ACIT4910 User Diversity and ICT Barriers Course description

A master’s degree (120 ECTS) or equivalent.

No formal requirements over and above the admission requirements.

A student who has completed this course should have the following learning outcomes defined in terms of knowledge, skills and general competence:

Knowledge

On successful completion of this course the student has:

• thorough knowledge of diversity among users, equipment and user situations
• thorough knowledge of demography and age structure of society, trends and tendencies and their implications for universal design of ICT
• thorough knowledge of sensory, motor and cognitive disabilities
• thorough knowledge of the concept of disability and the Gap model
• advanced knowledge of disabling barriers in ICT solutions
• advanced knowledge about universal design and accessibility
• thorough knowledge about accommodation, assistive technology and welfare technology
• has advanced knowledge of relevant laws, policies and standards

Skills

On successful completion of this course the student can:

• analyse and deal critically with different user requirements, and apply these to structure and formulate arguments regarding accessibility, accommodation, and universal design of ICT
• analyse contradictions within/between universal design, accessibility and accommodation in different situations

General competence

On successful completion of this course the student can:

• disabling barriers of ICT solutions based on the Gap model
• can carry out independent study and master dedicated terminology related to user diversity, impairment, disability and universal design
• communicate scientific problems, analysis and conclusions in ICT and user diversity, impairment, disability and universal design to both specialists in health care and the general public

This course is organized as a series of seminars where students under supervision present core concepts and topics in the literature. The presentations are followed by in-class discussions and practical activities. Guest lectures will be held on chosen topics. There will be visits to, for example, public institutions, non-governmental organizations (NGOs), and rehabilitation centres. Students work on a project assignment under supervision.

Active participation in class is a prerequisite to develop good understanding of the course content. Student attendance of at least 80 % is therefore mandatory to be eligible for examination. The course leader can exempt students from this requirement only under special and individual circumstances. In these cases, extensive reading of the course literature can compensate for the lack of attendance.

Mandatory assignments are evaluated as a pass or fail.

Assessment-/exam format

Participants will receive 5 ECTS for successful completion of the course. This includes the attendance requirement as well as passing the essay examination. The essay can draw upon the student’s own thesis, but this is not required. The essay must lay out and discuss a precise question within the field of philosophy of science. The essay is to be approximately 10 pages long, formatted with font size 12pt, double-spaced, and must be handed in before the submission deadline.

The essay will be examined by the course leader and is assessed as a pass or fail. If the essay is not passed, students are given another chance to edit their submission on a later agreed upon deadline.

The essay examination is based on the descriptions of the course’s learning outcomes.

It is not possible to request an extension of the submission deadline. Exceptions from this are only made in cases of documented sick leave. The deadline for submission will then be postponed based on the documented period of sick leave.

Support materials for assessment/examination

All

Right to appeal

Students may appeal their grade and formal errors in accordance with the Act relating to universities and university colleges and Regulations relating to studies and examinations at OsloMet – Oslo Metropolitan University.

A master’s degree (120 ECTS) or equivalent.

This course is primarily meant for students enrolled in a Ph.D. program. If the course leader has the capacity to take on additional students, other applicants whose educational background (Master’s degree or equivalent) is deemed relevant will be considered for admission.

The following subjects will be addressed:

• Causality, laws, and mechanisms
• Intentional explanations
• Functional explanations
• Action and rationality
• Interpretation of meaning
• Methodological individualism and collectivism
• Realism and social constructivism
• Science and values

Associate Professor Norun Christine Sanderson

The course is equivalent to previous courses MAUU4200 and MAUUD4200.

Attempts made in equivalent courses will count towards the limit of 3 exam-attempts per course.