Welcome to SIFI2000!
Are you considering taking the SIFI 2000 course and wondering about what you will learn? Here is a little more information about what we will do throughout the autumn semester:
During the first four weeks you will get hands-on experience with how digital technology works: You will get a taste of what programming is like and learn some fundamental principles. You will also learn to extract and work with data as well as get a basic understanding of how Large Language Models (which are used in e.g., ChatGPT) actually works and how they can be used well.
Then we will start to examine how digital technology impacts us, first as individuals and then as members of organizations or societies. For many of use, our personal lives are deeply influenced by gaming, online socializing (e.g., dating), and communication with AI chatbots. Perhaps you have experienced technostress or tried ‘digital detox’?
Using digital technologies also bring new vulnerabilities and risks. Cybersecurity is an area aiming at protecting us from digital attacks of different kinds. This week we will discuss how we can develop ‘digital discernment’ in the face of challenges, such as deepfakes and artificially generated images, and when and where is it OK to share personal data, and when should we be cautious.
We will then turn to the question of who get to influence the development of digital technologies. During the design phase, important decisions are made that will shape the technology. Who has a say in these decisions? In this week we will hear about how end-users can be involved in design of technology, specifically about the Participatory Design tradition. You will also learn about the Universal Access design principles that technology developers should adhere to.
Digital technologies are not just ‘virtual’ and ephemeral – they have very real physical presence and environmental consequences. During this week we will learn about the materials going into the production of digital devices, and of the problem of electronic waste. We will discuss both how digital technology can contribute to economic, social and environmental sustainability and how it can challenge it.
In the last week we will focus on what digitalization and digital transformation does to well-established organizations and institutions. Changes may be at the surface or cut deep; work practices and organizational structures may change, new competencies may be required, and professional identities may change. We will see examples from the use of digital technologies to offer healthcare services in new ways. You will acquire theoretical perspectives that help to understand such change processes.
An important component of the course is a cross-disciplinary group project, which will end with a plenary presentation in the final week of the teaching period.