PHUV9460 Utdanningsvitenskap, politikk og digitale teknologier i kunnskapsalderen Emneplan

This PhD course focuses on the political dimension of education and digital technologies at macro level (global, national, regional) as well as the consequences for the implementation of digital technologies in the field of practice at the micro level. Theoretically the course is grounded in the field Science Technology Studies (STS). STS represents a humanistic and social science perspective where the unit of analysis is how social and cultural aspects shape the use of technologies in concrete local and social practices. An anti-essentialist understanding of technology stresses the importance of understanding concrete uses of digital technologies within broader cultural, social, political and economic discourses and negotiations in the knowledge age. This perspective represents an important contribution in understanding how scientific research and innovation of digital technologies affects today's education.

Approved by LUI's educational committee 21.03.2022

After completion of the course, the students will have acquired the following learning outcomes, defined as knowledge, skills and general competence.

Knowledge

• has in-depth knowledge of how policies impact the reform of educational systems and how they support or impede improvements in curriculum, teaching, and student achievement.
• has in-depth knowledge about analysing the social dimensions of science and digital technologies in the educational field in both curriculum, teaching, and student achievement.

Skills

• Is able to analyse the political, social, economic and legal dynamics that affect policy development and implementation in the educational field.
• Is able to analyse and critically evaluate the development and implementation of digital technologies in education.
• Is able to analyse and critically evaluate the scientific and political bases for the introduction of digital technologies in education.
• Can integrate STS methodologies into own research projects.

General competence

• Can identify how public policy decision-making related to digital technologies in education at local, state, and national levels have an impact on education institutions, students, and the public.
• Can develop nuanced readings and critiques of current STS literature
• Can integrate STS methodologies and perspectives into the candidate’s own research projects.

The first part of the course is a seminar given over two non- consecutive days so that the participants have a chance to apply and reflect on the concepts. The working methods include lectures, discussions, practical workshops, as well as student presentations. Candidates are expected to actively participate in all the teaching activities, including presenting their project.

The second part of the course is related to the written paper and includes supervision two to four weeks after the seminar.

Preparations for the course

Students are encouraged to read through parts of the syllabus prior to the course to be able to participate actively in discussions.

This course is an introduction to the topic of genres in engineering communication. Engineering writing genres are typical kinds of writing and types of documents commonly produced and read by engineers and other technical professionals. The course will emphasize the state-of-the arts research-based understanding of writing genres and functions first and forms second. This means that typical engineering writing genres should be taught as texts that mediate or solve workplace problems. Their typical structures and forms have developed due to their primary functions. Understanding this and being able to match an appropriate form with a purpose will enable students to create effective texts.

This course is designed and run in collaboration with Louisiana Technology University.

No formal requirements over and above the admission requirements.

Knowledge

On successful completion of this course the student has:

• understanding of the fundamentals of current writing genre theory, particularly the idea that genres fulfill functions and are not just formulaic texts

• understanding how the structure and form of common engineering genres, including but not limited to the technical report, the proposal, and others, is connected to the purpose, intended audience, and context of the document.
• familiarity with the typical structural components of typical engineering writing genres and with the functions those components serve

Skills

On successful completion of this course the student can:

• analyze instances of typical engineering writing genres for purpose, audience, context, and structure
• produce effective texts in typical specialized engineering genres, such as the technical report, the proposal, and others
• critically reflect on their choices of content and structure during the creation of such texts

General competence

On successful completion of this course the student:

• can demonstrate a broad understanding of the main purposes, functions, and features of typical writing genres in the technical workplace.
• has awareness off and is able to discuss some of the principal country and culture-specific genre features which are influenced by local professional cultures

This course is run in collaboration with Louisiana Technology University. During the 2024-2025 academic year, the course will be offered online (digitally). The majority of the instruction will take place asynchronously (in Canvas), with periodic 1-hour long synchronous meetings, in Zoom or Teams.

In line with best teaching practices from the field of professional communication, the following teaching methods will be used (listed here in order of priority and frequency of use):

• Active learning and flipped classroom methods
• Peer review and peer-learning
• Short lectures and presentations by instructor(s), followed by discussions and informal assessments

The role of the teacher is to be a facilitator and an expert-coordinator of course work, who guides the students through the content of the course.

1. Three written assignments

1. Weekly reading response and peer-review assignments. A minimum of 75% (9 out of 12) out of the reading response and peer-review assignments must be approved.

Detailed description of all assignments will be provided to the students in Canvas.