methodologies and tools, which will be applied in the case studies developed in the territory. It is a subject with a practical vision that studies real examples of multi-stakeholder citizen-centric Open Innovation, and its connection with the generation of knowledge through Citizen Science. Students will have the possibility of using the framework fof the subject to develop action research, particularly in the context of the social impact of the digital transformation, using Living Labs and Citizen Science as the main reference in course.

The specific objectives are:

  • To deepen into the theoretical corpus on open innovation.
  • To develop the analytical capacity of students on the challenges of innovation in cities and rural areas from a sustainability perspective.
  • To provide a critical approach, from a practical perspective, on the processes of transformation of cities -mainly the digital transformation- and its consequences of social transformation.
  • To develop a critical approach about the impact of innovation on the citizen, and on the role of the citizen in the innovation processes through a multi-stakeholder citizen-centric approach.
  • To provide students with the context of development, tools, and experience for the design, management and the scaling-up of the results of Citizen Science processes.
  • To develop the ability of students to design, develop and scale up the results of the tasks associated with open innovation processes, in the context of Living Labs as research and innovation infrastructures.

 The generic objectives are:

  • To prepare future leaders and managers responsible for the development of open innovation processes from a perspective of technical quality.
  • To provide the future leaders of urban innovation processes with a critical vision of the role of the citizen and the socio-economic transforming power of multi-stakeholder citizen-centric innovation.
  • To provide a practical basis for thelearning framework of students around innovation management processes.

Competences

  • Analyse and model urban and regional dynamics using methodological instruments for qualitative and quantitative analysis.
  • Conceive, design and manage the implementation of smart applications for geospatial information for urban and regional management.
  • Design platforms of management, integration of public and government services applying technologies and systems of sensorization, acquisition, processing and communication of data.
  • Identify and interpret social, economic, technological and sustainability challenges in different areas such as: town planning, infrastructures, mobility, urban economies, services and equipment, cultural diversity and social inequality, energy and natural resources, waste, etc.
  • Students must be capable of collecting and interpreting relevant data (usually within their area of study) in order to make statements that reflect social, scientific or ethical relevant issues.
  • Students must be capable of communicating information, ideas, problems and solutions to both specialised and non-specialised audiences.
  • Work cooperatively in complex and uncertain environments and with limited resources in a multidisciplinary context, assuming and respecting the role of the different members of the group.

Learning Outcomes

  1. Analyse citizen science data and its application in the professional and academic fields.
  2. Develop data-management platforms.
  3. Organise and lead design-thinking sessions with a diverse group of actors.
  4. Propose, design and implement intelligent applications for the capture and analysis of data from citizen participation.
  5. Students must be capable of collecting and interpreting relevant data (usually within their area of study) in order to make statements that reflect social, scientific or ethical relevant issues.
  6. Students must be capable of communicating information, ideas, problems and solutions to both specialised and non-specialised audiences.
  7. Use information from sensors or individuals for the quantitative analysis of territorial dynamics.
  8. Value and comprehend social knowledge deriving from citizen science.
  9. Work cooperatively in complex and uncertain environments and with limited resources in a multidisciplinary context, assuming and respecting the role of the different members of the group.

Content

  1. Context and challenges of Open Innovation
    1. The democratization of access to knowledge and the innovation in digital transformation
  2. Paradigms of Open Innovation
    1. Classic models and levels of innovation
    2. Open Innovation
    3. Agile methodologies for innovation management
      1. The design process
      2. Rapid and sprint-based prototyping
  3. Innovation ecosystems
    1. Models
    2. Innovation assessment: measuring the impact of innovation
    3. The Multiple-Helix
  4. Multi-actor user-centric innovation: Living Labs
    1. User-centric innovation
    2. Methodological approach
    3. Implementation examples
    4. Governance models
    5. Sustainability models
    6. User panel management
    7. Scalability of open innovation
  5. Citizen participation processes for user-centered innovation
    1. Data generated by the individual: ownership, access and use of the data generated collectively (digital common good)
    2. Participation infrastructures
    3. Engagement processes and tools
    4. Generic tools: design thinking and action research
  6. Citizen science I: Contextual framework and model
    1. Historical context and panorama: An updated vision of Citizen Science
    2. Infrastructures for project development
    3. Scalability: Big projects and Science in the Neighborhoods
  7. Citizen Science II: Methods and tools
    1. Person-centered design principles
    2. Stages of involvement and roles of actors in citizen science
    3. Collective generation and analysis of data in the scientific context: Data management in Citizen Science
      1. Scientific Crowdsourcing
      2. Cross-cutting participation in the scientific process
    4. Citizen Science project evaluation frameworks
    5. Communication of scientific results
    6. Sponsorship andpatronage
  8. Citizen Science III: Citizen Science Projects

Methodology

The course is based on a practical implementation aimed at solving problems.

The teaching will be based around 4 representative cases of urban innovation processes. The students will receive the theoretical contents contextualized in these 4 cases. Renowned experts will provide open discussions during class hours with the aim of generating a modern and real-world critical vision.

Students will participate actively through field trips, in real open innovation and citizen science projects in urban environments, through the 4 case studies. Students will participate in all parts of the project's life-cycle, and will have assigned specific roles, so that their teaching experience will be implemented in a living lab model approach.

From these actions, students will perform a sprint process based on agile methodologies to generate a delivarable for each case study, interacting with stakeholders under the supervision of the teaching staff. The student must support the case studies with individual and group work in order to obtain 4 deliverables (1 for each case) that will be evaluated separately. From these deliverables, an evaluation of contents and impact of the project will be carried out, in such a way that students must demonstrate their ability to manage the innovation process, and measure its socio-economic and transformation impact.

This methodological vision allows working cooperatively in complex or uncertain environments and with limited resources, in a multidisciplinary context, assuming and respecting the role of the different members of the team.

The analysis of the case studies will allow developing creativity, initiative, and sensitivity towards social and environmental issues. The high practical content allows generating innovative and competitive proposals in their future professional activities, since all the processes are carried out within projects of real cities and rural surroundings. This allows to prevent and solve problems, adapt to unforeseen situations, make decisions, and critically assess the work done demonstrating a spirit of improvement to develop innovation-led growth and positive social transformation hand in hand.

Annotation: Within the schedule set by the centre or degree programme, 15 minutes of one class will be reserved for students to evaluate their lecturers and their courses or modules through questionnaires.

Activities

Title Hours ECTS Learning Outcomes
Type: Directed      
Analysis of the Case Studies 10 0.4 1, 3, 6, 5, 7, 8
Lectures of Theoretical Foundations 15 0.6 1, 4, 6, 8
Open Debates with Specialists 10 0.4 6, 5, 8
Project Development 18 0.72 1, 2, 3, 4, 9, 7, 8
Type: Supervised      
Impact Analysis of the Innovation Process (individual and collective) 32 1.28 1, 6, 5, 9, 7, 8
Type: Autonomous      
Development of the Case Studies (individual and collective) 37 1.48 1, 6, 5, 7
Individual Estudi 20 0.8 1, 5, 7, 8

Assessment

There will be 2 types of evaluation activities:

1) Deliveries on the 4 cases of study:

  1. Case study 1 (L1)
  2. Case study 2 (L2)
  3. Case study 3 (L3)
  4. Case study 4 (L4)

2) Exam on the theoretical contents of the subject (E) - to be delivered at the end of the course.

The final grade will be the result of applying the following formula:

  L = (L1 + L2 + L3 + L4) / 4

  FINAL MARK = L * 0.75 + E * 0.25

To pass, it is necessary that the evaluation of each of the parties exceeds the minimum required (5) and that the total evaluation exceeds 5 points. In case of not passing the subject, the numerical note of the student's file will be the lower value between 4.5 and the weighted average of the notes.

Positive contributions in the discussions will round up the decimals. To qualify for the Matrícula d'Honor (with honors) it is necessary to have a participative attitude in the class discussions. The maximum number of Matrículas d'Honor is restricted by the UAB regulation to a maximum of 5% of the students enrolled in the subject. They can only be granted to students who have obtained a final grade equal to or greater than 9.

In case of not passing in any of the deliveries, the student will have the opportunity to recover the partial mark by sending back the corrected document before the day determined by the teacher. Repeating students may validate the parts approved in previous years.

The non-presentation to the final exam (EF) implies a "Not Evaluable" in the student´s file.

Finally, there will be an extraordinary test that will allow the students to pass in the Theory part in case of having failed the final exam (E).

All exams will be adjusted according to the School's calendar.

The dates for continuous evaluation and submission of works will be published on the website Caronte (http://caronte.uab.es) and may be subject to changes for reasons of adaptation to possible incidents. Caronte will always inform about these changes since it is understood that the Caronte website is the usual mechanism for exchanging information between teacher and students.

For each evaluation activity, a place, date and time of revision in which the student can review the activity with the teacher will be indicated. In this context, claims may be made on the activity grade, which will be evaluated by the faculty responsible for the subject. If the student does not appear in this review, this activity will not be reviewed later.

Without prejudice to other disciplinary measures deemed appropriate, and in accordance with current academic regulations, any irregularities carried out by the student that could lead to a variation of the grade of an evaluation act will be scored with a zero. Thus, plagiarizing, copying or allowing a document to be copied or any other evaluation activity will involve failing with a zero and will not be able to be passed in the same academic year. 

Assessment Activities

Title Weighting Hours ECTS Learning Outcomes
Deliverable on the case studies 75% 7 0.28 1, 2, 3, 4, 6, 5, 9, 7, 8
Exam on the theoretical contents developed 25% 1 0.04 1, 6, 5, 8

Bibliography

  • Eric von Hippel. Democratizing Innovation. MIT Press 2005.
  • Henry Chesbrough, Wim Vanhaverbeke and Joel West. Open Innovation: researching a new paradigm. Oxford University Press. 2006.
  • Ash Maurya. Running Lean. O'Reilly 2012.
  • Tim Brown. Change by Design. Harper Collins, 2009.
  • Thomas Lockwood. Design Thinking. Integrating Innovation, Costumer Experience, and Brand Value. Alworth Press. 2009.
  • Anna Ståhlbröst and Marita Holst. The Living Lab Methodology Handbook. Luleå University Press. 2012.
  • Penny Evans, Dimitri Schuurman, Anna Ståhlbröst and Koen Vervoort. Living Lab Methodology Handbook. U4IoT Consortium. 2017.
  • Citizen Science: Innovation in Open Science, Society and Policy. UCL Press. 2018.

Software

  • LaTeX: Software for professional text processing. https://www.latex-project.org
  • Overleaf: Web tool for LaTeX edition. https://www.overleaf.com