DATA1100 Technology and Society for Programmers Course description

Digital competence is a key factor in ensuring the employability of candidates in all professions vital to our society. This course will provide a fundamental understanding of our digital world. It gives an overview of how technology affects our lives and the way we work, as well as our social structures, work patterns and individual preferences contributing to shaping technology. Social media, digital governance, and eHealth are all examples of how technology has profoundly changed our everyday lives in the last few decades. An understanding of the benefits and limitations of technology is vital in any profession, regardless of field or speciality. In this course, students will acquire the basic knowledge required to harness the potential of technology and recognise its limitations and potentially harmful consequences on work and society. They will learn to identify the opportunities to use technology to foster inclusion and participation in an increasingly diverse and multicultural society. They will practice communicating orally the concepts they acquire in a structured manner.

This course is given in English.

The teaching is organised as scheduled work sessions. During the work sessions, the students shall practise the subject matter that is presented. Some of the teaching will comprise problem-solving practice, where implementing numerical algorithms is a natural component. The content of the practice includes discussions and cooperation, and individual practice on assignments. Between the scheduled work sessions, the students must work individually on calculating exercises and studying the syllabus.

After completing this course the student should have the following learning outcome:

Knowledge

On successful completion of this course the student understands:

• basic terms and concepts related to digital technology and society
• the role of technological innovation with regards to consumption, economic growth and sustainable development
• the democratic principles behind inclusion and a universally designed society
• the basic ideas behind of algorithms, and how their use may constrain or enable work processes and other aspects of everyday life

Skills

On successful completion of this course the student can:

• use basic terms and concepts from the curriculum to discuss problems arising at the intersect of technology and society.
• collaborate on problem-solving and complete self-directed student activities in groups
• evaluate and discuss technological and societal aspects of a case in a specific domain
• describe and discuss ethical challenges at the intersection of technology and society, including issues of integration and participation
• identify, respond to and limit the negative impact of unethical and harmful online behaviour

General Competence

On successful completion of this course the student can:

• be a valuable contributor to the design, planning and implementation of new technology
• be a positive agent of change in their own profession and field of study with regards to leveraging the potential of technology
• participate in innovative processes involving new and emerging technologies and build skills in anticipating and adapting to technological change
• reflect on technology use both within their field and from an interdisciplinary perspective

The course will utilise 'blended learning', with a combination of in-person teaching or guidance, and use of online material. The students will be working on interdisciplinary cases focused on critical reflection.

2 group submissions

Individual multiple choice home exam over 24 hours.

The exam is only given in English.

Through the work in this course, the students will gain insight into areas of mathematics that are important to the modelling of technical and natural science systems and processes. The topics covered are included in engineering programmes the world over. The topics are necessary in order to enable engineers to communicate professionally in an efficient and precise manner and to participate in professional discussions. Students will practise using, and to some extent also develop, mathematical software in the work on the course, which will enable to perform calculations in a work situation. Such implementations are exclusively motivated by numerical problems solving and understanding mathematical concepts.

Pass/Fail

One internal examiner will be used. External examiners may be used at the discretion of the course instructor.

Individual written exam, 3 hours.

The exam result can be appealed.

In the case of a new and postponed exam, another form of exam can also be used or a new assignment with a new deadline is given. If an oral examination is used, this cannot be appealed.