Computational Social Systems
Graz University of Technology, University of Graz
Type: New master's program
Target group: Students of computer science, economics, psychology, law and sociology, both from Graz and from abroad. The program is designed to be significantly more attractive to female students than computer science, while being significantly more technical than the other subjects mentioned.
Short description: Graz University of Technology and the University of Graz have launched a joint master's program in Computational Social Systems. The program is taught in English and combines content from computer science with courses from the fields of economics, psychology, law and sociology (which we, in an abuse of the term, subsume under the title ‘social sciences’). The aim is to educate a new generation of students for the digital transformation who have mastered both the fundamentals of computer science and one of the social sciences. Students should develop interdisciplinary skills, an understanding of the computer-based analysis of processes and communication in social systems, and the ability to understand and influence the effects of the digital transformation. We are working with international universities, including Linköping University.
The program is designed to make computer science more attractive to students with broader interests (especially women) and to give computer scientists a broader understanding of people, societies, economics and legal frameworks. At the same time, the program aims to interest existing students of social sciences in computer science in order to better understand their promises and challenges, without requiring a full computer science degree. It covers a proven need in industry and increases the employability of students of social sciences.
In addition to the teaching aspects of the program, the research focus is being expanded – towards digitalisation at the University of Graz and towards computational social science at Graz University of Technology.
Several new courses have been developed for this program, including new didactic concepts and content, as well as the adaptation of existing courses in terms of language (English) and content.
In the first year, the program attracted almost 100 students, of whom about half were women, about 90% came from the social sciences and about 25% came from outside Graz. In the second year, the program attracted 62 new students, including a higher percentage of women, computer science students and foreign students than in the first year.
The master's program was established as a joint program of the University of Graz and Graz University of Technology. The program is supported by several new positions at Graz University of Technology and the University of Graz, including several professorships.
Route 63
Graz University of Technology, University of Graz
Type: Teaching collaboration
Target group: Students of computer science at Graz University of Technology and students of economics, psychology and sociology at the University of Graz.
Short description: This program can be seen as a ‘lighter’ version of Computational Social Systems, in which existing students of the participating programs can choose a set of lectures from a different area (computer science students choose an area from the social sciences and vice versa). The program was implemented as a recommendation for elective courses in the social sciences and as ‘elective catalogues’ in the program Software Engineering and Management. Students who enrol in this track receive a certificate of participation.
The benefits are largely the same as those of Computational Social Systems, without the need to change degree programs.
Extension Studies in Computer Science
Graz University of Technology
Type: New curriculum
Target group: Engineering and natural science students at Graz University of Technology
Short description: Graz University of Technology plans to introduce a minor (Erweiterungsstudium) in computer science for all engineering and natural science students at the university. As part of the Teaching Digital Thinking, we have defined a program with 30 ECTS in courses. This course selection overlaps with the courses described in Computational Social Systems and the existing courses for non-computer scientists. The aim is to offer an option to learn the basics of computer science for all students at Graz University of Technology, thus preparing them for a career in a digital world.
Revision of the teaching concept for existing lectures for non-computer scientists
Graz University of Technology, University of Graz
Type: Revision of the existing curriculum
Target group: Engineering and natural science students at Graz University of Technology
Short description: At Graz University of Technology, the range of computer science courses for non-computer scientists has been further revised. These courses are currently available in the following curricula: Biomedical Engineering, Audio Engineering, Civil Engineering, Computational Social Systems and in the interdisciplinary elective cooperation Route 63. Biomedical Engineering, Audio Engineering and Civil Engineering are bachelor's degree programs at Graz University of Technology, while the master's program in Computational Social Systems and the Route 63 elective cooperation are interdisciplinary courses offered jointly by Graz University of Technology and the University of Graz. In the past two semesters, 320 students took part in these courses in the winter semester and 186 students in the summer semester.
The restructuring of the courses is being carried out with the aim of meeting the needs of a growing number of students and, in particular, their interdisciplinary needs. The basic courses in computer science and data science are to be equally suitable for students from different disciplines and aimed at students with different levels of experience. A working group is coordinating the restructuring of the courses.
In the new structure, the practical parts of the courses in particular take the students' different disciplines into account: in addition to the tasks designed to impart basic skills, tasks have been developed that take into account the individual discipline of the students. In this context, for example, students have the option of choosing which dates they want to work on. This allows them to select data sets that are not only relevant to their respective discipline but also correspond to their personal interests. Furthermore, students have the opportunity to form interdisciplinary groups. This way, students have the opportunity to experience and practice exchange between different disciplines during their studies.
At the same time, the courses also teach basic skills that are equally important for all disciplines. For example, all students are taught the fundamental concepts of programming. In all the courses concerned, these basic skills are taught and practised in the first part of the semester. By teaching these basic skills together, a homogeneous starting point is created in the first part of each course, enabling students to work together in groups in the second part of each course and apply their subject-specific knowledge more effectively.
Adapting tasks to the respective discipline while simultaneously teaching general basic skills is intended to increase students' motivation and clearly demonstrate the applicability in the respective field. We also pay particular attention to the different levels of experience of the students as well as to their linguistic backgrounds.
The restructuring of the courses was designed as an iterative process. Each change in the structure was made by incorporating feedback from students, which was collected both for each assignment individually and in general at the end of each semester. The structural changes have so far met with a very positive response from students, particularly in the winter semester and in the introductory interdisciplinary course, which was reflected, among other things, in the course being included in the ‘Students’ List of the top evaluated courses’ at the end of 2022. We consider the winter semester to have been successfully restructured. The ongoing restructuring of the advanced course in the summer semester will be completed by the end of the coming semester and will be evaluated. In order to standardise the courses, to take into account the student feedback from the past summer semester and due to the success in the winter semester, the structure of this course will be further aligned with that of the winter semester in the coming summer semester.