Course-PM

TEK600 Digitalisation and society lp2 HT21 (7.5 hp)

Course is offered by the Department of Technology Management and Economics

Contact details

Examiner and course responsible:

Erik Bohlin, erik.bohlin@chalmers.se and tel +46317721205

Course assistant:

Parissa Mokhtabad, parissa@chalmers.se and tel +46317721160

Teachers

Erik Bohlin (EB), Professor, Chalmers University of Technology, (examiner and course responsible)

Anwesha Chakraborty (AC), PhD, Bologna University

Simon Forge (SF),  Ph.D, SCF Associates

Joakim Hökegård, HiQ

Per Östling (PÖ), Partner, First-to-know

Harald Øverby (HÖ), Professor, NTNU Norwegian University of Science and Technology

and additional teachers to be confirmed

Course purpose

The aim of this course is help students develop basic understanding of economic and governance principles, and analytical skills to conceptualise and critically assess the interplay between digitalisation and society. 

Content

This course uses case studies from a wide range of sectors, such as telecommunications, manufacturing, , transport, to explain the ongoing fourth industrial revolution, also known as Industry 4.0. Digital innovations in products and services, processes and business models have radically changed the way industries work. Next generation industries are characterised by countless interconnected devices, automated processes, and storage, analysis and use of massive amount of data. Students will hear about real experiences of companies which have been changing their business models and strategies to embrace the opportunities brought about by digitalisation. The course also discusses the role of governments and policy makers play to unlock the benefits of digitalisation, and prevent threats and challenges. In addition, this course wants to raise awareness of the complexity of a digital society, by addressing ethical concerns related to privacy, security and sustainability.

Schedule

Check out TimeEdit Schedule. Detailed schedule will be available when the course starts. 

The general zoom access link for TEK600 is:  https://chalmers.zoom.us/j/62515780793

Find here the draft schedule in file format: Overview Schedule TEK600-v 24 Nov 2021.pdf 

Course material

Course literature is available on the course homepage, with some readings to be uploaded at least one week before the lecture. Lecture slides will be uploaded on the course homepage after each lecture. See applicable week modules for readings and slides. Recorded lectures are uploaded on a Google drive link available on a separate module.

Text vs files: Syllabus and modules

The syllabus as separate and downloadable file, with the complete information, will be made available.

For the same text, scroll further below, and consult the course page modules for detailed information on the assignments. Readings and lectures slides are available in the modules per week and day. 

Changes made since the last occasion

The course will be conducted partly on distance but mostly in person.  

Learning outcomes

Learning objectives:

The aim of this course is help students comprehend what digitalization means for society. The course will address how digitalisation interplays with business development coupled with societal and institutional development, and to assess the ongoing changes. 

The following defines further the learning goals of the course:

- Describe and analyze the interplay between digitalisation on the one hand and societal change on the other
- Identify factors that influence digitalisation
- Describe and analyze the mechanisms of digitalisation
- Explain and interpret historical processes of digitalisation, and also make forecasts of future effects of digitalisation, both short-term and long-term
- Describe and analyze theoretical concepts and explanatory models for the interplay between digitalisation and societal change
- Problematize the societal consequences of digitalisation, then, now and in the future
- Observe the ethical problems that digitalisation may involve
- Write argumentative text

Link to the syllabus on Studieportalen.

Study plan

Group Registration

Group registration opens at the start of the course. Group registration provides access for the two group-based course assignments (project outline and project report). Each group has maximum of four students, and only one group slot is open per student. The students pick themselves which group they want to join. 

Examination

In order to pass this course, students are required to complete assignments:

• Project outline;
• Project report;
• Three individual reflections connected to three study visits;
• Take-home exam

All assignments are compulsory, which means that only students that deliver all assignments can pass the course. Students are asked to complete the first five assignments while the course lectures are ongoing. Only the deadline for the take-home is usually placed after the last course lecture. Project outline and project report are group-based assignments, while the individual reflections and the take-home exam are individual assignments.

These assignments are further described below. Furthermore, handouts with additional instructions regarding take-home exam will be distributed during the lectures and later uploaded on the course homepage.

Written assignments have to be uploaded on the course home page, using their specific assignment slots. Deadlines  for uploading assignments on the course home page are mandatory. 

Grading

Each assignment gives students a certain amount of points. Students have to earn a minimum amount of points per assignment in order to pass the course. Minimum and maximum points per assignment are illustrated in Table 1. There are no points associated with the project outline, which, however, needs to be approved by your examiner.

Table 1. Minimum and Maximum amount of points per assignment

ASSIGNMENT	MIN AMOUNT OF POINTS	MAX AMOUNT OF POINTS
Project Outline	Approval	Approval
Project Report	20	50
Take-Home Exam	8	20
Individual Reflection 1	4	10
Individual Reflection 2	4	10
Individual Reflection 3	4	10
Total	40	100

 

The sum of all points earned gives the final grade. The final grade can be FAIL, 3, 4 or 5. The amounts of points which correspond to the various grades are illustrated in Table 2.

 

The sum of all points earned gives the final grade. Please have a look at the table below:

Table 2. Final Grade

SUM OF POINTS	FINAL GRADE
Below 40	FAIL
Between 40-59	3
Between 60-79	4
Between 80-100	5

 

Course summary

Mandatory Assignments, Deadlines and Max Points

Group-based Assignments	Start Date	Deadline	Oral Part	Max Points
Group Registration	1 November	13 November		Approval
Project Outline	1 November	13 November		Approval Approval
Project Outline Re-submission	15 November	22 November
Project Report	1 November	14 December	15 Dec	50

 

Individual Assignments	Start Date	Hand-in written part	Oral Part	Max Points
Individual Reflection 1	10 November	20 November	No oral presentation	10
Individual Reflection 2	17 November	27 November		10
Individual Reflection 3	1 December	10 December		10
Take-home exam	8 December	7 January		20

Make-up Assignment

In order to pass this course, all seven assignments have to be completed. For the individual assignments, written texts have to be submitted via the course homepage. If one of the written texts is not delivered, students cannot pass the course.

For the group-based assignments, both the written and the oral parts are mandatory for all students. Written texts have to be submitted via the course homepage. If one of the written texts is not delivered, students cannot pass the course. Students who cannot participate in the presentation of project report are asked to deliver an additional assignment. Make-up assignments are available on the course homepage, in the folder “Make-up assignments”. Deadline for uploading make-up assignments on the course homepage is 8 January.

Guest lectures

We will have many guest lectures by international experts, specialized academics and professionals. Students are kindly invited to participate in guest lectures, for two main reasons. Firstly, for the sake of students’ own learning process, which can benefit from experiences and expertise of guest lecturers, and, secondly, as a form of respect towards time and effort of lecturers. Information from the guest lectures may be important for the the take-home exams, the individual reflection and the project work, so all are encouraged to attend the lectures by zoom. 

MTS requirement for all students

According to Decision 2002-12-11/C889-02 of the vice president for graduate studies, all students have to achieve credits in the study programme Humans, Technology, Society (Människa, Teknik, Samhälle) in order to obtain the degree of graduate engineer (civilingenjör). The course TEK320 is part of the MTS curriculum. 

Course Evaluation

At the end of the study period, the course will be evaluated by an evaluation group. The group evaluation is formed by the examiner and two or three students. Students can voluntarily propose themselves as potential evaluators. A course evaluation meeting is usually held at lunch time (12-13). The aim of the course evaluation is to improve and further content and structure of the course.