Future Operating Environments (5 cr)

Evaluation scale

Hyväksytty/Hylätty

Content scheduling

The course is compulsory for all TUAS Master Students. It will be implemented partly in groups comprised of students across the various study programmes, and partly as team and individual work within each study programme. There are two contact days common to all students of the various study programmes, and further, there are common study materials and assignments in Optima. In addition, the study programmes may add and cover discipline specific topics. This will be guided by the tutor teacher during the programme’s contact days.
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THEME 1: CHANGING WORLD AND WORKING LIFE (weeks 1–4 of the course, )
• Common starting day for all students of the various study programmes: keynote speeches on the changing working life and competence requirements, introduction to the course, and group work with SITRA’s megatrend cards (a tutor will guide working of the groups).
• Students familiarize themselves with the materials.
• (Each study programme may arrange lectures by TUAS specialists on themes such as new technologies, circular economy etc. during the programme’s contact days.)
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THEME 2: FUTURES STUDIES AND ANTICIPATION (weeks 5–8)

• Students familiarize themselves with the materials.
• An individual scenario assignment : imagining alternative professional futures (tutor teacher evaluates, accepted/not accepted).
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THEME 3: CHANGING WORKING LIFE IN MY FIELD (weeks 9–12)

• Reading groups: reading and discussing research articles in groups that meet virtually or face to face, and creating a visual presentation based on the key ideas of the discussion. Readings are related to the changing work, working environment and competence requirements in the field of the study programme. The visual presentation will be shared in Optima.
• Tutor teacher compiles the list of readings (or guides students to find relevant research articles and reports) and is in charge of the evaluation (accepted/not accepted).
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THEME 4: SHAPING MY OWN FUTURE (weeks 13–16)
• Students familiarize themselves with the materials.
• Common Hackathon day for all students of the various study programmes: group working to solve real working-life problems related to sustainable future.
• Individual assignment: a reflective report on utilizing futures thinking and anticipation methods in one’s own work (tutor teacher evaluates, accepted/not accepted).
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Objective

After completing the course, the student is able to:

- analyse changes in the operating environments and anticipate future developments applying the concepts and methods of futures studies
- evaluate impacts of the changing operating environments on their work, work community and organization, as well on the industry/field at large
- develop one’s competences and expertise in a focused and goal-oriented way in anticipation of the future competence requirements in the work life
- improve and innovate operations and work processes in their work community, taking into account environmental, social and economic sustainability, and using multidisciplinary and multiprofessional futures knowledge.

Content

- Future of work and income
- Future competence needs
- Changing career paths and professional identities
- Future technologies, human–technology interaction
- Sustainable future and ecological reconstruction
- Theories and methods of future studies and foresight
- Importance of foresight for innovations and strategic planning and decision-making

Materials

See ITS-learning platform.

Teaching methods

Contact days with visiting keynote speakers and TUAS specialists, group work in multidisciplinary groups, reading and discussing in reading groups, hackathon, individual written assignments.

Student workload

Contact days and lectures: 16 h

Online and virtual working individually and in groups: 119 h

Group work and assignments:
• Starting day: multidisciplinary groups working with SITRA’s megatrend cards.
• Reading groups within each study programme: reading and discussing research articles/papers/reports, creating a visual presentation of the key ideas and publishing it in a discussion forum (tutor teacher evaluates, accepted/not accepted).
• Hackathon: multidisciplinary groups work to solve real working-life problems.

Individual work and assignments:
• Scenario assignment: imagining alternative professional futures (tutor teacher evaluates, accepted/not accepted).
• Reflective report on utilizing futures thinking and anticipation methods in one’s own work (tutor teacher evaluates, accepted/not accepted)

Evaluation methods and criteria

Assessment will be based on the individual and group assignments submitted in Optima and on the demonstrated contribution to the group work in contact days. Tutor teacher evaluates the assignments. To pass the course, students are expected to participate in the contact days and to contribute to group work in them, as well as to complete and turn in all the assignments.

Missing contact day participation will be compensated by an extra assignment.

Qualifications

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