IS-428 Technology-based Innovation for Societal Resilience

The course is connected to the following study programs

• Master's Programme in Information Systems

Teaching language

English

Course contents

The course provides an introduction to how technology-based innovation can contribute to increase societal resilience and mitigate the increasingly complex set of risk scenarios resulting both from natural and man-made hazards. Climate change gives rise to disasters of increasing frequency and scope (e.g., floods, drought, extreme wildfires, landslides), and the disruptive and cascading effects of a global pandemic like COVID-19, the major earthquake in Turkey and Syria,  or the Ukraine war have recently been demonstrated in full. Further, the increasing digitalisation makes vital societal functions such as health, energy supply and government services vulnerable to cyberattacks and hybrid threats. Addressing these complex challenges requires interdisciplinary collaboration and a holistic perspective on societal resilience. The course will cover topics from both the technological and social science research related to societal resilience and crisis management, as a basis for understanding the role of information systems in supporting practice in crisis management:

 

• Resilience and critical societal functions
• Technology application areas for strengthening community preparedness and resilience
• Selection, adoption and deployment of information systems for crisis preparedness and management
• Information systems support for inter-agency collaboration

Learning outcomes

Upon successful completion of the course, the student should be able to

• discuss the challenges to resilience related to critical societal functions
• identify the needs for technology support for different stakeholders involved in crisis management and societal resilience
• assess how technology-based innovation can support different areas within societal resilience and crisis management
• discuss opportunities and challenges related to increasing use of information systems for supporting crisis management

Examination requirements

Mandatory assignments must be passed. More information will be published in Canvas.

Teaching methods

Lectures, group work and mandatory assignments. The workload is estimated to 270 hours. 

Evaluation

The person responsible for the course decides, in cooperation with student representative, the form of student evaluation and whether the course is to have a midway or end of course evaluation in accordance with the quality system for education, chapter 4.1. 

Offered as Single Standing Module

Yes

Assessment methods and criteria

Project report, individually or in groups of two students (graded together).

Detailed information on the assessment will be published in Canvas. Graded A-F.