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IA50000

Academic Year 2026/2027

Communicating for Impact (IA50000)

Subject:
Innovation Academy
College:
VP - Research, Innov & Impact
School:
Innovation Academy
Level:
5 (Doctoral)
Credits:
5
Module Coordinator:
Dr Eileen Diskin
Trimester:
Autumn&Spring&Summer(separate)
Mode of Delivery:
On Campus
Internship Module:
No
How will I be graded?
Pass/Fail (GPA Neutral)

Curricular information is subject to change.

Please note this module is designed for Graduate Taught and Graduate Research students. This module cannot be taken by UCD undergraduate students.

The purpose of this module is to enable students to effectively communicate their ideas, project, research or potential venture to a broad range of audiences both in person and online.

Students will be introduced to Storytelling, Pitching concepts and using creative thinking to expand perspective on sharing their research. Participants will learn to distil their ideas to their essence, to gain an in-depth understanding of their audience and to engage with their ideas in a creative and effective way.

As part of the module, each student has the opportunity to create their own short video that showcases their idea, project, research or potential venture. Previous students have used these videos at conferences, to pitch for funding, and to network with others. (Please note that no prior experience of video making is required).

Through collaboration in multidisciplinary teams, students will gain insights into their project from different perspectives and have the opportunity to create a network of peers.

UCD Innovation Academy

At the UCD Innovation Academy, we are a group of Educator Practitioners with extensive real-world experience as academics, business and social entrepreneurs, tech thinkers, creative professionals and design thinking practitioners.

We take an action-oriented approach to learning, with a combination of individual, group and class tasks and activities, including discussions, presentations and reflection. All of our teaching is grounded in academic rigour, and our focus is on ‘learning from doing’ in a real-world context.

**Enrolment in an Innovation Academy module means a commitment to active participation and engagement, which necessitates attendance at all scheduled classes.**

Please note that assessment for this module largely takes place during class time - with the exception of a small amount of pre-work, and the individual reflective report which is typically due within two weeks of the module finishing.

Notes:
Class Size : We limit our class size to 36 students or less. We require a minimum of 16 participants to ensure enough people for teamwork and a dynamic classroom environment. On very rare occasions, if fewer than 16 registered students register, we will offer students the opportunity to join another class.


www.innovationacademy.ie

About this Module

Learning Outcomes:

On completion, participants should be able to:
* identify, understand and assess the most innovative aspects of their projects
* demonstrate the ability to conceive and design potential opportunities for themselves and opportunities which may emerge in collaboration with others
* present and communicate opportunities arising from their work or wider interests in a creative, informative and stimulating way to their peers, the larger community and with society in general
* develop storytelling skills
* identify a target audience for their concepts and projects
* adapt the communication of their ideas depending on the audience
* display initiative in the development of a communication project from inception to completion
* utilise team dynamics in the development of a project with personal objectives

Indicative Module Content:

* Creativity Challenges
* Value Proposition Canvas
* Empathy Mapping
* Visual communication techniques
* Pitching techniques
* Communication via the medium of video
* Reflective practice

UNESCO highlights a set of key competencies that support individuals in their development and support society in achieving the UN Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs). UCD has adapted these competencies and is combining them with others to form a general framework of learning competencies. This module will help you develop the competencies below to the levels specified. 
Learning Competency Additional Information Level

Collaboration

The ability to learn from others; to understand and respect the needs, perspectives and actions of others (empathy); to understand, relate to and be sensitive to others (empathic leadership); to deal with conflicts in a group; and to facilitate collaborative and participatory problem solving. Competent

Critical Thinking

The ability to question norms, practices and opinions; to reflect on one’s own values, perceptions and actions. Competent

Systems Thinking

The ability to recognize and understand relationships; to analyse complex systems; to think of how systems are embedded within different domains and different scales; and to deal with uncertainty. Not addressed

Strategic

The ability to collectively develop and implement innovative actions that further sustainability at the local level and further afield. Not addressed

Integrated Problem Solving

The overarching ability to apply different problem-solving frameworks to complex sustainability problems and develop viable, inclusive and equitable solution options that promote sustainable development, integrating the competencies in this list. Novice

Self-awareness

The ability to reflect on one’s own role in the local community and (global) society; to continually evaluate and further motivate one’s actions; and to deal with one’s feelings and desires. Competent

Normative

The ability to understand and reflect on the norms and values that underlie one’s actions; and to negotiate values, principles, goals, and targets, in a context of conflicts of interest and trade-offs, uncertain knowledge and contradictions. Novice

Anticipatory

The ability to understand and evaluate multiple scenarios for the future – possible, probable and desirable; to create one’s own visions for the future; to apply the precautionary principle; to assess the consequences of actions; and to deal with risks and changes. Novice

Digital Literacy and Judgement

The ability to access, evaluate, create and communicate information in digital environments; to engage critically, ethically and responsibly with digital technologies and digital information; to understand their opportunities, limitations, risks and impact on individual’s digital identities; and to exercise informed judgement in digital participation and decision-making. Proficient

AI Literacy & Agency

The ability to understand, critically evaluate and responsibly engage with artificial intelligence; to recognise how AI systems are shaped by human values; to assess their ethical, social and environmental implications; and to exercise human judgement, agency and accountability in AI-related contexts. Novice

Wellbeing

Wellbeing is having the resources and skills to meet life's challenges, including attributes such as personal development skills, resilience, stress management, strengths, lifestyle skills, nutrition, physical activity, sleep, alcohol/substance use, academic skills, time management, goal setting, interpersonal skills, group work, communication. Proficient

The United Nations identified seventeen Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) as core to the 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development, and UCD contributes in general to SDG 4 Quality Education. Further SDGs explored within this module if relevant are listed below. A scale of 1 - 5 indicates the extent to which the SDG is covered.


 

Student Effort Hours:
Student Effort Type Hours
Specified Learning Activities

40

Autonomous Student Learning

60

Lectures

4

Studio

16

Total

120


Approaches to Teaching and Learning:
Active/task-based learning
Peer and group work
Reflective learning
Enquiry & problem-based learning
Student presentations/video

Requirements, Exclusions and Recommendations

Not applicable to this module.


Module Requisites and Incompatibles
Not applicable to this module.
 

Assessment Strategy
Description Timing Component Scale Must Pass Component % of Final Grade Component repeat (in-module) Offered
Group Work Assignment: Individually produced video Week 1 Pass/Fail Grade Scale Yes
40
Yes
Participation in Learning Activities: Attendance and participation: This module requires active participation and engagement, which necessitates attendance at ALL scheduled classes. Week 1 Pass/Fail Grade Scale Yes
30
Yes
Reflective Assignment: Student reflection on their own experiences, views and actions relating to the module learnings, in written or multimedia format, e.g. document, video, audio uploaded to Brightspace. Week 1 Pass/Fail Grade Scale Yes
30
Yes

As part of UCD's student support, under the Additional Consideration policy, extensions may be available for the following assessments in the module: Assignment (including essay/poster), Portfolio, Reflective Assignment, Report(s), and Individual Project.


Carry forward of passed components
No
 

Remediation Type Remediation Timing
In-Module Resit Prior to relevant Programme Exam Board
Please see Student Jargon Buster for more information about remediation types and timing. 

Feedback Strategy/Strategies

• Group/class feedback, post-assessment

How will my Feedback be Delivered?

Facilitators will give verbal feedback on classroom based continuous assessment activities such as presentations, presentation materials and other deliverables. There will be opportunity for peer feedback on the video deliverable.

Name Role
Ms Fiona Martin Lecturer / Co-Lecturer

Timetabling information is displayed only for guidance purposes, relates to the current Academic Year only and is subject to change.
Autumn Workshop Offering 1 Week(s) - 2 Fri 10:00 - 16:50
Autumn Workshop Offering 1 Week(s) - 2 Mon 10:00 - 16:50
Autumn Workshop Offering 1 Week(s) - 2 Thurs 10:00 - 16:50
Autumn Workshop Offering 1 Week(s) - 2 Tues 10:00 - 16:50
Autumn Workshop Offering 1 Week(s) - 2 Wed 10:00 - 16:50
Summer Workshop Offering 51 Week(s) - 38 Fri 10:00 - 16:50
Summer Workshop Offering 51 Week(s) - 38 Mon 10:00 - 16:50
Summer Workshop Offering 51 Week(s) - 38 Thurs 10:00 - 16:50
Summer Workshop Offering 51 Week(s) - 38 Tues 10:00 - 16:50
Summer Workshop Offering 51 Week(s) - 38 Wed 10:00 - 16:50