STKD6600 Technology and Society I 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 specialty. In this course, students will acquire the basic knowledge required to harness the potential of technology and identify the opportunities to use technology to foster inclusion and participation in an increasingly diverse and multicultural society. They will also learn to recognize its limitations and potentially harmful consequences on work and society, and grapple with the social, ethical and moral issues that arise as technology becomes both increasingly complex and integral to the way our society functions.

No additional course-specific requirements.

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

Knowledge

On successful completion of this course the student understands:

• the role of technological innovation with regards to consumption, economic growth and sustainable development, health and welfare
• the idea of digital citizenship, including digital rights and responsibilities, from a local, national and global perspective, both in general and in relation with their field of study
• the democratic principles behind e-inclusion and a universally designed society, both in general and with regards to their future professional practice
• the basics of information security, including precautions to guarantee safety and privacy for patients, clients and other technology users and stakeholders.
• the basic ideas behind algorithms, and how their use may constrain or enable work processes and other aspects of everyday life
• the role that technology plays in professional practice within their profession or field of study.

Skills

On successful completion of this course the student can:

• understand the technological and societal aspects of a case in a specific domain
• discuss and present an overview of ethical challenges at the intersection of technology and society, including issues of integration, participation and multiculturalism
• give examples of how technology is used in the profession(s) related to their field of study, both at the national and the international level
• identify, respond to and limit the negative impact of unethical and harmful online behavior
• evaluate the possibilities and challenges of technological solutions used in the profession(s) relevant to their field of study and present those in a structured form
• retrieve information effectively and efficiently from a variety of online sources, critically assess its quality and credibility.

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 for individuals, organizations and the public sector
• participate in innovative processes involving new and emerging technologies and build skills in anticipating and adapting to technological change, and reflect on the human rights, legal, and ethical consequences of these processes
• actively engage with social, ethical and moral issues related to the development and implementation of technology
• reflect on technology use both within their field and from an interdisciplinary perspective
• communicate concepts and models related to technology use in a structured manner, both orally and in written form

The course uses a blended learning approach, with a combination of attendance-based teaching or guidance, and use of online material. The students will be working on interdisciplinary cases of direct relevance to their field of study.

There are weekly seminars throughout the semester, in addition to the online material.

None

The final assessment/examination is a portfolio assessment, which counts for 100% of the grade.

The portfolio will consist of a choice of three assignments from a set of assignments offered in the course.

The portfolio is assessed as a whole and given a single grade, but all three assignments must be passed in order for the portfolio to receive a grade E or higher.

All assignments should be written in either English or Norwegian.

For assignments that require working in groups, each group may consist of 2-5 candidates.

All support materials are allowed for all the components of the portfolio assessment.

The final assessment will be graded on a grading scale from A to E (A is the highest grade and E the lowest) and F for fail.

Two examiners will be used. External examiner is used regularly.

The course has 5 ECTS of overlapping content towards STKD6610 Technology and Society.