TEK1900 – Discovering Technology, Discovering Systems

In this course, you will discover how complex, real-world technologies are invented, built, and operated. Rather than just studying theory, you will explore technology systems by tackling an open-ended, systems-level project. Working in a team, you will design and implement an end-to-end technology system that integrates sensing, control, and actuation.

Throughout the course, you learn to use systems thinking and architecture to make sense of complex problems. You will apply the technology system life-cycle, from your first concept and prototype to analyzing, verifying, and deploying a working system. You will work with the V-model process, first focusing on understanding the problem and system needs, then turning those insights into well-designed solutions. Alongside these high-level concepts, you will gain hands-on "maker" skills in basic electronics, 3D-printing, and coding. You will also explore how to practice your profession ethically by considering privacy, accessibility, security, and sustainability in everything you design.

Knowledge:

After completing this course, you will be able to

• explain key concepts like modularity, interface design, and integration, and understand how they make systems scalable and resilient
• describe the stages of a system's lifecycle, including how to break a big idea down (decomposition) and test it (verification)
• understand how socio-technical factors, like equity and sustainability, shape the way we design technology

Skills:

After completing this course, you will be able to

• conduct research to inform your design decisions and synthesize your findings
• design and iterate solutions to open-ended problems using a systems engineering perspective, moving from the first discovery of requirements to final monitoring
• distinguish between the needs domain (what the user wants) and the solutions domain (how the technology actually works)

General competence:

After completing this course, you will be able to

• communicate your system concepts and results effectively to both technical experts and general audiences
• take on responsibilities within a team while practicing ethical and professional conduct
• reflect on your own ideas and outcomes using evidence from user feedback and physical system tests

Students who are admitted to study programmes at UiO must each semester register which courses and exams they wish to sign up for in Studentweb.

This course is open for admission to students on the bachelor's programme Technology Systems: Science and Engineering. Please refer to the programme description for admission requirements.

This course uses a work-integrated learning approach, where you learn primarily by doing. The semester is organized into several phases to guide your discovery:

• Foundations: You will start with core lectures and practical sessions to build essential skills in electronics, mechanics, 3D printing, and programming. During this phase, you will choose a "major" and "minor" specialty to focus on.
• Concept development: You will form cross-specialty teams to brainstorm and define what your system needs to do, transforming user needs into clear technical requirements.
• Hands-on build and iteration: Working in your specialty groups, you will design, build, and test your specific unit or sub-system.
• Integration: You will reunite with your cross-specialty team to bring all the individual parts together into a single, cohesive working system.
• Communication and knowledge sharing: You will present your work to your peers and the public through live demos and presentations.
• Reflection: In the final week, you will look back on your experience with systems thinking and the challenges you overcame, preparing you for the rest of your bachelor's programme.

Your final grade is based on a summative assessment consisting of the following:

• 25% group project presentation: a demonstration of your finished system for a panel of expert "judges"
• 15% group pitch: a poster or oral session designed for a non-technical audience
• 20% group design portfolio: a report detailing how you decomposed the problem, analyzed your options, and planned the project
• 20% individual technical portfolio: a curated selection of the code, designs, and diagrams you personally created
• 20% individual reflection report: a report where you link your design decisions to outcomes and reflect on group dynamics and ethics

To qualify for the final grade, you must participate in milestone check-ins with mentors, design critique sessions, and simulations of stakeholder interviews.