This theme sets the foundation of our understanding of the future. Through a Systems Thinking Approach students will dive deeper into the future of innovation and its influence on the way we work. Topics include: AI, Machine Learning and adaptive manufacturing.
Exploring the Future: Sustainability and Innovation
This is a Level 1 course from the Management and Innovation, Economics, Data Science and Artificial Intelligence, and Politics and International Relations majors, part of the Open Bachelor’s programme. It is worth 6 ECTS and takes place in Term 2 in Lisbon.
Course Summary
This course helps you understand the major environmental and technological shifts shaping our world today and for the decade to come: climate change, biodiversity loss, water scarcity, pollution, and energy transitions, alongside cutting-edge technological frontiers such as artificial intelligence, quantum computing, biotechnology, blockchain, and sustainable materials. Each session will help you understand the basic scientific and technical principles in an accessible manner and explore future outlooks. Through real-world case studies and future scenarios, you will investigate these transformations and their potential applications across different fields. You will engage in debates, problem-solving exercises, and team projects where you’ll analyze challenges, map interactions, and explore innovative solutions.
Course Learning Outcomes (CLOs)
| Description | Mapped to Human Intelligence | |
|---|---|---|
| CLO 1 | Acquire and explore how emerging technologies influence sustainability debates across different sectors and communities leading to social change. | CI1 – Learning Agility |
| CLO 2 | Apply emerging technologies to current global challenges with an emphasis on ethical decision-making. | CI4 – Mastery in Knowledge Application |
| CLO 3 | Explore, learn and understand the main forces driving our world today as the environmental challenges and technology shifts have impacts across our economies, societies, our health, psyche and politics. | CI2 – Understanding of Global Challenges |
Assessment
| Assessment Type | Weighting of Course Grade | Group Assessment? | Invigilated? | CLOs Mapped | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Assessment 1 | Evaluative – Quiz | 20% | No | Yes | CLOs 1 & 3 |
| Assessment 2 | Digital – Digital Artefact | 30% | Yes | No | CLOs 1, 2, 3 |
| Assessment 3 | Practical – Case Study | 50% | No | Yes | CLOs 1, 2, 3 |
- Assessment 1 Description: Short answer quiz on key concepts, administered approximately half way through the course. The quiz is designed to reinforce foundational knowledge and prepare students for deeper analysis in later assessments.
- Assessment 2 Description: In small groups, students will investigate an issue of their choice related to the relationship between one very specific technology or concrete sustainability challenge. Drawing on verified documentation, systems thinking, they will identify relevant theoretical explanations and examine how relevant theories have affected these debates, using empirical evidence or case studies. Students are expected to critically assess different perspectives and reflect on the implications of the findings. The final deliverable is a digital artefact that could take the form of a video or research poster that presents the research question, theoretical foundation, key literature insights, and a critical interpretation of the evidence in an accessible manner. This assignment fosters collaboration, critical thinking, and the application of multidisciplinary themes to pressing real-world challenges. It should be delivered at the end of the course
- Assessment 3 Description: A closed book, individual assignment where students are to investigate a real-world technological innovation aimed at addressing a global challenge (e.g. climate change, health, food security, or energy). Students are to Identify at least tensions or trade-offs that emerge in its design, deployment, or impact considering how this technology affects different stakeholder groups – across generations, geographies, and ecosystems. Additionally, students will be expected to write an interview brief of a leading entrepreneur with 5 to 10 questions and their justifications, based on a document provided to them.
Indicative List
of Topics
This theme applies the systems thinking approach to the aspects of the environment and technology that will transform the way we live as we face the challenges of the future. Topics include: Fundamentals of Climate Change, Biodiversity and Ecosystem loss and Water Scarcity.
This theme will encapsulate the various aspects of technology and sustainability as it is applied to society. Students will delve into the human dimension of the future. Topics include: Resistance movements to change, digital inequalities and ethical debates
