HTW Berlin Fachbereich 4 Internationaler Studiengang Internationale Medieninformatik (Master) User-Centered Web Technology Summer Term 2019

This is a very different course from what you might expect. We are not going to race through piles of frameworks or design critera or do usability tests, although that might be fun, too. We are going to learn how to focus on the users of our web-based artifacts and how to design applications that respect their values. In order to do this we will have to learn what their values are, what they expect initally of a new product and what will happen with them when they have used the system a few times. Will it be dropped or integrated into their lives? Are there any risks associated with the systems? Can we design a system to minimize those risks?

User-Centered Web Technology will be following a textbook:

Sarah Spiekermann. (2016). Ethical IT Innovation - A Value-Based System Design Approach. CRC Press

Yes, I know it is expensive. There is a Kindle version available, and I have ordered a few copies for the library. One will be in presence, so you can copy the weekly readings from that volume.

The course is a 3 SWS course, but it is worth 5 credits. This means that you will be expected to do a lot of reading and writing on your own. We will be meeting every week on Wednesdays from 15.45-18.15 in WH C 537.

We will start right off on April 3, 2019, as this is a short semester. The schedule is, as always, tentative and gives you an idea of the topics planned. We have a Moodle collaboration room, too, for submitting your work.

I am presenting at two conferences in June, so there will be two sessions for which you will be responsible. You need to discuss amongst yourselves without me organizing the discussion. Each participant submits half a page to a page summary reflecting on the discussions in the Moodle room.

Materials

There are some other books that might be useful if you are interested in digging deeper into the ethical questions:

• Deborah G. Johnson. (2003). Computer Ethics: Analyzing Information Technology. 4th edition. Prentice Hall.
• Herman T. Tavani. (2013). Ethics & Technology: Controversies, Questions, and Strategies for Ethical Computing. Wiley.
• Penny Duquenoy, Simon Jones & Barry G. Blundell. (2007). Ethical, Legal and Professional Issues in Computing. Cengage Learning EMEA.
• Sara Baase. (2007). A Gift of Fire. 3rd edition. Prentice Hall.
• Wendell Wallach. (2010). Moral Machines: Teaching Robots Right from Wrong. Oxford University Press.

Grade

There is no exam for this course.

Your grade will be a combination of participation in class and writing three essays.

To earn an 1.0 in this course, you should regularly demonstrate mastery of the material, have a strong understanding of the topics, be a valuable participant in course meetings and collaborations, and submit three excellent essays in a timely fashion.

To earn a 2.0 in this course, you should demonstrate a solid grasp of most of the course material, competently discuss the topics, participate in course meetings and collaborations, and submit three good essays in a timely fashion.

To earn a 3.0 in this course, you should demonstrate a sufficient understanding of the course materials that you can go on to build on that understanding in subsequent coursework or employment, participate in course meetings and collaborations, and complete all three essays in a timely fashion.

If none of the three descriptions above fits you at the end of the course, there are two possibilities:

1. Your understanding of the material and demonstrable performance of that understanding is inadequate to build on in subsequent coursework. In this case, you are ineligible for a final grade of 4.0 or above. You will need to repeat the course and pass within 2 semesters in order to be able to continue with this program, or choose a different course line. 
2. Your understanding of the material and demonstrable performance is adequate to receive a 3.0 or higher, but you did not participate in course meetings and collaborations or you did not complete all essays in a timely fashion. In this case, your final grade will be adjusted to reflect this factor as follows:



Missing one session or the first or the second essay will add 0,3 to your grade (i.e. lower your grade).
Missing the third essay will add 0,7 to your grade.
Missing all three essays or more than four sessions will give you a 5.0 for the course.