Course syllabus spring 2014
Course syllabus spring 2014
Title
Collaborative media
Swedish title
Collaborative media
Course code
KD642A
Credits
15 credits
Grading scale
UG / Fail (U) or Pass (G)
Language of instruction
English
Decision-making body
Faculty of Culture and Society
Syllabus approval date
2011-11-03
Syllabus valid from
2013-01-21
Entry requirements
Prerequisite courses for this course are: KD640A Introduction to multidisciplinary interaction design (passed) and KD641A Embodied interaction (passed)
Level
Advanced level
No main field.
Progression level
A1F
Progression level in relation to degree requirements
The course can normally be included as part of a general degree at advanced level.
Course objectives
The course addresses the role of interaction design for collaborative media, including design of innovative media “texts” as well as designing for collaboration and community. Academic maturity is ramped up by focusing on the fundamental craft skills of academic writing and reflection on research methods and results.
Course contents
The course covers topical areas in interaction design for collaborative media, including key design elements in designing for prosumers, designing participatory media and designing grassroots media. Concerning analytical and critical perspectives, the course offers an introduction to media and communication studies as applied to interaction design and collaborative media, as well as particular analytical/critical concepts concerning, e.g., emergence, critical mass and virality.
On the level of methodology, the course focuses on intervention- and community-oriented design methods and techniques such as envisionments, mashups, social interventions, community-based participation and co-determination, and perpetual-beta development approaches.
Learning outcomes
Repertoire and theory
1. Building a repertoire of important design elements in collaborative media.
2. Developing familiarity with introductory media and communication perspectives on interaction design.
Skills and techniques
3. Displaying ability to execute interaction design techniques suitable for the design of collaborative media.
4. Displaying ability to execute further skills required in the craft of academic knowledge construction, and specifically to write short academic texts.
Reflection and criticism
5. Displaying some ability to analyze and critique collaborative media using relevant analytical/critical concepts.
6. Displaying some ability to reflect on academic research methodology and epistemology.
Learning activities
Work in multidisciplinary teams on pertinent design topics within collaborative media, including innovative media “texts” and remediations as well as designing for community and collaboration. Writing individual academic short papers on the work. Critical review of academic publications in collaborative media and of fellow students’ papers, with particular emphasis on research methodology and epistemology.
Assessment
Learning outcomes concerned with designing and critiquing collaborative media (1–3, 5) are assessed in oral group examinations (studio crits). The learning outcomes that have to do with academic craft (4 , 6) are assessed in individual writing assignments, individual critical reviews and group review seminars.
Course literature and other study material
TBA
Course evaluation
Plenary discussion and individual written evaluation, focusing on the learning outcomes and the means for achieving them (learning activities, resources, course organization etc.).