The aim of the course is to introduce students to the theoretical foundation and methods of technology foresight. The course is targeting doctoral students within engineering and design who intent to apply elements of technology foresight and scenarios – or prospective technology analyses in general - in their research.
The focus is set on strategic foresight within specific areas of science and technology or industrial sectors. Regional foresight and wider national foresight exercises are not dealt with specifically.
The course contains partly discussion of literature and of theoretical perspectives and partly practical and instrumental introduction to foresight methods.
Læringsmål:
En studerende, der fuldt ud har opfyldt kursets mål, vil kunne:
understand basics of the theoretical underpinnings for the field of foresight
understand the overall economical and societal context in which strategic foresight is practised
understand expectations' and visions' role in innovation and foresight
understand technology foresight’s role in public science, technology and innovation policy
overview European firms' use of foresight and of differences between foresight in firms and in public policy
overview quantitative and qualitative foresight methods
critically read and use roadmaps and construct simple roadmaps
ritically read and use scenarios and conduct simple scenario processes
understand trans-disciplinarity and experts' role in technology foresight
ritically read and use Delpni studies and conduct simple Delphi surveys
Kursusindhold:
Part 1 comprices four days of lectures combined with discussions on the presented concepts. The part is organised within three main headlines: • Introduction to foresight • Foresight in public science, technology and innovation policy and in corporate strategy • Methods in foresight. Especially the methods of scenarios, Delphi studies and road-mapping will be discussed. The participants are anticipated to have read the suggested literature. For each subject the lecturer will give a short introduction, mostly based on the lecturers’ own research and consulting activities in the area. Based on the introduction the students will guided through a critical discussion of the issue and conclude on its relevance to their PhD project.
Part 1 concludes with discussion of related objects and research questions relevant to each participant’s own research and discussion of how to choose relevant methodologies to cover the research questions.
Part 1 will be held 22 to 25 September 2009.
Part 2 consists of a project work over a period of 3 – 4 month. The participants will be expected to prepare shorter draft (e.g. part of a chapter in the dissertation) drawing on the relevance of the course’s subject matter for their PhD project’s theoretical orientation and/or actual analytical treatment. Senior staff from DTU Management Engineering (the lecturers) will provide supervising during the project period. The supervision will typically take place as two meetings between a supervisor and small groups of the course’s participants. Part two concludes with a one-day workshop where the participants’ project work is presented and discussed. The course will conclude with a general evaluation of the whole course. Date for the workshop will be settled during part 1.
Bemærkninger:
Prior to the first part of the course the participants will be asked to distribute a short presentation of their PhD project reflecting the actual stage of the project but with emphasis on the core object or problem studied and the approach taken. Participation in part 1 is a prerequisite for participation in part 2.
