30.01 Teaching concept


"Preparing for a digital world of work"


Our focus is on equipping students with the skills and knowledge necessary for the digital future of work. We prioritize skills that are relevant across a variety of professional settings, particularly those involving digital work practices, organizing distributed teams, and synthesizing knowledge. We place a strong emphasis on complex skill development and fostering a mindset of continuous learning. The content we cover goes beyond what is typically found in information systems textbooks, integrating topics from the fields of organizational psychology and behavior, insights from practitioners, open-source software engineering, and moral philosophy to provide a holistic understanding of modern work environments.

The concept starts with the four pillars of our pedagogical approach: authentic interest, fair assessment, continuous improvement, and DEI. These apply universally to all teaching formats. The focal areas correspond to specific formats, such as lectures, projects, or seminars. Each area builds on its own philosophy. While lectures may build essentialist or perennialist ideals, progressivist philosophies resonate with project settings, and constructivist views align with seminars.


Contents

Pedagogical approach

Authentic interest is integral to our teaching efforts. Our passion for the subject matter plays a pivotal role in motivating students to get involved in the topic, challenge themselves, and grow. To foster this engagement, we employ a variety of teaching formats that encourage exploration, collaboration, and competition. We focus on guiding students through the learning process by asking insightful questions and offering support, all while preserving the inherent complexity of the material. This ensures that students develop resilience and sharpen their problem-solving abilities. In addition, we “dogfood” the work practices, tools, and theory we cover in our sessions by implementing strategies such as Getting-Things-Done, and organizing our work through a public handbook, and using cutting-edge knowledge management systems. Additionally, we integrate our research into our teaching, bringing real-world examples to the classroom and enriching the learning experience.

Fair assessment is the guiding principle for our teaching activities, and we strive to ensure that assessment is transparent, objective, and inclusive. We establish clear criteria and objectives at the outset of each course and session, which are made accessible through detailed documentation in our slides and learning materials. These criteria are directly tied to verifiable skills and learning outcomes, enabling students to understand exactly what is expected of them and how they can demonstrate mastery. To ensure objectivity, we implement consistent grading processes that evaluate students’ work based on these established criteria, rather than subjective impressions. Additionally, we recognize that some students may face disadvantages, whether due to personal circumstances or learning differences and we offer tailored support to ensure everyone has an equal opportunity to succeed. This includes providing additional guidance, offering flexible deadlines when appropriate, and making accommodations for those with specific needs. Through these efforts, we aim to create a fair and supportive evaluation process that empowers all students to reach their full potential.

Continuous improvement is at the core of our teaching approach. We adopt an iterative process where feedback from students and peer-reviewed teaching materials drive the evolution of our course content. By regularly updating the material, we ensure that it is up-to-date with recent evidence-based practices, peer-reviewed academic materials, and the latest industry trends. We constantly challenge ourselves to teach new topics, such as the new lecture Introduction to Digital Work, and to teach existing topics more effectively, for instance through our pedagogical recommendations for teaching Git. We develop teaching materials in openly accessible repositories and under open content licenses. Each repository, along with learning resources, such as slides and notebooks, provides students the opportunity to suggest changes and offer feedback through the open-source workflows of GitHub. This collaborative approach fosters an open and fully digital learning environment where students can actively contribute, and adapt the course contents.

Diversity, equity, and inclusion are central to our learning environments. We create inclusive environments where students feel empowered to contribute and are recognized for their value. By fostering a non-judgmental learning atmosphere, we encourage students to take risks, make mistakes, and ask questions—important components of learning, problem-solving, and innovation. Our goal is to create a space where students are not afraid to experiment and explore new ideas, contributing to a more dynamic and diverse educational experience that mirrors the inclusive and collaborative environments they will encounter in their future careers.

Focal areas

The digital transformation of work is a key area that focuses on understanding how technological advancements reshape the nature of work. It covers both the historical context of digitalization and the practical skills needed to thrive in today’s digital workplaces. This area emphasizes the tools and strategies necessary for organizing digital work, including the ability to select and adapt tools for specific situations. As work environments continue to evolve, driven by trends such as remote work, digital nomadism, and the rise of crowd-sourced platforms, students are introduced to state-of-the-art digital work practices. They also acquire technical skills, such as proficiency in Git, which are critical for managing distributed development and version control in collaborative settings. Beyond technical competencies, this area fosters the development of collaboration skills, with students participating in individual, team-based, and crowd-sourced projects to simulate real-world work scenarios. By engaging in these activities, students gain a deeper understanding of how digital tools enable flexible, personalized work environments while also exploring the ethical and societal implications of these shifts. The most prominent example of this focal area is the lecture Introduction to Digital Work, where these concepts are explored in-depth and applied through hands-on learning and practical projects.

Open-source development serves as a prime example of modern digital work and is central to this area of study. It emphasizes the collaborative, transparent, and community-driven nature of software development in the digital era. In the Open-Source Project, we teach students the fundamentals of distributed software development using Git, providing them with the tools necessary to manage and organize projects in a decentralized manner. Students engage in practical exercises focused on project organization, collaborative development, and maintaining code quality. These exercises ensure that students not only learn the technical aspects but also experience the real-world challenges and advantages of working in distributed development environments. Each student or group contributes to a public-facing Python package. Regular project updates, hacking sessions, and code reviews are integral to this area, providing iterative feedback and opportunities for continuous improvement. Through these hands-on experiences, students gain a comprehensive understanding of open-source development and the skills needed to work on collaborative, distributed software projects.

The knowledge synthesis area focuses on equipping students with the skills to synthesize academic and non-academic knowledge and conduct rigorous literature reviews. Central to this is the Literature Review Seminar, which covers the different types and goals of reviews, the review process, the qualities of review papers, and tools supporting the conduct of literature reviews. We encourage students to apply these review methods specifically to research on digital work, enabling them to explore and critically analyze current trends in digital transformation and its broader impact on workplaces. Through this process, students not only gain a deep understanding of knowledge synthesis but also develop the ability to identify and address key research gaps and contribute to the academic discourse.

Theses and mentoring

Our approach to theses and mentoring focuses on providing personalized guidance while fostering independence and critical thinking. We support students in choosing innovative research topics that have real-world relevance and align with academic standards, offering regular feedback to help them stay on track. We encourage students to contribute to ongoing research projects, co-author papers, and engage with the academic community. By doing so, we create a dynamic learning environment where students not only complete their theses but also gain valuable experience. Our goal is to empower students to produce work that makes a tangible impact on the field of digital work.

Resources


Guidelines for instructors

  • Create a non-judgmental learning atmosphere in which students are encouraged to make mistakes and ask questions.
  • Use inclusive language and non-stereotypical role models/examples.
  • Stay up-to-date with teaching resources, such as academic teaching tips or massive open online courses (MOOC), and skills that are important to students.
  • Select illustrative cases that are exciting and actively look for case studies and examples.
  • Explain our aspiration to design and co-create with students and provide corresponding opportunities (e.g., handbook materials, design of artifacts, or academic publications).
  • Ask students what they would like to learn more about.
  • Discuss with students how we improve our lectures and share ideas for the upcoming semesters.