Syllabus and ECTS

ECTS

Each of the six courses is estimated to be worth 5 ECTS credits as a guideline. Since various countries follow different principles with ECTS credits, their final application is up to the educational institution and the country’s policies. In addition to the 5 (*6 courses) ECTS credits, the Kick-off Course and the Final Task should also be calculated in the total ECTS credits. National and organisational policies and the nature of the class in question can influence this.

Syllabus

The overall objective of the CSF Study Module
The main objective of the study module is to help students to develop their competences in evaluating and foreseeing changes in the business environment, to foster students’ creative capacities in strategic thinking and to learn to adapt information and innovate.

The study module consists of six different courses where different learning methods are used, such as classroom lessons, case studies, online lessons, assignments, discussions and project work. These six courses and their main objectives are presented in Figure 1.

1. EFFECTIVE COMMUNICATION
Communication is an essential part of leadership. The course provides students with skills to demonstrate competence in the fundamentals of business writing, reporting and research, as well as competence in oral and interpersonal communication, including one-on-one and small-group communication, and public presentations.

4. FORESIGHT
The course is designed to engage students in the process of identifying and evaluating major issues and trends impacting society in general and companies in particular in the future, and exploring potential business implications that can drive sustainable innovation. 

2. SELF-ESTEEM AND MOTIVATION
The course aims at raising awareness of the role of motivation in the process of improving oneself and one’s creative attitude. At the end of the course, students are expected to: have become aware of the importance of concepts such as motivation or passion for something, self-esteem, self-development and creative thinking, through emotional and thinking processes.

5. CO-CREATING BUSINESS MODELS
At the end of the course, students are expected to: know the tools and techniques that can be applied to changing business environments, understand how to apply co-creative thinking in real business environments and be able to implement their knowledge and skills to develop innovative business models.

3. CREATIVITY
The objective of the course is to provide students with a general understanding of the concept and dimensions of creativity, an in-depth knowledge of the elements of this and to provide a wide range of tools and techniques for enhancing and increasing creativity, generating ideas and accentuating the innovative dimension of business. The course aims to improve students’ ability to create solutions and to use foresight in business problems and decisions.

6. RESEARCH-ORIENTED DESIGN
The course introduces students to research-oriented design, including theories, design methods and tools. Design approach is regarded as one of the main future strategies of the EU in competition and innovation. The course is based on theories and on real development cases executed with companies. 

Figure 1. Courses and ther main objectives.

Learning outcomes

Learning outcomes are defined at the level of individual courses.

Effective Communication At the end of this course, students are expected to understand and be able to demonstrate the use of basic and advanced writing techniques that today's technology demands, including anticipating audience reaction, understanding how businesses communicate through formal and informal communication networks, and to have developed interpersonal skills that contribute to effective and satisfying personal, social and professional relationships.

Self-esteem and Motivation At the end of the course, students are expected to understand the importance of the concepts of motivation or passion for something, self-esteem, self-development and creative thinking. They will have acquired knowledge and skills to motivate themselves and others in achieving concrete goals.

Creativity Having completed this course, students will understand the purpose of innovation and how to define the multiplicity of meanings given to source innovations, understand what creativity is and how it can contribute to innovative problem solving and understand the various types of organisational systems, structure and practices hampering creativity or enhancing it. Students will be able to use various techniques to support the convergent process in the creative work flow and to programme profiles of creativity.

Foresight At the end of the course, students are expected to know the foresight tools and techniques to help strategic decision making, planning and forecasting, as well as communication, facilitation, group processes and teamwork; understand how to apply foresight to company strategy development in order to navigate the challenges of change, complexity and globalisation and implement their knowledge and skills to plan for alternative futures and suggest solutions leading to preferred futures.

Co-creating Business Models At the end of this course, students are expected to know the tools and techniques that can be applied to changing business environments, understand how to apply co-creative thinking in real business environments and be able to implement their knowledge and skills to develop innovative business models.

Research-oriented Design At the end of this course, students are expected to understand the importance and role of design and research-oriented design for company competitiveness, have acquired insight of the design process and methods, have (basic) skills in applying design processes and methods and have increased potential to learn and apply creative and design thinking in business.

COMPETENCE

The CSF Study Module will help 3rd level students, as future members of the workforce, to develop their competence to evaluate and foresee changes in the business environment, to foster their creative capacities in strategic thinking and learn to adapt and innovate. The competences developed are related to self-esteem and motivation, communication skills, creative abilities, foresight knowledge and skills, business model development, research and design thinking. For more specific information on competences see the individual course descriptions.