Course guide

DM2572, 7.5 credits

Course contact

All questions that could be of interest to other students should be posted at KTH social: https://www.kth.se/social/course/DM2572/news.

Aim of the course

The aim of the course is to provide a deeper understanding of scientific theories and methods relevant for media technology research. After completed course, the student should be able to:

identify and critically examine media technology research
outline and analyze scientific theories relevant for media technology research
outline and analyze scientific methods relevant for media technology research
identify methodological problems in a research study
analyze the relationship between results that have been obtained in a study and the conclusions that legitimately can be drawn on the basis of the results.

Course content

The course consists of sex themes. The themes and group work are mainly addressed as applied in media technology research. The themes are:

Theory of science (week 46)
Critical media theory (week 47)
Research and theory (week 48)
Quantitative research (week 49)
Design research (week 50)
Qualitative and case study research (week 51)

Learning management systems

You will find the most recent version of the schedule and recent information regarding the course at KTH social. You will use Bilda to register your blog and to access blog posts of course peers (see below).

KTH social: https://www.kth.se/social/course/DM2572
Bilda: https://bilda.kth.se/courseId/10629/bkBlogInfo.do

Assessment

The course is assessed on the basis of your an individual learning portfolio (blog). The individual learning portfolio will be awarded one of the following grades: A-F.

Each student is expected to maintain an individual learning portfolio. It is strongly suggested that you use www.blogger.com to create an open (non password protected) blog and then add it in Bilda. This will give us an overview of all blogs in Bilda. If you do not want to create an open blog, please contact Stefan in order to decide on an alternative way of maintaining an individual learning portfolio.

You are expected to write a blog posting prior to each theme. In this posting you will address questions/assignments/texts assigned for each theme. The deadline for a posting on no more than 800 words is Fridays at 17.00 of the previous week. For example, for the first theme conducted during week 46, your deadline is Friday, Nov 8.

You are also expected to write a blog posting after each theme. In this posting, which should not encompass more than 600 words, you are expected to reflect on how you contributed to the course (e.g. in the seminars, wikis etc.), what your did (e.g. what you read, how you prepared) and what you learnt during the week. Please note that this is not a course evaluation - you will be asked to complete a course evaluation after the course. The deadline is Thursdays at 17.00. For example, for the first theme conducted during week 46, your deadline is Thursday, Nov 14.

Your individual learning portfolio will be graded as follows:

Grade E: A posting has been submitted prior to and after each theme. A reasonable attempt has been made to prepare for each theme and to reflect on what was learned during the week. The quality of the postings is reasonable, but could be significantly improved.
Grade D: A posting has been submitted prior to and after each theme, on time. The student has prepared for each theme and has reflected on what he/she learnt during the week. The quality of the postings is reasonable, but could be improved.
Grade C: A posting has been submitted prior to and after each theme, on time. The student has prepared for each theme and has reflected on what he/she learnt during the week. The quality of the postings is good. The student has commented on other blog postings.
Grade B: A posting has been submitted prior to and after each theme, on time. The student has prepared for each theme and has reflected on what he/she learnt during the week. The postings are of high quality. The students have read and analyzed literature beyond what is required during class. The student has provided comments of high quality on at least five other blog postings during the week (including responses on own blog).
Grade A: A posting has been submitted prior to and after each theme, on time. The student has prepared for each theme and has reflected on what he/she learnt during the week. The postings are of excellent quality. The student have read and analyzed literature far beyond what is required during class. The student has provided comments of high quality on at least ten other blog postings during the week (including responses on own blog).

Students that aim for the grades A-C should compile all their comments to other blog postings throughout the course in a final blog post (deadline: Thursday, Dec 19, 17.00).

Schedule

Week 45 (Mon): Introductory lecture
Week 46 (Mon + Wed): Theme 1
Week 47 (Mon + Wed): Theme 2
Week 48 (Mon + Wed): Theme 3
Week 49 (Mon + Wed): Theme 4
Week 50 (Mon + Wed): Theme 5
Week 51 (Mon + Wed): Theme 6

For a more detailed schedule, see https://www.kth.se/social/course/DM2572/calendar/.