Singapore University of Social Sciences

This course will provide a foundation for students to understand and navigate the complex elements that make up the digital landscape, including online sources, social media platforms, and digital analytics and the collection and deployment of big data. Students will explore how advancements in digital communication affect public discourses, and in turn how such discourses influence and establish dominant perceptions in a world increasingly shaped by digital technologies. Working individually and together in teams, students will identify and investigate perceptions or misperceptions on topics related to their course of study. Examples of topics could include the interpretation of statistical data that frames social issues, approaches to diversity in the classroom, the rationale for taxes, or the use of technology to engage and resolve social and economic problems. Student teams will then design and create a digital product/resource for the purposes of public engagement and education. In doing so, students will develop fundamental digital literacy skills and awareness, i.e., their ability to evaluate online sources, conduct original research, analyse discourse and media sources, complete complex collaborative projects, and use digital media to assist with decision making and problem solving. Course materials will provide theoretical background and content for reflection. Assignments will provide practical experience in conducting and presenting research as well as create space for collaborative experimentation. By producing their own original digital media asset, students will flex their creative and analytical skills. In addition, the production process will require students to consider issues of ownership, integrity, and digital management. Finally, central to this course is an attention to the learning cycle and individual learning style and team intelligence. As students complete the different components of the project, they will reflect on their own capacities and contributions as well as gain an appreciation of the different learning styles among their teammates.