Using Digital Research

• Managing Digital Influence: One of the main consequences of easier access to a larger proportion of data on an increasing number of phenomena is the use of rankings to assess all aspects of the performance of products and organizations based on customer feedback. This 10 credits course provides students with skills to (1) develop a comprehensive understanding of the making of organizational reputation indices; (2) compare different methods to collect data on digital influence; (3) capture the effects of rankings on organizations; (4) manage reputation risk in the light of multiple ranking systems.
• Technologies of civic participation: The focus of this course is on understanding the current and potential uses of new TCPs by citizens and policy-makers in responding to mundane, everyday threats to social resilience. A case study will be developed concerning use of COSMOS, the Collaborative Online Social Media Observatory (COSMOS) platform. COSMOS facilitates analysis of Twitter data and includes data interpretation tools to monitor social media data streams for signs of high tension, which can be analysed in order to identify deviations from ‘normal’ social media activity.
• Understanding Data Visualization :Hosting contributions from key experts in the field, the course will provide students will skills to critically interpret the most popular data visualization techniques used by major information provider firms such as Bloomberg, Reuter and Telerate. Questions addressed in this course include: What are the benefits and limitations of popular data visualization formats (e.g. lists, 2×2 matrixes, pie charts, bar charts)? What are the most advanced digital data visualization techniques and software tools? What are the different steps through which raw data become amenable to be represented in graphics? What is lost and what is gained in the process of preparing data for visual display?
• Engaging with Digital Research :The course will enable students to understand the new models of professional practice arising from the need to curate, exchange and make sense of digitally derived data. It will equip students with the skills needed to work in data-intensive professional domains where decision makers have to interact with domain experts and technical staff. This course will provide students with skills to (i) work in interdisciplinary digital research teams ; (ii) organize open data projects ; (iii) understand emerging use of digital resources to engage stakeholders in research, and move beyond conventional ‘expert’ analysis to interactive use of data by stakeholders; (iv) address barriers and enablers to adoption of digital and open business models and (v) organize the procurement of data analytics services to match the needs of their organization .
• The Social Shaping of Digital Research:This course provides an understanding of the possible outcomes of the adoption of digital research in business & policy-making, based on evidence gathered from other disciplines that have been early adopters of eScience as well as other fields whose practices have been modified by engagement with information infrastructure. By analyzing the building of information infrastructure as a process that involves the alignment and realignment of people, processes, and tools, the course will provide an understanding of information infrastructure as it appears from the perspective of those who are creating and using it.
• The evolution and use of digital data analysis and collection tools: Online Digital research techniques and methods have been developed and used since the earliest days of computing and online communication.  In this course we will address successes and failures of digital data analysis projects focusing on the relevance of their applications from a user perspective. By analyzing a number of existing projects at the forefront of digital research, and examining how advanced digital research tools have been applied to inform practice in a number of different domains, students will also develop skills to assess the relevance and value of digital research and to anticipate further developments in the field.

More Information Here