NDAK10006U Cancelled IT Innovation and Change (ITIaC)

Volume 2023/2024
Education

MSc Programme in Computer Science

Content

The purpose of the course is to develop students' theoretical and practical skills in conducting an IT innovation project within an existing organisation. It is strongly recommended to contact a suitable company before the beginning of the course. The focus of the course is on generating innovative IT designs, based on an analysis of the interplay between IT and human actions in an organisational context. 
 
A great deal of students in computer science and other IT-related educations will after completion of their studies find themselves involved in IT innovation processes within existing organisations. This course is intended to prepare and train those students for this task.

The course could be seen as a preparation course for practical project work later in ones graduate studies.

The course is organised in two tracks: a practical and a theoretical.

In the practical track, the students (in groups of 4-5) will conduct an IT innovation project for a minor company, a department in a larger company, a non-profit organisation or the like. Students are strongly encouraged to make contact with a potential company prior to the course. The students will investigate problems and opportunities in the company's current way of producing products and services based on which coherent visions for IT-based changes are proposed. The project will be carried out in close collaboration with management, employees and other interest groups. Throughout the course, there will be lectures introducing an IT innovation method and supervision to support the project work.

The theoretical track consists of lectures and student presentations. Here the students will develop their argumentative skills, and learn to reflect and combine knowledge gained through the student projects, the applied method, and the course literature.

The course requires active participation from each student. It is expected that the students conduct an IT design project with an organisation. It is also expected that the students will present part of the course literature, and engage in discussions on the topics presented.

Learning Outcome


Knowledge of

  • Techniques for analysing a company's current situation and challenges including ethnographic methods
  • Methods for the active involvement of users including participatory design
  • Techniques to create and anchor visions for IT-based change such as prototyping and workshops

 

Skills to

  • Analyse a company's current problems and opportunities
  • Design visions for IT-based change
  • Plan implementations of visions for IT-based change
  • Reflect on the choice of method and techniques in own projects
  • Presenting the result of a design project as a report


Competences to

  • Write a report summarising and reflecting on a design project
  • Work in groups on a design project
  • Communicate effectively with people that are not part of a design project such as end-users and project owners

 

Is expected to be:

K. Bødker, F. Kensing and J. Simonsen: Participatory IT Design. Designing for Business and Workplace Realities. MIT Press latest edition.

A compendium with texts that supplement and put the textbook into perspective.

See Absalon for the actual list of course literature.

It is highly recommended that students master a structured and methodical approach to group work. Students should have experience in giving constructive and positive criticism to fellow students.

Academic qualifications equivalent to a BSc degree is recommended.
A mixture of lectures combined with group and project work.

The students (in groups of 4-5) will conduct an IT innovation project for a minor company, a department in a larger company, a non-profit organisation or the like. It is strongly recommended to contact a suitable company before the beginning of the course.
  • Category
  • Hours
  • Lectures
  • 32
  • Preparation
  • 78
  • Project work
  • 76
  • Exam Preparation
  • 19
  • Exam
  • 1
  • Total
  • 206
Oral
Individual
Collective
Continuous feedback during the course of the semester
Feedback by final exam (In addition to the grade)
Peer feedback (Students give each other feedback)
Credit
7,5 ECTS
Type of assessment
Written assignment, during course
Oral examination, 20 minutes
Type of assessment details
Specifically, the exam consists of two parts:

1. A group report based on the group project (written assignment)
2. An individual oral examination (without preparation) based on the group report and group project

The written and oral examination are not weighted, why only one overall assessment is provided for the entire exam.
Exam registration requirements

3 mandatory assignments based on the group project must be approved to be qualified for the exam.

 

Aid
All aids allowed
Marking scale
7-point grading scale
Censorship form
No external censorship
Several internal examiners
Re-exam

Same as ordinary exam.

The written project report can be revised and resubmitted.

If a student has not handed in a project report then the student must prepare a full project on their own and submit a project report based on how to conduct an innovation project in a company no later than 3 weeks prior to the exam date. 

The exam qualification (same as the ordinary exam) must be met no later than three weeks prior to the re-exam date.

Criteria for exam assesment

See Learning Outcome.