52685 Working with Data and Code
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Subject handbook information prior to 2024 is available in the Archives.
Credit points: 6 cp
Result type: Grade and marks
Requisite(s): 16 credit points of completed study in spk(s): MAJ10050 Digital and Social Media Major OR 12 credit points of completed study in spk(s): MAJ09479 48cp Digital and Social Media Major OR 12 credit points of completed study in spk(s): MAJ09487 48cp Digital and Social Media Major
Anti-requisite(s): 54063 Code as Literacy, Commodity, Infrastructure
Description
This subject examines how data and algorithmic processes have impacted our everyday lives and establishes basic data and code literacy for students. Students examine how contemporary code formations are positioned in historical and theoretical contexts and are reflexively explored as languages through which humans and machines communicate with each other. Students form a personal perspective on code as a digital form of reading and writing that evolves throughout their professional lives as digital and social media practitioners and articulate this perspective in a digital media form.
Subject learning objectives (SLOs)
| a. | Explain and critique the practical and theoretical concepts that underpin code |
|---|---|
| b. | Engage in self-reflective professional development |
| c. | Develop basic data and code literacy |
| d. | Analyse the practices of data and code production and evaluate their implications for digital and social media industries and for society's information and communication infrastructures |
Course intended learning outcomes (CILOs)
This subject engages with the following Course Intended Learning Outcomes (CILOs), which are tailored to the Graduate Attributes set for all graduates of the Faculty of Arts and Social Sciences:
- Act in a professional manner appropriate to communication industries (1.1)
- Employ appropriate research and inquiry skills to independently gather, organise and analyse information across diverse platforms (2.1)
- Act as reflexive critical thinkers and innovative creative practitioners who evaluate their own and others' work (2.2)
- Exemplify effective and appropriate communication in different communication industry contexts (6.1)
- Utilise digital literacy and production skills across a range of media (6.2)
Teaching and learning strategies
This subject integrates contextual and historical knowledge, theories, concepts, scholarly literature, design thinking, and technical skills. Teaching strategies promote interactive, collaborative learning with a ‘learning by doing’ approach to foster exploration extending beyond the classroom. The weekly program includes student engagement with online pre-class learning materials, quizzes, short answers, mini lectures, group discussions and workshops expanding upon selected themes and readings, to convey the theories and concepts of digital communication technologies and social media.
Alongside these broader discussions, students develop data and code literacy through a combination of readings, lectures, tutorial activities and self-paced learning. Self-paced content enable students to develop the conceptual and digital skills necessary for completion of practical aspects of assignments. Formative feedback will be provided in the weeks leading up to Assessment 2.
Students engage with other students’ learning by peer-assessing others’ presentations and weekly short answers.
Content (topics)
This subject begins with an exploration of data, code and computing practices from a historical, theoretical and practical perspective, drawing on recent media studies literature that examines how code and datafication shape digital media industries, our communication infrastructure, and our everyday lives. Students have hands-on, project-oriented experience with data and code production and manipulation. By the end of the subject, students are able to understand the essential principles of data structures and coding languages, and the current state of scholarly approaches to data and code.
Assessment
Assessment task 1: Online weekly tasks
| Objective(s): | b, c and d | ||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Weight: | 10% | ||||||||
| Criteria linkages: |
SLOs: subject learning objectives CILOs: course intended learning outcomes |
Assessment task 2: Project Presentation and Peer Feedback
| Objective(s): | a, b and c | ||||||||||||||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Weight: | 40% | ||||||||||||||||||||
| Length: | 5-minute video; 200-word feedback comment. | ||||||||||||||||||||
| Criteria linkages: |
SLOs: subject learning objectives CILOs: course intended learning outcomes |
Assessment task 3: Data/Code Project
| Objective(s): | a, b, c and d | ||||||||||||||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Weight: | 50% | ||||||||||||||||||||
| Length: | 1000-word personal critical reflection, 5-minute walk-through video, Git repo. | ||||||||||||||||||||
| Criteria linkages: |
SLOs: subject learning objectives CILOs: course intended learning outcomes |
Required texts
There are no required texts for this subject. Recommended readings will be available via UTS Library and through the subject site.