31-07-2012, 11:30 AM
Exploring the Impact of Information Technology on Society
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ABSTRACT
When the postgraduate computing programme at
UNITEC Institute of Technology was developed it was
considered essential that all students, whether
undertaking a master’s degree or postgraduate diploma,
should examine in depth the impact of information
technology on society. Since students with a strong
technical background may not have much, if any,
experience of exploring social issues, the teaching staff
have had to identify an approach that would appeal to the
students and ensure their involvement. This paper outlines
the structure of the programme, profiles the members
of the class, explains the approach taken by the lecturers,
and reviews the learning experiences of staff and students.
INTRODUCTION
The postgraduate computing programme at UNITEC
Institute of Technology was approved by the New Zealand
Qualifications Authority in December 1999 and classes
began in February 2000. Students may complete a
Postgraduate Diploma in Computing, consisting of two
compulsory courses and six optional courses, in one year
of full time study (or the equivalent part time). The
Master of Computing requires four compulsory courses,
and either three optional courses and a thesis or seven
optional courses and a dissertation; it may be completed
in two years of full time study (or the equivalent part
time). At present the optional courses focus on enterprise
networks, instructional technology, interactive
multimedia, and the Internet (Joyce,1999).
THE LECTURERS
The coordinator of the 801 course, who facilitated
three of the four weekends, is an associate professor of
computing who has held academic posts in the UK, New
Zealand, Fiji and Papua New Guinea and has been writing
about the impact of information technology on society
for twenty years. The final weekend was facilitated by a
professor of business ethics, who has published
extensively in the field, and a recent doctoral graduate in
the ethics of computing.
THE STUDENTS
The 16 class members included five computing
practitioners, five tertiary teachers, two secondary
teachers, two technical support staff, a librarian and a sales
representative. Four of them already had postgraduate
qualifications, another five had bachelor’s degrees, a
further five had diplomas at various levels and the
remaining two had credits towards bachelor’s degrees.
Only three had studied arts or education subjects. All
had significant practical computing experience (from six
to 20 years).
THE LEARNING PROCESS
Students were encouraged to put on the discussion
board before the first class meeting some details of their
background and interest in the course content. Nine of
the 16 students did so. At all class meetings students
have been reminded to use the discussion board to
supplement face to face interactions. At the time of
writing, all but two students have contributed to the
discussion board. A total of 126 messages have been
posted, an average of eight per contributor. The most
active contributors, with 15 messages each, have been
the librarian and the second most experienced computing
practitioner. The two technical support staff were the
last to contribute! At times lively debates have been
conducted via the discussion board. At other times.
ASSESSMENT
The course is assessed by three written assignments,
the first being a report on the past or present impact of
one aspect of information technology on a sector of
society, the second being a report on the potential future
impact of a new or emerging technology on a sector of
society and the third being an analysis of an ethical
dilemma involving the impact of information technology
on society. In the first two assignments each student
chooses a specific technology and sector to be
investigated.
CONCLUSION
Experience to date supports the strongly held belief
of the development team for the UNITEC Master of
Computing that all students would benefit from an indepth
examination of the impact of information technology on
society. Concerns that technically oriented students would
not want to explore the social aspects of their discipline
have proved unfounded. Of course, nearly half of the 28
students currently enrolled in the postgraduate
programme have yet to undertake the 801 course, but
there is no reason to believe that their experience will be
very different from the present class.