MOKV3500 Data visualization Course description

In this course students learn how to create data driven, interactive content for web and mobile using free open source web technology. The course includes cartography, statistics, source criticism, applied mathematics, programming and visualization. The course is suited for web journalism and other kinds of web content creation.

All.

No pre requirements, but we want to inform that the course has progression provisions as described in the general part of the program plan.

Knowledge

The student knows:

• cartography
• correct use of different types of graphs
• How to search public databases
• data sources and source criticism
• basic statistical methods

Skills:

The student can:

• Find and refine data while maintaining the integrity of the dataset
• Use mathematics and programming to visualize data
• Produce user-friendly interactive maps and charts to communicate a message efficiently

General skills:

The student can

• Analyze data from various sources
• Produce digital stories for multiple platforms
• Analyze works within the field
• Communicate fact based and quantitative sources in a visual form.

This course has a high degree of project based activities. The course is organized as weekly seminars with practical challenges. Students will have readings and exercises to do between classes. Work will be performed individually, in groups and students will be required to have a presentation.

The course has three required assignments consisting of one individual assignment, one group presentation and one final assignment to be done individually or in groups.

1. Individual assignment: Datamap. Students have to demonstrate the skills needed to make a data driven map.
2. Group presentation: Students have to demonstrate analytical and critical skills by analyzing a data driven and visualized web product. The presentation should last about 5 minutes not including Q&A.
3. Project plan for final exam assignment. The plan should be at least 5 pages in length including images, sketches etc. The written part should be 700-1000 words.

The assignments will be marked as pass or fail by the teacher and all assignments must be handed in within the set deadline and passed before the student can take the exam.

Students who don't get their assignments approved on their first attempt can hand in a revised version once.

Students must be registered in the third year and have completed at least 100 credits from the first and second years of the programme by 1 October, before they can write their bachelor’s thesis.

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

Knowledge The student is capable of:

• explaining how projects are managed and how progress is ensured
• explaining the different stages of a development project and their importance
• explaining the structure of final documentation
• explaining the chosen technical architecture and discussing its advantages and disadvantages

Skills The student is capable of:

• developing project and work plans
• setting up development and test environments
• developing and testing large-scale computer programs in groups
• evaluate, analyse or develop user interfaces
• installing a production version of the system
• preparing final documentation of the project, containing both process, product and user documentation

General competence The student is capable of:

• cooperating on an extensive computer technology project that culminates in an end product comprising both computer programs and documentation
• apply knowledge and results from research
• professional communication both orally and in writing
• find and critically evaluate relevant literature
• evaluate ethical - or privacy concerns in projects

Project supervision. Project work in groups. The groups normally comprise 3 to 4 students. The students shall carry out a project corresponding to the scope of the course, preferably for an external client. Detailed information and deadlines for the different phases of the project work will be provided on the course’s web page and in the teaching plan that is announced at the start of the semester. A selection of workshops and seminars.

The following work requirement is mandatory and must be approved before you can take the exam:

• A poster with background, method and results so far from the bachelor project. The poster will be presented at IT-Expo. If necessary, minor changes can be made to the poster in advance of the IT-Expo.

A project report in groups (3-4 students).

The project assignment is divided into the four parts ‘product/result’, ‘process’, ‘documentation’ and ‘presentation’. The final grade is given on the basis of an overall assessment of the four parts.

The exam result can be appealed.

The assignment part of the exam can be appealed, if the grades changes as a result of the appeal a new presentation must be held. The presentation part of the exam can not be appealed.