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DEGREE REGULATIONS & PROGRAMMES OF STUDY 2018/2019

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DRPS : Course Catalogue : School of Informatics : Informatics

Undergraduate Course: Data, Design and Society (INFR08024)

Course Outline
SchoolSchool of Informatics CollegeCollege of Science and Engineering
Credit level (Normal year taken)SCQF Level 8 (Year 1 Undergraduate) AvailabilityAvailable to all students
SCQF Credits20 ECTS Credits10
SummaryData plays a pervasive role in modern society: we are all consumers and producers of data on a daily basis. Moreover, data is increasingly important for all aspects of academic endeavour. By understanding how data is collected, how it can be interpreted, and how it functions in social and political processes, you will be better prepared for your undergraduate studies, for your future career, and for becoming an informed citizen. This course will provide you with basic concepts, tools and a practice-based understanding of how data and design principles can support social innovation. By engaging in a team-based interdisciplinary project, you will address an existing social challenge that involves collecting, processing and analysing data as part of designing a prototype solution.
Course description * Design principles for social innovation
* Types of data, data formats and data collection methods
* Basic statistical properties of data sets, data quality
* Data cleaning, transformation and linkage
* Social science techniques for small scale experimentation and co-design
* Ethical and legal aspects of data collection and publication
* Data visualisation
* Using data to persuade, to inform and to support decision-making
* Economic value of data

In order to make the course more scalable over time, we will develop a library of focussed, modular learning materials which will allow students to gain online access to more theoretical parts of the syllabus.

Relevant QAA Computing Curriculum Sections: Not intended to fit into a standard topic area in computing, but there are partial overlaps with Empirical Approaches, Human-computer interaction, Information systems, Professionalism.
Entry Requirements (not applicable to Visiting Students)
Pre-requisites Co-requisites
Prohibited Combinations Other requirements None
Information for Visiting Students
Pre-requisitesNone
High Demand Course? Yes
Course Delivery Information
Not being delivered
Learning Outcomes
On completion of this course, the student will be able to:
  1. Identify and apply relevant strategies for data collection and related prototype 'interventions' which address the interests and needs of a specified community of stakeholders.
  2. Interpret and evaluate data in a way that demonstrates its relevance to selected communication and/or policy objectives.
  3. Synthesize and communicate the information from two or more datasets using appropriate analytic, presentation and visualisation techniques.
  4. Demonstrate an ability to work in an interdisciplinary team and to act in a professional manner when interacting with stakeholders and the public.
Reading List
None
Additional Information
Course URL http://edin.ac/1KukGVu
Graduate Attributes and Skills Not entered
KeywordsNot entered
Contacts
Course organiserDr Ewan Klein
Tel: (0131 6)50 2705
Email: ewan.klein@ed.ac.uk
Course secretaryMr Gregor Hall
Tel: (0131 6)50 5194
Email: gregor.hall@ed.ac.uk
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