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2021/2022  BA-BINTV2004U  TechLabs Digital Shaper Program

English Title
TechLabs Digital Shaper Program

Course information
Language English
Course ECTS 7.5 ECTS
Type Elective
Level Bachelor
Duration One Semester
Start time of the course Autumn, Spring
Timetable Course schedule will be posted at calendar.cbs.dk
Max. participants 25
Study board
Study Board for BSc/MSc in Business Administration and Information Systems, BSc
Course coordinator
  • Philipp Hukal - Department of Digitalisation
Main academic disciplines
  • Information technology
  • Innovation
  • Statistics and quantitative methods
Teaching methods
  • Blended learning
Last updated on 26-04-2021

Relevant links
Learning objectives
To pass the course, the student should demonstrate to…
  • have acquired substantial tech skills in either Data Science, Artificial Intelligence, or Web Development
  • identify, ideate, and design an entrepreneurial solution to address a societal challenge, a consumer need, or any other relevant business issue
  • review the academic body of knowledge to identify related works (e.g., prior models, methods, or instantiations) that can inform the solution development
  • apply tech skills and iteratively develop a minimum viable product (i.e., a prototype solution) that demonstrates this solution under consideration of the learnings from related works
  • effectively communicate and showcase the results of the solution development and explain the solution’s underlying methodological and technological principles
  • critically reflect on the limitations, challenges, and learnings from the process of developing a technological artifact and the experiences gained from community-based learning
Course prerequisites
This external elective course is directed at students in the non-IT bachelor programs at CBS. The course is not eligible for HA(it.) students.

In the unlikely case that there are more applicants in the first round than can be accepted (see participant restrictions), there will be a motivation test for students signing-up in the first round. The students will automatically be contacted by mail within one month after the registration round.

The email contains the external TechLabs application link, which has to be filled out in order to be evaluated for this course. Besides answering motivational questions, the students are required to create a simple programming project with Scratch. Scratch is a visual programming language and website where even beginners can code by using drag and drop. Detailed instructions on the application requirements and the Scratch project will be provided in the email.

If there are empty seats after the first round for registration, the course will also be offered in the second and in the third rounds. There will no motivation test after the second and the third application round.
Prerequisites for registering for the exam (activities during the teaching period)
Number of compulsory activities which must be approved (see section 13 of the Programme Regulations): 2
Compulsory home assignments
At the beginning of the course, enrolled students are required to individually create and submit a simple programming project with Scratch. (Scratch is a visual programming language and website where even beginners can code by using drag and drop.) The link to the Scratch project is to be submitted to a specified place at a specified time.

Students who have applied for this elective in the first round and have already delivered a Scratch project may reutilize their project for this assignment.

Retake:
If a student cannot participate in the compulsory activity due to documented illness, or if a student does not get the activity approved in spite of making a real attempt, then the student will be given an extra attempt before the ordinary exam date. The retake of this compulsory assignment is of the same kind and follows the same procedure.

Oral presentations etc.
Techies are expected to present their project in groups during the mid-term presentation. The group presentations slides (max. 10 pages) are to be uploaded to a specified place at a specified time.

Retake:
If a student cannot participate in the compulsory activity due to documented illness, or if a student does not get the activity approved in spite of making a real attempt, then the student will be given an extra attempt before the ordinary exam date. This extra attempt is a hand in of slides (max. 10 pages) without an oral presentation.
Examination
TechLabs Digital Shaper Program:
Exam ECTS 7,5
Examination form Oral exam based on written product

In order to participate in the oral exam, the written product must be handed in before the oral exam; by the set deadline. The grade is based on an overall assessment of the written product and the individual oral performance, see also the rules about examination forms in the programme regulations.
Individual or group exam Individual oral exam based on written group product
Number of people in the group 3-5
Size of written product Max. 15 pages
The project report should provide a description of the project including its motivation, related works, the applied methodology, a description of the artifact, a discussion of the results, limitations, and future work, as well as reflections on the technical, entrepreneurial, and team-dynamic challenges and learnings the team made throughout the project.
Assignment type Project
Duration
Written product to be submitted on specified date and time.
20 min. per student, including examiners' discussion of grade, and informing plus explaining the grade
Grading scale Pass / Fail
Examiner(s) Internal examiner and second internal examiner
Exam period Winter
Make-up exam/re-exam
Same examination form as the ordinary exam
Description of the exam procedure

The oral presentation starts with a 5-minute exposition of the project including a demonstration of the prototype (if applicable) and highlighting the individual contributions of the student. After that, the oral examination will move into a Q&A about the project, its technological and methodological underpinnings, possible extensions, and the student's reflections on the journey.

The project report and oral presentation will be assessed holistically with regards to the fulfillment of the learning objectives of the course.
Course content, structure and pedagogical approach

The TechLabs Digital Shaper Program is offered as an external elective to bachelor students of all non-IT programs, who aim at acquiring state-of-the-art tech skills in the area of Data Science, Artificial Intelligence, Web Development, or User Experience (UX) Design.

 

TechLabs provides a unique learning platform through a blend of online learning, project work, and community events. The Data Science, Web Development, and UX tracks do not require any prior experience in coding; the AI track builds on pre-existing Data Science skills.


TechLabs is an independent student organization at CBS that has the mission to fill the gap in tech education among students by offering the Digital Shaper Program. This program aims to equip young individuals with coding expertise as well as methodical and soft skills that are highly relevant now and will be even more relevant in the future. TechLab’s vision is that individuals use technological tools to approach the challenges of our time with a digital and entrepreneurial mindset. More information on the Digital Shaper Program can be found on the TechLabs webpage.


Upon successful application and onboarding, the participants (Techies) chose one out of four currently available tracks (or disciplines): Data Science, Artificial Intelligence, Web Development, or UX. Based on their skills and expertise they then receive personalized e-learning tracks to acquire their coding skills. Beginners are welcome!  


Over the course of one semester, the Techies engage in their online learning based on recognized third-party online resources (e.g., DataCamp, Udemy, fast.ai, etc.) referred to them through TechLabs. After the first month, they will take part in an idea creation workshop. The goal here is to come up with a business idea that tackles a relevant problem (e.g., a societal challenge, a pressing business issue, or an urgent consumer need) through the use of technology. 


The Techies are then grouped in cross-disciplinary teams based on their chosen project idea. They kick-off their project work and regularly meet within their project team to iteratively develop their idea into a minimum viable product (i.e., prototype) based on their newly acquired skills. Each team has a local mentor they can turn to for help. The TechLabs team provides the organizational framework and organizes the events. The program includes inspirational workshops, several hackathons, external events with companies, mid-term and final presentations, and various other social occasions, creating a unique learning community.

 

Techies are expected to document the completion of their e-learning track and attend all workshops, hackathons, and other events that are part of the Digital Shaper Program unless otherwise excused.

 

After successful completion of the online course and final presentation of the project, Techies enrolled in this elective write a project report that summarizes the learning journey and addresses the learning objectives of this course. The oral exam should then demonstrate the minimum viable product and highlight the individual contributions of the student (see also Description of the exam procedure).


Upon passing the exam, students receive recognition for their participation in the TechLabs Digital Shaper Program as a curricular activity with 7.5 ECTS points. 

 

 
Description of the teaching methods
The TechLabs Digital Shaper Program uses a blend of online learning, collaborative project work with local mentors, and multiple community events over the duration of the semester (see Course content and structure).

The program is entirely organized through the student organization TechLabs, represented by their president and the TechLabs team. Specifically, TechLabs will propose personalized e-learning tracks to the students, organize the meetings, establish contact with the mentors, and organize external events with companies.

The course coordinator with be attending the opening event, the mid-term, and the final presentation and give feedback to the students enrolled in the course. Final exams will be assessed by the course coordinator and a second internal examiner.
Feedback during the teaching period
The techies receive guiding feedback at all stages of the learning process.
Specifically, techies receive feedback…
- through quizzes in the online learning
- on their solution idea from the TechLabs instructors
- on technical approaches in meetings with their mentor
- from course coordinator at the mid-term and final presentations
- during the course coordinator’s office hours at any stage of the process (optionally)
- from company partners and at the presentations and at external company events
- during and after the oral examination from their examiner(s)
Student workload
Online learning 60 hours
Participation in events 40 hours
Working on the project 80 hours
Paper and presentation 25 hours
Oral exam 1 hours
Expected literature

Mandatory materials:

* Online course materials (videos quizzes, exercises, and readings) personalized to the student and provided by DataCamp, Udemy, fast.ai, etc.

* Track guides provided by TechLabs

 

Acacemic literature identified through the students as relevant throughout their project, e.g.:

* Conboy, K., Gleasure, R., & Cullina, E. (2015, May). Agile design science research. In International Conference on Design Science Research in Information Systems (pp. 168-180). Springer, Cham.

* Provost, F., & Fawcett, T. (2013). Data Science for Business: What you need to know about data mining and data-analytic thinking. " O'Reilly Media, Inc.".

* Robbins, J. N. (2012). Learning web design: A beginner's guide to HTML, CSS, JavaScript, and web graphics. " O'Reilly Media, Inc.".

* Huijser, H., & Kek, M. Y. C. A. (2017). Problem-based Learning into the Future: Imagining an Agile PBL Ecology for Learning. Springer Singapore. 

 
Last updated on 26-04-2021