Unit rationale, description and aim
Employers increasingly desire employees/graduates who can seek solutions to real world problems and who have practical experience in addressing current social issues. With governments becoming more financially strained, there is an increasing reliance on entrepreneurs and social innovators to meet areas of disadvantage.
This specified Curriculum capstone unit combines skills learned throughout the degree and encourages students to research and develop a social enterprise or social business concept that relates to a specific area of disadvantage in the community. The unit includes a module on working with children, young people and vulnerable adults that will focus on responding to concerns and developing strategies to support and keep ourselves and others safe.
Students will study on-campus and are linked to a range of social businesses and social entrepreneurships through webinars, speakers and online resources. The content and assessments will stimulate students to share creative ideas, skills and initiative to design a range of potential projects run by community groups, not-for-profit, social enterprise or otherwise ethically-focused organisations.
The aim of this unit is for students to draw on, and develop, key skills in the Arts and Humanities: social analysis, targeted research and innovation to find solutions for a more just and equitable world.
Learning outcomes
To successfully complete this unit you will be able to demonstrate you have achieved the learning outcomes (LO) detailed in the below table.
Each outcome is informed by a number of graduate capabilities (GC) to ensure your work in this, and every unit, is part of a larger goal of graduating from ACU with the attributes of insight, empathy, imagination and impact.
Explore the graduate capabilities.
Combine skills in research and critical analysis t...
Learning Outcome 01
Synthesise understanding of social enterprise as a...
Learning Outcome 02
Collaborate with a group in a constructive, respec...
Learning Outcome 03
Content
Topics will include:
- Recent developments in social enterprise—cases and case studies
- What is a social business?
- Humanities research methods for identifying social issues and disadvantage
- What is a good idea? Creative thinking for social outcomes
- Strategies for pitching a social enterprise concept to an audience
- Developing a concept plan for social entrepreneurship: an introduction for Arts and Humanities students to basic market research, and planning in marketing, financial planning, operations planning, and creating a project budget.
- The entrepreneurial process: pitching ideas, receiving feedback, pivoting ideas and finalising a submission.
- Workplace strategies for giving and receiving feedback
- Social enterprise, networks and communication
- Transferring project skills to future work and work related documentation.
Assessment strategy and rationale
There is one hurdle tasks for this unit. This hurdle task requires students to demonstrate the ability to work constructively and respectfully in groups and divide tasks systematically among group members in a formal group contract. Accommodations may be made for students to work alone and come together in groups to peer review each other’s work at appropriate points in the semester. This meets learning outcome 3.
The weighted assessment in this unit is integral to the social enterprise immersion experience as students will take part in the stages required to conceive of a social business or enterprise.
The first research assessment requires students to investigate existing social enterprises and to share their findings with the class, thereby expanding knowledge of what already exists in the sector and what types of social enterprises are particularly successful. This assesses learning outcome 1.
The innovation assessment requires students to imagine, research, and pitch an innovative social enterprise or social business that addresses an area of disadvantage in society. This assesses learning outcome 2.
The concept and business plan assessment requires students to develop a prototype concept and business plan for their social enterprise or social business. This assesses learning outcome 3.
Students must pass all assessment tasks to pass this unit.
Overview of assessments
Hurdle task: Group Contract: Where students work...
Hurdle task: Group Contract:
Where students work in groups, a group contract must be completed to ensure all students share the tasks and know which sections they are responsible for.
Hurdle
Assessment Task 1: Research Task Students will ...
Assessment Task 1: Research Task
Students will present findings on existing social enterprises and social businesses in order to identify innovative, sustainable and successful ways such organisations make a difference to the community.
20%
Assessment Task 2: Innovation Task Requires stud...
Assessment Task 2: Innovation Task
Requires students to imagine, research, and pitch an innovative social enterprise or social business that addresses an area of disadvantage in society. Students will present an oral pitch and answer questions from the class and will submit their written work via the learning management system. This assignment forms the first part of the final Big Idea submission.
40%
Assessment Task 3: Social Enterprise Concept Plan...
Assessment Task 3: Social Enterprise Concept Plan
Requires students to develop a proto-type concept plan and budget for a social enterprise or social business. Students will present their finished proposal either in class or online (as specified by the lecturer) and answer questions on practical aspects of the proposal.
40%
Learning and teaching strategy and rationale
This unit will primarily focus on learning through active, group-based, and research-informed learning that is well aligned to the real-world process of developing social entrepreneurship. Learning and teaching will be provided through interactive lectures, including guest lectures from community experts where appropriate, and collaborative group work in tutorials. All activities normally take place on campus with students working collaboratively in groups although the unit may run fully online when circumstances require.