Information Technology 3301-Z-J-TI

The course introduces MA students to the digital environment of contemporary academic work, demonstrating how information technologies and AI systems shape the ways in which knowledge is accessed, processed, and presented. Students become familiar with tools supporting academic workflow organisation, information retrieval, and academic writing. Particular emphasis is placed on developing critical digital awareness, evaluating the credibility of sources, and the ethical use of technology, including artificial intelligence.
The course covers the following topics:
1. Digital academic environment
Topics:
Digital literacy in contemporary contexts. Differences between every day and academic digital environments. Types of digital tools: productivity, research, and AI systems. File formats, cloud systems, and online collaboration.
Aim:
Understanding the role of digital technologies in academic work and transitioning from user to informed participant in digital systems.
2. Digital safety, ethics, and academic integrity
Topics:
Privacy, digital footprint, and basic threats (phishing, malware). Predatory journals and fake conferences. Plagiarism vs AI-assisted work. Authorship and responsibility. Introduction to AI hallucinations.
Aim:
Developing awareness of risks and ethical principles in digital environments.
3. Digital tools and academic workflow
Topics:
Academic writing: styles, document structure, table of contents, collaboration tools. Basic data handling (Excel/Sheets). Visualisation and presentation of information.
Aim:
Developing practical skills for efficient academic work using digital tools.
4. Artificial intelligence in academic work
Topics:
Language models (LLMs): basic principles. Capabilities and limitations of AI. Hallucinations and reliability. Basic prompting techniques. Applications: idea generation, summarising, text editing. Risks: bias, overreliance, false authority.
Aim:
Developing critical and informed use of AI as a tool supporting academic work.
5. Information retrieval, knowledge infrastructures, and open science
Topics:
Part 1: Research Skills & Information Retrieval
Structure of academic knowledge: research articles, monographs, book chapters. Differences between scholarly and non-scholarly sources. Google Scholar vs specialised databases (e.g., JSTOR, Scopus – introduction). Basic academic search strategies: keywords, synonyms, topic scope. Advanced search techniques: Boolean operators (AND, OR, NOT), phrase searching, filtering results. Evaluation of sources: credibility, authorship, affiliation, citations, currency. Identifying bias and limitations.
Part 2: Digital Knowledge Infrastructures & Open Science
Academic repositories and their functions. Open access vs paywalled knowledge. Introduction to academic publishing:
journals, peer review, indexing. Preprints and their role in knowledge circulation. Ethical debate: access to knowledge (e.g., Sci-Hub) vs copyright law.
Aim:
Developing the ability to effectively search for, evaluate, and critically engage with academic information, and understanding how knowledge is produced, organised, and distributed in digital environments.
6. Reference management and citation practices
Topics:
Zotero and reference management tools. Citation styles (MLA, APA). Organising sources and avoiding citation errors.
Aim:
Developing fundamental academic referencing skills.
7. Emerging digital technologies and the future of work
Topics:
Developments in AI, automation, algorithms, and digital platforms. Impact of technology on education and work.
Aim:
Understanding technological trends and their implications for the future.