Course:ELEC300E/CaseStudies

Context

Course Goals

These case studies were developed for ELEC300E, Engineering Design for the AI Era, a new course on problem formulation, critical thinking and engineering leadership. They are designed to be more broadly useful however, and don't require any prior understanding of design methodologies, frameworks or technical knowledge.

ELEC300E Learning objectives:

• Identify and formulate meaningful, well-grounded engineering problems.
• Practice systems thinking skills required to reason about complex sociotechnical systems
• Analyze the social and environmental contexts of engineering problems.
• Articulate perspectives on engineering problems, and collaborate with their peers to develop shared understandings.
• Identify concrete opportunities to effect positive change

The course introduces specific analysis approaches and models that can be applied to the case studies, but the case studies themselves do not rely on these frameworks or tools:

• Systems Mapping
• The Iceberg Model
• Critical Hope
• Analysis of Rhetoric
• Identifying Bias
• Ethical Frameworks / Decision Making
• Value Propositions
• Axiological Design

Pedagogical Approach

Our course is centered around case studies, allowing students to practice analysis strategies and link abstract models to concrete examples. Our strategy - and the case studies - are informed by the following teaching approaches / philosophies.

• Participatory Learning / Knowledge co-creation: Instead of providing specific conclusions and interpretations of events, the case studies aim to facilitate discussions between students that incorporate their personal experiences and perspectives.
• Problem Posing: Paulo Friere's critical pedagogy highlights problem-posing, teaching people "to perceive critically the way they exist in the world with which and in which they find themselves; they come to see the world not as a static reality, but as a reality in process, in transformation". The focus of the course is not on problem solving, but rather on problem posing. Case studies focus more on the context for design decisions rather than the implementation.
• Critical Hope: For positive change to be possible, we need to have hope - but hope that is grounded in reality and in action. These case studies were developed with an appreciation of the importance of hope, and discussion questions relate directly to Kari Grain's seven principles of critical hope.
• Culture of Care / Trust: Participatory learning requires for students to be able to engage, to be supported, and to feel comfortable sharing their perspectives. In case studies, we aim to 1) incorporate principles of UDL, 2) welcome multiple perspectives, 3) provide clear scaffolding for new ideas, 4) attend to student emotions and experience, and 5) not overwhelm students with too much reading!

Case Studies

Case Study	AI	Sustainability	Social Impact	ELEC	SW	Possible Frameworks or Topics*
UVic's Controversial AI Plagiarism Policy	✓		✓			Needs Analysis
Embodied Costs of Computing and Repair		✓		✓		System Mapping, Critical Hope
Intel's Virtuous Cycle of Growth		✓		✓		System Mapping
Vancouver's AI Datacenters	✓	✓		✓		Rhetoric Analysis
UBC Learning Exchange's LinkVan App			✓	✓	✓	Iceberg Model, Design Justice
Chatbot Training in Nairobi	✓		✓		✓	Iceberg Model
The Indian Register			✓		✓	Types of Knowledge
Designing AI in A Good Way	✓	✓		✓	✓	Types of Knowledge, Design Justice
Peer Evaluations						Needs Analysis, Ethical Decision Making
Electronic Monitoring at Work			✓		✓	Needs Analysis
Jobseeker-Centric Algorithmic Tools	✓		✓		✓	Needs Analysis, Iceberg Model, Design Justice
Grief Bots	✓		✓		✓	Needs Analysis
Vibe Coding and Software Jobs	✓		✓		✓	Needs Analysis, Iceberg Model
Framework Computing		✓		✓		Value Propositions, Systems Mapping, Axiological Design
Fairphone		✓	✓	✓		Value Propositions, Axiological Design
Duck Duck Go and PBD			✓		✓	Axiological Design
OpenAI Privacy	✓		✓		✓	Ethical Decision Making
Social Media Bans			✓		✓	Ethical Decision Making
Tipping towards Clean Energy		✓		✓		Critical Hope, System Mapping
Canadian EV Policy		✓		✓		Value Propositions, Iceberg Model, Axiological Design
Mapping out Campus			✓		✓	Value Propositions
Autonomous Vehicles	✓		✓		✓	Ethical Decision Making, Axiological Design
Navigating Good Food			✓		✓	Value Propositions
A Random AI Incident	✓		✓		✓
Total	9	10	15	10	14

* Frameworks or strategies that might apply well to the case studies - not exhaustive or necessary

Student-Developed Case Studies

We encourage students to develop their own case studies based on problems they have researched or have personal interest or experience in.

• Case Study Selection:
  • You might find an interesting story in the news, or you could consider the incidents in the AI Incident Database (stories of accidents and issues related to AI), or the Civic Tech Field Guide (examples of civic-minded online organizations and initiatives)
  • Remember critical hope: Does the case study involve any hopeful ideas, or present any ways for students to take concrete action? Does it highlight social injustices, ambiguities or conflicts, emotional experiences, or relationships with the body and land?
  • Does the case study allow for different perspectives and interpretations? If the problems and solutions are too obvious, that leaves less for students to learn through reflection and discussion, and it doesn't allow for nuanced conversations.
  • Can the analysis techniques in the course (like systems thinking) be applied?
  • Is the case study engaging and relevant: Is it local? Directly applicable to student experience? Relating to ECE? Recent? Interesting or controversial? Being at least a couple of those things keeps it more interesting.
• Context:
  • Keep the context as short as possible: The point of the context is to give the students knowledge and context that they need in order to understand the case, have interesting discussions about it, and apply the analysis strategies presented in class. The point isn't to teach students new facts or for them to become experts in the subject.
  • Keep it engaging and creative. Consider pictures, creative forms of expression. Keep in mind accessibility also, and include captions for pictures, transcripts of podcasts etc.
  • Try to focus on the problem and context for decisions or actions more than on implementation... although sometimes these ideas are all interrelated.
• Case:
  • Tell the story from one particular perspectives: This could help make the case study more personal and engaging, and encourages empathy. You might find resources like podcasts where a person tells about their experience, or maybe you write about your own experience, or make up a character and describe their perspective. Consider though - if you are inventing a person other than yourself, are you making assumptions or reinforcing stereotypes?
  • Or present information more neutrally, including both sides of an argument or debate.
• Recommended Readings and Resources:
  • Aim for <7 minutes total of required readings (if there is more than that, make some optional)
  • Use videos and podcasts, but take UDL and accessibility into account and try to provide transcripts and accessible materials.
• Discussion Questions:
  • Try to map the discussion questions to Kari Grain's principles of critical hope:
    • Anger and grief have a seat at the table (Personal Response): eg. "Take stock of your immediate response to this case study: outrage, discomfort, boredom, confusion, frustration, hope, interest? How might your unique personal experiences and perspectives inform this response? How can you leverage this response in a positive way?"
    • Hope is necessary but alone its not enough (Positive action): How can this case study inspire concrete positive action?
    • Critical hope is entangled with the body and the land (Physical connections): How does the case study relate to your physical surroundings, the history of the land you live on, or your physical experience?
    • Critical hope is messy, uncomfortable and full of contradictions (Contradictory viewpoints and outcomes): Where are the contradictions and conflicts in the case study? Where do stakeholder priorities conflict? What is ambiguous or unsure?
    • Critical hope requires interruptions and invitations (Interruptions and invitations): How, through leadership, can we invite people to the table and include communities in change? How can harmful systems be interrupted?
    • Critical hope requires bearing witness to social and historical trauma (Social and Historical Context): How does the case study relate to systemic injustices, patterns of oppression, power hierarchies etc.?
    • Critical hope is not something you have, its something you practice (Positive practices): eg. "What is one concrete action that you could take, or a practice that you could adopt in your personal, academic or professional life to address some of the issues discussed in this case study?"
  • Avoid discussion questions with obvious answers.
  • Avoid discussion questions that students might be uncomfortable talking about in class (eg. "Have you ever used AI to cheat on an assignment? Why"). Otherwise, list them them at the bottom as 'reflection questions'.