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School of Business, Law & Entrepreneurship
INF20028 Professional Capabilities for a Digital World
Semester OUA 2_2023
Assignment 2: Investigative Case Study
Narrated Presentation

Overview of your task
Type of assessment: This is assignment is an investigative case study.
Case studies depict real-life situations in which problems need to be solved. These scenario-based
teaching and learning approaches are oriented toward developing teamwork skills and are commonly
used methods where students develop reasoning, problem-solving and decision-making skills (Tunny,
Papinczak & Young, 2010; Bloomfield & Magney, 2009).
• Your group will explore the 17 United Nations Sustainability Goals (UN SDGs
https://sdgs.un.org/goals), select ONE of the 17 goals, and propose a conceptual sociotechnical solution to a particular wicked problem associated with your chosen goal.
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• Your solution will be presented as a recorded narrated video presentation.
• Your group will submit a Transcript of the video presentation (see below for details).
What context applies to this investigative case study?
In September 2015, all 193 Member States of the United Nations adopted a plan for achieving a better
future for all — laying out a path over the next 15 years to end extreme poverty, fight inequality and
injustice, and protect our planet.
At the heart of “Agenda 2030” are the 17 Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs), also known as the
Global Goals, which clearly define the world we want — applying to all nations and leaving no one
behind.
Many of the Goals are based around wicked problems.
In 1973, design theorists Horst Rittel and Melvin Webber introduced the term ‘wicked problem’ in
order to draw attention to the complexities and challenges of addressing planning and social policy
problems lacking clarity in both their aims and solutions and being subject to real-world constraints
that prevent multiple and risk-free attempts at solving (Stony Brook University 2021; Rittel, H. W., &
Webber, M. M. 1973).
Common wicked problems have been suggested to include concepts such as:
• Hunger
• Poverty/income disparity
• Obesity
• Terrorism and
• Sustainability/climate change
Many of the design problems we face as ICT professionals are wicked problems, where clarifying the
problem is often as big a task as solving it. Or perhaps even bigger. Taking a ‘Systems Thinking’
approach is helpful in such cases. Systems thinking is the process of understanding how components
of a system influence each other as well as other systems—and therefore it’s pretty much perfect for
wicked problems!
A core element in any system is technology and there are a range of technologies which have the
potential to be deployed towards addressing wicked problems. For example, the following link
describes how a range of technologies are/can be deployed to address the wicked problem of climate
change: https://www.preventionweb.net/news/wicked-solutions-wicked-problems
The new Global Goals result from a process that has been more inclusive than ever, with
Governments involving business, civil society and citizens from the outset. We are all in agreement on
where the world needs to go. Fulfilling these ambitions will take an unprecedented effort by all
sectors in society — and we all have a place to play a very important role in the process. Your
investigative case study is a way for your group to do this.
Please note that some time is devoted in online classes to work with your team each week from Week
3 onwards. It is therefore essential that you begin engaging with your team early in the teaching
period and be available for the online classes wherever possible. If unavailability is an issue for you,
you must make this known to the teaching team.
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Team member contributions and engagement
Important: Social-loafing and free-riding is unprofessional and is not tolerated in Assignment 2.
This overall process will be explained in-depth in class in Week 1.
The steps in the process
1. You self-select into a group of 5 in Canvas (To be completed by the start of Week 5. Any
students not in a group by then will be automatically added to a group).
2. Your group discusses the assessment guideline.
3. Your group begins researching the 17 UN SDGs broadly (their history, purpose, aims).
4. Your group determines a chosen UN SDG to focus on and a location/context where
implementation of your solution would occur.
5. Your group identifies a wicked problem associated your chosen goal.
6. Your group explores Socio-Technical Co-Design frameworks.
7. Holistically, explore as a group how you could help to address the wicked problem/s in a
socio-technical co-design process with a range of appropriate technology.
8. Discuss your Step 7 (The combination of one of the 17 UN SDGs + one problem from the
chosen goal + one technology) with your class instructor. Your instructor will advise if
your proposal plan is appropriate. You will also be asked to confirm your group’s
understanding of the assessment requirements at this stage.
9. Start researching your proposed socio-technical solution in depth.
10. Let the ideation and imagineering begin. Imagineering is letting your imagination soar
but bring your ideas back down to earth for a solution that is feasible (doable,
achievable, a practical implementation).
11. Design a conceptual solution capable of being implemented into your proposed
location/context.
12. Create a narrated video presentation based on your proposed solution. The narrated
video presentation is the main deliverable for this Assignment 2.
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The presentation
The narrated video presentation should be conceived of as being delivered to senior executives of a
Non-Government Organisation (NGO) who wish to be briefed on your findings. The presentation
should, as a minimum:
• Use a professional PPT or Prezi template;
• Provide an applicable solution title;
• Provide an introduction to your group members;
• Outline the objective of the presentation;
• Briefly highlight the background of UNSDGs;
• Pose the question(s) your group set out toanswer;
• Discuss how your team designed an approach to the problem with a focus on your chosen Goal and
technology;
• Draw appropriate conclusions and persuade your audience and colleagues of the viability of
those conclusions;
• Provide evidence of research conducted;
• Provide evidence of academic practice with appropriate referencing;
• Consist of appropriate impactful imagery and narrative;
• Have contributions to the narrative by all group members;
• Be 10-12 minutes in length;
• Consist of 10-12 slides;
• Be well edited for typos; and
• Be submitted along with a text transcript of the narration (i.e., the script of the spoken
words). A penalty will apply on non-submission of the transcript. See the marking criteria
for details of the penalty.
Submission Requirements
• Assessments must be submitted via the Canvas unit site through the assessment’s submission
facility.
• Do not email the assessment submissions to the Convenor.
• In addition, a text transcript of the narration is to be submitted in a .doc, .txt or pdf
format.
• Keep a backup of your submission. If your assessment goes astray, whether your fault or
ours, you will be required to reproduce it.
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Marking Criteria
A rubric for this assessment item is available in Canvas in the Assignment 2 Folder and will be used to assess
your work.
Extensions and Late Submission
Please reread the section on extensions and late submission in the Unit Outline.
Assessment Help
If you have any queries or concerns you may discuss them with the Convenor and/or tutor in the
Blackboard discussion board in the appropriate discussion forum or by email.
Technical Help
Technical assistance can be obtained from the Swinburne Service Desk: [email protected] or
(03)9214 5000.