The Client
Founded in 1949, the University of New South Wales (UNSW Sydney) is one of the top institutes for further education in Australia and is the number one Australian university attended by start-up founders, bolstering its reputation as a leader in research and innovation.
UNSW Sydney is ranked in the top 20 universities worldwide (2024 QS World University Rankings) and prides itself on addressing the world’s challenges to make a positive global impact. Named Australia’s most employable university for five consecutive years (AFR Most Employable University at Top100 Future Leaders Awards 2020, 2021, 2022, 2023 and 2024), it consists of six faculties – Art, Design and Architecture, Business, Engineering, Law and Justice, Medicine and Health and Science, and 47 schools across four campuses providing world-class education.
UNSW Sydney’s motto is “Scientia corde mente et manu” – Knowledge by Heart, Mind and Hand, underlining the university’s commitment to serving society through knowledge sharing and new discovery.
Background
Having developed and delivered successful programmes with many universities from across the globe, the Møller Institute was approached by the UNSW Sydney’s programme team. Their focus was on creating a leadership course for senior undergraduates from varied backgrounds who were studying a broad range of subjects. Our track record of devising high-quality, bespoke programmes allied with our standing as a leadership development Institute meant that we were perfectly suited to work with the UNSW Sydney.
Additionally, Cambridge, being synonymous with high calibre academia, a hub for tech and innovation and one of the fastest growing cities in the country, made it a perfect host city for this kind of programme.
Programme Design
Key to this programme was an emphasis on solving problems more broadly rather than being subject or project focused. Thinking independently and critically were also core elements of the programme.
The Møller Institute’s close links with both industry and academia gives us access to experts in both spheres and, unlike many business schools, we are not limited to employing speakers from our retained faculty. As a result, we were able to work collaboratively with UNSW Sydney to create a stimulating programme rich with engaging guest speakers.
As is always the case when we are devising a programme with a client, the approach was consultative. We held meetings calls to understand the client’s needs before devising aims, objectives, and outcomes. We then presented these to the client along with suggested learning interventions for each element of the course. From there, we began to design the programme ensuring appropriate content was in place to achieve the pre-agreed outcomes.
Programme Delivery
The programme delivery over the two weeks that UNSW Sydney spent at the Møller Institute, was designed to provide a variety of teaching methods, facilitated by a broad range of experts from inside and outside the Institute.
Speaker-led presentations, facilitated group discussions, supported small group discussions, expert-led question and answer sessions, interactive group exercises and individual self-reflection were all important elements of the course. Sessions ranged from a “Getting to grips with Innovation” workshop led by an Industrial Associate of the Institute for Manufacturing within Cambridge University’s Department of Engineering, to coffee, chat and reflections with Lord Richard Wilson, providing an opportunity for students to discuss leadership in an informal setting.
An expert-led panel session with leaders from the worlds of academia, business and politics provided students with opinion and insight on global challenges to be solved, before smaller group discussions followed enabling the students to further question the expert panel in order to wrestle with the topics discussed.
Interactive workshops and activities helped build relationships among the students and fostered confidence within the group – this was particularly important as students were required at the end of the course to present their project ideas and solutions to a panel drawn from those who delivered the programme and additional experts.
The students also had the opportunity to get to know Cambridge with a guided tour of the city based around innovation, social change and global impact.
Feedback and Impact
The feedback received from UNSW Sydney was overwhelmingly positive:
Tom Pyke, Senior Lead Graduate Futures, University of New South Wales
“The programme was amazing, we really enjoyed seeing how the students were taken out of their comfort zone and challenged over their two weeks at the Møller Institute. All of the students who have experienced this programme have come away with an amazing tool kit which they can then take forward for the rest of their lives. I’m really excited to see what they can go on to be with the learning that they’ve had here at the Møller Institute”.
Overall, the programme scored a satisfaction rating of 4.4/5 and the University of New South Wales are returning for their next programme with the Møller Institute in early 2025.