Introduction to Digital Technologies I
Full course description
In this course, you will learn about key concepts related to digital technologies, and about the historical development of the technologies underpinning digitalisation. The focus of the course is on computing and the main purpose is to provide you with sufficient knowledge to understand technical issues you may encounter in other courses, and current trends in digital technologies. The course will start with an overview of key vocabulary related to computing, and the history and key characteristics of computer systems. We will also discuss algorithms in depth, and learn, how to create, visualize and program them. Finally, we will develop a perspective on digital literacy and explore the way current debates are governed by these technologies.
Course objectives
At the end of this course, you will be able to:
- Describe how computer systems work;
- Identify and convert everyday problems into input a computer system can use in its work;
- Illustrate how algorithms guide the way we understand and address everyday problems;
- Break down and diagram digitisation processes in terms of their various components.
- Understand the role of computing in forming digital identities and literacy.
Prerequisites
Note that it is very important that you complete this course successfully before you start DSO1506 Introduction to Digital Technologies 2.
Recommended reading
Englander, I. (2014). The architecture of computer hardware, system software, and networking. John Wiley & Sons.