DATA3720 Community outreach project Course description

In this course, the student will carry out an IT project with a view to attracting interest in IT study programmes. In order to reach out to the public, the students will present the project at a relevant event, for example an education fair, a school visit, an ‘Open Day’ event etc. Other relevant outreach activity projects can also be considered in consultation with the supervisor.

The condition for choosing to do an outreach activity project is that the student and an internal supervisor at OsloMet agree on the project topic before the start of the semester.

The course will only run if there sufficient number of students registered.

The course builds on computer science courses from the first year of the programme.

No requirements over and above the admission requirements.

After completing the course, the student is expected to have achieved the following learning outcomes defined in terms of knowledge, skills and competence:

Knowledge

The student:

• is aware of relevant societal issued related to technology development
• masters several methods used to communicate information about technology development to a varied audience
• understands the various factors that influence an understanding for IT and a motivation to learn about IT-related issues

Skills:

The student is capable of:

• presenting a technical product or a project in a comprehensive manner to an audience with various levels of knowledge of IT
• presenting and discussing the role IT has in society, with current examples from everyday life, news stories and popular culture
• mastering methodology to engage and involve the audience through recognisable examples and good stories

General competence

The student is capable of:

• presenting and discussing IT-related topics to a broad audience
• communicating clearly in writing and verbally about IT-related issues to an audience that is not necessarily tech-savvy
• motivating and engaging a diverse audience by using current IT issues

Regular follow-up of the project work by a project supervisor. Students will write a report describing the project and what they have gained from participating in the project.

Projects are selected/distributed at the start of the semester. 

The following work requirements are mandatory and must be approved in order to prepare for the exam:

• A standard learning agreement must be entered into between the project provider / supervisor and the student(s), and this must be approved by the course coordinator before the project can start.
• An oral mid-term presentation, individual or in groups (max 5 students), 10 minutes + 5 minutes Q&A.

The deadlines for submitting the project outline and minutes of the meetings will be presented in the teaching plan, which is made available at the beginning of the semester.

Portfolio assessment subject to the following requirements:

• A project report, of 2,000 words +/-10%, describing how the assignment has been solved, and demonstrating that the students have a fundamental grasp of the processes and the methods that have been employed.
• A ten-minute video presentation demonstrating the learning outcomes that the students have achieved during their work with the project.

The portfolio is assessed as a whole and given a single grade, but both the project report and the video presentation must be passed in order for the portfolio to receive a grade E or higher. 

For group projects, all members of the group receive the same grade. Under exceptional circumstances, individual grades can be assigned at the discretion of the project supervisor(s) and Head of Studies. 

The exam result can be appealed.

All aids are permitted, as long as the rules for source referencing are complied with.

Grade scale A-F. 

Two internal examiners. External examiners are used regularly.