BSL4400 Knowledge Management and Information Behavior Course description

This course focuses on individuals' needs for information and their information seeking behaviour.

No prerequisites.

Knowledge

The student has

• advanced knowledge of information needs as well as of use of information and knowledge in different contexts such as everyday life, working life, research and education, etc.
• good overview and specialized knowledge of the role of various channels for satisfying the information needs and their prominence for seeking and sharing information and knowledge
• advanced knowledge of the theoretical models for understanding seeking and sharing of information and knowledge
• advanced understanding of the relationship between human information behaviour and methods of information and knowledge management

Skills

The student is able to

• use empirical and theoretical models on information behaviour and information mediating institutions' role in information seeking processes to design research projects
• reflect upon how information needs and information use is affected and changed by political, demographic, cultural and technological changes, the emergence of new forms of learning and experience, etc.
• plan, develop and lead information and knowledge management in practice with reference to in-depth knowledge of information needs and information seeking behaviour

The course is organized as a series of three three-day sessions.

The course is given either in Scandinavian languages with occasional English contributions, or exclusively in English.

No course requirements.

The assessment consists of a written term paper. The term paper may be written individually (approximately 15 pages), or in groups of 2-3 students (approximately 20 pages).

Students who have failed the regular examination are entitled to submit a revised version of the term paper for re-examination. If a term paper is written by a group, all group members are requested a re-examination at fail.

All examination support materials are permitted. However, sources must be stated in accordance with applicable rules for source references.

Letter grading A-F.

Both exams are assessed by an internal and an external examiner.

Katriina Byström