ICT-­‐732  TECHNOLOGY  FUTURES,  3  CREDITS   Instructor:  

Dr.  Byron  C.  Anderson,  Program  Director  for  BS-­‐ICT  

Office:  

152  Communications  Technologies  Building  

Office  Hours:            see  online  presence  below   Phone:                                   (715)  232-­‐1299  (office);  (715)505-­‐1107  (mobile)  

Text  based:                  For  general  course  questions,  use  D2L—Discussion—Email                                                            For  sensitive  or  personal  issues,  use  [email protected]   Welcome  to  this  course.  It  is  my  goal  to  help  you  succeed  in  both  your  academic  and   professional  aspirations.  As  a  graduate  learner  you’re  likely  balancing  a  host  of  life  obligations   across  home,  family,  work,  academics,  and  your  community.  The  work  we  do  in  this  class   should  dovetail  with  your  professional  pursuits  as  often  as  possible.  Look  for  ways  to  help  our   classwork  bring  meaning  and  value  to  your  other  life  dynamics.  Be  thinking,  “How  can  I  use   what  we’re  doing  in  class  to  add  value  in  other  areas  of  my  life?”  If  we  are  purposeful  in   applying  this  approach,  I’m  confident  our  learning  with  be  to  the  benefit  of  many.   CATALOG  DESCRIPTION   Apply  systems  thinking  in  developing  frameworks  for  forecasting  technology  driven  topics.   Examine  the  implications  of  technological  change  along  with  social  change  for  various  futures.     COURSE  OBJECTIVES   Upon  completion  of  this  course,  students  will  be  able  to:   1. Exhibit  an  understanding  of  contemporary  technological  change.   2. Apply  understanding  of  social  change  theories  and  systems  thinking  to  forecasting   techniques.   3. Apply  common  forecasting  techniques  to  explore  various  futures  for  technology.   4. Produce  baseline  and  alternative  future  scenarios  systematically  for  various  technology   topics.   5. Analyze  current  technological  topics  to  identify  uncertainties  and  leading  indicators.   6. Test  forecast  assumptions  using  baseline  analysis  or  other  appropriate  techniques.   RESOURCES   We  will  draw  upon  a  variety  of  resources  as  part  of  our  studies.  A  core  body  of  materials  shared   as  part  of  the  University  of  Houston,  Certificate  for  Strategic  Foresight  program  will  be  used.   Also,  please  find  online  via  UW-­‐Stout  library  e-­‐text  resources  or  obtain  another  way…   Future  Savvy:  Identifying  Trends  to  Make  Better  Decisions,  Manage  Uncertainty,  and  Profit  from   Change  by  Adam  Gordon  (2008);  http://site.ebrary.com/id/10271812    

Scenario  Planning:  A  Field  Guide  to  the  Future  by  Wade  Woody  (2012);   http://site.ebrary.com/id/10542526     ASSIGNMENTS  AND  MEASURES  OF  WORK   Assignment Strategic  Thinking  Quizzes Wade  &  Gordon  Discussions Introduction  Presentation

Framework  Forecasting  Project   Book  Review

Notes Most  are  10  points Four  and  feedback 4-­‐5  minutes  &  feedback six  segments 3  deposits

Approximate  Percent  of  Grade 20% 20% 5% 50% 5%

  GRADING   A  90%-­‐100%;  B  80  %-­‐89.9%;  C  70%-­‐79.9%;  D  60%-­‐  69.9%;  F  59%  or  less   (Plus  or  minus  modifications  will  be  left  up  to  the  instructor’s  discretion     though  generally  +@>7  and  -­‐@