ACIT4035 Rehabilitation and Assistive Technology Course description

From prosthetic limbs, exoskeletons, orthotics, hearing aids, and muscle-controlled mobility solutions to artificial organs and cognitive aids, the modern era of rehabilitation and assistive technology has created a paradigm shift in what technology can achieve to help people who need it. This course provides an exploration of rehabilitation and assistive technologies, with a strong emphasis on hands-on, problem-based prototyping. Students will be introduced to the essential principles and foundational knowledge of various existing rehabilitation and assistive devices designed to enhance daily living activities for individuals with disabilities. The course aims to develop the skills required to understand user needs, conceptualize ideas, and create functional prototypes, while also providing a comprehensive understanding of the current landscape of assistive technology. By the end of the course, students will be equipped with both theoretical knowledge and practical experience in designing effective, user-centred rehabilitation technologies.

All aids are permitted, provided the rules for plagiarism and source referencing are complied with.

No formal requirements over and above the admission requirements.

Learning outcomes

After completing this course, the student will have the following learning outcomes, defined as knowledge, skills, and general competence:

Knowledge

Upon succesful completion of the course, the student:

• can identify and understand the approaches, mechanisms, sensory schemes and devices used in physical rehabilitation, their purpose, and functions.
• relate the concepts and methods used by electronic and mechanical devices for rehabilitation and assistive living technologies.
• demonstrate technical understanding and the ability to integrate a range of sensors and actuators used in medical rehabilitation and assistive devices.
• understands practical rehabilitation challenges to the hospital (students will closely work with a rehabilitation hospital) and can recommend feasible solution to solve the challenges.

Skills

The student can:

• plan the designing, construction, and validation of a specific electronic or electromechanical device for rehabilitation and assistive living technologies.
• critically assess the suitability of different theories, concepts, methods, and techniques to build a specific rehabilitation or assistive device.
• document the performance of the developed system and benchmark it with other methods.
• build a novel solution to a specific problem that need development of rehabilitation or assistive devices

General competence

The student can:

• explain the purpose and principle of operation of typical rehabilitation or assistive devices.
• explain and discuss challenges related to rehabilitation and assistive devices to experts and non-experts alike.
• analyze, present, develop, and test possible novel solutions for rehabilitation or assistive devices, focusing on electronic and mechanical solutions.

Grade scale A - F

This course will feature weekly lectures and practical work to provide theoretical and hands-on experience. The student will supplement the lectures and practical work with their own reading. The project work will be carried out in groups of a size suited for the chosen rehabilitation or assistive project.

The following required coursework must be approved before the student can take the exam:

• To take the final examination, students are required to attend at least five of the mandatory session alongside with their respective reflection note on the session during the course. The number of mandatory sessions varies between 5-8, and will be announced at the beginning of the course.
• Preliminary project plan and product design (max 1000 words).

Final assessment of the course will be made on the following basis:

1. Group project reports and mandatory lecture reflection notes count for 50% of the final grade. The project report must follow the guidelines and a given template, such as IEEE conference proceedings.
2. Group project demonstration and individual oral presentation count for 50% of the final grade.

All parts of the exam must achieve a passing grade (E or above) in order to pass the course.

The project demonstration and oral presentation cannot be appealed.

New/postponed exam:

In case of a failed exam or legal absence, the student may apply for a new or postponed exam. New or postponed exams are offered within a reasonable period following the regular exam. The student is responsible for registering for a new/postponed exam within the time limits set by OsloMet. The Regulations for new or postponed examinations are available in Regulations relating to studies and examinations at OsloMet.

Knowledge

On successful completion of this course the student has:

• understanding of the difference between grammar and style, particularly between the prescriptive nature of the former and the selective nature of the latter.

• knowledge of typical structures of engineering genres and texts
• knowledge of typical stylistic features of engineering genres and texts
• strategies for making decisions about style and readability while designing technical texts.

Skills

On successful completion of this course the student can:

• effectively structure specialized engineering texts to meet their purposes and reach their intended audiences
• effectively select and use elements of appropriate writing style in engineering texts
• consciously use stylistics feature and choices for readability, ethics, and actionability of texts

General competence

On successful completion of this course the student can:

• demonstrate awareness and understanding of the role of writing style and style-related decisions in creating effective texts and in effective communication

• develop a broader understanding of the limited importance of grammar and other mechanics for effectiveness of writing.

This course is run in collaboration with Louisiana Technology University. During the 2024-2025 academic year, the course will be offered online (digitally). The majority of the instruction will take place asynchronously (in Canvas), with periodic 1-hour long synchronous meetings, in Zoom or Teams.

In line with best teaching practices from the field of professional communication, the following teaching methods will be used (listed here in order of priority and frequency of use):

• Active learning and flipped classroom methods
• Peer review and peer-learning

• Short lectures and presentations by instructor(s), followed by discussions and informal assessments

The role of the teacher is to be a facilitator and an expert-coordinator of course work, who guides the students through the content of the course.

1. Three written assignments

1. Weekly reading response and peer-review assignments. A minimum of 75% (9 out of 12) out of the reading response and peer-review assignments must be approved.

Detailed description of all assignments will be provided to the students in Canvas.

Individual written report of between 1800 and 2200 words.

The exam can be appealed.

New/postponed exam: In case of failed exam or legal absence, the student may apply for a new or postponed exam. New or postponed exams are offered within a reasonable time span following the regular exam. The student is responsible for applying for a new/postponed exam within the time limits set by OsloMet. The Regulations for new or postponed examinations are available in Regulations relating to studies and examinations at OsloMet.