STEAM alignment across different educational levels at the University of Amsterdam

This approach to STEAM education covers two programmes taught at the University of Amsterdam (UvA): the BSc Information Studies (three years) and the MSc Information Studies (one year) which are both located in the Computing Department. The approach provides students on both levels with room for exploration of the field based on shared activities mainly through project work. The aim is to provide students with technological, human and societal insights (theories, models, system implementations) so that they can comprehend and place themselves in the field of information science. The programmes are aimed at students from a mixture of subject backgrounds but joined in the desire to solve complex societal problems, using ICT and digital media.

This STEAM approach combines the domains of technology, society and organisation (business and institutional) into a reflective system in order to understand the complexity of each individually as well as in relation to each other. The courses within the programmes foster personal development and creativity within a scientific environment by providing space for independent work thorough applying the didactic paradigm of ‘active learning’. The Art part of STEAM helps to broaden the student’s view that technology is the solution into rather that technologies help to improve the organisation of industrial, organisation and social work BUT that this technology needs to be adjusted to human and social needs.