A partnership between the College of Nursing and Health Sciences and the New Venture Institute is helping 31 academic staff to power up their innovation skills and translate them into action, through a new series of workshops.

Innovation is a key guiding value for Flinders University staff and students, however transferring this to the classroom can be hard to imagine, beyond purchasing the latest technology.

‘Learning Lab’, a workshop series for College staff, is creating positive change within their courses and supporting systems by introducing the tools to help people find innovative solutions to problems – or ‘change that adds value’.

The hands-on sessions involve participants working on a group project within the themes identified as priority areas for the College: eLearning, accreditation and ageing. These activities open the door for the staff members, who are from a variety of teaching areas, to develop capabilities to create change and generate positive impacts.

In the first Learning Lab, titled Deep Dive 1, participants discussed what innovation is, how to engage an innovative mindset through activities like the marshmallow challenge and how to examine a problem deeply.

Feedback from the first session has been positive, with participants reflected on the day as a fulfilling experience and feeling energised for future sessions.

The initiative is part of the College of Nursing and Health Sciences Innovation Project and has been running since July 2018, with the final ‘Deep Dive’ session to be delivered this week.

View a snapshot of the first session below.